Busy day at city council
Posted Jul 25, 2011 10:08 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
City council has also voted to put yellow “Support Our Troops” stickers on city emergency and transit vehicles.
Alderman Keating says it’s a simple gesture to say thank you and we appreciate what you’ve done for us.
Alderman Lowe opposed the idea, saying the city should instead make annual contributions to the Military Family Resource Centre.
Some aldermen were worried the stickers would deter those opposed to war from riding transit, but the vote was still passed.
Council is also spending $3.5 million to upgrade the police and fire emergency radio system.
But Alderman Diane Colley-Urquhart says council is hoping to get this money back from the province.
“They’re the ones that want to put in a provincial system, and we need to be a partner in that. And now here we are after waiting three or four years for the provincial system to come in, biting the bullet ourselves. So it’s absolutely important we get that funding back.”
The province has been working on a provincial system for a number of years, but hope to have it up and running sometime next year.
As well, Aldermen voted in favour of adding a Poet Laureate for the city to help show Calgary through the eyes of words.
Funding for the poet laureate program will come from the Calgary Foundation and five other private sponsors for the next three years, after which Mayor Naheed Nenshi says the program can be re-evaluated.
