Lake Bonavista Restrictive Covenant (RC) Initiative
Restrictive Covenant Information Meetings
In Person
Saturday, February 8 at 1pm
Friday, April 4 at 6:30pm
Willow Ridge Community Association
Virtual
Thursday, Feb 27 at 7pm
Meeting Link: meet.google.com/adb-vyfs-cpk
Thursday, April 10 at 7pm
Meeting Link: meet.google.com/isp-ceef-mad
This site is dedicated to the initiative to add a Restrictive Covenant to the property titles in Lake Bonavista to protect the character and nature of our community as one of single-family homes with big trees and quiet, safe streets. More Information about the rationale behind ths effort was published in the August 2024 Bonavista Bugle
As of August 6, 2024 Blanket R-CG Rezoning for the majority of housing in Calgary is in effect, including Lake Bonavista.
RC-G on a typical 50ft lot
Since the new zoning has come into effect, the following have been proposed in neighbouring communities:
Queensland
652 Queensland Dr SE
Rowhouse Building (4 units), Secondary Suite (4 suites)
3 storey (approximately 10 metres) in height
Lakeview
2612 66 Ave SW
Townhouse Building (4 units), Secondary Suite (4 suites), Accessory Residential Building (1 building, garage)
2.5 storey (approximately 10 metres) in height
Braeside
11027 Bradbury Dr SW
Rowhouse Building (4 units), Secondary Suite (4 suites)
3 storey (approximately 10 metres) in height
Curtis Marble from Carbert Waite LLP was retained to draft a Restrictive Covenant (RC) for property owners of Lake Bonavista to prevent this type of development. Curtis Marble is also working with several other Calgary communities on their RC initiatives.
In the News
CBC: Court challenge of Calgary rezoning bylaw rejected
Council acted within its powers, fairly, and with sufficiently open minds, judge decides
Calgary Herald: Judge sides with city in ruling to uphold blanket rezoning
In the ruling, Justice Michael Lema wrote that the Municipal Government Act empowers the city to enact blanket rezoning and it did so in a procedurally fair manner, while providing sufficient notice to the public
Calgary Herald: Nelson: City council discovers we’re not sheep after all
Step by step, the Calgary we used to know, with its sense of shared community, disappears
Calgary Herald: Homeowners against blanket zoning turn to restrictive covenants to block redevelopment
A growing number of households in Calgary are registering restrictive covenants on their land titles, pushing back against new city zoning regulations that allow for higher density in older communities.
Call to Action
Restrictive Covenant Signing Meeting
Tuesday, April 15, 6pm - 9pm
Lake Bonavista - Bonavista Room
This meeting is for those who sign up by April 9, 2025.
If you cannot attend, please sign up and email info@bonavistarc.com to attend a different session.
There are three steps and a $500 fee to register the Restrictive Covenant on your property:
- Fill out this form to provide:
- Name(s) on title
- Street address with postal code
- Phone number
- Are you legally married? Yes/No. If you are divorced or your spouse has passed away please let us know that too.
- E-transfer $500 to etransfer@carbertwaite.com and assign password CarbertWaite.
- Include your name, address and our file number 124384.001 in the comments section.
- Attend a Signing Meeting
- Bring government issued ID
- Spouses must attend signing together
At the signing meeting you will be asked to sign:
“As a realtor for 23 years, now retired, I sold
many homes in our community. My big emphasis
was always to protect our lake, after all, it is the
lake that gives you value in your property. We all
should be proud of the community we live in and
need to protect what we purchased. I strongly
encourage you to consider having an RC on
your property for the benefit of all.”
- Beverly T, Retired Realtor
“If I’m not willing to put an RC on my property to
help protect my street, how can I expect my
neighbours to follow suit? It’s a team effort.”
- Lisa M, Retired Teacher
““My wife and I signed the RC because we wanted to
step up and do what we could do to protect and
maintain the quality of life in Lake Bonavista that we
have known and loved since 1991."
- Dr Roger D, Retired Economist
““I signed the RC as I was very upset that city council went
against the wishes of the majority of residents of the city they
supposedly represent. A single-family lot could be
redeveloped to accommodate up to 12 families, with 1/2 a
parking spot per unit, no mention of where the new 36 bins
would be placed. This RC initiative would make such
redevelopment very difficult. In order to ask my neighbours
to sign the RC, I need to do so as well. Judging by the
animosity towards this rezoning shown during the meeting at
the rec centre, this gives the community a way to fight
back.”
- Nora B
“My wife moved into long-term care two
years ago and I don’t know how much
longer I am going to be in my house. I am
signing the RC for my neighbours so they
don’t have to face the uncertainty of what
could eventually happen with my property
when I no longer live here.”
- Herbert S, Longtime Homeowner
““My wife and I moved to Lake Bonavista in early 2023. We love the neighborhood and moving to this community was largely because we
wanted to Iive in this community. We enjoy the wide streets, large lots and weekends at the lake in the summer and winter. We wanted to be
in an area where our child could have a sense of community, similar to what we enjoyed as children. We moved from a nearby
neighbourhood which has many multi-family homes mixed in with single family homes. The difference in the community here versus our
prior neighbourhood is night and day. ... There are parts of the city where increasing density makes sense but for our lake community it does not fit in. We believe having an oasis of
single-family homes with an ever-busier City of Calgary will actually drive these house prices up, not limit an ultimate sale price. If a resource
(like single family homes with large lots) becomes even more rare,”
- Dan T, New Homeowner