President’s Message – September 2023

With the advent of September we witness the colour change and cooler temperatures. Hopefully the summer weather we have enjoyed will continue and everyone will enjoy Confederation Park, Nose Hill Park and our own Off Lease Dog Park this fall.  By now the new trees in our Dog Park will have been planted and additional tree log landscaping and planting of wild flowers on the northern edge will have been completed. Unfortunately, some additional wild flower planting will be necessary resulting in the fencing staying in place until next year. Calgary Parks has also added three free compostable “poop” bag dispensers that I hope everyone is utilizing. These bags are compostable and are recommended by the City for use over the less expensive biodegradable types. 

I am sure everyone has noticed the construction activity within the community, particularly in the area around Confederation Park. Recently we have received our first land use application change, in this case from R-C2 to the new R-CG designation that if approved could allow up to 4 units being developed on a 50 foot frontage corner lot. This is the first of a trend that is well represented in the neighbouring Mount Pleasant community.  If you have comments on such developments please contact our Planning Committee at planning@cambrianheightscommunity.com .

In September CHCA will restart the Fitness (Monday) and Yoga (Wednesday) programs. Details are available in the Newsletter or our website (www.cambrianheightscommunity.com). The Community Hall will also see twice a week (Tuesday/Thursday) Scottish Country Dancing lessons and evening socials. Enjoy the music, camaraderie and exercise afforded by qualified instructors and Scottish music. Again details may be found on the website. We hope to have a family concert event outdoors in mid September but we have no firm plans at the writing of this report. Watch the website or Hall signage. 

The previously reported garden project at the park space bordering Cambrian and Northmount Drives has progressed thanks to a group of resident volunteers. This fall we will develop cost estimates to design and install signage to identify an entrance to our community at this location. If you wish to get involved with this project please let us know by emailing us at cambrianheights@gmail.com . 

The Community continues to need volunteers to replace our Treasurer and our Social Media Director. These are critical positions for the Community Association controlling our finance and communications activities. We currently have only 5 volunteer Directors which restricts our ability to plan events or programs. This is an opportunity to join an experienced team and help develop the programs, events and planning for Cambrian Heights. It is your community. Help make it better for your family by volunteering even on a limited basis. To discuss these two volunteer opportunities or others please contact us at president@cambrianheightscommunity.com .

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA

We hope everyone has been enjoying the summer and the July celebration of the Calgary Stampede. Your Board continues to work on future social planning events as well as organizing fall programs and reacting to the increasing development activity within the community through the City Development Program approval process. New houses are being built with larger two story footprints and soon we will be seeing the multi family structures prevalent in our neighbouring communities being proposed around changing land use applications. If you have comments on new development please contact our Planning Committee as identified on our website.

We hosted on July 15 our second Die Volksmesse car show on the community hall grounds. In addition we have recently added a Church group and committed to 2 Fall Scottish Country Dancing group programs. One each on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Consider joining in for an evening of dancing lessons for only a $2 fee. Check our website (www.cambrianheightscommunity.com) for further details and any updates. Our Yoga and Fitness programs will be returning in September as detailed in the poster announcements found in this issue of the newsletter or our website. We also hope to have an outdoor event in September as a close to our summer.

As previously reported, there are two gardening projects in our Community. The most recent project focuses on the re-design and planting of flowers at the park space bordering Cambrian and Northmount Drives. This project is being undertaken by a group of volunteers from the Community in response to the City Parks cutting back on such activity. I have attached a picture reflecting the work done to date. We believe this park is a central gateway to the community and deserves further development in the future. At some point we may consider designing and installing signage to identify our community. If you wish to get involved with this project please let us know by emailing us. 

 Our second garden project is a demonstration garden sponsored by the Alberta Low Impact Development Partnership. (“ALIDP”) at the rear of the Community Hall. The ALIDP garden is a provincial sponsored project that identifies low maintenance natural plants designed for Alberta weather conditions as an alternative to high water demand grass lawns.  Come visit the garden behind the hall that is also being monitored and studied by the University of Calgary for natural moisture levels. 

The Community is in need of volunteers to replace our Treasurer and our Social Media Director, both of whom have retired this year. These are critical positions for the Community Association controlling our finance and communications activities. We are also down to only 5 Directors which restricts our ability to plan events or programs. This is an opportunity to join an experienced team and help develop the programs, events and planning for Cambrian Heights. To discuss these volunteer opportunities and others please contact us at president@cambrianheightscommunity.com .

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA

With the advent of summer the Board of Directors take a two month holiday from meetings. However work continues on planning social events, continuing progress on our Off Leash Dog Park development, the volunteer effort to enhance the park space bordering Cambrian and Northmount Drive and the attention to increasing development permits as our community grows and experiences changes in housing design. 

June was highlighted in Cambrian Heights by our Annual General Meeting on June 27 and some Neighbour Day block parties held on June 17.  Those that attended the AGM heard of the continuing strong financial position the community enjoys while our need for residents to join in planning and participating in social events remains a challenge. We are planning to host an outdoor event in mid September with entertainment and food to welcome the fall months and a new season of social activities.

Of major impact to the residents was the provincial general election. We congratulate our new MLA Lizette Tejada on her successful campaign and look forward to establishing the same level of communication and community support enjoyed with our previous representative Jeremy Nixon. 

The Community Hall will remain busy this summer season with the second year of the Between Friends summer camp occupying the facility and grounds throughout the July August months. We will be hosting on July 15 our second Die Volksmesse car show on the community hall grounds. In addition we have recently added a Church group and committed to a Fall Scottish Country Dancing group program. We are looking to add additional programs this fall as well as return with our Yoga and Fitness programs in September. 

As previously reported, there are two gardening projects in our Community. One is the planting of flowers at the park space bordering Cambrian and Northmount Drives, and the new demonstration garden sponsored by the Alberta Low Impact Development Partnership. (“ALIDP”) at the rear of the Community Hall. The first garden is a beautification project on this park spacing as a visible entry point into our community. With the City reducing services we have gathered a volunteer group to plant flowers and care for this park space. Should you wish to help out in this regard please contact us at cambrianheights@gmail.com. The ALIDP garden on the other hand is a provincial sponsored project that identifies low maintenance natural plants designed for Alberta weather conditions as an alternative to high water demand grass lawns.  Come visit the garden behind the hall that is also being monitored and studied by the University of Calgary for natural moisture levels. 

We continue to pursue future enhancements to the Off Leash Park on 32nd Avenue and 10th Street. Progress has been slowed by a current small volunteer base but with Calgary Parks help improvements have been made and will continue with the planting of new tress this summer. You may have noticed fencing around some areas of this park which are designed to allow the initiation of a taller growing but hardy grass to minimize maintenance of the area. This is part of a City wide parks program. The City will continue to cut grass in the main area for off leash activity and water new trees until they are stabilized. Please consider involving yourself in our Parks enhancement projects. 

The Community is in need of volunteers to replace our Treasurer and our Social Media Director, both of whom have retired this year. These are critical positions for the Community Association controlling our finance and communications activities. This is an opportunity to join an experienced team and help develop the programs, events and planning for Cambrian Heights. To discuss these volunteer opportunities and others please contact us at president@cambrianheightscommunity.com .

Have a Great Summer!

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA

With the start of June Summer focuses everyone on outdoor activities. Neighbour Day is celebrated in Calgary on June 17 with the City sponsoring events as well as encouraging Block parties and other social activities through free permits and access to first responders and City officials through calgary.ca/NeighbourDay. Cambrian Heights Community also encourages block events with a $100 subsidy to organizers for non alcoholic beverages or food. For information on this program contact us at cambrianheights@gmail.com.

There are also two gardening projects in our Community. One is the planting of flowers at the park space bordering Cambrian and Northmount Drives, and the new demonstration garden sponsored by the Alberta Low Impact Development Partnership. (“ALIDP”) at the rear of the Community Hall. While the first garden is a beautification project this Hall garden project identifies low maintenance natural plants designed for Alberta weather conditions as an alternative to high water demand grass lawns.  Should you wish to volunteer a small amount of your time for either of these gardening projects please contact us. 

We held our 2nd annual Bike Day Saturday May 27. This provided tune-up clinics, bike swaps, raffle prizes and a bike wash  that was so successful last year. There were activities for the young bikers as well as an ice cream stand. If you found this valuable or have suggestions for next year let the organizers know with comments directed to social@cambrianheightscommunity.com . 

We continue to pursue future enhancements to the Off Leash Park on 32nd Avenue and 10th Street. Progress has been slowed by a limited volunteer base. Our committee remains dedicated to development of a central feature as well as obstacle courses for dogs in this park space. This development will require volunteer labour and ultimately, tax deductible donations to complete. The City Parks department has been supportive of this development and will be adding more trees to the area this year as well as potentially adding additional benches and landscaping features for the park. We need community involvement to bring this project to active development. Please consult our website (cambrianheightscommunity.com) and attend our AGM for updates and discover how you may contribute to this process.

We have scheduled our Annual General Meeting for Tuesday June 27 at 7:30PM at our Community Hall. This is a chance to discover how the community association may help you appreciate the social opportunities in Cambrian Heights as well as better understand the development issues we are seeing within our neighbourhood. In addition we will be looking for new ideas to enhance all our parks so they might better serve resident needs.

Their is an urgent need for Cambrian Heights residents to come forward if we are to continue to provide events like the recent Celtic dance, outdoor summer concerts, fall BBQ’s, wine tastings, Halloween and Polar parties for the kids, pumpkin give-aways and newer events such as Bike Day and Language classes. The Community is most importantly in need of a volunteer to replace our Treasurer and our Social Media Director, both of whom are retiring this year These are critical positions for the Community Association controlling our finance and communications activities. This is an opportunity to join an experienced team and help develop the programs, events and development planning for Cambrian Heights. To discuss these volunteer opportunities please contact us at president@cambrianheightscommunity.com .

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA

With the arrival of May our thoughts turn to summer temperatures and outdoor activities including gardening. Cambrian Heights continues to operate a community garden at the Community Centre. The only prerequisite is a community membership and a small annual fee. Should you be interested in an opportunity to grow your own vegetables this summer please contact us at cambrianheights@gmail.com for more information. There are two other gardening projects in our Community. One is the planting of flowers at the park space bordering Cambrian and Northmount Drives, and the new demonstration garden at the rear of the Community Hall installed by the Alberta Low Impact Development Partnership. This project identifies low maintenance natural plants designed for Alberta weather conditions as an alternative to high water demand grass lawns.  Should you wish to volunteer a small amount of your time for either of these gardening projects please contact us. 

We held our major fundraiser Casino on April 17 and 18. Casino proceeds allow the Association to remain financially viable and provide services and facilities for the community. We thank Sonya Hnatiw for organizing the Casino and thank all the volunteers who stepped up to help the Community, many of whom worked double shifts. 

We are planning a return for the CHCA Bike Day Saturday May 27 that was so successful last year. We will be performing safety checks and basic tune-ups with priority given to kids bikes. There will be activities for the young bikers. To help out during the day please contact social@cambrianheightscommunity.com . 

We continue to pursue future enhancements to the Off Leash Park on 32nd Avenue and 10th Street. A small committee is dedicated to development of a central feature as well as obstacle courses for dogs in this park space. This development will require volunteers and ultimately, tax deductible donations to complete. The City Parks department has been supportive of this development and will be adding more trees to the area this year. We need community involvement to bring this project to active development. Please consult our website (cambrianheightscommunity.com) and attend our AGM for updates to this process.

We have scheduled our Annual General Meeting for Tuesday June 27 at 7:30PM at our Community Hall. This is a chance to discover how the community association may help you better appreciate the social opportunities in Cambrian Heights as well as better understand the development issues we are seeing within our neighbourhood. Currently the Community is in need of a community resident to replace our Treasurer who is retiring this year. We also need someone with social media skills to replace our current Newsletter Coordinator, Barb Milne, who is leaving us after 20 years of community service. These are critical positions for the Community Association controlling our finance and communications activities. This is an opportunity to join an experienced team and help develop the programs, events and development planning for Cambrian Heights. To discuss these volunteer opportunities please contact us at president@cambrianheightscommunity.com .

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA

The Ceilidh Dance held on Saturday March 18 at the Community Hall was a sold out event with upwards of 90 participants thanks to the organizational and marketing efforts of our Social Committee. An evening of Irish dance and music was enjoyed by everyone who attended. Other social events are planned as we enter the Spring months including an afternoon Tea Party and for a second year a Bicycle Repair clinic with games and refreshments. Should you wish to get involved with organizing new events please contact the Social Committee at social@cambrianheightscommunity.com. 

As reported last month Cambrian Heights partnered with Rosemont Community for an annual Spring Cleanup event application. Unfortunately we were denied by the City of Calgary who cited budget cuts and our communities lack of reported issues as mitigating factors in denying our application this year. By now the website (Calgary.ca) should have a listing of successful community cleanup operations.  Any neighbouring community holding such an event is obligated to provide this service to all Calgarians free of charge. 

Cambrian Heights continues to operate a community garden. Should you be interested in an opportunity to grow your own vegetables this summer please contact us at cambrianheights@gmail.com for more information.

We have been awarded Casino dates of April 17 and 18 this year. Casino proceeds allow the Association to remain financially viable and provide services and facilities for the community. We need volunteers for those two nights to work a shift at the Pure Casino Calgary. No experience is required. Come and enjoy a hot meal, meet fellow residents and support your community. Transportation and daycare expenses are available for reimbursement if required. Please contact us at  casino@cambrianheightscommunity.com for more information.

With the summer months approaching we again remind residents that with any issues involving planning and development within the community they should contact the City File Manager directly on applications where you feel such development will have a detrimental impact to their property or privacy. They may also file comments using the City website (calgary.ca) and Development Map Link. This is the most effective way of letting the City know your objections and hopefully help mitigate such issues. 

Also as the snow melts and spring temperatures arrive we hope to be providing more information with an Open House dealing with future enhancements to the Off Leash Park on 32nd Avenue and 10th Street. This development will require volunteers and tax deductible donations to complete. The City Parks department has been very supportive of such development and will be adding more trees to the area this year. We need community involvement to bring this project to active development. Please consult our website (cambrianheightscommunity.com) for updates to this process.

We currently are in need of a community resident to replace our Treasurer who is retiring this year. This is a critical position for the Community Association but an opportunity to join an experienced team and help develop the programs and events for Cambrian Heights over the year. To discuss this volunteer opportunity contact us at president@cambrianheightscommunity.com .

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA

The Ceilidh Dance held on Saturday March 18 at the Community Hall was a sold out event with upwards of 90 participants thanks to the organizational and marketing efforts of our Social Committee. An evening of Irish dance and music was enjoyed by everyone who attended. Other social events are planned as we enter the Spring months including an afternoon Tea Party and for a second year a Bicycle Repair clinic with games and refreshments. Should you wish to get involved with organizing new events please contact the Social Committee at social@cambrianheightscommunity.com.

As reported last month Cambrian Heights partnered with Rosemont Community for an annual Spring Cleanup event application. Unfortunately we were denied by the City of Calgary who cited budget cuts and our communities lack of reported issues as mitigating factors in denying our application this year. By now the website (Calgary.ca) should have a listing of successful community cleanup operations.  Any neighbouring community holding such an event is obligated to provide this service to all Calgarians free of charge.

Cambrian Heights continues to operate a community garden. Should you be interested in an opportunity to grow your own vegetables this summer please contact us at cambrianheights@gmail.com for more information.

We have been awarded Casino dates of April 17 and 18 this year. Casino proceeds allow the Association to remain financially viable and provide services and facilities for the community. We need volunteers for those two nights to work a shift at the Pure Casino Calgary. No experience is required. Come and enjoy a hot meal, meet fellow residents and support your community. Transportation and daycare expenses are available for reimbursement if required. Please contact us at  casino@cambrianheightscommunity.com for more information.

With the summer months approaching we again remind residents that with any issues involving planning and development within the community they should contact the City File Manager directly on applications where you feel such development will have a detrimental impact to their property or privacy. They may also file comments using the City website (calgary.ca) and Development Map Link. This is the most effective way of letting the City know your objections and hopefully help mitigate such issues.

Also as the snow melts and spring temperatures arrive we hope to be providing more information with an Open House dealing with future enhancements to the Off Leash Park on 32nd Avenue and 10th Street. This development will require volunteers and tax deductible donations to complete. The City Parks department has been very supportive of such development and will be adding more trees to the area this year. We need community involvement to bring this project to active development. Please consult our website (cambrianheightscommunity.com) for updates to this process.

We currently are in need of a community resident to replace our Treasurer who is retiring this year. This is a critical position for the Community Association but an opportunity to join an experienced team and help develop the programs and events for Cambrian Heights over the year. To discuss this volunteer opportunity contact us at president@cambrianheightscommunity.com .

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA

We have watched the active use of our two outdoor ice rinks and look forward to more people enjoying skating 

over the next two months. 

We thank our volunteers for their tireless work in maintaining the excellence of the ice surfaces. We encourage all users to respect each other and utilize the garbage bins. By the reading of this report our January 29 Polar party will have occurred. This annually provides free skate usage for new ice skaters and activities to introduce and encourage outdoor winter activities.

We have partnered with Rosemont Community for our annual Spring Cleanup event. Dates and support for this event will be determined by the City of Calgary this month so watch our website (cambrianheightscommunity.com) for timing and details.

Our new Social Committee has been formed to address the continuation of existing social events as well as developing new programs to involve all elements of our community. The first new event will be a St. Patrick Ceilidh Dance where you can learn the Irish/Scottish folk music dance steps while enjoying refreshments and snacks over the evening.This will be held March 18 at the Community Hall. Ticket information is available on our website. If you would like to become involved with our social activities please contact the committee at social@cambrianheightscommunity.com .

We have operated a community garden for a number of years. We currently have a few open garden beds. If you are interested in reviewing an opportunity to grow your own vegetables this summer please contact us at cambrianheights@gmail.com for more information.

We have been awarded Casino dates of April 17 and 18 in 2023. Casino proceeds allow the Association to remain financially viable and provide services and facilities to the community. We need volunteers for those two nights to work a shift at the Pure Casino Calgary as well as organizational help in coordinating the volunteers over the two days. No experience is required. Come and enjoy a hot meal, meet fellow residents and support your community. Transportation will be provided to and from the casino location if required. Please contact us at  president@cambrianheightscommunity.com for more information.

We have updated our website and will be making changes over the coming months to improve its usability. We encourage all residents to review the website for planning and development issues, past history of the community, annual financial statements and upcoming social activities or issues of relevance to the Community. On planning and development issues, residents should utilize the City 311 line or contact directly the City File Manager on applications where you feel such development will have a detrimental impact. The Community Association has no special position in regards to these applications, but does generally comment on non contextual applications. Thus all offsetting Owners to any such development should make their objections known directly to impact the approval process.

As always, we continue to invite residents to become involved in community issues and activities by volunteering some time as either a Board member or volunteer for specific activities. We currently are in need of a volunteer to replace our Treasurer who is retiring this year. To discuss this volunteer opportunity or if you have general questions or comments please feel free to contact any of the Directors. Cambrian Heights has a dedicated but small group of volunteers trying to make your community safe, vigilant towards new developments and providing programs such as Fitness and Yoga while engaging residents with social events. But we continue to need help. Consider at minimum registering your email address on our website to gain early access to upcoming programs, social events and issues of importance to the community.

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA

We begin a new year with enthusiasm and the addition of new volunteer residents who hope to introduce additional social and educational programs in 2023. We are starting with our annual  Polar Party scheduled for January 28. Thanks to KidSports we will be providing free skates and helmets for children and adults as well as a fire pit and hot chocolate and cookies for warmth. Everyone will be able to enjoy the two outdoor ice rinks maintained by our community volunteers. If you want to help out at the Polar Party please contact us at cambrianheights@gmail.com . We also intend to partner with Rosemont Community with our annual Spring Cleanup event. Dates will be determined by the City of Calgary so watch our website (cambrianheightscommunity.com) for details. Also stay tuned for a St. Patrick Day celebration in March featuring a live band and Celtic dance.

Our new Social Committee has been formed to address the continuation of existing social events as well as developing new programs to involve all elements of our community. If you have some ideas or suggestions feel free to contact the committee at social@cambrianheightscommunity.com .

We have been awarded Casino dates of April 17 and 18 in 2023. Casino proceeds allow the Association to remain financially viable and provide services and facilities to the community. We need volunteers for those two nights to work a shift at the Pure Casino Calgary. No experience is required. Come and enjoy a hot meal, meet fellow residents and support your community. Transportation will be provided to and from the casino location if required. Please contact us at  president@cambrianheightscommunity.com for more information.

We have experienced problems accessing technical expertise to maintain, update and enhance our website. This is being corrected in December and we hope to have the website updated by the new year and thereafter enhanced for the delivery to all residents issues of importance and activities throughout the year. If there is something you would like to see on our website in 2023 please let us know. 

As always, we continue to invite residents to become involved in community issues and activities by volunteering some time as either a Board member or volunteer for specific activities. We currently are in need of a volunteer to help with our Casino planning. To discuss volunteer opportunities or if you have questions or comments please contact us. Your community has a dedicated but small group of volunteers trying to make your community safe, vigilant towards new developments and providing programs such as Fitness and Yoga while engaging residents with social events. But we continue to need help. Consider at minimum registering your email address on our website to gain early access to upcoming programs, social events and issues of importance to the community.

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA