Starting October 1, if you have an extra bag of garbage that won’t fit in your City black cart, you’ll need to buy a garbage tag. Tags are $3 each and available at participating convenience and grocery stores or online. See the full list at calgary.ca/garbagetag.

How to use garbage tags:

1. Fill your black cart first.
2. Place extra garbage in a bag and wrap a tag around the knot on top of the bag.
3. On collection day, set the bag 0.5 metres (2 feet) from your black cart.

We encourage everyone to look at what you are buying and throwing away to find ways to reduce waste. Sorting materials correctly helps maximize the use of all three carts (blue, green, black).

Learn more at calgary.ca/garbagetag

Register for this FREE unique program for older adults and their unpaid/informal caregivers together. Led by experienced Parks and Recreation staff, these programs focus on providing opportunities to be active and creative in the outdoors. Fun activities and topics vary each week that runs concurrently for the older adults and caregivers. This program will run with physical distancing measures in place.

Elliston Park
60 St. S.E. parking lot
Thursdays
July 9, 16, 23 & 30
9:30 – 11 a.m.

Confederation Park
30 Ave. & 7 St. N.W. parking lot
Thursdays
August 6, 13, 20 & 27
9:30 – 11 a.m.

Both individuals in the pair must register, separate program options run concurrently at the same location. Registrants will be required to participate independently with the guidance of program staff.

To register, go to calgary.ca/free or call 403-268-3800

Cambrian Heights Community Association is introducing language classes at the Community Hall commencing September 15th. Our first course will be introductory Spanish.

The course will consist of 12 weekly 1.5 hour classes on Tuesday evenings at 7:30PM.

This initial class will be restricted to 8 participants.

Cost for the program has been set at $120.

For more information or to express your interest please email the Community Association at cambrianheights@gmail.com

The course will be professionally taught using instructors from Azren the Language Nerd.

After 25 years supporting thousands of vulnerable children, youth and families through its West Central Family Resource Centre, Closer to Home Community Services has opened a new Family Resource Network in Beddington to service North Central Calgary.

Closer to Home’s North Central Family Resource Network (FRN) builds family resiliency by partnering with families to identify challenges, strengths, goals and desired outcomes, and helping families to access community resources, providing information about programs, and removing any barriers to access. For more information see their website at www.closertohome.com or contact them directly at familyresourcenetwork@closertohome.com.

June 2020 Online Programs:

VIDEO SERIES: PARENTING DURING COVID-19

Parenting can be challenging for everyone, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us for three weekly videos where we will discuss how these unprecedented times may be impacting our kids, and learn practical tools to support your children.

Videos emailed weekly to families starting May 29. Email Lisa at lwalker@closertohome.com to register.

BABYSITTING SAFETY COURSE

Youth ages 12 and older that participate in this free online program receive certification from the Alberta Safety Council for Babysitting Safety. Topics will include: Child Development, Positive Behaviour Management, and Home and Outdoor Safety and Injury Prevention.

This is a two session online program with an in-person test (details to follow): June 4 & 11, 1:00pm-4:00pm Email Fay at fomarshide@closertohome.com to register.

MOTHER GOOSE

Please join us online with your little one for weekly Mother Goose! There will be songs, stories, and opportunities to connect with other families. Free of charge.

For families with children ages 0-4. Mondays from 10:30am – 11:00am online, June 8-July 13. Email Lisa at lwalker@closertohome.com to register.

MONEY MANAGEMENT

Please join us for a free, one-hour, eight week Money Management Course online. Topics will include: assets, budgeting, consumerism, credit, and debt. Participants will receive a free package containing program materials and supplies.

Time is to be decided by the group, but will be scheduled some time Tuesday afternoons June 2 – July 21. Email Laura at lnauta@closertohome.com to register.

MY KIDS’ NEW THING

Parents and caregivers, we know that your children are growing and changing so quickly. Please join us for an online, weekly conversation group: meet other parents and caregivers, talk about your kids, learn from one another, and meet your local parent educator Lisa.

We will meet weekly on Wednesdays from 10:00am – 11:00am starting June 10. Email Lisa at lwalker@closertohome.com to register.

HOME ALONE SAFETY COURSE

Please join us for an online, free Home Alone safety course for children ages 9-12 years old. Paricipants will learn the necessary skills to be safe and responsible when left home alone for a short period of time.

This is a 3-part online program: June 22, 23 & 24 from 3:00pm -5:00pm Email fomarshide@closertohome.com to register.

VIDEO SERIES: TEST KITCHEN

Please join us for weekly recipe videos and online conversations about cooking on a budget! This is an eight-week program: Videos are shared every Wednesday May 20 – July 8.

Join us for a live Q&A with Monica, our host, on Thursdays from 2:00pm – 3:00pm online. Email mrafie@closertohome.com to register.

For more information about the new North Central Family Resource Network: familyresourcenetwork@closertohome.com (403) 543-0555 www.closertohome.com

Community Gardens

Currently, community gardens remain open for use for the 2020 growing season. Each community garden group is responsible to create an action plan for managing:

• Physical distancing of 2 metres.
• Movement of people in or out of the gardens.
• Ensuring there is adherence to best practices for the cleaning and disinfection of tools, surfaces, gates or garden boxes.

The City will open watering systems beginning mid-May, weather pending. We’ll also be supporting existing community gardens with additional soil or compost. Communities should contact 311 and ask for their Parks Community Strategist.

Outdoor Spaces at Home

Safe yard work and gardening

When gardening outside, here are a few basic rules for physical distancing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

• Remember to physically distance. Chat with your neighbours, but keep two metres between you.
• Sharing bulbs, cuttings or seedlings? Create a “sharing zone” for plants. Leave them in the zone for 24 hours before your neighbour picks them up.
• Wash your hands before and after gardening, and touching shared items like garden hoses, tools, compost bins, etc.
• Have a set of basic tools for each person to reduce contamination:
  • a hand trowel
  • gloves
  • a pail or bucket
  • a secateur or loppers
• Disinfect/clean tools before and after use:
  • clean handles protect us from COVID-19
  • clean blades protect plants and trees from diseases
• If you share a green space or yard (like a semi-detached house or townhouse), create zones in the garden:
  • Give everyone at least 2 metres of space at all times.
  • Assign yard work to each person or family on separate days. One family mows the lawn, while the other cares for trees and tends flower beds on opposite days.
• Set up new spaces where people can sit, be safely distanced and enjoy the outdoors.
• Visit garden centres by yourself, and keep your trips to an absolute minimum.
• Stay connected through technology. Many local gardening experts and businesses have online training events, garden tours, and more.

Weekly green cart pickup will resume the week of May 19. Your green cart will continue to be picked up on the same day on a weekly basis. There is no change to your collection days.

You can see your updated scheduled online at calgary.ca/collection. Make sure to sign up for free reminders or download the Calgary Garbage Day app so you receive the latest service updates and tips.

Your green cart pickup will remain at once every two weeks in the interim. Staffing challenges due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the postponement of the start of weekly green cart service. Thank you for your patience as we work to maintain blue, black and green cart services for Calgarians.

Neighbours in Need is an App and phone service that allows people in need of assistance to be connected with those in the community looking to help. So far in Calgary, almost one hundred volunteers across the city have signed up and are ready to assist. These requests for assistance range from getting groceries, taking a dog for a walk, to emotional support, finding someone to help them get set up and play a game of virtual cards to pass the time.

The service is free, completely volunteer-run and not for profit. There are two ways that people can access support:

By calling our toll-free line at 1-888-369-6555 and one of our volunteers or team members will coordinate the request, no technology required.
For those technologically proficient you can completely self-serve by going to https://neighboursinneed.ca, signing up for an account and posting your request. From there you will receive offers of assistance and can chat and coordinate as needed.

Launched on March 30, 2020 Neighbours in Need is a platform built to facilitate acts of kindness and community involvement on a hyperlocale scale. Their mission is to create a community of helpers ready to respond to needs in their area. Everyone may feel a little helpless in these uncertain times and it can be hard to know what to do. By channeling that energy into helping others the result can be one of the best ways to help yourself and to stay positive.

The platform allows users to post requests for help that are then visually represented on a map, and others to offer to facilitate these requests. Requests are envisioned ranging from delivery of groceries and supplies through to emotional support and community engagement. The platform also allows for facilitating these requests for help through chat-based instant messaging and other tools.

Built in Calgary, the project is completely not for profit, and there are no ads or other monetization on the platform. This is truly about using technology to help bring those together who are looking to support others and to create an outlet for people during challenging times.

We invite everyone to join the community, encourage those who are in need to ask for help and remain humbled by those willing to provide offers of assistance and comfort.

Effective Monday March 23, Calgary Co-op will devote 8:00 am to 9:00 am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday especially to seniors and people living with disabilities, so that they have an opportunity to shop in a freshly sanitized, fully stocked store. Our Pharmacies will also open an hour earlier to support this.

In an effort to help seniors, Shoppers Drug Mart will be extending Seniors discounts to include the first open hour of each day. This is in addition to Seniors Days each Thursday. The hour will vary by store.

Sobey’s will devote the first hour of operations at many of their stores to those most vulnerable and those who require extra attention, particularly seniors.

Superstore is introducing dedicated shopping hours from 7am to 8am on Tuesdays and Fridays for our customers who need assistance or consideration, including seniors and people living with disabilities.

By order of the Province of Alberta, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cambrian Heights Community Hall has suspended all Programs, Rentals and Edelweiss Preparatory School activities.

The Hall will remain closed until further notice. We cannot estimate how long this state of public health emergency will last.

Please watch our website for updates and future programs and rental activities. Should you have a rental scheduled for the Hall in April or May please contact Lora Riep, Hall manager at chca_hall@telus.net should you wish to cancel.