Quality Affordable Services
Living in Calgary is about much more than just building careers and supporting our families. Calgary has become one of the world`s great cities: pathways, river valleys, culture, beautiful parks and recreation opportunities make it a wonderful place to live. Our city was picked as one of the world`s top 25 cities. This year Mercer Consulting rated it the cleanest city in Canada.
"We can`t rest on our laurels as a great city. There`s a lot of work to be done to keep Calgary a top tier place to live and work," noted Alderman Helene Larocque. "The services City Council provides taxpayers must be both high quality and affordable."
Since Helene`s 2004 election to City Council progress has been made to improve services in Ward 3:
Helene brought Fire & EMS station to Saddle Ridge.
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- A fire station and emergency medical services were brought to Saddle Ridge. Land designation for a permanent site will be discussed at City Council in autumn. It is anticipated ground breaking for the permanent site at Saddle Town Circle will begin by the end of 2007 with the new facility opening in 2008. Funding for the project was initiated by Helene at City Council.
New library being brought to NE communities
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- A multipurpose facility for Saddle Ridge, Castleridge and Martindale is in the final planning stages. It will house a new library, sports recreation centre and the offices for those community associations. When it is complete it will be a resource worth over $68 million and will be run by the YMCA.
- Helene is working with City Administration to secure recycling depots for Harvest Hills and Evanston.
- Land has been identified for a tri-services station (Fire, Police, Emergency Medical Services) for the planned communities of Aberdeen, NorthPointe, Bridgewater, and Skyview Ranch. Ensuring new communities are properly planned means land is set aside from the beginning for City services and the recreation needs of new residents.
Affordable means several things ..
Alderman Larocque attends sod turning ceremony for Vista Grande Affordable Housing Project in Vista Heights.
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Delivering affordable services means more than just City Council being able to finance new projects and maintain services into the future. It also means low income Calgarians should be able to live here and enjoy City services that are designed for the common good.
"I was raised in a faith community that has a strong sense of social justice. Ensuring low income Calgarians can live in dignity in our city is an issue that's very close to my heart. Calgary is a city of tremendous wealth and everyone should share in our collective prosperity," said Helene Larocque.
Helene supported the following initiatives for low income Calgarians:
- Building 200 low income housing units per year from 2006 - 2008.
- Providing affordable housing and rent supplements up to $63 million from provincial revenue allocations. (2007)
- The Vista Grande condo project in Vista Heights will open this autumn with 41 units for low income Calgarians.
- Planning 400 affordable housing units in the new communities of Aberdeen, NorthPointe, Bridgewater and Skyview Ranch.
- Habitat for Humanity projects in Evanston, Taradale and Mayland Heights.
- Providing discounted transit passes for those who cannot afford the full cost of public transportation. A reserve fund has been created to sustain this service into the future.
- Helene worked with City Council to gather all stakeholders to develop a 10 year plan to end homelessness in Calgary. A new emergency shelter will be operational this winter.
Looking to the future...
Helene`s priorities for the future include:
- Improving the recycling program to lower cost and improve participation will be a priority for the future. Calgarians want to live in a 'green city' - one that is environmentally progressive as well as beautiful to explore.
- Ensuring that future communities are planned completely and do not begin with transportation, recreation and education infrastructure deficits.
- Making sure low income Calgarians have a voice at City Council.
As we look to the future, City services must be high quality, affordable to the taxpayer and accessible to all who live here. Helene will continue to work cooperatively with the Provincial and Federal governments to ensure funding is in place to sustain the quality affordable services necessary for a growing city.
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