Bev Zubot, the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues' Community Planning Advisor, wrote to us recently with some info that is particularly relevant to our neighbourhood...

Community Leagues & Citizens Play a Key Role in Monitoring Construction Sites

While the City of Edmonton tries to proactively inspect infill construction sites for compliance to approved development permits and other regulations, not all developments are visited. If you are noticing an issue with the infill development next door to you or throughout the community, you have the ability to flag this for inspection. Below are some helpful tips:

Landscaping Requirements
 
In the Edmonton Zoning Bylaw (section 55), it indicates that "Landscaping shall be provided on a Site within 18 months of the occupancy of a development or commence of a Use." In addition, "Trees and shrubs shall be maintained on a Site for a minimum of 42 months after the occupancy of a development or commence of a Use." 
 
Should you notice that landscaping has not been provided and fulfilled as per the bylaw, phone 311, or better yet, email 311@edmonton.ca to file a complaint. 311 will then create a ticket for a Development Permit Inspection Team to investigate further, and to possibly schedule an inspection should they have reason to believe that construction has not proceeded in accordance to their approved Development Permit.  Please note that landscaping is often not undertaken until approved lot grading is completed.
 
Damage to public infrastructure (public trees, boulevards, alleyways)
 
If you notice that boulevard trees within 5m of a construction site are not fenced, or vehicles are crossing boulevards without plywood or mats being placed on the boulevard, contact 311. Your actions could prevent serious damage to Edmonton’s treed boulevards.
 
If you note damage to public infrastructure contact 311 to file a complaint.  Ask 311 to forward your complaint to "City Infrastructure, Parks and Roads."  (These are key words to include with your complaint.) 
 
It would be helpful to take date stamped photos of public infrastructure (and private property) before construction begins. Once construction begins, if you note damages being done, keep your distance and take photos of offending vehicles and equipment.  Little can be done without proof of who did the damages.  It would be extremely helpful to include your photos when reporting a damage.
 
Additional  Problems to Report to 311

• Sidewalk obstructions
• Foundations too close to the property line or buildings too high (ask for an inspection)
• Washing out of cement trucks onto streets
• Garbage
• Construction before 7 am or after 9 pm on weekdays, and before 9 am on Sundays
• Unsafe conditions such as unfenced excavation site or slumping soil at excavation. 

 
To learn more visit: https://www.cityofedmontoninfill.ca/builders/good-construction-practices

​Bonnie Doon is golden! Front Yards in Bloom is in full swing. Look out for almost 125 nominated gardens!
Front gardens with a minimum of 25% plantings and a little je ne sais quoi are eligible for nomination in a variety of categories.
Nominations closed as of June 30, and the little yellow signs will soon be popping up on your lawns.
Thank you to those who have taken the time to submit nominations, and especially Claudette, Bill, Nancy, Neyma, Élizabeth, Simone and Karen, who combined to make sure that every house on every street and avenue got a look. 

Edmonton Meals on Wheels is currently looking to add 30 new volunteers to their roster in 30 days. Kick off your summer by taking part in this great initiative and helping those in need, right in your own backyard. Providing food security and a break in isolation is a great way to give back to those who need a helping hand. Consider joining in and participating in Edmonton Meals on Wheels’ #YEG30in30 campaign to help those around you, today! 

​You never know the change that you’re making until you see it, but delivering meals to your homebound neighbours like Suzannah can open your eyes. “Without people like your volunteers, people like me would have to move into a nursing home” she says. Like many other clients, Suzannah lives alone. All too often, homebound Edmontonians are a forgotten group. They can go days without having a face-to face conversation with a friend or neighbour. That changes when someone decides to donate their time and help out at Edmonton Meals on Wheels. Edmonton Meals on Wheels is a local non-profit that helps to connect people in need with food services. Moreover, their service ensures that those who are homebound are getting the human interaction that they need.  

Edmonton Meals on Wheels is currently looking to add 30 new volunteers to their roster in 30 days. Kick off your summer by taking part in this great initiative and helping those in need, right in your own backyard. Providing food security and a break in isolation is a great way to give back to those who need a helping hand. Consider joining in and participating in Edmonton Meals on Wheels’ #YEG30in30 campaign to help those around you, today! 

Visit www.mealsonwheelsedmonton.org or email emow@mealsonwheelsedmonton.org for more information on how you can get involved!  

We have been informed that the flags recently installed on Mill Creek Ravine bridge, at the East entrance of Bonnie Doon’s le Quartier Francophone, represent the member countries of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.  

Bonnie Doon Refugee Sponsorship Group was formed in 2016 of individuals and families living in the Bonnie Doon neighbourhood who wanted to sponsor a refugee family from Syria.  
 
Jamshid Maree, his wife Sarifa Hasan, son Ahmed (21), and daughter Nafia (15) arrived safely in Edmonton on May 10.
 
The group is looking for volunteers to help in a variety of ways, including:  donating bus tickets, occasional drivers for appointments, working on ESL programming (2 volunteers/day for 45 minute sessions), teaching bus routes for Summer School, teaching walking route to grocery stores, and many more opportunities.  Please visit www.bonniedoon.ca/refugees for more information on how to get involved or to make a donation.
 
Bonnie Doon Community League welcomes the Maree/Hasan family to the neighbourhood and we applaud the efforts of our community in providing such great support to our new neighbours.    

The City of Edmonton’s ‘Front Yards in Bloom’ recognition program celebrates the efforts of Edmontonians in beautifying their neighbourhoods, one front yard or balcony at a time.  
 
Would you like to join the team to walk around Bonnie Doon and help look for beautiful, blossoming and productive gardens?  Please email Karen at secretary@bonniedoon.ca to get involved.  The deadline to nominate a garden for Front Yards In Bloom is June 30 and nominations can be made at www.edmonton.ca
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​Bonnie Doon Community League’s Civic’s Director has been in discussions with the City of Edmonton to find out their prefered way for residents to bring forward their concerns regarding deficiencies with the completed neighbourhood renewal work.
 
The City of Edmonton encourages residents to phone 311 or use 311.edmonton.ca to report neighbourhood renewal concerns, including issues such as cracked sidewalks.  
 
The neighbourhood renewal work has a two-year warranty from the contractor, so reporting concerns early helps ensure they can be scheduled for repair while under the warranty period.  

The book ‘Memories of Bonnie Doon’ provides a glimpse into the history of one of Edmonton’s oldest neighbourhoods and is based on the memories of residents of Bonnie Doon, as told to community volunteers.  From the earliest history of First Nations and Metis families to the opening of Rutherford School in 1911 and the travels of the Bonnie Doon Street Car, Memories of Bonnie Doon commemorates the past of this much loved community, located north of Whyte Avenue next to Mill Creek Ravine. It will be published in September 2018, ahead of the 100th anniversary of Bonnie Doon Community League in 2019.  

In 2015, a subcommittee of Bonnie Doon's Social Committee began recruiting volunteers to interview Bonnie Doon seniors, in order to preserve their stories.  What we have now is a huge book of stories and memories of life in this area from the late 1800s till now. Although much has changed, much has stayed the same – kids in Bonnie Doon love to play in the ravine and the playground; they love to get wet in Mill Creek pool and our spray park; they love to pull pranks. And the adults continue to work hard, look after their gardens and the ravine, and build community.

In this fabulous book, you will read about the people who first roamed the area we know as Bonnie Doon and Mill Creek Ravine, hunting, berry picking, having pow-wows, and the people who bought the land that had been granted to the Papaschase.  You will read how the neighbourhood evolved after A.C. Rutherford, who owned a huge chunk of this area, up and left to build his dream home elsewhere. You’ll find out how this neighbourhood got its name and what the Dawson Huts were.

You’ll read about midwife Betsy Brass, who delivered many babies in the area in the late 1800s, and Alberta Game Farm founder/Bonnie Doon kid Al Oeming and his connection to Stampede Wrestling. Bonnie Doon had its own Group of Seven: seven hardworking women who catered events in the hall to pay off its debt.
 
You will read about Earl Anderson and his friends who put street signs on Whyte Avenue that diverted traffic down to Mill Creek pool (then hid in the trees and laughed when the cars came down the hill trying to figure out where to go).  
 
The ravine had a shanty town (near a dump) in the land at the bottom of Connors Road, where widow Violet Rawson, who had squatter’s rights, stayed on after everybody else had been cleared out. She remained in her green cottage, nestled between the creek and a mountain of garbage, until she died in 1965. Only then did the city put in the interchange at the bottom of Connors (and extend the road east of 95th Street).
 
You will learn about the coveted Bulldog Pass, about the millions of eggs produced and dried here in the city before being shipped overseas, about the dairy farms and gardens that grew up here, about the early residents who built their own homes (and sometimes moved them after they were in place), about the black “snow” of the 1970s. You’ll read about Isabel the cow of 87th Avenue.

What you really will appreciate knowing is that Bonnie Doon was a muddy place – and our mud is especially slippery. Getting up and down Connors or through the ravine was treacherous. Even the wooden sidewalks were slippery. People wiped out a lot. It took the residents a long time to convince Edmonton that they needed better roads, real sidewalks, and a decent bridge or two. Much has changed, and much has stayed the same.

This great collection of memories and historical record includes around 100 photographs.

Pre-order your copy online today here.   
Soft Cover - $25.   Hard Cover - $40.

Your pre-order guarantees the lowest price for you and helps us order the right number of books. The book will be available for pick-up in the Fall of 2018, when the retail price will increase by $10. If you have questions, please write to store@bonniedoon.ca.

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