WARD 2 - Recommendations
If you live in Ward 2:
The City of Calgary’s Ward 2 profile currently lists these communities:
Ambleton, Arbour Lake, Citadel, Evanston, Glacier Ridge, Hamptons, Hawkwood, Kincora, Nolan Hill, Ranchlands, Sage Hill, Sherwood, and Symons Valley Ranch.
Elections Calgary’s official Ward 2 map (effective Oct 20, 2025) shows a slightly updated set reflecting new community names:
Ambleridge, Arbour Lake, Citadel, Evanston, Glacier Ridge, Hamptons, Hawkwood, Kincora, Moraine, Nolan Hill, Ranchlands, Sage Hill, Sherwood, Symons Valley Ranch.
Why the two lists differ: In late 2023 the City approved “Moraine” as a new community name for an area that had been marketed as Ambleton, and new areas branded “Ambleridge” began presales. The 2025 Elections Calgary map already uses Moraine and Ambleridge, while some City webpages still say Ambleton—hence the mismatch.
How to be 100% sure: Type your address into the City’s Ward & Community map. It will confirm both your ward and your official community name. MayorGus.ca/gustafson
Ward 2 at a glance
Population & households (2021): 94,935 residents living in 32,570 private households (avg. 2.9 persons/household). Ward 2 skews family‑oriented, with ~21% under age 15. (These are the latest standardized Ward‑profile figures from Statistics Canada compiled by the City.)
Where it is: Northwest Calgary—Symons Valley area and established neighbourhoods south of Stoney. Major roads include Stoney Trail, Shaganappi Trail, Sarcee Trail, Nose Hill Drive, and Crowchild Trail; Crowfoot CTrain serves Arbour Lake/Citadel/Hawkwood.
The big issues—explained plainly
1) Water reliability after the 2024 feeder‑main failure
On June 5, 2024, the Bearspaw South Feeder Main (Calgary’s largest water main) ruptured, triggering city‑wide restrictions. The City repaired the break and additional “hot spots,” then began longer‑term upgrades.
Independent professional review: Alberta’s engineering regulator APEGA completed a practice review in May 2025. Conclusion: no unskilled practice or unprofessional conduct by City engineers; PCCP (pre‑stressed concrete cylinder pipe) failures are a known risk class across North America. In short, this was a serious asset‑risk event, not a scandal—but it underlined the need for redundancy.
What’s being built now that touches Ward 2:
North Calgary Water Servicing (NCWS): a new ~22 km feeder main and nine facilities to add redundancy and capacity for north Calgary/Airdrie. Construction begins in 2025; feeder main completion targeted for 2028–29 commissioning. Initial delivery ~100 ML/day, designed to scale up. This project directly supports Ward 2 growth areas like Glacier Ridge and Symons Valley.
Bearspaw South twinning (select segments): design work in 2025 to add a parallel line along the vulnerable concrete portion, improving resilience.
What this means for Ward 2: Expect periodic construction near major corridors as redundancy projects proceed. The strategic outcome—fewer city‑wide restrictions and faster recovery from future pipe issues—is especially important for fast‑growing Ward 2 communities.
2) Growth, roads, and connections in the Symons Valley/Glacier Ridge area
144 Avenue NW connection (opened Sept 30, 2024): The new east‑west link and West Nose Creek bridge are now open from Sage Hill Dr to 24 St NW, relieving pressure north of Stoney Trail and tying together Sage Hill, Nolan Hill, Evanston, Carrington, Livingston. This route is also planned as a higher‑capacity transit corridor in the City’s long‑range plans.
Why it matters: If you live in Nolan Hill, Sage Hill, Evanston, Sherwood, Kincora, or the Glacier Ridge new communities (Moraine/Ambleridge), this is the backbone move that shortens east‑west trips, reduces zig‑zagging to Stoney, and supports bus service planning.
3) City‑wide rezoning (R‑CG) and what it means on your block
In May 2024, Council approved citywide rezoning to make R‑CG the base residential district, allowing more housing forms (e.g., semi‑detached, rowhouses, some suites) on parcels that previously allowed only single‑detached. Implementation has been staged since August 2024.
Why Ward 2 residents care: Established areas—Arbour Lake, Citadel, Hawkwood, Ranchlands, Hamptons—may see gradual “missing‑middle” projects near transit and amenities; newer areas—Nolan Hill, Sage Hill, Sherwood, Glacier Ridge—were already planned for diverse housing. The debate now is how to guide infill quality, parking, privacy, and infrastructure cost‑recovery. (Candidates differ widely on whether to keep, amend, or repeal citywide R‑CG.)
A quick, honest word about Symons Valley Ranch
You’ll see Symons Valley Ranch listed as a Ward 2 community district on official maps. It’s the large site at 14555 Symons Valley Dr NW—formerly a farmers’ market and rec area—now in transition and being repositioned for redevelopment. It’s within Ward 2 even though it isn’t a typical residential neighbourhood today.
How this helps you choose a councillor
When you evaluate Ward 2 candidates—including Candy Lam (The Calgary Party), Jennifer Wyness (incumbent, Independent), John Garden (A Better Calgary Party), Trevor Cavanaugh (Independent), and Shaukat Chaudhry (Independent)—these are the practical questions to ask:
Water & risk management: Will they protect funding and delivery for the NCWS and Bearspaw redundancy on time and on budget? Do they understand PCCP risk, condition assessment, and lifecycle asset management?
Mobility: What is their plan for completing Symons Valley connections and keeping 144 Ave NW functioning safely (active modes, buses, winter maintenance)?
Growth & housing quality: Do they support practical design standards (privacy, parking, trees) while accommodating family‑sized homes under rezoning?
Budget discipline: Can they read a city capital plan and separate one‑time capital from ongoing operating so tax impacts are clear?
Bottom line
If you live in Ambleridge/Ambleton, Arbour Lake, Citadel, Evanston, Glacier Ridge, Hamptons, Hawkwood, Kincora, Moraine, Nolan Hill, Ranchlands, Sage Hill, Sherwood, or Symons Valley Ranch, you’re in Ward 2. The Moraine/Ambleridge naming change explains why some City pages still say Ambleton—use the address lookup to confirm. MayorGus.ca/gustafson
The most material issues for Ward 2 voters are water system resilience, road/transit connectivity in Symons Valley and Glacier Ridge, and the implementation details of city‑wide rezoning. These are solvable with engineering‑sound, fiscally disciplined decisions.
Why I’m Recommending
John Garden, P.Eng. for Ward 2
Calgary’s Ward 2 is full of people who fix things for a living—engineers, trades, small-business owners, front-line professionals, parents juggling budgets and schedules. After the last year, with a once-in-a-generation water crisis and the hard questions it raised about oversight and maintenance, Ward 2 needs a councillor who knows how to diagnose a problem, own it, and deliver a fix. That’s why I’m supporting John Garden.
What Ward 2 needs right now
On June 5, 2024, a critical rupture on the Bearspaw South Feeder Main triggered a city-wide emergency. Repairs unfolded in stages—first the break, then multiple “hot spots,” then a wider program of segment repairs—reminding everyone that core infrastructure is only as reliable as the inspection, planning, and funding behind it.
In May 2025, APEGA concluded an independent practice review of the City’s engineering practices in response to that rupture—another sober reminder that we must tighten up governance, engineering rigor, and program discipline so Calgarians aren’t put back on the brink.The City has also published technical summaries and third-party work on water use and water loss—again, pointing to the unglamorous, accountability-heavy work of asset management and life-cycle planning.
I don’t want ideology here. I want competence. Ward 2 needs a councillor who can read a failure analysis, understand risk registers, ask the right questions of administration, and keep the books in order long after the cameras move on.
Why John Garden
Engineering & technical grounding. Garden is a professional engineer who emphasizes the APEGA oath—public safety, integrity, honesty, fairness. That’s not a slogan; it’s a standard of practice that governs decisions where failure has real-world consequences.
Business and financial experience. He’s worked across the energy sector and founded a consulting engineering firm—experience that typically means building bids, managing costs, and delivering to spec and schedule. That combination of field work and ownership tends to cultivate an instinct for value, not vanity projects.
Platform fit for this moment. Garden’s stated priorities are back-to-basics city building: public safety, fiscal accountability, core services, and caution on sweeping rezoning without local buy-in. Agree or disagree on zoning details, the through-line is stewardship and accountability—qualities you want when you’re renewing aging assets and scrutinizing nine-figure capital plans.
A balanced look at the field
Ward 2 voters have solid choices:
Jennifer Wyness (incumbent, Independent) brings experience from the last term and a deep knowledge of the ward’s files.
Candy Lam (The Calgary Party) offers a partisan alternative and will resonate with voters seeking a more distinctly branded city-hall approach.
Trevor Cavanaugh (Independent) and Shaukat Chaudhry (Independent) contribute their perspectives and priorities as well.
John Garden (A Better Calgary Party) is the candidate I believe is best matched to the infrastructure-first problems facing Ward 2.
(For the evolving official list of nominated candidates, Elections Calgary maintains the live roster as papers are accepted.)
What I expect from Garden if elected
1) Water and undergrounds: audit, plan, fund. I expect Garden to use his engineering background to press for a transparent renewal plan on high-criticality mains and feeder infrastructure: condition assessment schedules, prioritized replacement, and funding that matches true asset life cycles—not just political cycles. The public deserves a plain-language dashboard tied to the APEGA review follow-ups and the City’s own third-party reporting on water use and losses.
2) Financial discipline you can see. Ward 2 residents feel tax pressure and want value. I want Garden to push program-level business cases with measurable outcomes and a tighter link between operating growth and service delivery. His business background and “get the basics right” platform should translate into fewer tangents and more maintenance done on time.
3) Public safety and neighbourhood character. Safety isn’t just policing; it’s lighting, roads, parks upkeep, and predictable permitting that keeps small businesses open and streets active. On land use, I expect Garden to balance housing supply goals with genuine local engagement—improvements get built faster when the process earns trust up front. John Garden - Candidate for Ward 2
4) Accountability after the crisis. The water emergency wasn’t just a bad day; it was a systems test that exposed gaps in staffing, coordination, and communications. I expect Garden to help hard-wire those lessons so we don’t have to relearn them under pressure. Discover Airdrie+1
Not a blank cheque—an informed vote
Supporting John Garden isn’t about signing up for a team colour at city hall. It’s about matching the work to the worker. Ward 2’s immediate priorities—water reliability, core services, safety, and disciplined budgeting—are exactly where an engineer with small-business experience can add the most value.
Other candidates will make compelling cases on issues from mobility to housing to taxes. That is healthy. But in this moment, with infrastructure resilience and government efficiency at the center of our civic homework, Garden is the candidate I’d choose to work with and hold accountable for results.
On October’s ballot, I’ll be recommending Ward 2 residents vote John Garden—not because he promises everything to everyone, but because he brings the professional standards and practical focus our ward needs right now.
