Latest news with #CityofCalgary
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Calgary police warn about fake texts urging payment of parking tickets, photo radar
A stock photo shows a notification of a text message on an iPhone. (Unsplash/Brett Jordan) Calgary police are warning people who receive text messages about parking tickets or photo radar fines not to believe them. According to police, more than two dozen Calgarians have received the text messages asking them to click a link to pay for an overdue ticket. Police say the texts are a scam. Neither the City of Calgary nor the province sends text messages to request payment for fines. Both photo radar and parking tickets are mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle involved, and any additional communication will also be sent through the mail. Police warn anyone who gets the bogus text message to delete it immediately and advise them against interacting or engaging with the sender. They also warn to never click links sent in unsolicited text messages.
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
City says redevelopment of former Midfield Mobile Home Park site 'progressing steadily'
Social Sharing Seven years ago, it was Midfield Mobile Home Park. Now, it's set to become Midfield Heights. The site, located along 16th Avenue N.E. just west of Deerfoot Trail, ceased to be a mobile home park in 2018 when the City of Calgary evicted the park's residents after lengthy legal and political battles that spanned years. The city pointed to failing sanitary and water infrastructure in its case to close the park but numerous residents resisted, saying they wanted to stay in their homes. The City of Calgary owns and is the master developer of the site, which has been vacant since the evictions in February 2018. After planning approvals were obtained in 2021 and site servicing was completed in 2024, redevelopment of the site is now "progressing steadily," city spokesperson Jaime Stopa said in a statement to CBC News. Seven development sites were approved by the city — of those, five were released for sale in 2024 and are currently under contract, she said. Two purchasers were selected for those five development sites, with details currently confidential as the deals are still pending. Construction is slated to begin within 24 months of those deals being closed. Of the remaining two sites, one will be reserved for affordable housing, while the other will be released at an undetermined date. "Midfield Heights is part of the city's strategic redevelopment program," Stopa said. "Projects like these are unlikely to proceed without city involvement due to cost or complexity." According to the statement, the city's total budget for the project, from the closure of the Midfield Mobile Home Park to completion of the Midfield Heights development, is $44 million. She highlighted that the project is not funded by tax dollars. Rather, the money comes from a real estate reserve funded through proceeds from land sales. "As master developer, the city was responsible for navigating the planning approvals process and delivering the public realm infrastructure, including roads, sidewalks, landscaping, and community amenities," Stopa said. Five of the sites are zoned for mixed-use residential development — three for buildings up to six storeys high, and two for up to 12 storeys — while the other two are zoned for townhouses, with those sites limited to 42 and 54 units. In total, more than 1,000 homes are set to be built at Midfield Heights.
CTV News
7 days ago
- CTV News
Calgary Transit launches new electronic fare system for CTrains
Calgary Transit has installed mobile ticketing for CTrains, aligning regulations with the same rules for buses. Calgary Transit riders now need to follow some new rules when boarding a CTrain. Starting Wednesday, all users need to scan their mobile tickets before riding trains, matching the same guidelines in place for all Calgary Transit buses. Officials say studies showed that 46 per cent of adults and 50 per cent of youth riding transit did not use their tickets properly and some weren't paying at all. Calgary Transit says there will be a grace period for the public to adjust to the change. 'Once we understand that the public is understanding how to use this system, we will be moving forward with an enforcement component,' said Chief Marcia Gonder with the City of Calgary's public vehicle standards section. Electronic mobile tickets were first introduced in 2020.
CBC
14-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Why Calgary's potentially 'normal' mosquito season might feel worse than it is
Social Sharing It's time to pull out the bug spray. After a mild several years for mosquito activity in Calgary due to prolonged droughts, the periodic rain lately means the bloodsuckers are out in full swing. Calgary entomologist John Swann said at best (or at worst, depending on how you see it), this is looking to be a "normal year" for mosquitoes. But since we've had it easy in recent years, Calgarians might feel like they're swatting away mosquitoes more than they're used to. And he warns it could get worse in the coming weeks. "I look at the next two weeks and yes, sure enough, we're getting periodic rain maybe every three days. And that's what you need for summer mosquitoes," said Swann, who works at ABI Environmental Services. "Now is the time to start getting cautious." The City of Calgary, which monitors mosquito numbers each year, said the rainfall throughout June and warmer temperatures recently has resulted in an increase in mosquitoes. They expect it to peak by mid-July, but say the trapping data shows a typical number of mosquitoes for this time of year. But some Calgarians say it's been quiet on the mosquito front until what seems like a recent explosion over the last week or so. 'They're just all over' Calgarian Alan Chu noticed the sudden surge of mosquitoes in the last several days — and so did his family visiting from Ontario. "The first couple of nights they were like, 'I can't believe you guys can just leave the doors open.' We don't have any screens on our back patio doors," said Chu. "Then in the last couple of days, they're like, 'Oh, no, not so incredible,' because we started to get mosquitoes inside the house." "They're the young, spry ones. They're just all over." His wife doesn't like the smell of the chemicals in traditional bug repellents, so in recent days she's stocked up on other solutions. "We put lemon eucalyptus essential oils on our skin … and use citronella candles or citronella essential oils," said Bonnie Larson. Avoiding West Nile Swann said he recommends practicing an abundance of caution at this time of the year. "Even if you're not around the water, I would still be putting on repellents, wearing white clothing, long sleeves, trying to avoid dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most actively feeding," he said. But it isn't the itchiness of mosquito bites that bothers him the most — it's the risk of getting West Nile Virus. He's particularly concerned now that the invasive northern house mosquito, a mosquito species that can carry diseases like West Nile, has been present in Calgary in recent years. Researchers at the University of Calgary are calling on citizen scientists to study the potential health impacts of that species, which is known to be drought-resistant and likes human habitation. "Even in a bad year, now we have a problem with this urban dwelling mosquito that transmits West Nile." Swann predicts the mosquito season might last until the end of October, but that depends on how dry and cold it gets.
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Calgary mountain bikers seek to save park area
Members of a mountain bike rally in Calgary's Medicine Hill want to make sure their beloved trails are preserved as the city redevelops the area. A group of mountain bike enthusiasts were out riding on Medicine Hill this week in an attempt to preserve the special area for other cyclists. 'A lot of us are concerned because the area has a deep history of mountain biking,' said the organizer for the mountain bike rally Joe Obad. 'It would be super sad to lose as a biking area.' The City of Calgary is in Phase 1 of its engagement process for the Medicine Hill/Paskapoo Slopes Regional Park Master Plan. According to the project's website, it will provide an opportunity to protect land with cultural, archaeological and ecological significance, while creating a regional park that shapes a landscape of connection and education for all who visit. Calgary mountain bikers seek to save park area The city also points to the area's significance for local Indigenous nations. Obad and other mountain bikers worry since the pillars for the redevelopment project include 'nature, culture, education and together.' 'Recreation isn't included as one of the pillars of values for the area,' said Obad. 'We want to make sure that mountain biking continues to take place at Medicine Hill.' Calgary mountain bikers seek to save park area The next public engagement date is set for July 19 at Medicine Hill Regional Park, near Cougar Ridge Pond. Phase 2 public engagement which will gather feedback on the early concept designs beginning in the fall of 2025. The city anticipates its master plan to be complete in 2026.
