Hello !
As the warm sunlight of March begins to creep through our city, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who has taken time to share your thoughts with my office and to those of you who took the time to attend our past townhalls.
Your engagement is the cornerstone of our City's vibrancy and vital to my work as a Councillor. In this edition of our newsletter, we'll delve into the highlights of our recent discussions regarding rezoning and share some updates on the initiatives we have undertook as a result of these discussions, as well as share a snapshot of community events. I wanted to thank you all for your unwavering commitment to our City, and I will continue to Listen, learn, then lead on your behalf.
As always; if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or feedback - please reach out to WARD7@Calgary.ca
Thank you - Terry
Rezoning For Housing
The Ward 7 Office is committed to providing up-to-date accessible information for the April 22, 2024 public hearing on the citywide rezoning to an RC-G base district.
To register to speak before Council on April 22, 2024 and to have your comments included in the public hearing package that is provided to all of council, please submit your comments here.
For all of the information on the proposed changes and FAQ's, please visit Calgary.ca/rezoningforhousing and share your thoughts on the proposed changes to the Ward office directly at WARD7@Calgary.ca
Below is a helpful image explaining the Public Submission process. The online portal for comment submissions can be found here: Public Submissions to City Clerks.
Earlier in March, Council voted against a motion to plan for and prepare a vote of the electors on City Wide rezoning to be held in conjunction with the municipal election on October 20, 2025.
The final vote was a 6-8 defeat of the motion, with Councillor Wong as one of the six voting in favour of holding the plebiscite.
His reasoning for voting in favour of the motion is as follows:
“ On January 15th 2024, City Administration announced the April 22 Public Hearing date for Citywide rezoning, giving 98 days between the announcement of the public hearing and the public hearing itself.
I do not believe that an April 22 public hearing is ample enough time for the public to be informed, engaged, consulted, and to also formulate their own opinions on a matter as significant as Citywide rezoning.
Because of the limited time period to inform the public, I hosted 3 townhalls across Ward 7 with the aim of sharing information on the proposal and having a discussion to get a better understanding on Ward 7 residents' thoughts towards citywide rezoning. Even still, I believe that we need more time to have proper discussions and engagement with Calgarians across the city. That is why I provided an amendment yesterday to change the public hearing date to June 24, 2024 - as this aligned with the Q2 2024 direction for a public hearing but gave more opportunity for people to get informed and have a productive dialogue with City Administration. This amendment was not approved by Council.
Many of those in attendance at Ward 7 Townhalls and Administration run info-sessions expressed concerns regarding citywide rezoning and the impacts on their communities. In addition to the concerns expressed around rezoning, the majority of attendees at the Ward 7 townhalls supported taking this bylaw change to a vote of Calgarians through a plebiscite rather than through their Councillors.
During my campaign I promised to listen, learn, then lead. That is why my support of the plebiscite was out of reaction from the large volume of Ward 7 constituents who expressed the need and desire for the people, not just council, to be able to vote on rezoning and its impacts to the whole City.
I would have preferred a deferral of the public hearing rather than a plebiscite, as a plebiscite is non-binding and rezoning would still have to go through a public hearing followed by a Council vote but that was not the will of Council.
Leading up to April 22nd I will continue to fulfill my promise of listening, learning, then leading. To do that to the best of my abilities, I need to hear your thoughts on the proposed changes - please remember to reach out to my office at WARD7@Calgary.ca "
We are thrilled to share that the conservation of private trees Notice of Motion brought forward by Councillors Wong & Chabot has been successfully passed by City Council. This decision stands for our commitment to address Calgary’s diverse climate needs and address the concerns expressed by our constituents about the importance of mature trees within their communities.
For context on the motion that was approved; this is not for the direct implementation of a private tree bylaw. Rather, this notice of motion is to have City administration scope and review other Canadian jurisdictions’ existing private tree conservation and/or incentive bylaws to see what works, and what would be most suitable for Calgary’s context. Then based on the information found, public consultation, and reviews of past research - prepare options for potential future private tree conservation or incentive bylaws that would be most suitable for Calgary with estimates on the implementation costs. The information gathered will be provided in Q1 2025 for Council to decide on the next steps.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each resident who actively contributed to the discussion and provided invaluable comments about the importance of tree canopies in their communities throughout this process. Your engagement serves as a driving force behind our collective efforts to create a brighter future for all Calgarians.
As we move forward, we invite you to stay tuned for further updates on the progress of this NoM. Together, we will continue to work to build a better, more prosperous future for generations to come.
Community Information
The Secondary Suite Amnesty Program has been approved for extension until December 31, 2026. The amnesty program waives the fees for development permits and Secondary Suite Registries, other permit fees for utilities and building safety still apply.
The amnesty program aims to reduce the cost of producing secondary suites that are safe for all. For more information on secondary suites, please visit calgary.ca/suites.
Over the coming weeks, the City will be sharing more information on the Branching Out event for 2024 that is planned to give away 5,000 container (smaller) trees to community members. On average, these trees require around half the amount of water of a larger tree, roughly the same amount as a medium milk carton. This annual event is an excellent way to improve your gardens and lawns (for free) and contribute to a greener community. We are excited share more details in the coming weeks.
Community Events
March 31, 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Join us for a fun community event with an Easter egg hunt, petting zoo, crafts, snacks and more!
April 21, 11:00am - 1:00pm
Join us for a Ribbon Cutting and Celebration to mark the installation of our new Solar Panels. Learn more about the project, and get resources for installing solar panels at your home.
April 26, 7:00pm - 9:30pm
Calling all fans to the POW! Parade of Wonders, Canada’s biggest cosplay parade celebrating all things pop culture and creativity in beautiful downtown Calgary. On April 26, join us for the official kick off to Calgary Expo in style!
Where: Stephen Avenue
When: April 26, Parade starts at 10:30am.
April 26, 7:30pm
Ben Sures is a guitar player who tells great stories in song, and a natural performer with an instinct for humour and storytelling. He writes songs about everything from imaginary rayguns to sandwiches prepared for him by his father when he was a child. Sures is immersed in the history of roots music, the old traditions informing this contemporary songwriters music. His most recent album The Story That Lived Here was number one for weeks on CKUA and was in the top ten of the Canadian college charts.
Ward 7 is situated in Calgary, a city renowned for community connections at the confluence where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy, made up of the Siksika, Piikani, Amskaapipiikani and Kainai First Nations; the Îethka Nakoda Wîcastabi First Nations, comprised of the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations; and the Tsuut’ina First Nation. The city of Calgary is also homeland to the historic Northwest Métis and to the Otipemisiwak Métis Government, Métis Nation Battle River Territory, Nose Hill Métis District 5, Elbow Métis District 6, and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.
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