by Philip E. Carr, President – MPCA
I open this month by expressing my thanks to all who attended our Annual General Meeting on October 16, 2018. That was our last AGM in the PCE (Pre-Cannabis Era). The legislative changes will bring many new challenges to us. It has been interesting looking at the list of upcoming appeals to the Subdivision Appeal Board (SDAB) in the Calgary Herald. Each week the majority of appeals have been related to cannabis stores—either appeals against a refusal or appeals against an approval. One week, in fact, the tally was that 36 of 38 appeals related to this matter. I appreciate the efforts of our own Planning, Transportation, and Land Use Committee in responding to these and other (more familiar) applications.
I am now entering my second full year as President (for this particular stint in the role), and I finally attended the seminar on “Board Basics” presented by the Federation of Calgary Communities (FCC). This proved to be well-attended and very worthwhile. It was good to have the opportunity to meet leaders of other communities, some of whom share the challenges we face, and some of whom have different issues to confront.
This year we will be working on our specific goals for the current three-year strategic business plan. It is also not too early to think of what we should plan and dream for the next three years. If you have ideas, questions, or simply want to put faces to the names you see in this newsletter, please feel free to attend one of our upcoming Board meetings. The December meeting will likely be a social event held at a different venue, but regular meetings will resume in January.
