Some deals have to be made when the
window of opportunity is open, or it could soon slam shut on your
fingers.

That’s the sentiment behind the parks expansion and the Enmax legacy fund approved last week by Calgary city council.

The plan,
championed by Mayor Dave Bronconnier, sets aside $50 million in money from Enmax over the next five years for parks improvements. It allots $20 million to approve parks inside the city and, more controversially, $30 million to acquire park lands in three areas
outside the city limits.

The city has a population of more than 900,000 and is quickly heading toward the million mark.

All those people need some place to play, and we do love our parks.

“There is a privileged moment of opportunity to act or you lose it forever,” Ald. Barry Erskine told Business Edge, before council debated the mayor’s proposal.

The city gets a dividend every year out of Enmax’s profits, with $35 million going to general revenue. Anything beyond that is to be applied to key capital improvements.

The city expects $50 million from Enmax this year, leaving $15 million to jumpstart the five-year program.

The plan addresses the green deficit in Calgary, said the mayor.
“To establish a legacy fund in the name of Enmax
recognizes that as an energy company, Enmax has been very proactive in taking care of the environment,” he said.

The program won’t be
completed in this term of council and perhaps not in the next one, but the results will stand for later
generations.

Bronconnier asked: What would Calgary be without Bowness Park, Fish Creek Park or Edworthy Park?

The plan drew criticism from Ald. John Schmal, along with a suggestion to refer it to administration for a further review, including its effect on annexation applications.

Schmal supported the vision of new parks, but said it should be impossible to present an item of that size and simply seek approval.

In a later interview, he
added that notices of motion usually go to administration for a report on all the pros and cons, including potential
recommendations.

The three new parks are to be located in the Bearspaw, Clearwater and Shepard areas.

The Bearspaw concept is about 848 acres at the northwest city limits. It includes riverbank and escarpment with prairie, aspen and mountain forest environments. Hiking trails could offer an opportunity for
ecological education as well as great views of Bearspaw Reservoir.

The park could include a boat launch and picnic area, and sports fields for soccer, baseball and cricket.

The Clearwater park is on the banks of the Elbow, west of the city on Highway 8. Its environment includes white spruce forest and river
wetlands, and establishment of the park would protect part of the Elbow’s flood plain. The park could also provide boat access to the river.

The Shepard Wetlands
is across town on the southeast side of Calgary. The site would include more than 550 acres and provide storm water wetland management and connect to surrounding wetlands.

Erskine noted that a 1983 study by the city and adjacent municipal districts had identified environmentally-sensitive areas in growth corridors around the city.

They weren’t officially
protected, and half have since been lost.

“By identifying them, we actually doomed them,” he said.

Erskine also said Calgary’s main green spaces are all
centrally located.