Home Care In Cougar Ridge, AB

Two area land developers have joined forces to launch the new neighbourhood of Glacier Ridge in northwest Calgary.

The community is a partnership of Anthem United and Ronmor Group, developers whose previous collaborations include Nolan Hill and Sage Hill in the northwest, and Silverado and Cougar Ridge in the southwest.

Glacier Ridge is a master-planned community in the Symons Valley/West Nose Creek area north of 144th Avenue N.W., adjacent to Nolan Hill. At completion, it will have more than 4,100 single-family homes and 87 acres of multi-family development and commercial land. The first group of home builders includes Shane Homes, Jayman Built, Morrison Homes, Trico Homes and Cedarglen Homes.

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As a former ranching area noted for exposed sandstone rock formations and historic landscapes, including sites with significance to the Indigenous people of Southern Alberta, Glacier Ridge will have 200 acres of environmental reserve and open spaces connected by trails and pathways. The coulees, creeks and stormwater ecosystems have been duly incorporated into the community’s design following the City of Calgary’s Glacier Ridge Area Structure Plan.

Bob Faktor, vice-president of land development for Anthem United, says the rolling topography of the existing land provides unique opportunities for development.

“Residents will have expansive views of ravines and park spaces. Those calling Glacier Ridge home will feel a sense of community and strong connection to the outdoors,” he says.

The community is aptly named for the high number of glacial erratics in the area, part of the 10,000-year Foothills Erratic Train. This narrow band of prehistoric glacial rock debris stretches 600 km south from Jasper National Park to Montana. The Okotoks Erratic, known locally as the Big Rock, is part of this ancient phenomena.

The first show homes in Glacier Ridge are expected to open spring 2022.

Editor’s Note: This is the second guest blog by Jeff Trost. The first was of his experience Augusta National Golf Course for a Master’s practice round in 2017. This blog is a fun look at Calgary past and present from the air.

I have an addiction… I absolutely love aerial photos. It started when I was young, sitting in the backseat of my parent’s car, passing time just going over pages and pages of the city map books they had. When Google introduced their ‘maps’ function that included satellite imagery, I was hooked. I was familiar with the maps and layouts of the city, but the satellite imagery added so much more context to the scale of things. Road maps gave you only so much information on the things like the types of roads, developed areas etc. But when you switch over to aerial photos, you get to see the full footprint of roads – how many lanes there are, the footprint of a building on a piece of property… all sorts of gems.

What’s even more fun is to see how the aerial photos show the changes and development that occurs over time. Google Earth has a great time lapse/timeline feature that allows you to see different eras. The problem – it’s not always up to date, and because Google draws on so many sources of photos, they don’t always layer or stitch together properly and the resolution is sometimes questionable. There had to be something out there better than Google.

Enter… the City of Calgary online imagery database tool. I think I stumbled across it when looking for some maps or diagrams of the SW Calgary Ring Road, or Crowchild Trail improvements.

What’s so unique about this site is:

Want to see what was on the piece of land your house is on, in 1948? Ever wondered how much Chinook Mall has expanded since 1979? You can do it! Here’s how:

3. Click the two squares with arrows pointing outwards. A small menu will drop down asking the layer you want to swipe – leave it showing the newest year. You’ll now have a split screen, with a line and a little slider down the middle.

4. Go explore! Drag the slider left and right to change the overlay maps and it will adjust in realtime. Click, drag, zoom in/zoom out… Have fun.

My favorite finds:

Some areas you won’t see much change, but other ones are incredible. Because I’ve spent so many hours playing with this tool, I’ve found some interesting gems that I’ll share with you. I’ve included a mix of images where I show the 50/50 slider between the eras, and others you have to see the full change for the area at the same resolution and crop:

Glenmore Trail between 14st & McLeod Trail 2019/1995

You might have forgotten how many homes were removed to expand Glenmore and the Elbow Drive project and how the footprint of the road has changed. This image splits the old & new down the middle:

Chinook Centre – 1924/1948/1979/2005/2019

This is very unique to see how the land Chinook Centre is built on has evolved over 96 years. From being just a homestead and on a dirt road, to the home of a drive-in theatre, and then finally seeing the evolution of the mall in the 70s, to the ‘filling out’ with the addition of the theatres at the south end, and finally the 2010s expansion at the north east corner. Other changes you can see when looking close are the addition of parkades, even skylights on certain sections of the mall, and the roads around it - Glenmore Trail interchanges, McLeod Trail, etc.

Canada Olympic Park/Winsport & Cougar Ridge – 2019/1979

There was a ski hill but not much to show that Calgary would be hosting the Olympics in 9 years! Houses didn’t come along until early 2000s.

Eau Claire 2019/1924

This split view is worth playing with the slider on the site. Center Street Bridge existed in 1924, but no Memorial Drive. In fact, look how the alignment of 2019 Memorial Drive goes right into the river’s path in 1924. We can see how Prince’s Island was a ‘working’ island as an extension of the sawmill & industrial space where Eau Claire Market now stands. This continued to the west, where we can see in 2019 is now home to high end condos.

Stoney Trail & Crowfoot 2019/1979

Nose Hill Drive was the edge of the city in 1979. Crowfoot didn’t exist. Go further west now and you hit where Stoney Trail now weaves in and out of the image split. Crowchild Trail wasn’t much more than a two lane undivided road past the edge of civilization, now a 6 lane divided freeway.

Anderson Road / Deerfoot Trail East 2019/1979

There was nothing east of the river where you see Deerfoot Trail disappear at the slider dividing the image. In 2019 you can see part of the loop that forms Quarry Park east of the river in the top part of the frame and and on the right you can see why it was named that!

Crowchild Trail/Bow Trail/Memorial Drive 1948-2019.

Unlike downtown and Eau Claire, the path of the river has stayed more consistent around this part of the city. In the bottom portion of the image we can envision where Crowchild & Bow Trail now converge. Further east, the industrial area that is the source of the debate on the need for cleanup during the CalgaryNext & West Village proposals is still operating. North of the river, Memorial Drive still didn’t exist & Hillhurst was a young community with lots still available.

Stampede Grounds & Victoria Park 1948 – 2019

These images are of identical scale & frame. Did you know the chuckwagon & grandstand used to be in a different location on the Stampede grounds? How about the rail yards where Repsol Center now is?

Mount Royal 1924/2019

Not much has changed in Mount Royal. It was already laid out as early as 1924 and has just grown up. Can you imagine Mount Royal without the canopy of trees?

Elbow River 1948/2019

Some places have changed drastically. Look at what the Elbow River looked like in 1948 before the Glenmore dam was built. You won’t sit in rush hour on the causeway looking out to the dam the same again:

Calgary International Airport 1948/2019

Calgary’s McCall Field airport in 1948 was in the middle of nowhere - no Deerfoot Trail or Airport Trail to get to the airport. The runways were much shorter than what are required today. You can barely see the field in the bottom of the photo under the slough. There are still remnants of the runways and some of the smaller charter air services operate out of this part of the airport today. Is It wrong to post a picture of an airport as we are stuck at home unable to travel?

Final thoughts:

I could have posted hundreds of pictures of interesting finds inside the city limits here, but I leave that to you. It’s a fun tool that the city has provided more likely for historical records and planning purposes, but when we’re stuck at home. it’s a great way to experience our city and perhaps plan your outings to explore some of these areas and try to imagine what they were like.

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A prescribed burn near Banff, Alta., grew out of control on Wednesday, sending out billowing clouds of smoke that could be seen as far away as Canmore, forcing an evacuation nearby and burning three hectares outside the intended area.

Parks Canada reported late Wednesday afternoon that the fire in Banff National Park was "out of control" but in an update around 10:30 p.m. said that the situation had improved.

"The fire is now classified as 'Being Held' thanks to helicopter bucketing, fire personnel, and assisting agencies," wrote Parks Canada on Twitter.

"Evening precipitation has further assisted with suppression and given current weather conditions and resources, the fire is not anticipated to grow beyond expected boundaries."

"Fire personnel will continue to work on the fire tomorrow and in coming days as required."

Parks Canada said personnel would be in the area patrolling roads and additional resources would be available as required throughout the evening hours.

It also reported that the evacuation order for the Rocky Mountain Resort had been lifted and guests staying at the resort started returning at 9 p.m.

The Town of Banff issued an alert at around 5 p.m. that a prescribed burn had crossed from Compound Meadow to the east side of Banff Avenue in the area of Mountain View Cemetery and the horse corrals.

Parks Canada later added that, "due to an unexpected shift in wind direction and speed, the fire escaped the predetermined boundary" at around 4 p.m. About three hectares were burned outside the unit boundary, with smoke and flames highly visible from Banff Avenue, Highway 1 and the Town of Canmore, Parks Canada said.

RCMP told CBC News they were requested to the Light Horse association grounds near Mountain View Cemetery to assist with evacuating the area.

Still, in 18 years of living in the Bow Valley, Brandon Pullan said he's never seen anything like this before. He's seen smoke from fires in British Columbia during some summers, but this, he said, is a first.

"There's nothing really [that's] been like this happen this close to town, this close to the highway," Pullan said. "It makes me feel a little embarrassed for the Parks people who decided to have controlled burns on a hot, windy day."

Moving forward, Pullan said he wants to know how Parks Canada will make sure this doesn't happen again.

The prescribed burn began earlier on Wednesday. Over the spring and fall, the planned area for the prescribed burn would cover about 300 hectares.

In an interview earlier in the day, a Parks Canada employee told CBC News the prescribed burn was part of a fuel management solution. Many things can act as wildfire fuel, including grasses, trees, dead leaves and shrubs.

According to the Parks Canada website, prescribed burns help to decrease the wildfire hazard to the Town of Banff by reducing the buildup of flammable vegetation.

Parks Canada said they would provide more information on Thursday morning.

Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services responded to Terwillegar Park Wednesday, following a report of a possible cougar sighting.

A dog owner, who wishes to remain anonymous says she was walking through the trails by the river valley with her mom and dog, when they spotted the large cat.

“I was like ‘oh no, oh no, that’s a cougar, we need to get out of here’,” she says. “We’re about half way through the trail, kind of where it gets quiet by the river, and we stopped at a bench there, by a hill. We were just sitting there talking, and I just noticed it about 50 feet away from us, down the hill in the bush.”

Sgt. Marc Foisy with Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services confirms they did receive a report of a possible cougar sighting in the park, and responded to the area. However, officers were unable to locate a cat and can not confirm the sighting.

“We did send two officers to the location and they did assess if there was any risk. No risk was identified. We aren’t going to do anything with that complaint unless we get further sightings in that location. If we do, we will again respond and take whatever actions are necessary.”

While cougar sightings in Edmonton are rare, they are not unheard of. A professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta, Colleen Cassady St. Clair says the river makes a good corridor for wildlife to travel through.

“The river valley is a wonderful corridor, we are very lucky to have it, but it does bring potential predators, like cougars, into closer proximity to people than would otherwise occur, and Terwilliger is quite well connected to the edge of the city,” she says. “This is a time of year where cougars are quite stressed in terms of food access, and they might be moving around a little bit more than usual.”

The dog owner who says she spotted the cougar is thankful they got away unharmed. “I scooped up my dog, and we just walked away. I was walking backwards for quite awhile just trying to make sure it wasn’t following us or stalking us in the woods,” she said.

“She did everything absolutely perfect, backed away quietly, didn’t bring attention to herself, and got away quietly. The biggest thing is giving the animal the space it needs,” says Sgt. Foisy.

St. Clair says it’s always a good idea for people to take extra precautions.

“That would involve looking around, and being aware of your surroundings. Keeping dogs on a leash and children nearby, and if a cougar is spotted again, being sure to report it to Fish and Wildlife.”

The wildfire burning near Fort Nelson continues to grow rapidly.

As of Tuesday morning, the B.C. Wildfire Service reported the fire had grown to over 84 square kilometres.

That marks a significant expansion of the fire, which as of Monday morning, was just under 53 square kilometres in size.

This comes as efforts to evacuate Fort Nelson continue to be made due to the Parker Lake wildfire, which is still two kilometres outside the town.

Mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Rob Fraser says efforts were made to call “holdouts” in the last few days, with some of those efforts being successful.

About 4,700 people live in Fort Nelson, the majority of whom have left due to an evacuation order.

Located approximately 180 km northwest of Edmonton, the town of Whitecourt is a picturesque area that sits on the crossing of the Athabasca and McLeod rivers. The two rivers provide great fishing spots along the banks, and there are a couple of boat launches in town if you’d prefer to fish and explore by boat. The gentle streams of both rivers during a low rain season also make them excellent places to canoe or kayak.

Whitecourt’s surrounding natural areas are the perfect setting for a variety of nature adventures like hikes, mountain biking, wildlife viewing and sightseeing. But if you’re looking for more of a cultural experience, take a walk down 50th Ave. for a unique local dining experience. You can have a few different adventures when you visit Whitecourt, no matter the time of year*!

The relatively calm waters of the McLeod River make it a relaxing place for a lazy summer float. It is recommended you bring a good quality tube or raft on your trip, and plenty of water. The entire float can take 2.5-3 hours, so you may want to pack snacks in your boat or tube or bring a backpack. The adventure begins south of town and ends at the bridge where there is plenty of parking available so you can meet your car at the end of the ride.

Directions

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If the river floating is too adventurous for you or your family, take it one step down at the Rotary Park river slides! This unique park feature can carry you and your children on a shallow lazy river around the splash park. Rotary Park is a popular summer spot as it offers the splash park and lazy river, walking trails, a playground, and picnic areas.

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You can take to either of these rivers by powerboat or canoe and enjoy a relaxing morning or evening on the calm waters. Expect to catch Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Pike, or Whitefish. Popular spots to launch onto the Athabasca include Riverboat Park and the Blue Ridge Recreation Area. Both parks are also scenic riverside picnic sites so you can spend time seeing the rivers from a different view after your fishing trip.

While there are mountain biking trails in the town’s limits, the forested landscape will make you feel as though you’ve escaped to a secluded part of the mountains. These volunteer-maintained trails offer small jumps, sharp turns, and decent hills. You can also take your skills to the Bike Park and Skills Area afterwards. Popular trails around the Bike Park area include Cougar Ridge, Dahl Drop, or the more challenging Toothy Grin.

The Hard Luck Canyon Falls and trail are a short drive south from town. The area holds numerous trails, picnic spots, and magnificent the falls. You can pack a lunch and just relax at your picnic site, bring a long a post-hike dinner, or spend all your time on the trails. The paths will take you to a bridge spanning the falls, and you can venture further down towards the canyon to get a better look or photo opportunity.

Directions

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This 10 km2 forested area is only 10-15 minutes from Whitecourt. Along the trails and in the parking lot are interpretive signs to help you learn about the forest as you explore its trails. Bikers, hikers, and drivers are welcome on the 7 km trail which takes you around the protected area. Tours are offered between May and August.

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The forestry industry has had a hugely positive impact on the development of Whitecourt over the past 60 years or so, and the town welcomes visitors to learn about this important aspect, as well as the Indigenous history of the land. The area is surrounded by beautiful forest, paved walking trails (linking to Centennial Park), and a museum/multimedia gallery. The antique preserved buildings, most notably the little white church, are a popular draw for newlyweds and those seeking a picturesque backdrop.

Directions

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The local dining experiences in Whitecourt are plenty with a little bit of everything to taste. Along 50th Ave, you can enjoy handmade baked goods like breads, cupcakes, muffins, tarts, and fresh soups from Violet Mae’s Bakery, or the highly rated handhelds from KG’s Sandwich Bar (4912 50 Ave, Whitecourt). Other favourites include the Crown & Anchor Pub, My Little Saigon, Boardwalk Burgers, and Kujira (5006 50 St, Whitecourt).

These northern hills in Whitecourt make for great skiing and snowboarding every winter, and you can come to Whitecourt for an afternoon of snow sports all kinds. If snowmobiling is not your thing, or if you’d like to switch it up, then Eastlink Park’s ski hill and snow tube park should be your next family destination. The 2021-2022 rates will be posted before next winter begins, and you can purchase season passes online in advance closer to the next open date.

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Whitecourt is an outdoorsperson’s paradise all year round. If you’d prefer to visit for an adventurous getaway next winter, then consider a snowmobile tour of the gorgeous area, as Whitecourt is the official snowmobile capital of Alberta! And if you own snowmobiles or can rent, there are numerous staging areas around Whitecourt that take you to seemingly endless untouched snow. The best example of this is the area’s Golden Triangle, a 350 km trail system connecting Whitecourt, Swan Hills, and Fox Creek.

By: Bernadette Gallagher

Explore Alberta