President’s Message – May 2022

With the Community Hall back to active usage, including our Fitness and Yoga programs, we are looking at initiating new programs whenever possible. In that process, we are hosting our first ever Bike Day on May 7 where volunteers will service children’s bikes for free at the community hall grounds. Activities for the kids with their bikes are also planned that day. See the poster in this newsletter issue as well as our website (cambrianheightscommunity.com) for full details. We are also testing the interest in music lessons with an information session being held on April 28 followed by a first group lesson on May 8. Details may be found on our website and the poster in this issue.

We are hosting the return of our Wine Events Saturday, May 28 at the Community Hall. This will be a tasting of southern France wines with Highlander Wine and Spirits providing the expert commentary. Ticket sales will be through our website. Please see the poster in this issue or access our website for details.

Unfortunately, we were unable to host a Community Cleanup this year but plan for its return next year. However, the community cleanups throughout Calgary are open to anyone and are free. While the 2022 schedule has not been published by the City at this point, we encourage checking the City website (calgary.ca) for the Cleanup schedule of neighbouring communities.

We have scheduled our Annual General Meeting for June 28 at 7:30 in the Community Hall. We will be hosting this event with a social reception to follow allowing everyone the opportunity to informally discuss issues important to our residents. Put this on your calendar and contribute to the discussion that evening. We hope to have representatives from our Councillor and MLA offices.

We are planning an afternoon family music and food event on Saturday, September 17 at which the Gunn Blues Band will be performing an outdoor music concert that was so well attended last year. We plan to have additional activities for the family as well as food and non-alcoholic beverages available. Consult our website for more details in the coming months.

With the pandemic, there has been a sharp increase in the usage of our park space in Cambrian Heights. We encourage residents with ideas that may be considered for these park spaces to improve usability and help preserve the parks within our community. This is particularly important as developments that increase population density continue to be promoted by the City.

As we approach summer we remind residents of the $100 Block party subsidy available through your Community Association. Bringing your neighbours together is a great way to promote the spirit of friendship and enjoy the warm weather with outdoor cooking, activities, and just social interaction. Explore this idea by emailing president@cambrianheightscommunity.com for more information.

We have all noticed an increase in home sales, renovations, and new builds over the last 12 months in Cambrian Heights. This trend is expected to accelerate during 2022. We encourage all owners planning a new build to reference our website for the document “Lessons Learned” and discuss design aspects with your neighbours or explore conversation with the Community Planning Committee to avoid conflicts in the development process. We also encourage anyone interested in playing a role in the development of our community to consider joining our Planning Committee. Please contact the undersigned for further information.

We continue to encourage all residents of Cambrian Heights to provide feedback and ideas to us identifying what type of programs and activities you would like to see for our community. We continue to need a Social Director to help develop and coordinate activities within our volunteer base. Please talk with any director or email cambrianheights@gmail.com for more insight into this valuable role. Your suggestions and potential voluntarism to enhance your community are always valued.

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA

Waste & Recycling Services Compost Giveaway

The City of Calgary is offering complimentary compost for residents to use in their yards and gardens this spring. The compost is made from the food and yard waste collected through the Green Cart program.

Compost will be available for pickup, by online appointment only, from April 25 to June 11 at Shepard (South) and Spyhill (North) landfills during operating hours.

  • April 25 – May 14 appointments: Available to book starting April 18
  • May 16 – May 28 appointments: Available to book starting May 9
  • May 30 – June 11 appointments: Available to book starting May 23

The appointment booking tool will be available starting April 18 on https://www.calgary.ca/waste/residential/green-cart-compost-giveaway.html.

  • When the appointment booking tool is live, select which location you will be picking up your compost.
  • Select a date and time to pick up compost – appointments are booked in 15-minute slots.
  • Save the confirmation email, on your smartphone or printed, as you will be asked to show it to the site attendant when you check in.
  • Please arrive on time for your appointment.
  • If you are unable to make your scheduled appointment time, you can cancel your appointment through your confirmation email and rebook a timeslot at a later date.

To ensure there is a fair opportunity for all citizens to pick up compost, households may pick up compost once for the 2022 year.

Participants should bring:
o   Shovel
o   Gloves
o   Containers to hold compost (buckets, tubs, etc.)
o   Tarps

Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Update

The Varsity Multi Service Redevelopment project will affect access to the household hazardous waste drop-off at Varsity Fire Station #17.

Effective April 13, 2022, the household hazardous waste drop-off at Varsity Fire Station will temporarily move to Bowness Fire Station #15, located at 6328 35 Avenue NW. Please take your household hazardous waste to this location instead.

The drop-off shed is open from 8 am to 6 pm seven days a week and is serviced daily to keep waste levels to a minimum. Outside of operating hours, the shed is locked.

Why was Bowness Fire Station chosen?

Bowness Fire Station was chosen because of the space available at the site for a household hazardous waste shed and is located close enough to Varsity that it is still convenient for residents in surrounding communities to access the drop-off.

An alternative household hazardous waste drop-off in the northwest is Spyhill Landfill at 11808 69 Street NW.

How long will the drop-off be at Bowness Fire Station?

Depending on construction timelines, the household hazardous waste drop-off will remain at Bowness Fire Station for the next two years. We will inform the community of any changes that arise.

What if there are parking/traffic concerns?

The household hazardous waste shed is used for drop-off only. Citizens should not park there for extended periods of time—only for a few minutes to drop off their household hazardous waste.

There should be a minimal increase in traffic, due to the drop-off nature of the HHW shed and customer flow is typically scattered throughout the day.

What should residents do with household hazardous waste?

Household hazardous waste such as paint, propane tanks, automotive and cleaning chemicals don’t belong in your blue, green or black carts. Take these items to household hazardous waste drop-off at City landfills or designated fire stations for safe disposal.

Make sure to properly package and label your household hazardous waste before taking to a drop-off location. This is for your safety and the safety of employees who collect and handle your leftover chemicals. It also protects against spills and prevents the mixing of chemicals.

Check the full list of acceptable items at calgary.ca/hhw

President’s Message – April 2022

As of March 1, the Community Hall is open for rentals, programs, and events. We of course will continue to monitor Provincial and City health guidelines should there be any future changes. We also will continue to sanitize after any programs, rentals, or events until we witness further declines in hospitalizations and the spread of any Covid variants.

As a result, our Yoga Program will return to the hall every Wednesday starting April 6 as will our Fitness program returning every Monday evening starting April 4. Details for attending both programs are found in this month’s newsletter or on our website (www.cambrianheightscommunity.com).

The Community Association is working on a number of events over 2022 as we emerge from the health restrictions initiated in March 2020. We are planning a southern France wine tasting evening on Saturday, May 28. A firm commitment to this event will be made in early April with tickets going on sale through our website. Details will be provided on the website, in the May newsletter as well as our Facebook page, and an email to those who have registered to receive community announcements. In addition, we have scheduled our Annual General Meeting for June 28 at the Community Hall. We hope to host this event with guests and a social reception to explore issues important to the residents of Cambrian Heights. Put this on your calendar and contribute to the discussion that evening.

This summer we will once again put on an outdoor concert on the community grounds. We are trying to organize this concert in association with a fall family community barbecue for the afternoon of September 17. For this event, we need volunteers to help plan and run the event and if you are available please contact us at cambrianheights@gmail.com to discuss your involvement. Events such as these need community participation to be truly successful.

With the pandemic, there has been a sharp increase in the number of pets in Cambrian Heights. We encourage all pet owners to pick up after their animals and to help preserve the parks within our community by disposing of refuse that was left behind as the snow melts and temperatures increase. This is particularly important in the school and playground recreational areas as well as our Off-Leash parks.

With the advent of Spring, we remind residents of the $100 Block party subsidy available through your Community Association. Bringing your neighbours together is a great way to promote the spirit of friendship and enjoy the warm weather with outdoor cooking, activities, and just social interaction. Explore this idea by emailing president@cambrianheightscommunity.com for more information.

We have all noticed an increase in home sales, renovations, and new builds over the last 12 months in Cambrian Heights. This trend is expected to accelerate during 2022. We encourage all owners planning a new build to reference our website for the document “Lessons Learned” and discuss design aspects with your neighbours or explore conversation with the Community Planning Committee to avoid conflicts in the development process.

We continue to encourage all residents of Cambrian Heights to consider involvement in your community association. We further encourage all in the community to provide feedback and ideas to us identifying what type of programs and activities you would like to see for our community. Your suggestions are always appreciated.

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA

Have your say on The City’s Snow and Ice Program

Calgary is a winter city, and with winter comes snow. The City responds to snow using our Council approved 7-day Snow Plan.

Did you know that our snow response is guided by The City’s Snow and Ice Control Policy? This Policy is used to establish priorities and set standards for the service levels of our snow response. This policy has not been updated since 2011 and we are looking for public input on how we can explore new opportunities, make improvements, and plan how we respond to snow events in the future.

Starting today The City of Calgary will be accepting public submissions to our Snow and Ice Policy review engagement. Citizens can go to engage.calgary.ca/snow where they can provide input through a short nine-question survey that should take between five and seven minutes to complete. We are looking for multiple perspectives and to know about individual experiences as it relates to our winter services. This engagement is open to all Calgarians who wish to participate.

“This is an important first step in The City’s policy review,” says Adam Pawlak, Leader of Planning and Operations of The City of Calgary’s Roads business unit. “We want to know what is important to Calgarians, and how they feel about their snow services. Our goal is to determine what citizen priorities are when it comes to winter service in this city.”

Following the policy review, The City will provide a report back to Council in 2023. The engagement portal will be open from March 1 through March 25 and can be seen at engage.calgary.ca slash snow.

President’s Message – March 2022

Activity at the Community Hall has been restricted by COVID health safety measures since March of 2020. At the writing of this report, there have been Provincial changes being announced that end the Restrictions Exemption Program but retains the Face Covering Bylaw. Further changes are proposed for March 1 and beyond subject to hospitalizations rates dropping. Issues may remain however with the City of Calgary’s response in regards to local regulations. We remain focused on promoting renewed activity at our hall and grounds while maintaining appropriate health safety standards. These will be guided by City of Calgary regulations as owners of the hall and grounds.

As outlined in our February report we are tentatively planning a southern France wine tasting evening on Saturday, May 28. We will of course be monitoring the public indoor gathering regulations against the social nature of this wine tasting and food service event. A firm commitment to this event will be made in early April with tickets going on sale through our website (www.cambrianheightscommunity.com). Details will be provided on this site as well as our Facebook page.

In addition, we have scheduled our Annual General Meeting for June 28 at the Community Hall. We again hope to host this event with guests and a social reception to explore issues important to the residents of Cambrian Heights. Put this on your calendar and contribute to the discussion that evening.

To reopen the Hall to activities after two years of shutdowns we need your help. Whether you have the time to assist in our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram programs, or to help organize social events please contact us at president@cambrianheightscommunity.com to discuss avenues to develop community involvement.

Our two outdoor ice rinks have provided an excellent social and physical activity outlet, particularly in these pandemic winters. By the publication of this issue these two rinks may be on their last legs as March 20th brings the first day of spring. We all extend our appreciation to Scott Jacobson and his team of volunteers for another excellent season.

We continue to support our online yoga program and hope to soon revert to pre-pandemic live classes at the hall as well as a restart of our fitness program. We remind residents with spring and then summer around the corner of the $100 Block party subsidy available through the Community. Bringing your neighbours together is a great way to promote the spirit of friendship. Feel free to explore this idea by emailing president@cambrianheightscommunity.com.

We have all noticed an increase in home sales, renovations, and new builds over the last 12 months in Cambrian Heights. We encourage all new owners to reference our website for the document “Lessons Learned” and discuss design aspects with your neighbours or explore conversation with the Community Planning Committee to avoid conflicts in the development process.

We continue to encourage all residents of Cambrian Heights to consider involvement in your community association. We further encourage all in the community to provide feedback and ideas at cambrianheights@gmail.com identifying what type of programs and activities you would like to see for our community. Whether you have the ability to volunteer or not your suggestions are always appreciated.

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA

President’s Message – February 2022

While into the second month of a new year the news from your community association continues to be missing the past excitement of events and programs to announce. Instead, we have the highly contagious Omicron variant impacting our social gatherings and daily lives. Our online Fitness classes were suspended in January due to limited participation. Our Yoga classes however have continued, as detailed in the poster within this issue. The annual Polar Party was also canceled due to the inability to provide free skate rentals and volunteer organizations. We, as Directors of the Community Association, are focused on returning the level of programming experienced in pre-Covid years to our community hall. We are tentatively planning for the second quarter of this year a Wine Tasting event, an Open House promoting community participation with an update on our parks development ideas, and our Annual General Meeting in late June. Please watch our website (www.cambrianheightscommunity.com) for details.

Cambrian Heights will need participation from our residents to plan these social events while developing new educational programming such as language classes for all ages and improve on our communication systems with community residents. To help in this process we need someone to volunteer time to realize the potential of our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram programs. If you are able to volunteer some time to help please contact us at president@cambrianheightscommunity.com to discuss your potential involvement.

Our two outdoor ice rinks are available for skating thanks to Scott Jacobson and his team of volunteers. They have done a great service to the community with the two ice surfaces this year in extremely cold conditions. Extra hands are always needed so if you are able to help even for a few hours please contact Scott at scott-andrew-jacobson@hotmail.com.

We remind residents of the $100 Block party subsidy available through the Community. Whether winter or summer, bringing your neighbours together is a great way to promote the spirit of friendship that Calgary is famous for exhibiting. Feel free to explore this idea by contacting me by email or phone.

We continue to encourage all residents of Cambrian Heights to stay safe in 2022 and hope soon to be announcing programs and activities for our community as in pre-pandemic years. In the interim please enjoy our outdoor ice rinks and consider involvement in your community association. We further encourage all in the community to provide feedback and ideas at cambrianheights@gmail.com identifying what type of programs and activities you would like to see for our community. Whether you have the ability to volunteer or not your suggestions are always appreciated.

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA

Residential Water Meter Upgrades

As a continuation of our Meter Exchange Program that began in September of 2013, we have arranged for exchanges of meters in the Ward 4 area. The program ensures water meters remain reliable and enables a more efficient water meter reading service.

In the next few weeks, we will begin to contact customers in the Ward 4, communities that have water meters identified as part of our standard process as requiring replacement. The number of meters being replaced in these communities totals approximately 1150 and the communities affected are listed below.

 

  • BEDDINGTON HEIGHTS
  • COLLINGWOOD
  • HIGHLAND PARK
  • NORTH HAVEN UPPER
  • BRENTWOOD
  • DALHOUSIE
  • HIGHWOOD
  • ROSEMONT
  • CAMBRIAN HEIGHTS
  • EDGEMONT
  • HUNTINGTON HILLS
  • THORNCLIFFE
  • CHARLESWOOD
  • GREENVIEW
  • NORTH HAVEN
  • WINSTON HEIGHTS/MOUNTVIEW

Background

Why is The City exchanging my meter, it seems like you just installed it?
As part of a life cycle replacement program, The City continues to update our older meters that
have reached the end of their life cycle with newer and more efficient meters that are equipped
with Encoded Receiver Transmitter (ERT) technology. This technology allows meters to be read
by a portable device at a distance, which no longer requires monthly access to properties in
order to read their water meters.

 

What do I have to do as a customer?
As a customer you will need to book an appointment with our contractor, Metercor, when they
contact you. If there is anything blocking access to the meter we ask if you can clear the space
to allow us to work. The exchange of the meter is a simple process and will take less than an
hour of your time.

 

Installation

Who installs the meters?
Metercor is the only City-approved contractor who will be completing the meter exchanges.

 

What appointment and scheduling options are available for customers?
Flexible Meter Exchange appointment times are available including evenings and weekends. Appointments can easily be booked over the phone or online.

• Phone: 403.280.3070 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday to Friday

• Online: www.metercor.com/book-an-installation

Virtual Information Session for Property Owners

This virtual information session is open to Calgary home and business owners, who may have questions about their 2022 Property Assessment The event will be hosted on MS Teams and property owners are asked to register for the event through Eventbrite.

Event: Ask The City Assessor

Summary:
This virtual information session is open to Calgary home and business owners, who may have questions about their 2022 Property Assessment.

About this Event:
This virtual information session is open to Calgary home and business owners, who may have questions about their 2022 Property Assessment. During this session, City Assessor, Eddie Lee, will answer questions on how property assessments work. There will be a short presentation followed by a question and answer period. Property owners are encouraged to ask general questions. Due to privacy concerns, Mr. Lee will not answer property-specific questions during this session. Those questions will be noted and responded to via email. This will be a virtual event held on MS Teams. When registered the link will be provided via email. For more information about your 2022 Property Assessment please visit calgary.ca/assessment.

Date: Jan. 18, 7 to 8 p.m.

Where: Virtual, on MS Teams, Register on Eventbrite

President’s Message – January 2022

January brings with it a new beginning and hope for 2022 signaling a year of recovery from COVID-19. We, as Directors of the Community Association, are focused on returning the level of programming experience in pre-Covid years to our community hall. Focus over the past two years has been on the maintenance of a healthy financial position and supporting our long-term Edelweiss Preparatory School as they maintain their programs in the face of decreased enrolment and higher costs due to the pandemic. The Board maintained a primary focus on health and safety by minimizing the use of the hall in the face of ever-changing provincial regulations. We now hope 2022 will witness a return to full use of the hall and outdoor facilities as we progress through this new year.

To make this happen Cambrian Heights will need participation from our residents to plan social events, develop new programming for all ages, and improve our communications with the community. To accomplish this we need someone to volunteer time to realize the potential of our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram programs. If you are able to volunteer some time to help in this process please contact us at president@cambrianheightscommunity.com. to discuss your involvement.

Our two outdoor ice rinks are available for skating thanks to Scott Jacobson and his team of volunteers. Should you wish to help out Scott this year please contact Scott at scott-andrew-jacobson@hotmail.com.

We continue to encourage all residents of Cambrian Heights to stay safe in 2022 and hope soon to be announcing programs and activities for our community as in pre-pandemic years. We further encourage all in the community to provide feedback at cambrianheights@gmail.com identifying what type of programs and activities you would like to see for our community. Whether you have the ability to volunteer or not your suggestions are always appreciated.

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA