Terry Wong votes with his party to prioritize more sprawl over Ward 7 communities

City Council just voted to annex land for more new sprawl and to pave a gravel road outside the city limits

This July, Calgary City Council voted to restart an annexation process they previously walked away from just two years ago. Back then, citing already sufficient land supply within the city limits for the next 35-50 years of growth, Council dropped plans to annex this area.

Map of proposed 415 acre annexation area of Foothills County. (Source: City of Calgary)

This time around, a motion was brought forward and supported by the Communities First municipal political party, including the incumbent Ward 7 councillor Terry Wong, arguing that annexation was necessary in order to pave a short gravel road outside the city limits connecting 210 Ave to Spruce Meadows Way SW. Some councillors asked why the City couldn’t just work with Foothills County or the Province to get this bit of road paved without annexing hundreds of acres of rural land. Unfortunately, that kind of practical solution wasn't the outcome.

A map showing the portion of 210 Ave SW that is currently unpaved.

While annexation can be a useful tool for managing long-term growth when used properly, we already have decades of developable land in the city limits. This includes everything from empty parcels on the edge of the city, to new communities still in development, to the numerous undeveloped lots adjacent Calgary’s primary transit stations.

Each new sprawl development diverts the City’s limited resources from established neighbourhoods like in Ward 7

Every time we expand the city's footprint it takes time, resources, and focus away from the issues we should be tackling in established neighborhoods, especially in Ward 7's inner city communities. And that's not to mention any of the negative impacts of the destruction of more natural spaces on the edge of our city.

Gravel road outside city limits at 210 Ave and Spruce Meadows Way SW used as justification by Communities First for annexing more land. (Source: Google Maps)

Instead, we should be prioritizing smarter use of our existing land and investing in the communities we already have, not chasing sprawl so we can pave one road. Ward 7 deserves a councillor that understands these trade offs, and doesn't support the agenda of his party at the expense of the neighborhoods he represents.

Myke Atkinson is working for Ward 7

Read Myke Atkinson’s priorities for reinvesting in inner city communities in Ward 7.