Hello Ward 8,
The signs of summer
are here. Canada Day, Stampede, summer holidays, and yardwork if the weather
decides to cooperate. High river flows and wildfire smoke have also joined us
in early summer. Critical information about flooding is in this newsletter and more
information about air quality and steps for keeping yourself safe when the air
gets smoky can be found here: What to do during
wildfire smoke.
A few big issues of
note for Ward 8.
The Province's
decision to close Sheldon Chumir Safe Consumption Site takes effect June 30th
and it will cease operating. I recognize the strain the site caused to
residents and businesses and now we must ensure we manage what's next. The
site is closing, but the people who used it are not leaving. That's why we need
a plan and continued collaboration with the Province. The issue is complex and
so is the conversation. Read more about what we've heard and what we're working
on in the newsletter below.
On the subject of
safety, I'm very excited to announce that my Notice of Motion to increase
funding by $6 million from this year's City surplus for community-based traffic
safety initiatives was passed unanimously 15-0 by Council. I believe this is a
valuable use of our surplus funding. Major injuries and fatalities continue to
climb at an unacceptable rate and we must act now. Our Mobility Team will
report back to Committee and Council in September with a framework for a
program that allows the funding to flow directly to individual wards to allow
us to address problem areas with local improvements more quickly.
At long last we have
exciting movement on the vacant lands around Westbrook CTrain Station. Public
engagement has been ongoing and there is a draft master plan for the site
currently in the works. I am very pleased with the progress on this and Phase 2
of engagement begins this summer. You can provide input directly to our office
by emailing ward8@calgary.ca and you can learn more and stay updated about the
plans here: Westbrook Station.
Council will be
working hard until the very end of July and then we enter Council recess in
August. These first 10 months have been a huge learning curve for me and I
can't believe we're here already. I'm grateful for my fantastic team and the
enthusiasm and kindness of Ward 8 residents to work with our office on
important issues and be patient as I found my footing.
Have a great summer
everyone,
Nathaniel Schmidt
Ward 8 Calgary City Councillor
