The new year is moving along very quickly. We are starting to make plans for this year’s events and will be sharing details as they come together for: Auburn Bay Parks Cleanup, YYC Community Cleanup, Community Gardens opening, and our Stampede Breakfast. Is there something you would like to see added to the schedule? We would love your input. Please email us at [email protected] or call us at 403-744-5301, ext. 1.
We are still awaiting answers from our MP’s office as to what details/information is provided to newcomers, but I wanted to reiterate that if you know of a family in Auburn Bay that is new to Canada, let them know “free” resources are available, they just need to ask. Immigrant Services can be reached at 403-265-1120, and the City of Calgary has a full list of resources at https://www.calgary.ca/communities/newcomers/non-city-resources.html or by searching their website. They can also call 211 for other city resources/programs.
The fraudulent calls I am getting are almost daily. From an Amazon account purchase, to the less recent CRA and Microsoft ones. If the CRA ever calls you, please ensure to ask for a CRA agent ID number and advise them that you will call them back on their 1-800 number; they will usually hang up at that time. I have had a number of calls indicating that an arrest warrant has been issued, but no one has shown up; and Microsoft will never call you about an issue with your computer, they are just trying to get you to give them access to your computer and then they can hijack it. I recently had the opportunity to see a YouTuber, Pierogi, who is a hacker, that is fighting back by hacking the spammers, it was definitely entertaining to see them getting payback.
Living in a large city, I have gotten used to seeing graffiti and tagging in various places. Recently, Auburn Bay was hit with a tagger that even chose to tag the side of someone’s house in addition to a number of mailboxes and the daycare under construction. I had the opportunity to ask someone in the school system what it costs to cover up graffiti in/on the schools and they calculated that it would be between $250 and $500 per incident, and I would assume this cost would be similar to what the City pays for covering up graffiti on public property, never mind business and homeowners. These are costs that we as taxpayers cover. I mention this as two days after the electrical box on the future CA site got painted over, the unit was tagged again. It looks so unappealing with scribbling on it, but why make it look nice just for it to happen again? Maybe if we had a better art canvas, we could see what artwork we could come up with there. Please have a conversation with your kids about the value of adding their artwork to other people’s property, as this problem is getting worse in areas I know only our kids have access to.
Thank you to Rob W. for stepping up to defend this newsletter on social media. We have been asking for over six years for a newsletter editor to help add in community content to it. We can only improve on things with the support of volunteers. So, if you want to see better information here (or on the road signs), it is time for you to step up and volunteer.
Currently the CA is looking at replacing the green shed on the future CA site with something slightly larger and maintenance free. We have come up with a couple of options, and now we are trying to raise the $20k to help get it put in place. If you know of a company that would be interested in donating, please ask them to email us at [email protected] or call the CA number listed above.
Traffic issues are still continuing throughout the community with aggressive drivers threatening to harm people that react to them, and people not following the laws. We are looking to have a new CPS service out to check areas of concern to see if anything can be done to mitigate the issues. As noted before, please ensure to get a license plate and report incidents to the non-emergency number at 403-266-1234 and they will call the registered owner of the vehicle to have a conversation regarding their driving. Please also remember to call 311 for any concerns that you would like the city to address, such as traffic. The more complaints they receive on a matter makes it a higher priority for them to address.
We are just awaiting a revision of the drawing for the community garden and expect to be able to share that information in the coming months. If you are interested in putting your name on the list for the 2023 Community Garden spaces, please go to https://forms.gle/ZSo4TUpB8yDLPETv5.
Auburn House (Auburn Bay Residents Association) is hosting a Free Seniors’ Event every Tuesday from 1:30 to 3:30 pm, and they would like to extend an invitation to residents to come out and enjoy an afternoon of refreshments, conversation, and potentially games with others. They noted that guests are welcome to attend as well.
The Community Kitchen Good Food Box program continues to grow each month and is a great opportunity to get affordable and delicious produce. You can get a small box (approximately 20 to 25lbs) for $25, medium (30 to 35lbs) for $30, or large (40 to 45lbs) for $35, delivered once a month. Please check out the post on our website for the google form to place your order.
Auburn Bay has a large number of Facebook groups. There is a Pet Group, Seniors Group, Grillers Group, Ladies Group, Food Lovers Group, Gardening Group, Community Garden Group, Ladies Clothing Exchange Group, Business Group, Buy-Nothing Group… the list is nearly endless. Make sure to go and check these fabulous interest groups out.
Finally, a reminder that the next CA online meeting will be on February 8, followed by March 8. These meetings are open to everyone, and we look forward to having you there for your input and participation. The links to join in the meeting are available on our website. We have also uploaded the minutes from the past meetings as well.
Carla Obuck
Sports and Events Director, Auburn Bay Community Association (ABCA)
