Latest news with #JasmineMian
Calgary Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Newly named Naato'siyinnipi ASP envisions 7,300 transit-oriented homes in north-central Calgary
Article content A newly named area structure plan makes way for the development of thousands of homes in north-Central Calgary, in an area previously slated for commercial or industrial development. Article content Originally called the Aurora Business Park ASP, the proposed Naato'siyinnipi ASP now envisions building up to 7,300 housing units and creating more than 5,000 jobs on 578 acres of land west of Deerfoot Trail N. Article content Article content Article content The future community would be bordered by Harvest Hills Boulevard to the west, 96th Avenue N.E. to the north, the CPKC tracks to the east and Beddington Trail to the south. Article content More than just a change in name, it's a shift from the original plan, which sought to establish a business park. The revised plan outlines a more transit-oriented community with land earmarked for a Green Line station — if the future train line eventually extends north of downtown — as well as a station for a future airport connector line, and a transit maintenance and storage facility. Article content It also proposes a mixture of multi-unit residential, mixed-use and ground-oriented development, while allocating land for a future high school site and other land uses, including retained park space and natural areas near Nose Creek. Article content Article content Ward 3 Coun. Jasmine Mian, who represents the area, said amendments to the Airport Vicinity Protection Area in 2021 and lower noise exposure forecasts paved the way for residential development, rather than just commercial or industrial land uses. Article content Article content 'Airport technology changes a lot and the airplanes are much quieter than they used to be, so the area opened up for the potential to have residential development,' she said. Article content 'There's a long history on this site but, originally, the city had planned for the area to be a business and industrial park. A lot of that was dictated by the fact the airport was so close by.' Article content A major benefit of building homes in this part of the city, according Mian, is that much of the greenfield land is already serviced and it's near the bus rapid transit line on Centre Street. Article content The land is also bordered to the north and south by Harvest Hills and Beddington Heights. Article content 'We do need to provide housing and there's really two places you can provide it — within the existing footprint of the city or on the edges of the city,' Mian said. Article content 'Both have environmental concerns, because on the edge of the city, you're often eating up existing farmland. So to be able to develop sensitively within city boundaries in an area already serviced that has bus rapid transit right there is amazing.'
Calgary Herald
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Firefighters association flags concern over apparatus shortage
Article content 'Clearly, we don't have enough fire apparatus to adequately protect Calgarians,' he said. 'Seconds matter in an emergency and without the proper equipment, our firefighters are stretched dangerously thin. Article content 'With a municipal election around the corner, we need local leaders to recognize public safety needs to be a priority.' Article content Ward 3 Coun. Jasmine Mian said the current council has increased the CFD budget substantially since being elected in 2021, thanks to firefighters' previous advocacy for more resources before and after that election. Article content She pointed to council approving a $76-million increase to CFD's capital budget and $63 million more for the department's operating budget for the 2023-26 four-year budget. Article content Article content This spending allowed CFD to hire 200 additional firefighters and to add two medical response units, she said, as well as two temporary fire halls on the city's outskirts — one in Haskayne and one in Hotchkiss. Article content Less than two weeks ago, CFD and city officials cut the ribbon on a new $53-million fire station in Varsity, which also features affordable housing and a future space for a child-care facility. Article content But Mian, who is not running for re-election this year, noted that Calgary's growth since 2021 means more funding for the fire department will likely be necessary when the next council considers the 2027-30 budget cycle. Article content 'We recognize that as a growing city, we need to continue to fund the fire department well,' she said Monday. Article content Article content Mian also argued that fire response times in her ward were 17 seconds faster than the city average in 2024. She cited an annual report that of more than 2,500 priority responses in Ward 3 last year, 87 per cent met the response time target of seven minutes. Article content 'We've had really good firefighting service for the types of incidents we have had,' she said. 'I appreciate what (the firefighters' association is) saying, but I would assure people that we do have good coverage. Article content 'That said, as we continue to build out north of Stoney . . . we're going to have to keep investing.' Article content A statement from the fire department Monday said the tower truck for Station 31 experienced 'unexpected mechanical issues' that required it to temporarily be removed from service. The truck has been returned to the station 'with no impacts' to public safety. Article content 'The Calgary Fire Department's fleet of fire trucks and other apparatus is dynamically deployed across the city,' it said. 'Trucks move about depending on what is required to ensure fire response coverage and are sometimes subject to maintenance requirements.'
Calgary Herald
19-06-2025
- Automotive
- Calgary Herald
New curbside pillars are under construction at Calgary Airport, doorway closures are expected throughout the summer
Construction began Monday, June 16, on new anti-ramming curbside columns at Calgary International Airport — joining locations around the city renewing focus on pedestrian safety. Article content The waist-high pillars are called bollards and will be placed in front of every door on both the arrival and departure levels. The Calgary Airport Authority described the construction in a statement as a proactive attempt to boost security, rather than a reactive response to any particular incident. They described the barriers as 'part of a multi-year initiative to further safeguard public-facing areas and align with evolving industry best practices.' Article content Article content Article content The Calgary Airport Authority did not answer when asked about the projected cost of the bollard construction, nor reveal details about future elements of the multi-year plan. Article content Article content The development will take place in phases, as an attempt to 'minimize disruption while work is underway.' Those travelling to the airport can expect reduced curb space in the domestic arrivals zone and 'higher-than-normal volumes,' during peak hours. Article content The airport previously estimated an average of 67,000 visitors each day over the course of the summer. While the construction just missed those travelling for the G7 summit in Kananaskis, it will be ongoing through both the Rotary International Convention and the Calgary Stampede. By the end of the summer, the airport expects to have seen more than 5.8 million visitors. Article content With less curb to share while construction is ongoing, the airport is attempting to mitigate the time drivers spend near doorways waiting for passengers. Signage will be posted to navigate any lane closures, and they suggest vehicles work their way to the 'cellphone lot', where drivers can stay up to 60 minutes, described as a great location for 'a bit of extra time to play Candy Crush.' Article content Article content Protection measures against vehicles have been a focus around the city in recent months. Ward 3 Coun. Jasmine Mian asked what precautions the city was taking during a council meeting days after the deadly vehicle attack in Vancouver. The incident led to increased security during Calgary's Lilac Festival, with police cars blocking additional roadways beyond the usual signage. Article content The Calgary Stampede has also become home to its own anti-vehicle equipment, opting for portable barriers over in-ground bollards. Six barriers are currently deployed in anticipation of this weekend's Rotary convention, emblazoned with custom Calgary Stampede Logos. Article content 'Each one weighs 695 lbs, so you can't push them around,' said Brad McCabe, Meridian's director for Western Canada.
CBC
26-02-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Calgary council approves recreation facility strategy that could cost up to $6B over 25 years
Calgary city council approved a recreation facility strategy on Tuesday that could cost the city between $200 million and $250 million a year — or up to $6 billion over 25 years. City administration will now develop an implementation plan that includes a funding strategy to ensure the cost burden doesn't solely rely on municipal taxes. Recommendations for the city's "Gameplan" were unanimously approved by Calgary's community development committee earlier this month. In a news release Tuesday, the city called the approval a "significant step forward in reimagining Calgary's public recreation system." The city says Gameplan addresses widespread underinvestment in public recreation, Calgary's aging recreation facilities, rising operational costs and the city's growing population. Most of Calgary's public recreation facilities are more than 35 years old. Over the past five years, several city facilities have either closed or operated at or near capacity, the city says. Many were built before the 1990s and are nearing the end of their life cycles. "Today's decision by council is a commitment to improving quality of life for all Calgarians," Ward 3 Coun. Jasmine Mian said in a city news release. "We will not only catch up from years of underinvestment, but we will also ensure our public recreation system remains sustainable, inclusive and effective for the next 25 years and beyond." Heather Johnson, director of recreation and social programs for the City of Calgary, said in a release the approval of Gameplan sets the service level standard for public recreation in the city. "It's a service standard that says, 'We want every child to learn how to swim, we want every kid to play the sport they love, we want newcomers to have spaces to join in community and we want seniors to feel connected,'" she said. Under Gameplan, the city will increase the availability of swimming lessons by 40 per cent (per capita), bookable hours at ice sheets by 25 per cent, more than double bookable hours at indoor fields, and ensure that 86 per cent of Calgarians live within five kilometres of an aquatic facility. The plan includes consistent funding for 67 outdoor and indoor ice rinks, 13 field houses, 89 athletic park fields and 26 aquatic facilities — including 296 swim lanes and 25 leisure pools.
CBC
31-01-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Calgary councillor not seeking re-election due to provincial intervention and partisan politics
Social Sharing As uncertainty continues to cloud the Green Line LRT project, even as construction could begin this year, Ward 3 Coun. Jasmine Mian worries Calgary is becoming a city that can't get things done. That's partly why she's signalled she won't be returning for another term on council. During Tuesday's city council meeting, Mian announced she wouldn't seek re-election this fall. The primary factor behind her decision, she explained, is how the provincial government has backed city council into a corner on the Green Line, removing much of the city's control on a project it has ultimate accountability for. Now, Mian worries the project is unlikely to connect to the city's downtown, as debate rages on about whether the train will arrive there on elevated tracks — and unlikely to reach the north side of the city. "We're staring down the barrel of a gun, being told to do what the provincial government says and to pay for it as well," Mian told CBC News on Wednesday. "No one wants to let the project collapse, but I think as a result of that, there were governance decisions that are being made to continue that I don't think are sound, and are not things that I want to continue to represent." Pawns in political game The news came a couple weeks after Ward 12 Coun. Evan Spencer announced he also wouldn't run in the October municipal election. Spencer cited a growing trend of politicians being rewarded for grandstanding and attacking opponents, rather than collaboration. Similarly, Mian believes politics is taking precedence on council over delivering value. On the Green Line, she argues, this took shape after former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi became leader of the Alberta NDP. Since then, she says the provincial government was more interested in making decisions on the project that would criticize Nenshi's past work, resulting in a transit line of lower quality, higher cost and unknown risk. "I think that cities are really a pawn in this larger political game," Mian said. "People who are thoughtful and critical and good governors will quickly get exhausted from the politics. And you end up with people on city council who are really just there to hold a seat and to enable more politicking, which I don't think is good for the future of our city." The result, Mian predicts, will be more councillors experiencing burnout and lasting only one term on council. "I don't think that's a good thing for the long-term governance of the city," Mian said. "You need some people to stay who have had that long-term view." When asked about the possibility that the province's interventions on municipal projects like the Green Line could dissuade some people from serving on city council, Alberta Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen said he doesn't want to weigh in on why anyone may or may not seek election or re-election, but noted he's heard plenty of frustration about council in Calgary. A more partisan city council Ward 3 residents will vote for a new representative this fall, without an incumbent in the race, for the third consecutive election. Jyoti Gondek represented the ward from 2017 to 2021 before running for mayor, following Jim Stevenson's term on council from 2007 to 2017. This fall's municipal election will also be the first in Calgary with political parties — a prospect that is also influencing Mian's decision to step away. She'd rather see councillors accountable as individuals rather than voting along party lines. The result could be a more partisan city council, a problem that was already flagged by former Ward 12 councillor Shane Keating in 2020. Keating, who served on council from 2010 to 2021, announced he wouldn't seek re-election partly due to how partisan and overtly political council had become. Since then, Keating believes the problem has only gotten worse. "You're supposed to be there to do the best job you can for the citizens of Calgary," Keating said. "You can't be there to fight a battle for no reason other than you're fighting a battle with other people, whether it's parties or partisan politics." Keating worries that constant internal bickering will dissuade people from wanting to run for council. During his time on council, Keating chaired the Green Line committee, where he championed the project. He argues that what started out as a great project has ended up a disaster by descending into partisan, nitpicking politics. "You can't run the orders of government in Canadian society if one level is going to hold everyone else hostage," Keating said. Thus far, Mayor Gondek and seven councillors have said they're seeking re-election in Calgary this fall. Mian, Spencer and Ward 4 Coun. Sean Chu have previously said they won't run for re-election. Three others — Courtney Walcott, Gian-Carlo Carra and Peter Demong — have not publicly stated whether they will run this fall.
