A southwest Calgary couple says the Catholic school district has failed to maintain an overgrown playground despite several complaints. 

Evergreen resident Liz Denner and her husband, Shawn, have contacted the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) multiple times this summer to advocate for lawn maintenance at their local elementary school, which she claims has been neglected for months. 

The couple has lived in the community since 2020 and said they have never seen anything like the situation at Our Lady of the Evergreens School in their six years of living there — tall weeds, overgrown grass, and overflowing garbage bins.

“We can pretty much see the park from the front of our house,” said Denner.

“So this is something that we see all of the time, which is not pleasant to look at.”

She first contacted the school board in July by leaving four separate voicemails and sending additional photos via email. When she did not hear back, Denner contacted Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean’s office in early August, and CCSD told them they would “take care of it.”

One week later, nothing had been done, bringing Denner to reach out to board trustee Steve Chapman, who she said has yet to respond. Eventually, she received an email from Brad MacDonald, the board’s superintendent of support services, on Aug. 20. 

Denner said that MacDonald confirmed that CCSD is responsible for property maintenance, but that, with it being the summer months, many caretaking staff were on holiday. He allegedly told her that grass cutting would “ebb and flow,” but that the issue had been resolved. 

The school board did take measures to address the soccer field and garbage bins, but Denner said the playground has remained untouched. She said that what started as an innocent reminder has turned into a frustrating situation. 

“We’re just trying to be good people, trying to help look after our community, and we’re not feeling that same respect back,” said Denner. 

“If this is what it’s going to look like when the kids go back to school next week, well that’s such a shame, as well.”

Residents question where taxes go when the bylaw doesn’t count

In an email statement sent on Aug. 26, the CCSD named Denner and said they have been in ongoing communication with residents who have submitted concerns regarding the playground.

“CCSD is working collaboratively with the party responsible for maintaining the field to address the situation,” read the statement. 

“While CCSD understands the concerns, the issue does not prevent the use of the playground structure or the adjacent fields. Both remain open and available for public use.”

However, Denner said she is not concerned about the playground being unusable, but rather about the board’s lack of initiative and communication, given that the city cannot enforce maintenance on school property. 

She said that some of the grass and weeds in the area are over six inches tall, specifically along the fence line and under the benches. The City of Calgary bylaw states that personal property owners are subject to a $500 fine if they are found in violation. 

“We’re not allowed to have our own private yards look like that,” said Denner. 

“But for the school property there, I can’t seem to find any consequences for them whatsoever.”

Additionally, she said that the situation has further irritated her because, as members of the Catholic faith, she and her husband have elected to pay a portion of their property taxes to the CCSD, which has made her question where that money is going. 

“We are absolutely pleased to be able to help support them in the way that we can, and it almost seems like a slap in the face to us,” she said. 

“Even though we are being faithful stewards on our end, they don’t seem to be faithful stewards on their end by not looking after what it is they need to look after.”

According to the CCSD’s District Operating Budget for the 2026-27 school year, the board has projected that taxes will account for nearly 96 per cent of its total revenue, with maintenance staff accounting for 11 per cent of its expenses — the second-highest after teachers.

At the end of the day, Denner said that her concerns stem from taking pride in their community and trying to be a decent neighbour who ensures that the organizations sharing their home do the same. 

“It’s just absolutely perplexing that something so simple, that won’t even take that much time, is so very difficult to get done,” she said. 

“I just cannot wrap our heads around it all.”