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The
City of Calgary's Park Development & Operations is in the process of developing
a Calgary Open Space Plan. The draft plan will be presented to the public
at two upcoming Open Houses.  The
first Open House will be held on Tuesday, November 6, from 6:30 p.m. to
8:30 p.m., at the Triwood Community Association Hall, 2244 Chicoutimi
Drive N.W. The
second Open House will be held the following night, on Wednesday, November
7, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the Southwood Community Association,
11 Sackville Drive S.W. At both evenings, a formal presentation will be made at 7:00 p.m. The purpose of the Calgary Open Space Plan is to provide a comprehensive policy document that will ensure The City of Calgary's open space needs are consistently met over the long -term. Public Contact Information: Dennis LaFreniere, Park Planner Park Development & Operations The City of Calgary Tel: (403) 268-1399; Fax: (403) 268-5278 Public Email Contact: dennis.la.freniere@gov.calgary.ab.ca |
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We now have a new Calgary City Council....some names are familiar , some names are new. Regardless of new or familiar, let us send emails to them all to ask that more thought be put into the possible preservation of Paskapoo Slopes.Let us hope that the election promises will be kept and that we will have a council which will be open, and more accessible. Let us hope that we have a Mayor who will do more than automatically vote on the side of developers when situations such as Cougar Ridge arise. Let us hope that never again will a development be approved without proper computer generated Visual Impact example. Take a look up at Cougar Ridge , from Bowness Road......not a pretty sight at all. |
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 The
grand total of donations reached $610.00. Thanks to all who contributed..... |
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| August 15, 2001 .. This day shall go down in infamy as the 'Day of the Defuzzing of Hugh Magill'. Hugh, you sacrificed so much for the good of PSPS....we salute you. Chin up, now....the hair will grow back! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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288-2695 - Hugh Web Manager (as always..click on the picture to the left.....and see the enlarged view). |
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It seems that buddies
of Hugh Magill have talked him into letting them shave off his beard
in exchange for a $200 donation to the Paskapoo Slopes Preservation
Society. It started off as a bit of a joke when one of them asked what
it would take to get him to shave it off - (he didn't really think they
would come up with the money). Hugh has only shaved it off once (for
one day) in the last 24 years...so, maybe it would be worth spreading
the word around.....maybe get some more donations for the society....just
to find out if our 'illustrious leader' really does have a chin!!
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at 288-2695 or email either Hugh, or the Web Manager |
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| Just
a request to anyone who has photographs of the Paskapoo Slopes that we
could use on the site. We were wondering if it would be possible to borrow them for a short while. Just long enough to scan them into the computer. If anyone has any they would like to share (flowers, trees, slopes, wildlife...anything) just call Pat Marshall at 288-2185. I can pick them up, and deliver them back pretty much anytime. Heck, I can scan them 'while you wait'! |
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May
27,2001-
There was a tour of the Sadek Llama Farm land
where a proposal to develop was discussed. The proposal is to put 5
homes above the Sadek home, and 6 homes below(where the Llama barns
now stand). Included on the image page for this area are the maps, and
architectural plans for placement of these homes. Note the extreme sloping
of the area below the existing home. We have included photos which show
the sloping using the perspective placement of tour visitors. There
is also a grove of Riverine Tall Shrub (behind the wire fencing at the
bottom of the area designed for 6 homes). |
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| April 24, 2001 - Summary of Chapel Grove Public Meeting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Click here to read Alana DeLong's excellent maiden speech to the Alberta Legislature on April 23rd, 2001. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Today, April the 23rd, 2001, Karen Kryczka presented the petition (from The Society of Bowness Residents) to the Legislature. There were 5442 signatures voting to save the Paskapoo Slopes from further development. Lets all keep our fingers crossed for a positive response. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Here is a part of the Calgary Herald March 28th article re: C.O.P expansion plans. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Another
concern, said Mills, will be the environmental impact expansion -- particularly
to the east of the current facilities -- would have on the East Paskapoo
Slopes. In
February, CODA completed the purchase of 219 acres on the Paskapoo Slopes
to give it ownership of virtually all the land -- with the exception
of two privately owned parcels near the ski jumps -- between Stoney Trail
and Sarcee Trail on the south side of the Trans-Canada Highway. According to Paskapoo Slopes Preservation Society president Hugh Magill, the undeveloped CODA land is historically significant. Archaeological digs in the area have unearthed evidence of First Nations activity on the slopes dating back 8,000 years. "CODA has committed to involving us in consideration of any plans they have," said Magill. "Hopefully, there won't be problems, but I guess there is that potential. We think they're aware and sensitive to the need for support within the Calgary community if they're to develop their facility and attract people. " Magill doesn't have objections to cross-country trails in the area; in fact, he would like to see the sports and cultural aspects combined, perhaps through a series of interpretive centres along the trails that would educate the public about the history of the land. "I've hiked the hills with Hugh so we have a deep respect for what's there," said Mills. "I know that Hugh and some of their society members have talked about interpretive centres, and that's part of the thinking that we shared with Kasian Kennedy when we gave them our guidelines." |
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December 29, 2000 |
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| There is a video of , and about the Paskapoo Slopes, available for loan at no charge , from the Paskapoo Slopes Preservation Society. There will be a refundable deposit of $10.00 required . | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Letter from Pat Marshall to Premier Klein | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dear Premier Klein, |
December 8th, 2000
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| The
news that the City of Calgary will allow further development on the East
Paskapoo Slopes caused a deep sadness in the hearts of many people. These slopes are full of unique flora and fauna, home to a large number of migratory birds, is part of the wildlife corridor and has over 49 , verifiable, archaeological sites dating back over 6,000 years. I was lucky enough to be able to visit the most recent sites and was in awe of the number and age of the artefacts found. Allowing any more development will destroy the integrity of these slopes and mar the beauty of our 'gateway from the west'. The incredible escarpment is the first thing that greets visitors entering our city from the west. It must be protected and treasured. The slopes, if protected by the Province, will be a huge tourist attraction for it's history and ecology. Please, consider the implications of our Provincial Government partnering with the City of Calgary, or with CODA, or anyone else to preserve the East Paskapoo Slopes. It will affect future generations and show everyone that Alberta values their history and environment enough to protect and preserve it. That people and quality of life is the most important consideration in these stressful times. These slopes and the treasures within are as important to the history of Alberta as is Porcupine Hills and Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump. Please help preserve them. Surely it is within the realm of possibility to offer the land owners of the developable land fair market value for their land, and then turn it into a park, or interpretive centre to see that the history of our First Nations people and of our Province is passed down and shared with generations to come. Sincerely and with hope, Patricia Marshall |
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| See letter from Hon.Stan Woloshyn in answer to this letter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| December 4-5, 2000 - City Hall Public Hearing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| For those of you
that are interested in how things went today/yesterday (Dec. 4-5)regarding
the Paskapoo Slopes development proposal, here is an update. At 2:00 AM on Tuesday morning, when only the paid and the truly committed were still hanging on at City Hall, City Council approved a development plan for 164 acres on the Paskapoo Slopes. The lateness of the hour had little to do with the universal unhappiness with the plan since both sides of the preservation versus development debate had indicated this was not an area where compromises would provide a solution. The good news from the preservation side is that the developers appeared to be more unhappy than we were. In an odd turn of events, both sides ended up speaking against the plan for quite different reasons. In fact, there wasn't a single person outside of City staff and Council that spoke in favor of the plan. The density approved was quite low - only 1 unit/house per acre with the opportunity for the developers to boost that up to as high as 3 units/acre if they meet certain conditions such as transferring density out of the central section of the Slopes. A 12 acre (approx.) development cell that was part of the area bulldozed by CDC (Calgary Development Corporation), was also put under policy review (on hold) until CODA completes a Master Plan for their adjacent lands. While our group and others are disappointed that development was approved we are still hopeful that additional lands can be acquired and preserved. Perhaps now that the threat of development is so clearly defined, there will be an opportunity to find partners who can assist financially with this. The best solution would have been for the City to acquire and protect the area as a regional natural area park. In our view, the City needs to establish an annual capital budget to build a reserve for the creation a regional park or to acquire natural areas that can be linked into the existing park system. Unless these funds are built up over a number of years like all other capital reserve funds, there will never be sufficient funds for major acquisitions when the opportunities arise. As I pointed out in our presentation to Council, the City has grown by over 150,000 people during the 9 years we have been fighting for the preservation of the Paskapoo Slopes. Those additional people require additional park space or our existing parks will deteriorate through overuse. If the City had a more proactive approach they could have acquired much of the disputed land on the Slopes for a fraction of the cost in 1994 when the area was annexed. If the City had put aside a mere $300,000/year over the 9 years we've been involved, they could probably still acquire the 65 acres that are considered developable - even at the current inflated values. You can reach me at 298-6501 (wk) or 286-6269 (res) if you need any further information. We have also produced a 15 minutes video about the Paskapoo Slopes which we could provide to you with a refundable deposit of $10.00. Hugh Magill President, Paskapoo Slopes Preservation Society |
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We must not give up...keep writing,email
or call Premier
Klein ..get the Province involved..
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| On the CBC Radio Homestretch Program on Dec. 6th | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alderman Bronconnier
said: "This density of one house per acre sets a new standard for development of environmentally significant areas. This was the best compromise available. The City had no other option but to allow this development because the Province refused to protect it on the basis of the archeological sites (Historic Site designation) We will be proud of this development when we drive by it in the future." |
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| Hugh Magill said: "The City's own planning document stated that the Paskapoo Slopes are as environmentally significant as Bowmont Park, Nose Hill, or Edworthy. Why do we have to comprise an area of this significance and when is an area significant enough to be saved from development? Even a low density development will diminish or destroy the opportunities for education, recreation and tourism that exist when the area is intact. Any development will fragment the habitats through roads, services and houses and will cause destruction of some archeological sites. The City had the option to acquire and preserve the land as park space and for the last 9 years we have been asking them to do that. We haven't given up the hope that the City might partner with the Province, with CODA or with any other interested parties to acquire and protect the land." |
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November 26 |
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| November 1, 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| update from Tom Baker re: Calgary Planning Commission Nov. 1, 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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CPC passed the EPS-ASP c/w certain amendments proposed by Bronconnier. My paraphrase of the amendments is as follows: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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CDC's westernmost cell (Cell-C) is put under policy review. Justification is that the proximity of Cell-C to the COP lands presents a possible future land use conflict (e.g. snow-drift from COP's snow-making guns). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sadek's existing llama farm is officially recognized and allowed to continue in its present form. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ripley's existing "Retreat & Guest Lodge" (aka B&B) is officially recognized and allowed to continue in its present form with the allowance that minor improvements are allowed but major changes require Council (?) approval. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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During Emile's presentation he made certain comments which I paraphrase: * "slopes of this extent (15-33%??) used to be considered undevelopable". I just talked to Emile & he says that EPS-ASP will go to the December-04 Public hearing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sincerely, Tom Baker |
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October 2000 |
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| We are bidding a very sad au revoir to Bonnie Laing who is choosing not to run for re-election in our constituency. Of course we wish her well on her retirement, however we will miss Bonnie's incredible support and hard work toward the preservation of the Paskapoo Slopes. There are no words to convey our thanks adequately. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Congratulations to Alana DeLong, our new Alberta PC representative for Calgary Bow. We are confident that Alana will continue Bonnie's hard work toward preserving the natural beauty of the Paskapoo Slope | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| We wish Alana all the best in the coming Springtime Provincial Election. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| It is always tough to choose between two excellent candidates who run a fair and good campaign; and we thank Jurgen for running a good race. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alana Delong 6738 Bow Cres. NW work phone - 705-2577 residence phone - 247-0949 email - delong@home.com |
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