Since being elected for a second term in 2010, John has remained dedicated to working with his constituents to find real solutions to Calgary’s ongoing challenges. John has been a leading advocate for safer communities; helping to achieve this goal in his role as Alderman, and as a Police Commissioner, by advocating for an increase of 300 Police officers working in our communities. The hiring of 300 new recruits was completed this year.

Safety

Other initiatives John has brought forward or supported with City Council to improve safety includes the incorporation of a beat cop strategy, Clean-to-the Core, a private graffiti abatement strategy and the Emergency 911 Act where John worked successfully towards provincial legislation. The legislation required mobile telephone providers to contribute revenue collected from cell phones to support 911 operations.

Safety is more than just boots-on-the-street. It begins with taking care of Calgarians before issues arise. John has been dedicated to improving the quality of life for all Calgarians and ensuring they have the resources necessary to succeed. By sitting as Chair, for three consecutive years, on the Standing Policy Committee on Community Services and Protective Services, John supported increased funding to Family Community Support Services, which delivers a social return on investment of $6.00 for every dollar invested.

Youth

John understands the importance of programming and activities for youth. His support in providing the After School Programme for youth based on “The Critical Hours Research” between the hours of 3pm and 6pm has been essential as a prevention program. The City, in partnership with community agencies served a total of 7,268 youth including 55,219 visits to facilities/programs for a total of 7,861 programming hours, an increase of 23% since 2011.

Seniors

Through a Notice of Motion, John established a new coordinated seniors strategy which will align all three levels of Government to deliver services with efficiency and ease to help our aging population to be as healthy, active and vibrant as possible.

Parks and Recreation

Recreation and gathering places have been top of mind for Calgarians for some time now and your City Council responded by creating the Community Investment Fund, which created a $42 Million per year capital fund to deliver much needed recreational facilities City-wide, also establishing a fund for capital and lifecycle improvements for community associations.

John supported the decision to provide City funding for a new science centre, upgrades to the Zoo and Heritage Park. He has also been a strong proponent for creating and preserving green space for Calgarians by bringing forward legislation to ensure the Enmax Legacy Parks Program continues to support the creation or redevelopment of Calgary parks such as Central Memorial Park, Ralph Klein Park, Memorial Drive and Bowness Park.

In addition, John recently delivered much needed green space within the community of Downtown West and the Beltline, the two most densely populated neighborhoods in Calgary, by creating two new parks for these communities.

West LRT

During the construction of the West LRT, John advocated for his constituents and their concerns resulting in many community improvements including a major adjustment of elevation saving taxpayers 16 million dollars. The WLRT was delivered on schedule and on budget. The projectsʼ success can be seen by the 27,000 people who ride the train daily, lowering green house gases by 40,000 tones and removing between 6000-8,000 vehicles off Calgary roads per day.

Culture

John’s commitment to the vibrancy of the City is demonstrated by his ongoing support in providing City services to host Festivals and Events, which resulted in an increase of 320 events in 2012. His dedication to a vibrant cultural city was critical in the application and designation of Calgary as the 2012 Cultural Capital of Canada. A vibrant and active City is key to citizens quality of life and to generating economic investments in Calgary.

John is a supporter of the Arts. John supported the creation of the Calgary Arts Development Authority and most recently supported the creation of CSpace and it’s first major project, the historic King Edward School Arts Incubator in the community of Marda Loop. This project is the first of its kind, and will see a dramatic transformation of a heritage building for the creation of much needed Arts space.

John has been hard at work since you elected him in 2010. These are a few highlights of the work John has dedicated his time to. If you would like more detail about any of the initiatives noted above or would like to know about other initiatives John has been working on please do not hesitate to contact him.