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City names pedestrian bridge after former Coun. Bev Longstaff

A pedestrian bridge over Memorial Drive N.W. will be named in honour of the city councillor who helped build it more than 20 years ago. (Supplied/Google Maps) A pedestrian bridge over Memorial Drive N.W. will be named in honour of the city councillor who helped build it more than 20 years ago. (Supplied/Google Maps)
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A pedestrian bridge in West Hillhurst now bears a plaque to honour a former Calgary city councillor who championed public safety in the community she served.

Bev Longstaff served as Ward 7 councillor from 1989-2001 and her work helped build a pedestrian bridge at 21 Street N.W. over the Memorial Parkway.

Officials say, thanks to a campaign by the West Hillhurst Community Association (WHCA), that bridge will now bear her name.

"Bev Longstaff is a pillar of our community and this honour is truly well deserved," said WHCA president Dylan Richards in a statement.

"The West Hillhurst Community Association extends a heartfelt thank you to Bev for her hard work and dedication to our community."

Current Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong said many of the infrastructure improvements in his communities are due to Longstaff's hard work.

He brought the petition to rename the bridge in her honour to council, where it was approved in September 2023.

The city says Longstaff pushed to have the bridge built after years of watching people run across Memorial Drive to access Calgary's river pathway network.

It was built and opened to residents in 2002.

Bev Longstaff, seen here in a supplied image from the City of Calgary, pushed for the construction of a pedestrian bridge after seeing residents of her Ward 7 community unsafely crossing the road to access river pathways. (Supplied)

"It was a wonderful experience to see this much needed pedestrian bridge conceived, funded and built," Longstaff said in a news release.

"To have it named after me is a tremendous honour."

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