Please see today’s update regarding the Ecco Landfill fire at the link below. Great progress is being made by our fire team and their partners! newsroom.calgary.ca/ecco-lan…

Please see the link below to read today's update regarding the ECCO landfill fire. newsroom.calgary.ca/ecco-lan…

A big thank you to everyone who joined us last night for our Ward 11 Open House. It was great to see so many residents come out, ask questions, share their ideas and connect directly with our office and City of Calgary representatives. I’m grateful to all of the City teams who joined us and took the time to speak one-on-one with residents about the services and issues that matter in our communities. Most importantly, thank you to everyone who stopped by. Hearing directly from residents is incredibly valuable and helps our office better understand what’s working, where there are concerns and what we need to keep advocating for at City Hall.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us last night for our Ward 11 Open House. It was great to see so many residents come out, ask questions, share their ideas and connect directly with our office and City of Calgary representatives. I’m grateful to all of the City teams who joined us and took the time to speak one-on-one with residents about the services and issues that matter in our communities. Most importantly, thank you to everyone who stopped by. Hearing directly from residents is incredibly valuable and helps our office better understand what’s working, where there are concerns and what we need to keep advocating for at City Hall.

There have been many questions from residents regarding the history of the City of Calgary's legal actions related to Ecco Recycling. To help inform the public, City Administration has provided the following memo outlining past, current, and potential future legal actions involving the company. Please take a moment to review the 2.5-page memo here: 1drv.ms/b/c/0c1e8f2ed81dad38…

The ECCO landfill fire is under control. So why are smoke and flames still visible? This drone footage shows the scale of the incident, with the affected area spanning roughly 43,000 square metres, about the size of eight CFL football fields. Landfill fires can burn deep below the surface for extended periods. As crews expose buried hot spots, periods of increased smoke and visible flames are expected and often indicate hidden fire is being reached and extinguished. The fire remains confined to the landfill site. Crews continue using specialized suppression techniques, including applying water to hot spots and capping affected areas with soil to smother the fire and prevent re-ignition. Significant progress has been made, and our priority remains reducing smoke impacts on nearby communities and fully extinguishing the fire. For the latest updates on this incident, visit calgary.ca/landfillfire

Please see today’s update regarding the ongoing landfill fire including drone footage here: newsroom.calgary.ca/fire-chi… I had the opportunity to visit the site today and the amount of resources and people involved to suppress the smoke was incredible. I can say with absolute certainty that our fire team and their partners are working at maximum efficiency and safety given the extremely difficult site conditions. Strong progress is being made and I will continue to support our fire team in whatever capacity is needed.

Have questions about City services or something happening in your community? Come by the Ward 11 Open House this Thursday! Representatives will be joining us from 311, Calgary Police Service, Calgary Fire, Calgary Transit, Calgary Public Library, Mobility, Waste & Recycling, Community Planning, Neighbourhood Partnership Coordinators and more. 📅 Thursday, September 17, 2026 ⏰ 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM 📍 Acadia Recreation Complex 240 90 Ave SE RSVP through Eventbrite: eventbrite.ca/e/ward-11-open…

AIR QUALITY UPDATE: In addition to air quality data published on the Air Quality Health Index (airquality.alberta.ca/map/), you can also find a daily data summary of additional air quality monitoring (alberta.ca/system/files/epa-…) last updated September 15, 2026 and recent vacuum canister analytical reports (alberta.ca/system/files/epa-…)

TUESDAY SEPT 15 UPDATE: The Calgary Fire Department (CFD) advises that the fire at the ECCO Recycling facility in Calgary's Shepard Industrial is under control. This does not mean that the fire is out, but that the strategies, tactics and resources assigned continue to make a positive progress. Crews continue to work with contractors and partner agencies to fully extinguish the fire using specialized landfill fire suppression techniques. The affected area covers approximately 43,000 square metres, or the equivalent of eight Canadian Football League football fields or around six soccer pitches, making this a large and complex fire suppression operation. The strategic goal is to cap and smoother the remaining fire with dirt. Current estimates indicate approximately 6,000 cubic metres of soil will be required to cap and smother the fire, enough material to cover two football fields with a 60-centimetre layer of earth. This approach follows industry best practices for extinguishing deep-seated landfill fires and preventing re-ignition. Fire crews are applying water to hot spots and spot fires as required to allow heavy equipment operators to safely move dirt into necessary areas. Water runoff is being monitored and collected to keep our storm waters systems safe. Heavy application of water can negatively impact the road access and erode areas where dirt has already been spread. The incident began on September 6, when CFD crews responded to reports of smoke and fire at the private landfill. Firefighters encountered challenging conditions from the outset, including limited site access, difficult ground conditions and fire burning deep within landfill materials. These factors required a specialized, long-term suppression strategy involving heavy equipment, dedicated fire suppression contractors and continuous monitoring. Unlike a structure fire, landfill fires can burn for extended periods beneath the surface, making them difficult to locate and extinguish. As crews expose buried hot spots and burning material, periods of increased smoke and visible flame can occur. While these flare-ups may appear concerning, they are an expected part of the suppression process and indicate crews are accessing and extinguishing hidden fire. Fire activity remains confined to the landfill site and significant progress has been made over the past week. Current efforts remain focused on identifying hot spots, applying water where required and using soil and clean fill to cap and smother remaining areas of fire. Air quality monitoring continues Alberta Environment and Protected Areas continue to monitor air quality in communities surrounding the fire. Monitoring indicates that smoke-related fine particulate matter (PM2.5) remains the primary air quality concern associated with the incident. Air quality conditions can change quickly depending on weather and wind direction. Current assessments indicate the overall health risk for most Calgarians remains low. However, individuals in areas affected by smoke may experience temporary symptoms such as eye, nose or throat irritation, coughing, headaches or worsening of existing respiratory conditions. People with heart or lung conditions, older adults, young children and pregnant individuals may be more sensitive to smoke exposure. Residents affected by smoke are encouraged to limit outdoor activity, keep windows and doors closed when smoke is present, and contact Health Link by dialing 811 if they have concerns about smoke-related health impacts. Residents can also check current conditions through Alberta’s Air Quality Health Index: alberta.ca/air-quality-healt… CFD thanks Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, Calgary Police Services, Alberta Health Services, City of Calgary Waste & Recycling Services, contracted suppression specialists and neighbouring businesses for their continued support during this prolonged and complex incident.

Over the past few days, I have been actively following the situation surrounding the ECCO fire and the impacts it has had on Ward 11 residents. I’ve been speaking with media and have also been in direct contact with the Minister to raise the concerns I’m hearing from residents and ensure they understand the impact this situation is having on our community. I know the smoke and odour have been extremely uncomfortable and disruptive for many residents, particularly those living closest to the site. I sincerely appreciate everyone’s patience as crews and officials continue working through the situation. Thank you as well to the residents who have reached out to my office to share their concerns and experiences. I will continue advocating for our communities, seeking answers and sharing updates as more information becomes available.

I sincerely thank Alberta’s Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, Grant Hunter, for his prompt and detailed response to the letter Mayor Jeromy Farkas and I sent regarding air quality around the ECCO Recycling facility fire. The Province has advised that, based on the information available to date, the overall health risk to the general Calgary population is low. Minister Hunter has also committed to continued monitoring and to publicly releasing air-quality data and laboratory results as they become available. Residents deserve clear, timely and transparent information. I am grateful to Minister Hunter and his team for responding so quickly and for their commitment to keeping Calgarians informed. Read the Minister’s full response and access the latest monitoring information here: alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=9…

ECCO UPDATE: The City has been pursuing enforcement action against Ecco through the Courts for an extended period of time. Last week, the Court found ECCO to be in violation of its development permit on the recycling facility site because it was storing dry waste on the material recycling facility site (the large piles visible along 18 street SE). The Court ordered ECCO to: 1) Stop storing dry waste on the recycling site this storage 2 Immediately remove the waste from the recycling site. This order applies only to the recycling site and not the landfill site where the fire is occurring. The City continues to pursue separate legal action related to the landfill site. The City is pursuing a separate injunction application for the landfill site because it has determined that ECCO continues to accept waste contrary to its development permit. The City is requesting the Court to order ECCO to discontinue the dry waste landfill and decommissioning the site as required by its development permit.

Thanks to @RobWardCGY for pushing for answers and transparency on the ECCO Recycling landfill fire. I was glad to join him in asking the Province to release the air-quality testing results as soon as possible. Residents have fair questions. We want to make sure they get clear, verified answers.

Mayor Jeromy Farkas and I have sent a letter to the Government of Alberta requesting the public release of the air-quality testing results from ECCO Recycling landfill fire.  Residents have raised understandable questions about the smoke affecting their communities. They deserve clear, verified information and full transparency from the provincial authorities responsible for environment monitoring.  We have requested an urgent response and will share further information as soon as it is provided.

The Calgary Fire Department (CFD) remains on scene at the landfill fire in southeast Calgary. Crews kept the fire contained overnight, and established firebreaks and ongoing suppression efforts are helping reduce fire activity.  We understand Calgarians have questions about how long it is taking to extinguish the fire. Landfill fires are particularly complex and can require prolonged operational timelines due to the volume and variety of materials involved and because fire can burn deep within debris piles. Heavy equipment is needed to uncover burning material so crews can apply water before covering it with clean soil or gravel to cool the material and smother the fire. Contractors are bringing in large volumes of dirt which heavy equipment operators will use in conjunction with firefighting crews to cover and smother impacted areas of the site. This process has proved to be effective, and efforts are underway to speed up this process. This support will continue until the fire is fully extinguished.  Protecting the health of Calgarians remains a priority. Please contact Health Link at 811 to speak with a registered nurse if you have questions or concerns related to smoke exposure or air quality. In a medical emergency, including severe difficulty breathing, call 9-1-1 or seek immediate medical attention.  We appreciate Calgarians’ patience as crews manage this complex incident.

A quick update on the fire affecting Ward 11 communities: When I visited the site at approximately 1240 p.m. today, visible smoke had been significantly reduced. Calgary Fire Department crews remain on scene, continuing to apply water and working to ensure the fire is fully extinguished. While the improvement is encouraging, conditions can change quickly in a complex fire of this nature, and this should not be taken as confirmation that the fire is completely out. Our firefighters have worked relentlessly around the clock. I sincerely thank them for their sustained efforts to bring this fire under control and protect the surrounding communities.

On my way to the office this morning, I stopped by Ecco Recycling to check on conditions in the area. The smell is noticeably worse today, and I know many residents in the surrounding communities are concerned. If you have questions or health concerns related to the smoke or air quality, please call 811 for advice from Alberta Health Services. My office is also working with Administration to get more information from Alberta Environment and Parks and Alberta Health about current air-quality conditions and any potential impacts on residents. We’ll continue to keep residents informed as more information becomes available. For more information see the city’s latest release here: newsroom.calgary.ca/smoke-fr…

A health advisory has been issued as smoke conditions from the ongoing ECCO Recycling landfill fire have worsened. Residents in Douglasdale, Quarry Park, East Shepard, McKenzie Towne, New Brighton, Copperfield and other nearby communities, particularly those who can see or smell smoke, should take precautions. Please keep windows and doors closed, limit outdoor activity and check on neighbours who may be especially vulnerable. Fire suppression efforts and air-quality monitoring remain ongoing. Read the full advisory and recommended precautions here: newsroom.calgary.ca/smoke-fr…