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#keepCalgaryStrong Campaign

The Calgary’s City Council has put forward budget cuts of $60 million dollars ($144 million annually). This could have a profound impact on the issues we have prioritized as an Alliance over our history - addressing poverty, supporting seniors, care for the environment, social isolation and mental health.

In response, The Calgary Alliance for the Common Good has joined with allies to launch the #KeepCalgaryStrong campaign.  

We respect the financial challenges that both the City Council and businesses are facing in our city. As a coalition we are standing behind the City Council’s priority of having these cuts “doing least harm” to those who are already vulnerable. Cuts to services for those who are already vulnerable in our city will only increases stress and trauma which will result in higher costs in the long term. A strong city does not cut taxes and place the burden on the vulnerable!

With others in the #KeepCalgaryStrong Specifically, we are requesting that City Council:

  1. Preserve services to the vulnerable and those on low incomes.
  2. Maintain current transit services and fare structure.
  3. Keep moving forward with Calgary’s mental health and addictions strategy. Specifically, this includes providing adequate funding for effective implementation. 

Instead, we propose that the City pause the expansion into 14 new suburbs and instead focus on redeveloping existing communities. This will save tax revenues to achieve what we are asking above.

Together we will take action to support these asks. We invite you to:

 

  1. Attend and invite members of your institution to attend the City Council meeting on July 22nd2019 at 9:30 at city hall. When you arrive please connect with Rev. Anna Greenwood-Lee or Rev. Bill Phipps. The plan is to have buttons for everyone to wear. A sample invitation for bulletins/newsletter is below.  
  2. Send a letter, email or contact your city councillor. See the sample letter below. Contact information for you city councillor and the mayor can be found at: https://www.calgary.ca/CityCouncil/Pages/Councillors-and-Wards.aspx
  3. Support the social media campaign by using the #tag - #KeepCalgaryStrong. Some sample messages include:
    1. Hey @nenshi #KeepCalgaryStrong when council meets on July 22ndby preserving services to the vulnerable and those on low income.
    2. We invite you to take part in the #KeepCalgaryStrong campaign to protect services to Calgary’s most vulnerable. This means no cuts to Transit, to our Mental Health Strategy or other services Calgary’s vulnerable depend on.
    3. On July 22nd#YYC @nenshi, @DruhFarrell, @gccarra, @JyotiGondek, @seanchucalgary, @GeorgeChahal, @JeffDavisonYYC, @EWoolleyWard8, @RundleRay, @BigRedyyc, @peterdemong #KeepCalgaryStrong –no cuts to services for the vulnerable, transit or to the mental health strategy.
    4. Hey (insert councillor’s @______) #KeepCalgaryStrong I am calling on you to (Insert one of our three asks)

For more information to see the videos illustrating why this campaign is important visit - http://www.keepcalgarystrong.ca

Sample Letter/Email

You can find out who your city council is and contact information for your city councillor at https://www.calgary.ca/CityCouncil/Pages/Councillors-and-Wards.aspx

#KeepCalgaryStrong

Calgary Alliance for the Common Good

Dear Mayor Nenshi and (Your City Councilor),

I am writing as a member of (Your institution’s name)and we are a member of the Calgary Alliance for the Common Good. As an Alliance we have joined #KeepCalgaryStrong to support the principle set out by City Council: cuts in the operating budget should do the least harm to Calgary’s most vulnerable and poor. We believe that if budget cuts are necessary, they should not compromise access to jobs, safety, education, health care and the social participation of those most dependent on City services.

We respect the financial challenges confronting City Council.  We find the principle of “doing least harm” is most critical in guiding decisions and establishing priorities. Any cuts in supports and services for those who are already vulnerable will only increase stress and trauma. Demands on community resources and support networks will only go up, not down. Losing needed City services for the less fortunate will weaken, not strengthen, our community.

We request that at its July 22, 2019 meeting, City Council allow #KeepCalgaryStrong coalition to express our concerns regarding the impact of cuts on our most vulnerable fellow citizens.

 

Specifically, we are requesting that the City Council:

  1. Preserve services to the vulnerable and those on low incomes.
  2. Maintain current transit services and fare structure.
  3. Keep moving forward with Calgary’s mental health and addictions strategy. Specifically, this includes providing adequate funding for effective implementation.

We understand that the City needs to find savings. As one example, we suggest pausingthe expansion into 14 new suburbs and repurposing the business opportunity fund.

It is said that one can judge the vibrancy and strength of a community by how it supports its most vulnerable members; how effectively it brings them into greater participation with civic life. We support your stated commitment to build a strong and resilient city by doing least harm to our most vulnerable citizens. We believe these requests will help you keep our city strong and vibrant.

Thank you in advance for considering our request to speak to Council at its July 22, 2019 meeting. We welcome the opportunity to work together toward our shared goals.

Sincerely

Your Name

Your Organization

 

 

Sample Bulletin/Newsletter Announcement

Calgary Alliance for the Common Good

The Calgary’s City Council has put forward budget cuts of $60 million dollars ($144 million annually). This could have a profound impact on the issues we have prioritized as an Alliance over our history - addressing poverty, supporting seniors, care for the environment, social isolation and mental health. As an Alliance we are standing behind the City Council’s priority of having these cuts “doing least harm” to those who are already vulnerable and supporting the #KeepCalgaryStrong campaign.

We invite you to join us at City council on July 22ndstarting at 9:30 am. When you arrive look for others wearing a #KeepCalgaryStrong Button.

We also invite you to write/email your councillors. A sample letter can be found at – https://www.calgarycommongood.org/_keepcalgarystrong

Or visit www.keepcalgarystrong.ca