Shane Keating — Councillor Ward 12

Last week The City unveiled the results from the 2017 Civic Census. The full details of the Census can be found here – 2017 Civic Census

Here are a few of the highlights of the results:

• Calgary’s population is 1,246,337. This total is up 11,166 residents from 2016 (0.9% increase)
• A significant proportion (10,192 people) of the increase is natural (births subtracted by deaths)
• Net migration was +974. In 2016 net migration was -6,527

The 2017 Civic Census data is based off the new Calgary Ward boundaries that will come into effect with the October election. The new boundaries make comparisons from previous years a bit more challenging, but there is still a clear picture of growth and progress in southeast Calgary. Here are some of the highlights as they relate to Ward 12:

• Auburn Bay was the fastest growing community in Calgary with 1,870 new residents
• Mahogany was the 6th fastest growing community with 1,444 new residents
• Ward 12 with the new boundaries has 101,786 residents – the largest Ward in Calgary with some of the fastest growing communities
• The Ward 12 population decreased by 7,598 with the new boundaries due to the difference between the addition of Riverbend and the loss of Douglasdale and McKenzie Lake
• The Ward 12 population under the old boundaries would be 114,379 residents. That represents a population increase of roughly 4.5% from the 2016 total of 109,384 people
• Under the new boundaries Ward 12 will have 5 communities with populations over 12,000 residents (Auburn Bay, Copperfield, Cranston, McKenzie Towne and New Brighton)

So what does this mean for Ward 12?

Ward 12 has consistently outpaced the average growth rates seen in the rest of Calgary. This presents some real challenges as southeast Calgary continues to play catch-up when it comes to critical public infrastructure and community amenities. Nearly 5,000 came to this area over the last year – that means more cars on Deerfoot, more families looking to access recreation facilities and more people coming to our dog parks.

But growth doesn’t have to be scary, we have made great strides in southeast Calgary. We have added new recreation infrastructure in the last year with the Remington YMCA in Quarry Park, the Great Plains Recreation Centre and the New Brighton Regional Athletic Park. We are also well under way with construction on the Seton Recreation Centre that will open in 2018.

Help is on the way for our over stretched transportation network too. The Deerfoot Trail Study team has released the options for short term improvements and are currently working on medium and longer term solutions to ensure that Deerfoot Trail is prepared to handle further growth. Securing provincial funding for these projects will be important over the next few years. We have also made remarkable progress on the Green Line LRT since the last election in 2013. We have gone from a hypothetical project with no committed funding to a fully funded first stage that will be operational by 2026. But we cannot stop there. Growth is going to continue and the demands for more community investments will increase. We must find ways to bring the LRT deep into the communities that need it the most.

Under the new boundaries Ward 12 has the largest population of any Ward in the city. Ward 12 is part of the most significant growth area in the entire city. This means that Ward 12 will continue to be the largest Ward in the city for a considerable period of time. Representing a Ward that is home to well over 100,000 Calgarians is going to be a full time job. In my seven years on Council I have proven my ability to deliver the investments that had previously been absent from southeast Calgary. You deserve to see value in your tax dollars. In October I hope that I can count on your support so I can continue working with you to make Ward 12 an even better place for you and your family.