Forever Adjust
by Joey Stewart
Killarney Glengarry was carved out of the prairies in 1906 by Thomas Jackson, the rancher that ran his cattle on this land. At the time, there was an economic boom that was the likes that we’d never seen before or since. There were railways in all four directions that took goods from a huge distribution system in Calgary that early settlers needed. And workers were desperately needed.
Jackson called the land north of 26 Avenue Glengarry in hopes of attracting Scots to fill the need and he called Killarney south of 26 Avenue to entice the Irish to come to Calgary; and they came in huge numbers.
In 1910, the growing City of Calgary annexed both communities under their wing. Until 1945 the community association was called the Killarney Glengarry Ratepayers Association, and they purchased water and other services from the City of Calgary. During the 1900s one-storey cottages were built largely for the coal miners that took a ferry across the Bow River to work in the coal mines in Sunnyside. Happily, at least three of those houses still exist in Glengarry.
By 1912, people were wealthy enough to build fabulous two-storey brick homes that still exist in the ‘hood’. One of them is a doppelgänger of a home in Mount Royal. There are still wonderful old homes scattered throughout the community that we hope are preserved as heritage buildings. We have neighbours in Killarney that are in the process of getting a Heritage Designation on their homes. Hats off to them! This is important work so that we never forget our roots.
Since 1906, Killarney Glengarry has had a community association that has served our citizens extremely well. Our current Board is doing yeoman work to serve the community as we densify in a very professional and knowledgeable manner. On September 9, 2024, the Board held a Meet and Greet to give Killarney Glengarry citizens an opportunity to get to know them and to answer questions about changes that we are experiencing. Kudos to them!
Two subjects came up that were serious and unresolved. The first was about how the new RCG densifying bylaw is impacting our citizens. Colin Knoll, the Development Director spoke about his role to inform and educate community members about the changes. People in attendance wanted to know more and so Colin organized a session on October 1 to dig deeper into the changes.
The Board is doing a terrific job educating neighbours about how they can be heard by City Hall when they feel they are impacted.
The second burning issue was about the street congestion by parking. As Killarney Glengarry has densified there are more cars than ever parking on the streets. Almost all neighbours have garages, but they are full to the brim with bikes, strollers, golf clubs, gym equipment and there simply is no room for their cars and therefore, the streets are ‘chock-a-block’ with vehicles.
Initially, it was annoying that it was so slow to get down the street despite the 50 kph speed limit. And then, an epiphany! Earlier in the decades, cars flew down 26 Street going 50 kph and now that was no longer possible. The fastest cars can travel is between 20 and 40 kph because of the congestion. Now you must stop and allow other cars to pass so that you don’t scrape the sides of your car.
The street is quieter, slower, and safer. Bikes add to the mix, and they deserve to go first so they are safe. That is not to say there are not those who try to drive the speed limit – some will always try.
After many decades in Killarney the community has changed in ways no one ever expected but we need more housing and Calgary’s new immigrants enrich our lives and add to the economy.
Life is always changing – we grow up, our children grow up, we grow older, and we adjust.
We “Forever Adjust” as we’ve had to do since 1906.
Photo by Lorne Kingwell
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