I work for Mayor Nenshi, ask me anything!

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

You say ask you anything...

Were you at the NatGeo Mars event at the Epcor Centre last night?

I saw Chima Nkemdirim there, and I thought there was someone there who might have been you

Wasn't me.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Wasn't me.

Ah yes, the classic "Shaggy" defense.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

Bunk, there are some big things happening at the City Hall with the re-org, I hear. UDD was eliminated??? What's going on down there? Update, please.

The new business units were announced.

City Wide Policy and Integration (Whitney Smithers)
- Growth Management
- Intermunicipal planning
- MDP
- Land Use Bylaw
- Urban Design, Heritage etc.

Local Area Planning and Implementation (Matthias Tita)
- Integrates local area planning functions with implementation of projects of some scale (ie. not decks)
- Divided by 3 geographies - North, Central, South
- I believe Urban Development and functions like that will live in this unit.
- I understand parks and transportation planners will be co-located with the land use planners to foster a bit more cross-discipline collaboration.

Inspections and Permit Services (Kevin Griffiths)
- Smaller scale, high volume permits
- BPs
- Inspections and compliance
- Intake

Assessment (Nelson Karpa)
- Same as before

I might be wrong on some of the details there, but this is generally the breakdown.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Tyler

When is the new city manager going to be announced?

Don't know.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by Bunk

The new business units were announced.

City Wide Policy and Integration (Whitney Smithers)
...

Local Area Planning and Implementation (Matthias Tita)
...

Inspections and Permit Services (Kevin Griffiths)
...

Assessment (Nelson Karpa)
- Same as before...

All of them look pretty much the same as before to me. Land-Use, CPAG, Inspections, Assessments. Was this re-org a part of GEORGE or Transforming Planning exercise? Why was David Kim fired?

I thought that a big outcome of these two re-orgs would be implementation of the combined LUR/DP application process. This is not apparent from the new structure at all.

[BigNumbers]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

All of them look pretty much the same as before to me. Land-Use, CPAG, Inspections, Assessments. Was this re-org a part of GEORGE or Transforming Planning exercise? Why was David Kim fired?

I thought that a big outcome of these two re-orgs would be implementation of the combined LUR/DP application process. This is not apparent from the new structure at all.

You seem like you have an axe to grind and are using this thread to further your own personal agenda instead of using it in the spirit it was created... Perhaps you could take this rather detailed line of questioning that no one else cares about to PM? Or write a letter to the mayor?

As an aside, which developer/builder do you work for (or with)?

[JonDuke]

Hey Bunk...

Does the City of Calgary has a business directory that's open to the public?

I'm looking for a way to compile a list of every business in a few specific neighborhoods. Ie: Where can I find a list of every business in Scenic Acres, Silver Springs, Dalhousie, etc.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by BigNumbers

You seem like you have an axe to grind and are using this thread to further your own personal agenda instead of using it in the spirit it was created... Perhaps you could take this rather detailed line of questioning that no one else cares about to PM? Or write a letter to the mayor?

Thank you for your helpful and insightful suggestions. Perhaps, you could... That's fine, forget it.

My questions in this thread usually are about municipal government and administration, which are public bodies; thus, have nothing to do with my personal agenda. I find these topics interesting and I don't particularly care if you don't. You don't call posts here complaining about garbage pickup in a back alley of someone's home to Mayor's chief of planning policy a personal agenda, do you?

There have been really major recent changes in the way the city is going to administer future planning and development applications. They're done really quietly and without good/detail explanations to the public. Bunk has offered to be a helpful resource and I am using his offer. He is probably the only one that could tell me that my questions to him here are inappropriate and should not be asked.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

All of them look pretty much the same as before to me. Land-Use, CPAG, Inspections, Assessments. Was this re-org a part of GEORGE or Transforming Planning exercise? Why was David Kim fired?

I thought that a big outcome of these two re-orgs would be implementation of the combined LUR/DP application process. This is not apparent from the new structure at all.

That's exactly what will be happening under Matthias Tita's Group. Everything from Local Area Planning (ASPs, ARPs etc) all the way down to the DP in one integrated Business Unit. Concurrent processes will also become a big part of how we do business. How CPAG functions (out of the learnings Transforming Planning project), along with the whole development review process, will also be a major change.

This year, more changes with the Land Use bylaw to come, possibly CPC as well.

E-Permits will also be expanding from the first phase (single family new) to larger and more complex permit types in the coming phases as well. The first phases of both E-Permits and E-Trades have been smashing successes.

[CaptainYooh]

One thing the City could really improve would be to publish these things on their web-site including people diagrams and department process protocols.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by JonDuke

Hey Bunk...

Does the City of Calgary has a business directory that's open to the public?

I'm looking for a way to compile a list of every business in a few specific neighborhoods. Ie: Where can I find a list of every business in Scenic Acres, Silver Springs, Dalhousie, etc.

On our open data site, we have a table of all business licence holders throughout Calgary. You could mine this, perhaps search by keyword ("silver" or "Scenic" or "Dal" to find addresses in these communities.

https://data.calgary.ca/OpenData/Pag...YonlineDefault)

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

One thing the City could really improve would be to publish these things on their web-site including people diagrams and department process protocols.

geORGe has not fully shaken out below the director level yet. I imagine later this month or next they'll start communicating with industry extensively about the new structure, functions and personnel. PDA is over 800 staff, it takes a bit of time.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

All of them look pretty much the same as before to me. Land-Use, CPAG, Inspections, Assessments. Was this re-org a part of GEORGE or Transforming Planning exercise? Why was David Kim fired?

I thought that a big outcome of these two re-orgs would be implementation of the combined LUR/DP application process. This is not apparent from the new structure at all.

All managers were given the option to apply for their job, take a lower position, or leave. I believe he chose leave.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Local Area Planning and Implementation (Matthias Tita)
- Integrates local area planning functions with implementation of projects of some scale (ie. not decks)
- Divided by 3 geographies - North, Central, South
- I believe Urban Development and functions like that will live in this unit.
- I understand parks and transportation planners will be co-located with the land use planners to foster a bit more cross-discipline collaboration.

Yep, and the parks and transportation folks are none too pleased with it. I think one of the biggest problems the planning department has is:

1. Planners below Sr. Planner are unionized (why?)
2. There is very little ability to acquire broader scope of planning experience because you're either policy, or parks, or transportation, or subdivision.
3. Too much middle management who aren't interested in planning rationale and only interested in where they might land in the private sector.
4. This one is just this year, but planners are tired of being treated like crap by Gian-Carlo Carra.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by kermitology

Yep, and the parks and transportation folks are none too pleased with it. I think one of the biggest problems the planning department has is:

1. Planners below Sr. Planner are unionized (why?)
2. There is very little ability to acquire broader scope of planning experience because you're either policy, or parks, or transportation, or subdivision.
3. Too much middle management who aren't interested in planning rationale and only interested in where they might land in the private sector.
4. This one is just this year, but planners are tired of being treated like crap by Gian-Carlo Carra.

LOL. I can add quite a few items to your list.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

LOL. I can add quite a few items to your list.

There's a lot more beef to have with the planning process and management than with a lot of individual planners. Even with individuals, there is so many barriers to moving around and acquiring knowledge that people become complacent.

[CaptainYooh]

I agree. Some of the things that have been bothering me for a while: the City is way too lenient on allowing planners to move around and change jobs within the departments at will, as soon as positions open up. This contributes to lack of stability. File managers change constantly. Another sore spot: nobody is leading the charge in uniting all of the departments as one team working together. It is the perennial problem: planners don't like what transportation wants, engineers, don't like what planners want, parks don't like anything, period. At the end of the day someone should say: "we are a team and this is how we're doing it". Nobody does and nobody wants to say this. It's a state of permanent search for consensus between the departments.

[Bunk]

Hence why there's been and will continue to be a major effort to improve the planning system.

[mykalberta]

Where is or what is the process to have a 3rd party flag raised at City Hall.

I would like to see the Ukraine flag raised at the City Hall in Calgary.

I tried to apply for it from here http://www.calgary.ca/CA/city-clerks...spx#flagraised but got an email saying my request was rejected.

"The flag or banner, if approved, according to The City’s Flag Policy, would be flown for one day on a flagpole at City Hall. "

I am trying to get the flag raised for more than one day. Thanks.

[Bunk]

A plug - don't forget to provide your input into the City's next 4 year budget:

http://www.calgary.ca/CA/FS/Pages/Ac...n/Default.aspx

Hit "Take Action" to do the City's Budget Simulator and Priorities Tool.