Hello Chestermere,
First of all, I would like to express that our thoughts and prayers are with the residents and all those affected by the devastating fires in Jasper. Thank you to our Fire Department who sent equipment and personnel to assist. Our equipment and crew is home safe and sound. We continue to stand with Jasper as they now start the difficult process of assessing how to move forward from this devastating tragedy.
The new Chestermere City Council has been in office for 30 days and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on our first month in office. I have had several residents ask, “so, how’s it going?” My answer is this. I love my job. I wake up every morning excited to go to the office. I am surrounded by an incredible team of councillors who are all really coming together as a team and city staff who are committed to representing the city well.
We were sworn in on July 3 and right away we got to work on restoring and repairing relationships locally, regionally and provincially. On July 4, Interim CAO Pat Vincent and I met for lunch with Rocky View County. On July 6 and 7 I attended and participated in the Mid Sized Mayor Caucus Meetings (MCMC) and Networking events. This provided me the opportunity to meet with several mayors from other mid sized cities as well as several ministers. Another event at the Stampede provided me the opportunity to spend the evening with the Alberta Minister of Indigenous Relations Rick Wilson, CEO of Stoney Nakoda Tsuut’ina Tribal Council Dean Manywounds, Mayor Gondek, and Goodstoney First Nation Chief Clifford Poucette. Fortis also hosted the City of Chestermere at an event. I was unable to attend but the rest of council represented the city and networked at the McLenna Ross Stampede Event. In fact, between myself and the rest of council, we have attended and or participated in the following events in our first 30 days:
- Canada Day Celebrations
- Chestermere Muslim Society donation of food to the food bank
- Magna Networking Event
- Bulls on the Beach
- Community Clean Up
- Tiyaan Da Mela
- Tim Horton’s Camp Day
- A birthday party for a 10 year old
- International Food Festival
- 100 Year Heritage Celebration at the Calgary Yacht Club
- Explorer and Ember Graduation for the participants at the fire hall
- Unveiling of the new Events centre in Calgary
In addition to this, council was able to come alongside staff to celebrate a great staff led initiative where staff from our Parks Department raised over $800 for the foodbank. Council sponsored a BBQ for staff over at Community Operations as a way for staff and council to further get to know each other.
Interim CAO Pat Vincent and I met with representatives from WID and I attended my first Calgary Metropolitan Regional Board (CMRB) meeting. Yes, it was certainly a busy month of working on the aforementioned relationships. More of this is coming in August and September as we have meetings planned with ministers and other municipalities.
Council was also busy this month with the work that any new council does. This included two and a half days of orientation where council was brought up to speed on priority items impacting the city. One of the main highlights from this time was learning how much work the staff and administration have been putting in with the absence of a council. This council is certainly the beneficiary of some incredibly hard work from all departments at the city and we could not be more thankful for the work of the staff.
Council also got to work on our Strategic Plan which we are planning to have released in September. Strategic Plans are vital to the effective operation of a city as they demonstrate to staff and residents the direction council is going. Decisions of council should be based on their strategic plan and residents should be able to see the link between decisions that are being made and the strategic plan. This is why council has made this strategic planning work a priority.
A planning committee has been struck that is comprised of members of council and administration for a Mayor and Council Golf Tournament. The tournament will be held on September 19 and will start at 1:30 at Lakeside Greens. Details on how to sign up and how to be involved will be coming soon. We will be looking for sponsors and donors as we will be raising money for a great cause. More details on this will follow soon but please reach out to at sdean@chestermere.ca if you would like to be involved.
Another highlight of the month is the launching the 15 Minute Meetings with the Mayor. These are filling up fast and have been great. Through these meetings and through the involvement in community events, council can make more informed decisions that are based on what we are hearing in the community. Coffees with Council are being planned and will be launched soon.
I am also glad that we were able to get news out about the anticipated completion of Rainbow Road South and the bridge at the end of Rainbow South. Council is committed to working hard at finding a solution to Rainbow Road North and is aware this is a point of frustration for residents. We have also successfully completed all the recommendations in the Cuff Report.
In August there will be some exciting news about school sites and council will be continuing to meet with ministers, representatives from other municipalities, and attending community events. I am excited about the new Governance and Priorities meeting structure that will start on August 6. Council and staff have been working hard, learning from each other, supporting each other, and working to really establish Team Chestermere. It has been refreshing to hear laughter and see smiles in the halls of City Hall, at Public Works and at our Environment Centre. The future is bright but there is a lot of work to be done. I am looking forward to the continued hard work of council, administration and staff in representing the City of Chestermere well.
– Mayor Shannon Dean