A CASE reader sent through these photos of a Calgary mini-ramp in the woods. Take that, ramp by-law!

It’s getting cold again so it’s time to take things indoors. Dalhousie Community Church (5511 Baroc Rd NW) offers “skate church” on Tuesday nights from 5:30-7:00PM for 15 and under and 7:30-9:00PM for 16 and over. Helmets are required.

Like many  Calgary skateboarders Jeff Collins and his ten year old son Jack enjoy skating their back yard mini-ramp.  Their fun is set to come to an end because after two years without a problem Calgary by-law officers have ordered the Collins’ to remove their ramp.

The Collins' ramp

In a recent survey of 61 Canadian cities and towns, Calgary stands alone at the only one with a ban on skateboard ramps.  You won’t even need a permit in most of the municipalities that responded and when permits are required the limitations are usually very reasonable (height limits  as high as 5m/16’ ). Clearly no one else thinks skate ramps are a problem so they clearly should not be an issue in Calgary.

The Collins’ are challenging the bylaw, starting by appealing the order to remove their ramp.  Challenging a bylaw will not be cheap and the cost should  be shared by the skate community in Calgary because the Collins’ are fighting for your right to have a mini-ramp or launch ramp too! If you want to see the bylaw overturned you and your parents need to do two things to help:

1. Make a cash donation to CASE who will use the money to help the Collins’ pay costs related to the bylaw challenge

• To direct your donation to the ramp bylaw challenge, please indicate so in the comments field or send an email to indicate your wishes
• If all money donated for the Ramp Bylaw challenge is not needed for it, the funds raised will be used by CASE  to advance skateboarding  in Calgary

2. Write your alderman and the mayor asking that the ban be lifted immediately because:

• The city has no reason to ban a healthy activity
• There are no similar bans on trampolines, swimming pools, ball hockey, volleyball, or other sports
• The noise by-law can address potential noise concerns
• No other Canadian city or town has an outright ban on skateboard ramps and few mention them in their land use bylaws

To help you with  your letter:

• Click here to download a template (MSWord.doc) Just replace the parts in the <angle brackets> with your own ideas.
• Find out who your Alderman is here.
• Mayor Bronconnier’s contact  information can be found here. Be sure to write him as well.

If the state of skateboarding is going to improve in Calgary it will only happen if people like YOU get involved to make it happen.  Changing the ramp bylaw is the first step in overcoming prejudice and getting skateboarding and skateboarders treated with respect.  CASE hopes YOU will get involved starting with the ramp bylaw issue!

Here’s a teaser for the upcoming Artschool Skateboards video, Youngblood:

Calgary from Ty Klassen on Vimeo.

Another video from Canmore park featuring Derek and Brett:

Justin sent this Chikko video teaser. Enjoy:

Chikko Skate and Snow ’09 from Justin Aradi on Vimeo.

Whether it’s a new concrete outdoor park or an indoor to skate in the winter, Calgary needs more skateparks. Our current options aren’t really cutting it. With the removal of Westside, Millennium Park is the only concrete skatepark in Calgary. Millennium Park is dated and has many features that aren’t even skateable (that’s being kind). Did you know that Calgary is the only major Canadian city that has an actual law that prohibits skateboard ramps? That means if you have a mini-ramp in your back yard or a little launch ramp on your driveway, you could face a fine and have to remove it. This is what you need to do as a Calgary skateboarder to help make some changes:

Contact Mayor Bronconnier. E-mail him here. Write to him at PO Box 2100 Station M, Calgary, AB T2P 2M5. Phone him at 403-268-5622

Contact your local Alderman. Check out this link and find out what ward you live in. Then click on your ward’s alderman and complete the contact form.

Contact your MLA. This site has all the contact info for the Province’s MLAs. Just figure out what constituency you are in so you can e-mail the corresponding MLA.

If you choose to contact any of these politicians, it’s important to be polite and clear with what you want. Here are some important points:

-Calgary is grossly behind other Western Canadian cities when it comes to concrete skateparks. Edmonton has 6, Winnipeg has 5, and Vancouver has dozens.
-No other major city has a bylaw that prohibits skateboard ramps, so this law needs to be changed
-There are thousands of skaters in Calgary (one recent estimate is 10,000)

Branden Wren sent some photos from Strathmore skatepark:

And Ty Klassen sent a link to his Youtube page. This is his latest clip, also from Strathmore park:

Send us your photos or video links and we’ll post them up. Let’s see what tricks you got this summer!
Click the image below for e-mail.