Meet & Greet with Ward 7 Candidate July 19

Submitted by Bob Bott

Erin Waite, one of the more progressive-sounding Ward 7 councillor candidates, would like to have a “meet and greet” with interested Sunnyhill members. She said she’s available Monday evening, July 19, so I suggested we gather around 7:30 by the Little Library and chat for a while or walk over to the picnic tables. Please spread the word among the members.

Several other candidates sound like they might be supportive of our values and aspirations, and it would be good to get to know them before the October 18 municipal election. Here’s the current list of those running in Ward 7, in alphabetical order, with links to their websites:

Ward 7

Incumbent: Druh Farrell

Daria Bogdanov

Bogdanov is an executive council member of the Progressive Group for Independent Business, the right-wing advocacy group that created Take Back City Hall. She is the Take Back City Hall candidate for Ward 7. Originally from Russia, Bogdanov touts her extensive business background—including marketing for Samsung and sales for a medical equipment company.

Matt Lalonde

Lalonde has a master's degree in city planning from the University of Calgary, which he says gives him the ability to provide hands-on policy and design solutions for the city. Lalonde wants to provide incentives to encourage small businesses, to strike a balance between inner-city redevelopment and preserving community character, and to promote "freedom of choice" for transportation.

Heather McRae

McRae is running a campaign calling for more civility at city hall. Having previously done communications work for Cenovus and Encana, she currently works at Decide Campaigns, which is run by her husband, Stephen Carter. In 2013, McRae worked as the campaign manager for incumbent Druh Farrell.

Marilyn North Peigan

Peigan, a member of the Piikani Nation who was appointed to the Calgary Police Commission in 2017, announced her candidacy on the day of the Women’s Memorial March honouring missing and murdered Indigenous women. She says she wants to enhance diversity at the city and help establish a "sustainable approach" to municipal governance.

Erin Waite

Waite has worked the past decade as the director of Connections, a counselling and consulting organization for those with disabilities, and prior to that worked in corporate communications and investment relations at Principal. She wants to find new uses for empty downtown office buildings and partner with various stakeholders on downtown revitalization.

Derek Williams

Williams supports downtown revitalization, the Green Line and the new arena, and wants to expand the city's cost-cutting programs, such as SAVE, as well as affordable housing. He's also the founder of a business that sells designer medical scrubs, and the sales manager for a janitorial services contractor.

Terry Wong

Wong has served as the executive director of the Calgary Business Improvement Area and is currently the president of the Hounsfield Heights Briar Hill Community Association. He has also been critical of the Guidebook for Great Communities. Wong says council needs to do a better job balancing its municipal infrastructure projects and broader planning goals.

Hail Hydrant! But hang on to the water for a bit.

Submitted by Richard Harrison

Hi everyone,

The water is back in the pipes. Excellent. The work on the hydrant is done. However, I've been talking with the same worker today who gave us the heads up about the previous delay, and he points out that, given the problems with the spring in the hill, and the need for the water table to reestablish itself after the hole around the work is filled in, etc, there is still a chance that some mishap or leak might appear in the system.

So his advice is for everyone to keep the water that you have on hand for another day just in case there's another stoppage.

It's been great to see the communication coming through on other platforms, and some of that is in more detail than I need to share right now, but there are going to be some things that we as Co-op alone, and along with our neighbors, will want to be doing to see if we can help mitigate if not solve the water issues around Sunnyill Lane in particular at this point, and McHugh Bluff in general in the long term.

Thanks.

All the best,

Richard.

Before the Light Fades and More Snow Falls ...

Submitted by Richard Harrison

Hi everyone,

I've just heard from the crew working on the hydrant that it's possible they won't finish until tomorrow, and until the work can be completed, they can't turn the water back on, so we're probably looking at another night without running water.

I hope you're all well. See you by the water wagons.

All the best,

Richard.

Memorial Bench and Llamas on McHugh Bluff

Submitted by Brenda Willman

Goats are not the first domesticated livestock to visit our bluff.

Once upon a time (very early 1990s) a small herd of llamas appeared next to our garage on Saturday morning, with side packs loaded with small evergreen trees.  

These trees were planted beside the path and scattered along the bluff more or less between 5A Street and Centre Street.  Some of them did not make it, but many of them are now stately evergreens, providing shelter from wind and snow and rain to animals and people alike.

I recently bumped into an old friend whose parents were highly involved in the preservation of the bluff during the 1980s and 1990s.  In fact, my friend sent me a photo of “llama day” featuring his mom and dad, and a fellow from Alberta Forest Service who supervised the planting – along with 3 llamas wearing red packs – so I know this actually happened and wasn’t a dream.  I haven’t got their permission to show their faces, so I’ve crossed out their eyes, but I do have permission to submit a brief announcement in the Sunnyhill Coop Newsletter, and so I am.

He also told me that a memorial bench, honouring his mom and dad (the Paulings), has been installed on the lower path near 5th Street.  If you come across that bench be sure to give a silent thanks to those who came before us to save the bluff and all of its natural beauty.  

Since then many more asphalt paths have been installed, a house has been demolished (and there is absolutely no trace of its having stood except for a rogue lilac bush growing just to the east of the path near our dumpster) and some paths have been widened or re-paved, but the area largely remains a natural space.  We should do all we can to keep it that way. Momma and baby deer certainly appreciated (and might still) the venue this summer.

Goats, Goats, Goats!!!

Submitted by Cindy Schnee