Water bills could rise nearly 75 per cent over four years
Council still has two votes to take before any new water rates apply.
A typical Calgary homeowner using about 19 cubic metres a month pays $119.21 for water, wastewater and stormwater combined. Hold onto that number, because a council committee has voted to push it a lot higher.
Under the proposal, a typical homeowner's monthly bill for water, wastewater and stormwater would climb to $206.94, up from $119.21 now. The extra money would go toward a $6.5 billion overhaul of the city's water and wastewater infrastructure. The Bearspaw South feeder main, which failed more than once and is still being replaced, is the clearest sign of the need.
The city's chief financial officer, Les Tocher, said past rates fell behind inflation, growth and new risks to the system. DJ Kelly, who represents Ward 4, admitted he was reluctant to move the recommendation, but said the system's bill comes due sooner or later. Council can see that "the can's been kicked down the road," he said.
Coun. Rob Ward and Coun. Jennifer Wyness voted no. Ward said the city should hunt for efficiencies before asking residents for more. "People can't afford this," he said. Wyness said the plan won't deliver what Calgarians expect. Coun. Andre Chabot called the increase a necessity, though he noted the province has funded water and wastewater work in smaller municipalities. "Well, not to us."
Nothing is final. Executive Committee voted last week to recommend the 2027 to 2030 increases. Council still has to approve them at a regular meeting, and the bylaws need a final vote at budget time.
Rocky Ridge Athletic Park opens in the northwest
The two artificial turf fields push the City's count to 15 athletic parks and 31 soccer fields. That extra room lets natural grass fields recover and helps meet rising demand for bookable field time.
Bernie Morton, who heads Calgary Minor Soccer Association, said the new turf will give kids more chances to practise and compete as the appetite for soccer space keeps climbing.
Groups reserve the fields through the City, using its booking and allocation process. The park sits next door to the Shane Homes YMCA and has washrooms, parking, seating for fans and lights that add hours of play.
Veterans Walkway opens on Memorial Drive on Oct. 17
- When
- Oct. 17
- Where
- Memorial Drive SW, 14 Street to the George C. King Bridge
Each of the 31 bronze-coloured medallions set into the pavement between 14 Street SW and the George C. King Bridge links to a free app that pings stories to your phone as you walk. Veterans Walkway Committee chair Carolyn Patton says the technology is the first of its kind in Canada.
Historians, veterans and families helped gather more than 140 stories, and many go beyond the front lines: women who kept the community going, Indigenous soldiers who went overseas, workers who built ammunition in Ogden. The one that stuck with Patton most belongs to Iola Little, a Calgary woman who, as an Air Force corporal in France in 1955, spotted a U-2 aircraft. Her superiors didn't believe her at first.
Little will be at the opening ceremony, as will a Calgary Police Service honour guard. Music comes from the band of The King's Own Calgary Regiment. The timing carries weight too: the Royal Canadian Legion, one of the project's sponsors, is marking its 100th anniversary.
Student club's Justice Run will raise money for affordable legal help
- When
- Saturday, Oct. 17 · 10 a.m.
- Where
- Varsity Village Park and Bow River pathways
- Price
- $50 adults, $35 students, $30 youth
Plenty of legal help already exists, says Zahraa Virk, 20. The problem, she says, is that hardly anyone knows about it. She founded the UCalgary student club Undergraduate Access to Justice (A2J) to close that gap, and she calls this first Justice Run a fun way to bring people together.
Most of the money raised will go to local groups that offer those services, including Student Legal Assistance, UCalgary's pro bono clinic, and partners such as Calgary Legal Guidance. A2J keeps a share for future events.
Aneese Rakka, 25, a law student who coordinates events for the clinic, said its clients are often immigrants and people with low incomes. He grew up in an immigrant family, he said, so he knows how it feels to need help with no idea where to turn.