Michelle Whitten

As previously communicated, the DRCA’s request to the City of Calgary from the onset was twofold:

With the recent passing of the Waste Bylaw amendment, the DRCA has now formally contacted the City again this week to request:

We understand the challenges both of the requests come with; however, we feel they are surmountable and reasonable for our community and its residents.

We continue to encourage residents to contact 311 if they have feedback, concerns, or suggestions on this matter. This is one of the primary sources the City uses to consider feedback.

Note: There were three (3) 311 contacts in the month of August regarding this matter. While FaceBook, etc., is a mechanism for conversation and thought sharing, comments on Facebook do not affect the City’s review or decision making process. If you’d like your voice heard, please contact 311.

The City of Calgary has advised us of the following.

Starting sometime after September 19, undesignated trails in Griffith Woods Park close to the boundary with Tsuut’ina Nation will be permanently closed and repaired. This is intended to encourage park users to stick to designated trails as well as restoring natural areas that have been damaged by frequent use.

In recent months Parks and Open Spaces have been working closely with our neighbours at the Nation who have observed an increase in trespassing onto Nation land. We continue to work closely with the Nation on their plans to install additional boundary fencing and signage in 2024.

A longer-term effort is also underway in Griffith Woods park to audit, replace, and add additional signage for all parks users. The locations of the trail closures can be found on the city’s New Tsuut’ina Nation Fence page.

The following information is from City of Calgary Transit.

After a successful pilot of On Demand transit service in Springbank Hill communities since October 2020, ridership in this area has increased to a level supporting fixed-route service. The introduction of fixed-route service will include three new routes, listed below. These new routes will be similar to but not exactly the same as routes that served the area before October 2020. Existing Routes 93 – Coach Hill/Westbrook Station, 98 – Cougar Ridge, 111 – Old Banff Coach Road, and 156 – Aspen Woods will remain unchanged. Please view the map of the new fixed-route service.

New fixed routes added:

The following stops will be permanently closed:

While crime rates are very low in Discovery Ridge, we are not immune. The Calgary Police Service(CPS) is encouraging all Calgarians to establish a 9:00 pm routine to help them secure their property before heading to bed. Property crime, including break and enters, car prowlings, and auto thefts, continues to affect citizens across the city. In many cases, simply locking up and taking the opportunity away from offenders is enough to stop the crime.

The 9 pm Routine is a campaign that began in Pasco County, Florida, and is now used by police agencies across North America to remind citizens to protect themselves and their property. The CPS is joining in on the routine and encourages Calgarians to do the same. “The routine is simple,” says Sgt. Matt Baker of the CPS Centralized Break and Enter Teams. “Every night before going to bed we want all citizens to get in the habit of double checking that their vehicles, property and residence are secure. Offenders will often go down a street checking vehicles and houses for doors left open. By simply locking your door you could avoid waking up to an intruder in your home.” The routine recommends:

For more information on safety and security in Discovery Ridge, visit the Safety and Security page on our community website.

Want to learn more about city initiatives and happenings in Ward 6? You may wish to consider signing up for the Ward 6 newsletters to receive information directly. Sign up for Ward 6 newsletters on the City of Calgary’s Stay Connected website. Past newsletters are located on the Latest News – Ward 6 page.

Did you know that the City is looking to update its housing strategy? Changes to the strategy could affect all of Calgary. The strategy will be reviewed at the Community Development Meeting on September where Calgarians will have the opportunity to have their voices heard. To learn more, see The City of Calgary’s Housing Strategy. To participate, sign up on the city’s Participate in Public Hearings website. See item 7.1 on the Community Development Committee agenda for links to report materials.

It’s time to renew your $25 annual membership with the community association! Existing memberships expired on August 31. Thank you to the households that have already renewed. If you have not purchased your 2023-2024 membership, please do so online at Buy/Renew Membership. All memberships purchased by October 15 will be entered into a draw for a Cineplex gift card.

You may not be aware of what the Discovery Ridge Community Association (DRCA) does for our community. Our activities include:

For only $25 per year, your membership is used to maintain our ice rinks and tennis courts, provide special events such as Music in the Park and the Stampede BBQ, produce our monthly Ridge Review newsletter, support our social media and website accounts, and give Discovery Ridge a voice in City of Calgary issues. For more details on what an annual membership can do for you, see our Membership page.

Our DRCA Board and volunteers put many hours into planning events and performing activities that benefit our entire community. Our events and activities are not possible without the collection of membership fees and resident involvement. Your community association is only as good as the membership it serves. If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see happen – whether it be events or groups – please come forward with your ideas and contribute to making this community a great place to live.

What a fantastic day! The sun was shining and the music was playing. The DRCA (Discovery Ridge Community Association) would like to thank everyone who came out and celebrated Music in the Park. The park was filled with friends and neighbours, sponsors, musicians, food trucks, face painters, kid’s activities, a beer/wine garden, and a wonderful support group of volunteers.

Once again we would like to thank our amazing sponsors:

We would also like to extend a huge thank you to the talented musicians from the following bands:

Last, but not least, thank you to: YYC Food Trucks, NDHA (New Discovery Homeowners’ Association), The Fairy Hut, and The City of Calgary Special Events Crew.

See you all next year!

Join us on Saturday, September 9 from 3-7 pm at the Discovery Ridge Recreation Facility for live music and fun times at this wonderful family-friendly event. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair and enjoy the entertainment. This year, we are pleased to present performances by:

You can grab a meal or dessert to enjoy while you listen to the music. The food trucks we expect are:

There will be an on-site beer/wine garden for adults as well. For kids, there will be face painting and other activities.

Thank you to our headline sponsor, David Pellettier, Re/Max, for his continued support over the years for this event. Thank you also to our additional sponsors, without whom this event would not be possible:

Finally, thank you to The Honourable Mike Ellis, Deputy Premier and MLA, Calgary West and to Ron Liepert, MP, Calgary Signal Hill for their advertising support.

Please remember that Music in the Park is a family-friendly event, so smoking, vaping, and cannabis use are not permitted. Also, for the safety and enjoyment of all, do not bring your pets. Pets (except service dogs) are not permitted.

Last fall, four bears were euthanized due to their dependence on residential waste. As previously communicated, a committee was formed to address the multitude of requests asking the DRCA to take action to protect our wildlife and residents. The committee was made up of volunteers who came forward to offer assistance and, in addition, several passionate residents were proactively contacted to ask if they would participate. Everyone joined in enthusiastically. After several months of research and information gathering, it became abundantly clear that waste management was a critical component to success or failure in all communities similar to ours that had also tackled co-existing with wildlife.

The DRCA then reached out to our Ward 6 office to seek its assistance in securing a meeting with the City of Calgary Waste & Recycling Services department. This meeting was granted and, after hearing our presentation and request for its expertise and support, the Waste and Recycling department agreed and jumped on board to take the lead. The original request from the DRCA was twofold: firstly, to have the City provide its expertise and resources regarding appropriate waste and recycling practices for a community such as ours; and, secondly, that Discovery Ridge immediately be considered for alternative bear-resistant green bins.

From there, the research and work done by the Waste & Recycling team was extensive, and dozens of municipalities were contacted around North America for discussions and knowledge. A fulsome education and communication plan was developed, and the City’s Bear Awareness campaign actively began in May. Regular update meetings were held with the DRCA, and feedback from the DRCA and committee was always accepted. After months of work, it was determined that the greatest successes come from bins being stored securely and not placed out overnight for collection. As a result, in Discovery Ridge, bins should be stored in a secure location and not placed out for pickup prior to 5 am on pickup days and stored away again no later than 7 pm to minimize the opportunity for wildlife to become habituated to residential waste.

As part of the City’s review process, centralized bins, similar to those used in Canmore, for example, were considered. It was determined that the decrease in service levels provided to the community by moving from curbside pickup to drop-off locations was not appropriate at this time.

Regarding the green bins themselves, there are many alternative green bin options in existence that generally fall into one of two styles. One is a latch style that the resident has to unlock and re-lock each time compost is added and then unlock at curbside on pickup day. The second style has lids that are released at a certain height and angle above the collection truck. Communities that have this system reported a high failure rate of the bins not opening, in particular in areas with winter weather similar to ours. While the bin options were thoroughly investigated, the City has determined not to pursue alternative green bins at this time. This decision was based on the increased cost of bins and the high failure rates. The DRCA will continue to engage in conversations with the City regarding this matter, and we have offered Discovery Ridge as a pilot community to try different options in the hope alternative green bins could be pursued further and the best bins could be procured eventually.

On July 27th proposed bylaw amendments were presented to the City of Calgary Community Development Committee. The proposal was unanimously passed, so it will therefore proceed to City Council this fall for review, debate, required readings, and a Council vote. The proposal is for the Director of Waste & Recycling Services to designate a community, on a temporary basis, as a Wildlife Affected Area. If a community receives this designation, residents would be required to store bins in a secure location, place bins out for collection no earlier than 5 am on pickup days, and secure bins away again no later than 7 pm during the designation period.

The initiatives and activities undertaken to date are:

• Multiple communications from the DRCA and the City in the Ridge Review newsletter, MailChimp emails, FaceBook, and other social media.
• At the request of the DRCA, the City developed a website: Be Bear Smart.
• Campaigns: #keepbinsin and Don’t Feed The Bears A Midnight Snack.
• City of Calgary bold signs placed in the community.
• Door knocking campaign: City representatives knocked on the doors of all homes in Discovery Ridge that have curbside pickup and spoke to as many residents as possible. They had informational material available as well.
• There was an information booth at the DRCA Stampede Roundup that was hosted by Alberta Fish and Wildlife and City of Calgary Waste & Recycling Residential Services.
• Garbage Day App alerts and information sharing.
• Communication and educational initiatives are ongoing and will continue into the fall when there is the greater risk of troubling wildlife/human encounters.

Did you know? 100% of the homes in Discovery Ridge that have curbside pickup have garages, and 100% of those homes have street pickup (no alleys).

Thank you is insufficient but must be said to all of the residents that have volunteered time and effort at any point along the way as well as those who are still volunteering. It was a huge task to take on, and the community is grateful to you all!

While most of the information above has been shared in the past, we felt the timing was right for a recap. If you wish to contact us on the matter, please email drca_pres@discoveryridge.com.