Whether it’s a new concrete outdoor park or an indoor to skate in the winter, Calgary needs more skateparks. Our current options aren’t really cutting it. With the removal of Westside, Millennium Park is the only concrete skatepark in Calgary. Millennium Park is dated and has many features that aren’t even skateable (that’s being kind). Did you know that Calgary is the only major Canadian city that has an actual law that prohibits skateboard ramps? That means if you have a mini-ramp in your back yard or a little launch ramp on your driveway, you could face a fine and have to remove it. This is what you need to do as a Calgary skateboarder to help make some changes:
Contact Mayor Bronconnier. E-mail him here. Write to him at PO Box 2100 Station M, Calgary, AB T2P 2M5. Phone him at 403-268-5622
Contact your local Alderman. Check out this link and find out what ward you live in. Then click on your ward’s alderman and complete the contact form.
Contact your MLA. This site has all the contact info for the Province’s MLAs. Just figure out what constituency you are in so you can e-mail the corresponding MLA.
If you choose to contact any of these politicians, it’s important to be polite and clear with what you want. Here are some important points:
-Calgary is grossly behind other Western Canadian cities when it comes to concrete skateparks. Edmonton has 6, Winnipeg has 5, and Vancouver has dozens. -No other major city has a bylaw that prohibits skateboard ramps, so this law needs to be changed -There are thousands of skaters in Calgary (one recent estimate is 10,000)
Come to Westside Skatepark tonight for two reasons: to skate the park for the last time before it gets taken out and to voice your opinion on what type of park you want to see take its place. I guess a third reason would be for free hot dogs.
The Source team recently made it up to Edmonton for the grand opening of the Callingwood Plaza. The video features Riley Boland, Dustin Crowder, Kelly Agapi, Devin Morrison, and more.
The Westside Skatepark is being taken out to make room for a parking lot for the LRT expansion and they’re having their final session next week. The skatepark is being replaced but Westside hasn’t yet decided what they should build. This means that we could potentially have an AMAZING concrete park built at Westside as early as next year. Come out and support this event and voice your opinion on what kind of park they should build. The fine folks from Mission Snow & Skate, C1RCA, and Element will be there with some prizes.
