Latest news with #GianCarloCarra
CBC
10-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Gian-Carlo Carra will not seek fifth term this fall, after 15 years on city council
Social Sharing Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra says he will not seek re-election this fall, after 15 years on city council. Carra, who was first elected in 2010, said in a statement in his monthly newsletter Friday he made his decision with "wistfulness, but also clear conviction and fierce pride." An urban designer, Carra lists "transit, active modes, main streets, and industrial sector mobility improvements" as investments he's proud to have made during his time on council. He also points to his efforts as the chair of emergency management, working with the city and the province to improve flood resilience. His ward was among those hit hard by a major flood in 2013. Frustrated with politics Carra says he is "deeply frustrated" with a UCP government decision that he argues "wiped out" years of work building collaboration with neighbouring municipalities toward "long-term, sustainable growth." The UCP government last year decided it would stop providing funding for the Edmonton and Calgary growth management boards. Both those boards have since ceased operations. Carra reflects that he sees the referendum on the 2026 Winter Olympics as a "dividing line" between two political eras, and lists losing the Olympic bid as the greatest disappointment of his political career. In his statement to constituents, Carra also shared his concern with the current tenor of politics. He argues elected officials are increasingly focused on "playing internal political games rather than engaging in the demanding, often unglamorous work of real-world governance." The upcoming election Carra joins a number of sitting councillors not seeking re-election. That list includes Ward 14's Peter Demong, Ward 3's Jasmine Mian, Ward 4's Sean Chu, Ward 8's Courtney Walcott and Ward 12's Evan Spencer. Calgarians will go to the polls on Oct. 20.
CTV News
10-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Ward 9 Councillor Gian-Carlo Carra announces he will not run in fall election
Calgary Councillor Gian-Carlo Carra announced Friday that he's stepping out of the political spotlight but not necessarily leaving the arena. In a newsletter to his Ward 9 constituents, Carra said he made the decision not to run for re-election 'with wistfulness, but also clear conviction and fierce pride.' When he was first elected in 2010, Carra said his mission was to transform how the city grows with great neighbourhoods. 'Over the past 15 years, we have settled the question of whether growth can pay for itself,' he said. 'We've learned that the best city-building happens through collaboration between public and private investment. 'I am fiercely proud of the historic investments made in Ward 9 over the course of my tenure – from transit, active modes, Main Streets, and industrial sector mobility improvements, to parks, playgrounds, recreation facilities, cultural institutions, non-market housing and other critical infrastructure. 'I would confidently put Ward 9's record of investment during my time in office alongside that of any councillor in Calgary's history.' In 2015, the Canadian Institute of Planners held a competition to identify its annual 'great places in Canada' competition and declared Inglewood, one of the areas Carra represented, to be Canada's Greatest Neighbourhood. 'A great neighbourhood to visit,' they said, 'but also, and perhaps most importantly, a great neighourhood to live.' In the newsletter, he said he will now work with the Calgary Party, one of the city's new municipal political parties, to help get its mayoral candidate, Brian Thiessen, elected.
CBC
07-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
114-year-old Gresham Block torn down in Calgary's Inglewood neighbourhood
Social Sharing Calgary's Gresham Block is being demolished this week, bringing an end to a hallmark of the city's Inglewood neighbourhood for more than a century. The 114-year-old building was a key piece of the history of Calgary's commercial core. The three-storey, Edwardian-style brick structure sat on the south side of Ninth Avenue S.E., and was long home to both residential and commercial units. The city describes the Gresham Block as a local landmark, a building that was once an integral part of the commercial activity that made Ninth Avenue S.E. Calgary's high street. It's included in Calgary's Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources, a list of sites where preservation is considered to be the greater benefit of Calgarians. Historic retail and residential building in Inglewood torn down 44 minutes ago Duration 1:46 The Gresham Block was initially occupied by Canadian Pacific Railway employees, and its main-floor commercial units were home to grocers, a department store, meat market, cafe and more, for over a century. But its listing on the local Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources provided no legal protection to halt demolition State of disrepair Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra, who represents the neighbourhood, is disappointed to see the building go. But he traces issues with the building's maintenance and future back to the 1990s when Inglewood received funding from the federal government's Main Street Program but the Gresham Block didn't participate. "Its opportunity 25, 30 years ago to sort of get its feet underneath it was not taken, and it is in a state of total disrepair and really can't be salvaged," Carra said. The Ward 9 representative said he hopes its demolition will kick-start conversations on the best way to preserve Inglewood's heritage buildings. He also said he's hopeful about a new building to replace it that can help take on Calgary's housing crisis. But what's unusual about the Gresham Block's demolition is that didn't occur with a concurrent development permit for a new building in its place, Heritage Calgary CEO Josh Traptow said. Traptow worries this practice can lead to old, beloved buildings being demolished and sitting vacant for years or turned into parking lots, which happened to the Cecil Hotel in East Village after it was torn down 10 years ago. The possibility for a heritage building to be replaced with a vacant lot represents a gap in city policy, which could be cleaned up, Traptow argued. "Whether they're heritage or not, having a vacant site sit there is probably not the best use of that piece of land at the end of the day," Traptow said. But on Tuesday, Carra said he understands a 200-unit building with a potential grocery store on the main floor will go up in the Gresham Block's place, built by a proven developer partnering with the former building's owners. He didn't provide further details on the site's future. Need for affordable housing in Inglewood The Gresham Block's demolition is a rare loss for Calgary of its classic turn-of-the-century buildings, Traptow said. "Its loss will be felt, and it starts to eat away at that historical Main Street that I think lots of Calgarians love and enjoy," Traptow said. He added there were still residents living in the Gresham Block recently. Because the building housed smaller and older units, it offered affordable housing, and it could be a challenge for its former residents to find a new place to live at a similar price. Carra acknowledged that replacing an old, end-of-life building with something new will inevitably lead to higher rent, but said the solution is for more housing supply overall in Inglewood, including more non-market solutions. "The answer, especially in high-demand neighbourhoods, is more supply at all price points," Carra said.
