Getting Help in Ward 7
Calgary is growing quickly and is getting close to 2 million people. Every day, Calgarians use services run by the City or the province. It can be hard to know who to contact, when to contact them, and how long it may take to see a change. This guide explains three common questions we receive at the Ward 7 Office. It also shares what information you can prepare before you contact us, so we can help move your request forward as quickly as possible.
First, it helps to understand what a ward office does. Ward offices help City Councillors understand what is happening in the communities they represent. Most emails we receive are about one of two things: service requests or policy requests.
Service Requests:
Service requests are for issues like road repairs, parking permit issues, or streetlight outages. If you contact our office about a service request, we will first ask if you have contacted 311. Service and repair requests should go through 311 for a few important reasons:
311 is the first step for many City requests. When you submit a request through 311, it is officially recorded and sent to the right City team or crew.
311 helps the City track needs and plan resources. Requests made through 311 are added to the City’s system. This helps the City see patterns, plan repairs, and decide where staff, time, and budget are needed.
311 gives you a tracking number. Each 311 request gets a Service Request, or SR, number. You can use this number to check the status of your request or follow up if needed.
You can contact 311 in three ways: call 311, use the 311 Calgary mobile app, or visit calgary.ca/311. If you already contacted 311 and have not heard back within the expected service time, please send our office your SR number and the date you made the request. We can then follow up with Administration. Service times depend on the issue and how urgent it is. Once we receive your SR number, it can take at least three (3) business days to hear back from Administration.
Policy Change Requests:
The other emails we often receive are about City policies, bylaws, or decisions coming to Council. You may want to share your perspective on an upcoming vote, ask for a change to a bylaw, or suggest that a City process could work better. In these cases, we may reply with information about the Councillor’s past votes on the issue and any helpful context we have. We may also suggest groups or organizations you can contact, or explain other factors related to your request. Sometimes, we may encourage you to send your message to another body, such as the Calgary Police Commission or another level of government. We will not forward emails on your behalf.
Policy changes need support from at least 8 members of Council to pass. The Ward 7 Office may already be working on the issue you raise. In some cases, there may not yet be enough support on Council to bring forward a Notice of Motion or a bylaw amendment.
Which levels of government are responsible for which areas of responsibility?
Here is a useful flow chart for you when sending an inquiry to us. Note that if you contact 311 for service requests first, it cuts down on some of the resolution time.
Flowchart for understanding how we resolve constituent inquiries from the Ward 7 Office
Finally, here are three examples of service requests we receive and the typical response we send back:
Example 1: “My street now has new parking restrictions. I don’t know why these changed and I want them changed back to what they were before.”
Thank you for contacting the Ward 7 Office about this. Here's what happened:
Previous council approved changes to residential parking during the 2023–2026 City Budget. Council voted to move the RPP program toward full cost recovery. This meant introducing fees for residential permits, primarily affecting inner‑city neighbourhoods first.
Key dates:
June 2023 – Changes announced; significant public backlash [calgary.citynews.ca]
August 1, 2023 – Originally planned start date (later delayed) [cbc.ca]
December 4, 2023 – Paid residential permit fees officially came into effect
Your best chance at getting a change initiated in this area is through the Calgary Parking Authority. City Councillors do not have the authority to alter parking restrictions in their ward. You could potentially change the parking regulations by inputting a request for a study. If the study shows that the restrictions are not required, they may change in the area.
Select: Submit An Online Service Request at the bottom of this page.
For ‘nature of your concern’, select ‘residential parking’
For ‘specify your residential parking inquiry’, select ‘add/modify parking sign’
Feel free to keep us in the loop of any contact by cc'ing me or forwarding emails to me after with an inquiry #.
Example 2: “There is a development on my street and the construction is causing issues with parking and debris being blown by the wind.”
Thank you for contacting the Ward 7 Office about this. Your best avenue to find a resolution for this would be to contact 311. This is important because any action taken from bylaw, would best be communicated through 311. You can call/go online/send pictures through the 311 app. This will also be tracked for Planning or other City departments. I can also follow up on Service Request numbers once they are initiated with 311. Please send me the SR number when it has been returned to you and I will follow up if it has not been resolved within the Service Level Agreement time frame.
Example 3: “There is a broken piece of concrete barrier at this location __________. When will the City come to fix it?”
Thank you for contacting the Ward 7 Office about this. To get this issue resolved as quickly as possible, please contact 311. You can call/go online/send pictures through the 311 app.
Once this is initiated with 311, please send me the SR (Service Request) number when it has been returned to you. I will follow up if it has not been resolved within the Service Level Agreement time frame. Thank you for bringing this issue to our awareness.
We hope this guide has helped you in understanding how our office functions and what role we have at the City of Calgary interfacing with city services. Our ‘improved access to information from municipal administration’ changed in 2025. To learn more about our provincial legislation read modernising municipal processes on the Alberta website.