I work for Mayor Nenshi, ask me anything!

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by First Lady

I read somewhere a while back that Calgary is commonly used as an example of how to succeed in this area without introducing BSL.

Found this graph today while doing some digging.

http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/ABS/Docum...0Incidents.pdf

Our Animal and By-law Services department is remarkably effective in a lot of areas. They are very effective in shifting actual behavior without having to use the hammer of the law continuously.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by V

Is there a reason why the City of Calgary is so far behind in any implementation of LED street lighting? Considering the fact that the City of Edmonton has seen such dramatic savings in both energy consumption and maintenance costs, I would think it would be something that the CoC would be interested in. Even Lethbridge just had an RFP close to install over 4,000 fixtures.

Very good question. The City is currently doing a pilot program. If I recall correctly, Council just recently asked Administration to investigate whether full implementation, based on the Pilot results, is the direction we should go.

http://www.calgary.ca/Transportation...g-Project.aspx

[InglewoodFan]

This may stray over the line into a campaign question, but is there any further information on why the provincial government lost its proverbial balls on implementing any kind of municipal campaign finance legislation?

Could council vote something in for Calgary only? I hear conflicting opinions. Would it even have a chance? (I for one would love to watch council sweat that debate out.)

[SebC]

Why is the 8th Ave Subway such a low priority in the Route Ahead timeline? How do we get that changed?

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by shermanator

With the West LRT now in action, I'm wondering if Sunalta becomes the next TOD ala Brentwood. Currently everything along 10th ave is 4 stories or less and it just seems like a waste of land right next to a new above grade station.

I understand there is a Sunalta ARP which speaks to densification in the neighborhood, but has the city received any interest from the development community in terms of getting this underway?

Yes, the new Sunalta/West Village ARP paves the way for new development at higher densities to occur adjacent to the station. I suppose time will tell how fast the market picks up on it - All the lands being developed right now at Brentwood are private, but the City did invest into developing a plan and putting in the enabling land use designations (as it has with Sunalta). It would certainly be great to see Sunalta really take off and improve with the new station there.

The City is now the primary land owner of the lands in the "West Village" north of the station. Eventually, the City plans to develop that land as a TOD - but it is not likely that will happen in the short term - there is still a lot of land to build out in the East Village and communities like the Beltline (or south of the station in Sunalta along 10th Avenue).

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by SebC

Why is the 8th Ave Subway such a low priority in the Route Ahead timeline? How do we get that changed?

RouteAhead@calgary.ca

The best way is to contact the RouteAhead team directly. It's ranking is based on the prioritization criteria set out in the plan.

I'd also contact your Alderman and let them know you feel it should be a higher priority and the Mayor through themayor@calgary.ca . Council approved the prioritization criteria and have final approval over the RouteAhead - which is expected to happen next month.

As far as I understand, Calgary Transit feels that with four cars and on-track technologies it can manage the capacity on 7th Avenue for enough time that other projects are a higher priority.

[para transit fellow]

Why is the livery services bylaw able to ticket the out of town handibus providers $1,500 for picking up their rural passengers (eg at the tom baker cancer centre) in Calgary and taking them home to airdrie/ cochrane/ chestermere/ high river/ carstairs/ strathmore etc.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by InglewoodFan

This may stray over the line into a campaign question, but is there any further information on why the provincial government lost its proverbial balls on implementing any kind of municipal campaign finance legislation?

Could council vote something in for Calgary only? I hear conflicting opinions. Would it even have a chance? (I for one would love to watch council sweat that debate out.)

This is definitely a policy question. It's interesting, Doug Griffiths in the legislature acknowledged the weaknesses in the legislation brought forth.The Mayor has expressed a lot of disappointment with the Province on his issue and the legislation from last fall.

It may be possible that campaign finance becomes wrapped into the City Charter/MGA discussions instead - possibly the Province will just allow Calgary/Edmonton to establish their own rules through by-laws. But, currently, the City does not have this authority.

Here's the Mayor's Proposal on Campaign Finance and Disclosure Reform:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B02N...WMw/edit?hl=en

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Muta

Hey Bunk, tell the Mayor to investigate his acolytes that keep hiring the same firms over and over - spread the work around!

In which field?

[puffnstuff]

Can either you or the mayor, it matters not which, find the clown that decided to put the fence separating the merge from the DDale Blvd overpass onto NB Deerfoot for me and beat him about the head and shoulders for a good solid 20 minutes every morning in perpetuity?

Thank You

Barring that, please look at extending that third lane past where it ends (just over the bridge) and then, realign the lanes coming from Anderson up past Southland.

[Nage Waza]

Originally Posted by HerbalMagic

you mean the bans that Ontario is currently trying to overturn cause it does NOT work? Or the same ban that edmonton just overturned because well it doesn't work.

Breed specific bans work about as good as prohibition does...it doesn't.

You won't fix the attacks that huskies inflict, the ones border collies inflict, the ones labs inflict by banning pitbulls. If you want to ban a dog for biting ban them all and wrap us all in bubble wrap...OR teach proper dog ownership and a cultural shift towards proper dog ownership and education.

Banning just 1 breed(which by the way is a mix of about 20 different types of dogs) of the hundreds or recognized and thousands of hybrids is such a waste of time.

Oh just one more thing. There is no such dog as a pitbull, its a blanket characterization for a broad range of different dogs that have "pitbull looks"


http://www.ckc.ca/en/
http://www.akc.org/breeds/index.cfm

Can you find this "pitbull" breed you speak of?


I wish sliver would disappear....

You are incorrect about pretty much everything. The dogs are dangerous even with great owners. They have no place in public places. Or any place pretty much.

[Nage Waza]

I understand the city is planning on putting a dead end on 85 street south west before it meets Lower Springbank Road. What is pushing this plan? This will impact so many drivers and push them into a massive detour involving what will likely be a dozen more controlled intersections. I purchased my home due to the easy access to highway 8, this basically cuts it off and will add 15 minutes to my driving time, effectively doubling it. Not just me either, there are 100's if not 1000's of drivers passing through here.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by La Flames Fan

I know Pyramid Productions made a documentary about the Mayor. Since his election I've had the desire to do a more creative, and frankly better produced documentary.

Should we pursue, or let it go?

Yes, please! I was really excited about that last one and was pretty underwhelmed after watching it.

[Cal]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

I understand the city is planning on putting a dead end on 85 street south west before it meets Lower Springbank Road. What is pushing this plan? This will impact so many drivers and push them into a massive detour involving what will likely be a dozen more controlled intersections. I purchased my home due to the easy access to highway 8, this basically cuts it off and will add 15 minutes to my driving time, effectively doubling it. Not just me either, there are 100's if not 1000's of drivers passing through here.

Source? I thought this was a white lie that the homebuilders in Timberline were telling propsective customers; I really can't see this happening until the ring road is built, there have been occasions where this was the only way I could get home during an extreme weather event due to 69th, Bow, and 17th all being either backlogged or closed.

[V]

With Enmax's transmission business bleeding money with FBR, the distribution business about to bleed money through PBR and the transportation business line falling apart, has there been any talk at Council about selling off Enmax? I haven't been in town for a couple of years so I apologize if this has been in the news at all.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by Red-Mile-DJ

Here's my question: why is it that other cities can have a "bare pavement" policy, within 24 hours of a snow fall, but we can't? Why does Calgary have to always seem to depend on the chinook to melt it away? "Oh, wait a day or two. A chinook is coming and it'll be dry then."

Don't tell me to get snow tires, because it isn't happening. I'm tired of the city dumping SALT on SNOW, when it should be dumped on ICE. Get the plows out, and clear the dang snow!

I would gladly pay more in my taxes (I believe a report from Global said somewhere in the range of $40 per person, per year) to have clear roads in the winter. This depending on the chinook is a joke.

I don't really have a problem with how quickly the roads are cleared/not cleared. What bothers me is HOW the city goes about trying to keep the roads drivable. The amount of road salt used is absolutely ridiculous, right now there are clouds of salt on the busy road ways. I don't know if the city is trying to cater to the unreasonable expectation that the road surface should always be visible, but I personally can't stand the excessive use of salt. I destroys cars, the road, structures, plants, is a hazard to wildlife, and the runoff contaminates ground water and rivers.

Currently the city puts down about 40,000 tonnes of salt per year.

[V]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Very good question. The City is currently doing a pilot program. If I recall correctly, Council just recently asked Administration to investigate whether full implementation, based on the Pilot results, is the direction we should go.

http://www.calgary.ca/Transportation...g-Project.aspx

Well, let me know if the City decides on implementing an LED system. We can design, build and maintain them for no capital cost. We've already installed over 10,000, coming on 15,000.

[/shameless sales pitch]

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by V

Is there a reason why the City of Calgary is so far behind in any implementation of LED street lighting? Considering the fact that the City of Edmonton has seen such dramatic savings in both energy consumption and maintenance costs, I would think it would be something that the CoC would be interested in. Even Lethbridge just had an RFP close to install over 4,000 fixtures.

Also, when I was in junior high or early high school, I could have sworn I remember the city bragging about how Calgary was going to implement these new lights and we were going to be one of the first cities in North America to do so? Or was that something else.

I seem to recall they were going to go ahead with the pilot project and then things just went quiet on the plan, and now we're here talking about being behind the eigh ball on these new lights.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

I understand the city is planning on putting a dead end on 85 street south west before it meets Lower Springbank Road. What is pushing this plan? This will impact so many drivers and push them into a massive detour involving what will likely be a dozen more controlled intersections. I purchased my home due to the easy access to highway 8, this basically cuts it off and will add 15 minutes to my driving time, effectively doubling it. Not just me either, there are 100's if not 1000's of drivers passing through here.

Hmm, I don't know much about this - I'll look into it. I suspect it has to do with Ring Road access?

[Table 5]

The city probably noticed all the LED's on the new high-rises around town crapping out after only a week, and changed their mind.