Your Braeside Beacon (January 2026)

Happy New Year!

City-Wide Water Conservation Notice

While Braeside is not within the current boil water advisory area, a major water main break in northwest Calgary is placing strain on the city’s water system.

Many in our community will remember the Bearspaw water main break in 2024 and the impact it had on daily routines.

To help support affected neighbourhoods, residents and facility users are asked to reduce water use wherever possible until repairs are complete.

How you can help:

• Keep showers short

• Turn off taps when not in use

• Run dishwashers and washing machines only when full

• Avoid outdoor water use, including flooding rinks

• Delay non-essential water use where possible

Small actions taken across the city make a meaningful difference. Thank you for helping conserve water and for supporting fellow Calgarians during this time.

Moments like this remind us why community planning matters. As we manage the immediate and look ahead together, our upcoming AGM and Community Collaboration event is a chance to connect, learn about the past year and help shape what’s next for Braeside.

And while the decorations are barely down, one very good countdown is already on — our AGM is closer than you think.

​Winter may be settling in, but things are warming up behind the scenes at the Braeside Community Centre.

Recent upgrades to the building and grounds are just the start. In the months ahead, we’re planning more big improvements, including new basketball courts and rainwater capture for our gardens.

Alongside this, we’re tackling a long list of smaller but important improvements, from ventilation to heating, all aimed at making the centre more comfortable and welcoming for everyone.

We also know that small upgrades alone can only take us so far. To truly serve Braeside as a collaborative, inclusive, accessible community hub, we need to think bigger. That’s why the BCA has been working with HarGroup and University of Calgary Master of Architecture students on what the future can look like.​

Our AGM is a key moment to share what we’ve learned so far and we invite you into the conversation about what comes next!

Proof that winter didn’t win: Braeside’s skating party

On a night when winter was very much doing its thing, Braeside did what it always does: laced up, showed up and skated anyway. And behind it all were the BIGs (Braeside Ice Guardians), our indefatigable volunteer crew who keep the ice alive regardless of frostbite, chinooks, or the laws of thermodynamics. They shovel, flood, fix and fuss so the rest of us can glide about pretending this all just happens. It doesn’t. It’s them. Want to lend a hand? Reach out to Doug at rink@braesideyyc.ca

Membership: Your Way to Get Involved

A BCA membership is one of those small, sensible civic acts that turns out to be doing far more work than it appears. It underwrites the programs that keep this corner of Calgary a little more lively, a little more inclusive and a lot more connected. Every class, workshop and winter rink quietly traces back to that support. If you’ve ever enjoyed any of it, this is where it begins. We’d love you to be part of it.

Good Food Box orders are open for January.

It’s an easy way to stock your kitchen with fresh produce at a great price while supporting a local program.

We’re seeing more and more of our fellow Calgarians facing food insecurity; in 2023 nearly 32 per cent of households in Calgary reported not having enough reliable access to food because of financial strain, well above the national average. That means many neighbours are making hard choices just to get by.

One way we can help right here in Braeside is through our Good Food Box program — consider buying a box “forward” to support a household in need. If you are feeling the pinch this season and could use a hand with food access, please reach out to operations@braesideyyc.ca and we’ll add your name to our list of community supports. Together, we can make sure no one goes hungry in our neighbourhood.

Time to Review Your 2026 Property Assessment

Property assessment notices are arriving in mailboxes this month. Taking a few minutes now to review yours can help make sure the information on file is accurate and avoid surprises later in the year. The Customer Review Period runs from Jan. 17 to March 23 and gives you the opportunity to learn how your assessment was calculated.

While your 2026 property tax bill will arrive in May, you can already estimate it now at calgary.ca/taxcalculator.

Start the New Year with a Program at the Hall

From jump ropes to paint brushes, tax tips to fresh food, we’ve got something for every body and every brain.

Whether you’re looking to get moving, get creative, get organised or get a little extra support, our winter lineup is full of fun activities and helpful workshops led by people who care about our community.​

Come learn something new, meet your neighbours and take care of your mind and body, all close to home.

New year, new intentions and absolutely no pressure to become a whole new person by February.

If your resolution includes moving a little more and feeling a little better, Amy’s fitness classes are a great place to start. With a January deal on 10-class passes, available in person only, it’s a good excuse to pop by the Braeside Community Centre, pick up a pass and get moving alongside neighbours who are doing the same.

From finances to future planning, our workshops are designed to help you feel prepared and supported.

Register and check out the full schedule here

Or reach out to Karen at HallRental@braesideyyc.ca

Over the holidays, we dipped a tentative toe into the world of Wine & Whimsy and discovered that Braeside is both artistically inclined and extremely capable of wielding a paintbrush with a glass of wine in the other hand.

Our first painting night was a runaway success, producing a small army of snowmen on wooden boards, now standing guard outside homes across the neighbourhood as festive winter décor. Proof, if any were needed, that creativity thrives when you add neighbours, laughter and just enough paint to make things interesting.

Naturally, we’re pressing on.

February brings a Valentine’s “Table for Two” painting night, equal parts romance, fun and gentle creative chaos.

Come as couples, friends, or simply two people who like sitting at the same table with brushes in hand.

Same Wine & Whimsy energy, new theme and another chance to make something charming, personal, and unmistakably creative.

And before we all wander back to our lives, calendars half-full and optimism cautiously switched on, consider this a not-so-gentle nudge that our AGM is coming up.

We really want you in the room. This is where voices count, ideas land and the future shape of Braeside gets discussed by the people who care about this community. If you’ve ever skated the rink, painted a snowman or simply thought “someone should…” — this is your moment. Come be part of it.

Thank you for showing up, pitching in, and helping make this neighbourhood not just a place to live, but a place to belong.

Happy New Year, Braeside.