Avenue Calgary September 2021

26 YEARS OF CITY | LIFE | STYLE | CALGARY

UE CA LG AR 21 | $4 .9 5 | AV EN SE PT EM BE R 20

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FALL INTO FASHION

Bright, bold and anything-but-muted looks for the cooler days ahead

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HISTORY MEETS INNOVATION IN THE LOFT Exceptional location, space, talent and creative solutions contributed to a beautiful residential loft in the heart of downtown Calgary.

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project in a heritage building in the National Historic District in downtown Calgary is the setting. Built by Senator Lougheed when the City of Calgary was a scant 20 years old and the Province of Alberta was a mere idea.

Enhance, protect, and improve everything historic was the mantra applied to the creation and construction of a 530-square-foot residential “loft.” The space was designed for people desirous of urban amenities within a five-minute walk of major art and cultural facilities, public transit, music venues, library, restaurants, and the Music Mile.

The approach to this demanding project was to bring the same vision, strength and confidence as the builders of early Calgary have shown.

The challenge was to create a residential space for contemporary lifestyles, while not touching any historic aspects of the building – but enhanc-

ing them. Mechanical services, ingenious design solutions and excellent execution led to a self-contained loft-style residential unit. Mechanicals coming into the space could not be moved, and the 28-foot-long clear fir flooring boards could not be damaged but provided poor soundproofing. In response, a floating cork floor with sound dampening material was used. The space is between structural sandstone and brick walls. The mortar is soft, so even the process of hanging art required creativity as the design program insisted that the stone and brick walls not be touched. A special system utilizing “nailers” that previously provided the substructure for lathe for plaster were partially utilised.

Luckily the team, which includes Environmentally Yours Inc., Fulcrum Planning Inc., It’s About Time Inc., Brickhouse Structural Engineering Ltd. and more, excel in finding solutions to tough and stubborn challenges. The team’s approach to historic protection was to adapt the space.

For instance, the full kitchen is attached to an especially designed and welded steel structure that makes it free-standing. The backsplash is made of glass with carefully scribed openings for plug-ins

and switches to show off the structural sandstone.

The bathroom, powder room, sleeping area, and laundry had to be elevated to keep mechanicals in place.

The computer “nest” is exclusively made of recycled materials like 130 year-old clear fir floorboards and copper pipes. Only the LED coloured lights are contemporary but are embedded in glass shards from a broken shower door.

The computer “nest” and the loft design have both been nominated for awards.

The exceptional team of professionals will take on other projects that demand research, understanding of existing structure and materials.

The “loft” is not for sale, but is available for lease to persons appreciating a totally urban vibe merged with history in a great neighbourhood.

For Inquiries: 403-262-8808

Credits and Sources Heartfelt thanks to all who encouraged and contributed, especially to Stephanie, Karleen, Sam, and Merv.

Antiques, Collectibles, and Misc. Art: Endangered Pieces Inc. Art: Trip Tych: Nicole Thiessen Bronze “Darkness”: Reinhard Stebnicky Prints: Katie Ohe Photographer: Brian Buchsdruecker, Bookstrucker Photography

Window Treatment: Ron Yakymyshyn, It’s About Time Inc. Welding: Wendy for Hot Flash Welding Engineering: Jim Shortt, Brickhouse Structural Engineering Ltd. Sprinklers and Alarms: Dalroy Controls Ltd. Trades: KO Plumbing and Jorger Electrical.

Special Tasks and Computer Nest: J. Quintal of Junque Nuvô

Art Installation: J. Quintal of Junque Nuvô Design and Staging: Ron Yakymishyn, It’s About Time Inc. Publicity and Media: Colin Maley General Contracting and Coordination: Fulcrum Planning Inc. Concept and Direction: Marga Betz, Environmentally Yours Inc.

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CO N TE N T S 20

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EDITOR’S NOTE

114 WORK OF ART

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D E P A R TM E N TS ON THE COVER Photograph Jared Sych Styling Kara Chomistek Model Ryan, Mode Models Hair and Makeup Nickol Walkemeyer Road Mural Artist Michelle Hoogveld Location Deerfoot City

Rag & Bone jacket, $600, Acne Studios T-shirt, $170, Off-White bucket hat, $415, and Mackage sweatpants, $157, all from Holt Renfrew; Vitaly necklace, $135, from Simons; Converse x Comme des Garçons PLAY sneakers, $200, from Less 17.

25 DETOURS

104 DECOR

Meet Maud, a medical clinic that puts vaginal health front and centre. Plus, a look at what’s happening in the arts this season, a local couple who have made careers out of voicing video-game characters, and new shops, eateries and hotels to go check out.

Step inside the home of interior designer Adene Lucas, who used pastels and antique pieces to transform an industrial-styled house into a comfortable home.

84 DINING A guide to Korean food in the city, from hotpots to KFC (Korean fried chicken) spots.

90 MOUNTAINS High-end experiences and luxury hotel stays for those seeking the high life.

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F E AT U R ES

110 THE LIST Dan Allard of Cold Garden Beverage Company on his favourite places to get burgers, shoot hoops, see artworks and more.

112 LOCAL FINDS The things we’re enamoured with this month, from skin care, to subscription boxes.

34 NEIGHBOURHOOD GEMS A celebration of a few of our favourite things and a few of our readers’ favourite things in communities throughout the city.

56 CHINATOWN, PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE A look at a vibrant cultural community at the crossroads of tradition and evolution.

By Steph Wong Ken

63 RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE REPORT From housing trends to mortgage rates, we break down the residential real estate market and why it’s so hot, hot, hot.

By Shelley Arnusch, Tsering Asha, Meredith Bailey, Colin Gallant, Michaela Ream and Jamie Schmidt

By Michaela Ream

50 COMMUNITY ARTS CHAMPIONS

Why Calgary is due for a racial reckoning within its arts and cultural insitututions.

Meet five Calgarians building community through the visual and performing arts.

By Tsering Asha, Nathan Kunz and Lisa Wilton

70 TAKING IT FROM THE TOP

By Tomi Ajele

76 FASHION: FALL COLOURS Feeling fall with sporty pieces in a rainbow of hues.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JARED SYCH; STEVE COLLINS

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TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF

S

eptember so often holds the promise of a fresh start — the kids head back to school, and there’s a crispness to the air as the season turns and the long, slow days of summer shorten.

Here at Avenue, we are also turning over a new leaf as we grow in new directions.

After almost 15 years, this will be my last issue as the editor-in-chief of the magazine. I’m very pleased to be passing the reins to our senior editor, Shelley Arnusch. As both a writer and editor, Arnusch has received many awards for her work over the years.

She has been part of the Avenue team for more than a decade, and before that worked for another great Calgary city magazine, Swerve. She is an impassioned (but duly critical) fan of Calgary, and has the curiosity, humour and tenacity needed to take Avenue to new heights.

It has been my enormous privilege to lead this team and to explore this city through the pages of Avenue for so many years. Over those years the city has changed and so has the magazine.

R

Käthe Lemon Editor-in-Chief klemon@redpointmedia.ca

It has been my enormous privilege to lead this team and to explore this city through the pages of Avenue for so many years.

In 2006, Calgary’s population was under a million. We didn’t yet have some of our most iconic sites including The Bow tower (and its Wonderland sculpture), the Peace Bridge, the National Music Centre or the Central Library. (Of course, we also didn’t have Instagram, so arguably it didn’t matter as much at the time.) We were full of a perhaps naïve bravado, worried about being a “world-class” city and having not yet weathered the successive storms

of flood, recession, oil industry losses and the pandemic. I like to think that both the city and I have matured, somewhat.

It seems hard to believe, but 15 years ago Avenue barely had a website and we didn’t yet have any of our free weekly newsletters. We hadn’t yet started hosting any of what have become signature events in the city, such as the Top 40 Under 40 gala and the Best Restaurants launch party. And programs including Best Neighbourhoods and the Made in Alberta Awards hadn’t even been conceived. It has been a decade and a half of change. And now it’s time for things to change again.

Thank you so much for the many wonderful years of allowing me to be the editor of your city magazine — for inviting me and my team into your homes and spending time with us each month.

While I won’t be the editor any longer, I won’t exactly be leaving the Avenue team, either. I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge as vice president of product development & publishing for RedPoint Media, Avenue’s parent company. I’ll be thinking up new projects and even more ways to bring you experiences of your city and region and more and better ways of engaging in what we do best — trusted storytelling.

In this issue you’ll find us doing that by sharing stories about Chinatown, about residential real estate, about neighbourhood gems throughout the city as well as artists who are building community through their work.

As always, I hope you enjoy this issue and find something here that brings you joy, fresh insight and new information about your city.

LAW MADE SIMPLE.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY JARED SYCH

EDITOR’S NOTE

GARDEN LOFT

Garden Loft is a prefabricated portable living space that can be craned into your backyard. The interior has safety and support features that enable older adults and others with differing abilities to continue living independently with a high quality of life and as much independence as they can safely manage.

Redesigning the Future of Aging

Garden Loft’s backyard location helps build emotional well being, reduce loneliness and isolation, and foster engagement in the rhythms of family life.

Travel time for visits is reduced to seconds and the close proximity makes it simple to provide as-needed assistance with meals, housecleaning, and other chores. As a stand-alone unit, Garden Loft provides enough separation so that everyone has the privacy they need without jeopardizing safety and support. Garden Loft can be repurposed as a home office or family room or resold and moved off your lot.

In this webinar Dr. John Brown will demonstrate how older adults and their families can use Garden Loft to create a high-quality, independent, age-in-place future.

Thursday September 23, 6:00 - 7:00pm Reserve at www.gardenloft.ca

Book a virtual or in-person tour of our Show Suite www.gardenloft.ca Housebrand, celebrating 25 years of residential design-build in Calgary

garden loft

avenue RedPoint Media & Marketing Solutions

Editor-in-Chief Käthe Lemon, klemon@redpointmedia.ca

100, 1900 11 St. S.E.

Design Director Steve Collins, scollins@redpointmedia.ca

Calgary, Alberta T2G 3G2

Senior Editor Shelley Arnusch, sarnusch@redpointmedia.ca

Phone: 403-240-9055

Digital Editor Alana Willerton, awillerton@redpointmedia.ca

Toll Free: 1-877-963-9333 x0

Digital Engagement Editor Alyssa Quirico, aquirico@redpointmedia.ca

Fax: 403-240-9059

Associate Editor Colin Gallant, cgallant@redpointmedia.ca

info@redpointmedia.ca

Staff Photographer Jared Sych

AvenueCalgary.com Facebook: Avenue Magazine — Calgary Twitter: @AvenueMagazine Instagram: @AvenueMagazine

Contributing Editor Nathan Kunz

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Made in Alberta Awards The big reveal of the winners and runners up of the third annual Made in Alberta Awards. With entries from around the province in 11 categories, including the new Amy Willier Award for Indigenous Artisans, you’ll find more than three dozen reasons to support local.

AvenueCalgary.com

Downtown Decisions

Published 10 times a year by RedPoint Media &

As Petula Clark sang, downtown is where you can go to

Marketing Solutions. Copyright (2021) by RedPoint Media & Marketing Solutions. No part of this

forget all your worries, unless, that is, you’re worried

publication may be reproduced without the

about the huge number of office vacancies. We look at

written consent of the publisher.

the City’s plan to revitalize the beleaguered core.

How To Dress for Winter in the Mountains

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement No. 40030911.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada and

The weather in this region can be intimidating, but our

the Government of Alberta.

winter dressing guide will give you the confidence to

Avenue is a proud member of the Alberta Magazine Publishers

get out there and enjoy walking (or snowshoeing or

Association, Magazines Canada and the International Regional Magazine

skiing) in a winter wonderland.

We acknowledge the traditional territories and the value of the traditional and current oral practices of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Tsuut’ina and Stoney Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.

REDPOINT MEDIA GROUP INC. CEO Pete Graves, pgraves@redpointmedia.ca President George Achilleos, gachilleos@redpointmedia.ca CFO Roger Jewett, rjewett@redpointmedia.ca VP Product Development & Publishing Käthe Lemon Custom Projects Manager Meredith Bailey, mbailey@redpointmedia.ca Accountant Jeanette Vanderveen, jvanderveen@redpointmedia.ca Administrative Assistant Tara Brand, tbrand@redpointmedia.ca

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by Sept. 2 to get the October issue to your door. Three-issue subscription $15, one-year $27.95. redpoint-media.com

PHOTOGRAPH BY JARED SYCH

Association, and abides by the editorial standards of these organizations.

CALGARY IS COMMUNITY Ranked the most livable city in North America by the Economist Intelligence Unit for a decade (2009-2019), Calgary continues to be a place that offers safe and welcoming neighborhoods, a thriving arts and culture scene, diverse public spaces and recreational opportunities that are the envy of the country.

That’s why Calgary’s economic strategy, Calgary in the New Economy, is more relevant than ever. Calgary’s focus on making the city a vibrant, livable and resilient community for entrepreneurs solving global challenges fosters innovation and drives economic growth.

Calgary’s future is being built by the community, for the community.

Have your voice heard as we continue to evolve the strategy as the right path forward for our city. Take a brief survey to provide your input on our city’s economic plan at calgaryintheneweconomy.ca.

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Contact a periodontist today at ab.greatgums.ca 24

avenue September 21

Alberta Academy of Periodontics

DETOURS

MAUD MEDICAL CLINIC FOUNDERS MARIA WU AND LOUIS DUNCAN-HE

AND NOW, HERE’S MAUD PHOTOGRAPH BY EYMERIC

A NEW MEDICAL CLINIC IN BRIDGELAND PUTS THE FOCUS ON VAGINAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION

M

aria Wu and Louis Duncan-He are the pair behind the new Maud Medical Clinic, a centre to advance vaginal health and education, in Bridgeland. The focus of the clinic is never in question, with its street-facing wall of windows and two mirrored, porcelain busts in

the reception area that create the silhouette of a vulva. It’s “pleasant, not vulgar,” says DuncanHe. Both Wu and Duncan-He’s partners are physicians, giving them unique insight into how the medical profession operates. The idea for Maud started with Wu, who was concerned that women’s health issues were being overlooked in the

current medical system. In 2020, the Province removed fee modifiers for physicians, which Wu says makes it difficult for doctors to address multiple concerns with their patients over the course of one appointment. Wu had been researching gynecological issues such as incontinence and endometriosis after hearing stories from friends who were stuck waiting years for diagnoses and avenuecalgary.com

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DETOURS

ARTS NEWS RISE UP: HOTELS LIVE

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Despite the challenges of the past year and a half, local arts organizations have been looking to the future and making strides toward growth. Here are just some of the things that have happened in the past year and a look at what’s ahead in the arts in Calgary.

Making Treaty 7

Arts Commons The Arts Commons Transformation (ACT), a two-phase project to overhaul the existing facility, continues. In April, the City allocated $80 million to ACT, allowing the organization to build the “Road House’’ theatre at Olympic Plaza. The Jack Singer Concert Hall is now equipped with state-of-the-art gear from Canon, increasing its capacity for live-streaming and recording. And in May 2020, Arts Commons welcomed president and CEO Alex Sarian, who previously held various leadership roles at the Lincoln Center in New York.

The Grand Though the building that houses The Grand was bought by Allied Properties, The Grand will continue to lease the space. A new leadership team includes artistic director Nicole Mion of Springboard Performance, which is moving into The Grand, and sibling duo Erynn and Zach Lyster, co-owners of The Commons as general managers.

The Making Treaty 7 Cultural Society (MT7) continues to operate out of The Grand under artistic director Michelle Thrush. MT7 kept busy during the pandemic with a free online workshop series that will help inform its next original show Istotsi - The Land We Live On. The show, featuring alumni and new company members, is tentatively scheduled to run Sept.

16 to Oct. 2 at Fort Calgary.

Rise Up Calgary-based “open-source platform” Rise Up has been working to reboot and promote the arts economy. In addition to advocating for the reopening of spaces, Rise Up promoted safe in-person events, planned hotel staycations and ran a contest for local songwriters. It works with a variety of partners including Calgary Folk Music Festival, Stampede Entertainment and others.

PHOTOGRAPH BY LESLIE CYRYNOWSKI, MICHELLE SPICE PHOTOGRAPHY

treatment. With the new fee Currently, physicians structures, Wu worried that at Maud perform vaginal timely access to vaginal care examinations, wellness would become even more of a consultations and pelvic-floor problem, and decided to open physiotherapy. The long-term a clinic where it would be the vision is for Maud to become focus and not an afterthought. a hub for innovative new “That’s where the whole products and technologies for concept of Maud came from,” clients that are educational as Wu says. “Providwell as accessible. ing access and Both DuncanWith a colour a place where He and Wu stress palette of anyone with a that their focus is magentas, vagina can come on medical facts blushes and and get advice.” and products blues the clinic that empower Wu had no feels more like and educate their intention of clients. As such, opening a cona spa than a ventionally drab medical office. you won’t find questionable doctor’s office, “lifestyle” so she partnered products on Maud’s shelves. with her friend Duncan-He, The clinic’s retail section an interior designer, to create has educational materials as a space that is inviting and well as a variety of vaginalworth visiting. health-related items such Duncan-He combined his as congratulatory cards for brand-strategy abilities with getting your first period. Maud his design skills to develop also sells vibrators. Wu takes the concept for the clinic. The issue with calling them sex name Maud loosely translates toys, though. She sees them to “mighty in battle,” and it as devices to empower sexual was also inspired by the ’70s wellness and self esteem. “It’s sitcom Maude, whose titular for your own knowledge,” character was fearlessly femishe says. “You can learn how nist. With a colour palette of to explore your body and magentas, blushes and blues appreciate yourself.” the clinic feels more like a spa —Tsering Asha than a medical office.

Saddle up Calgary.

We came to play.

Global real estate brokerage The Agency is now home in Calgary.

Our Calgary team, led by Managing Partners Kristine Semrau and Brian Danyliw, pairs local expertise with the vast reach and resources of The Agency. After all, more of the same is never an option.

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DETOURS

Calgary Folk Music Festival The Calgary Folk Music Festival (CFMF) plans to reopen Festival Hall this winter. Both private bookings and CFMF-presented concerts will resume at that time. CFMF has upgraded the hall with new gear that allows for multi-camera streaming.

GIVING VOICE TO VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS

Glenbow closes this month for massive renovations and is expected to reopen in late 2023 or early 2024. The renovations are a key piece of “Glenbow Reimagined,” a plan to not only transform the building but how it functions as a museum.

Meanwhile, Glenbow plans to open a “Class A” pop-up gallery inside a vacant downtown office.

Calgary’s Poet Laureate

Public Art Program

Current poet laureate Natalie Meisner launched her legacy project This Might Help, earlier this year at thismighthelp.ca. Meisner calls the project a “listenable repository” that includes 35 poems read by their respective authors. The project features all the past poet laureates, as well other submissions, including one from a 10-year-old.

Calgary Arts Development starts the three-year transition to take over the City’s Public Art Program. The transition includes lifting a freeze on the program’s budget, implemented by Council in 2017. At the time, the program received one per cent of the budget of the City’s capital projects.

Quickdraw Animation Society

Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre turns five this year. To celebrate, the centre reopened the King Eddy’s main-floor bar, extended side patio and rooftop. Admission is free on weekends for the rest of 2021.

The results of Quickdraw Animation’s second Animation Lockdown (a marathon where members make works over six days) will screen at the TIFF Bell Lightbox theatre in Toronto thanks to a partnership with The 48 Film Festival. Later this fall, Quickdraw also hopes to debut an augmented reality app exploring ideas around the spirit world and building compassion.

Calgary Opera Although Calgary Opera has cancelled its first fall production, Fidelio, the company plans to be back up and running with a holiday production, followed by a staging of The Merry Widow in January.

Alberta Literary Awards The winners of the Alberta Literary Awards announced this past June include a number of Calgary honourees. Congrats to Lee Kvern (Howard O’Hagan Award for Short Story for “Players”), Barbara Scott (Jon Whyte Memorial Essay Award for “Black Diamond”), Bertrand Bickersteth (Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry for The Response of Weeds: A Misplacement of Black Poetry on the Prairies) and Alexandra Latos (City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize for Under Shifting Stars).

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National Music Centre

Alberta Ballet Alberta Ballet’s 2021/2022 season features classics Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, Hamlet, Cinderella and the latest “portrait ballet” by co-artistic director Jean Grand-Maître, Phi, focused on David Bowie.

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Dr. Mark Bartel recently joined the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) as chorus master, replacing Timothy Shantz who held the position for more than a decade. Bartel also replaced Shantz at Spiritus Chamber Choir. At CPO, Bartel will oversee more than 100 volunteer chorus members performing classic and new works. —Colin Gallant Sign up for Avenue’s Weekender newsletter to receive up-to-date information on arts and events in the city at AvenueCalgary.com/newsletters

C

algary voice actors Lucas Gilbertson and Carol-Anne Day, are used to performing on the spot. “In voice, there’s no rehearsals,” Gilbertson says. “You’re on, and whatever you do is printed and passed to the public and packaged, and people will judge you based on this extremely fast, momentary, spur-of-the-moment cold read — and it better be good.”

Gilbertson and Day, who married last year, were each 14 years old when they began their voice-acting careers.

The two worked from 2001 to 2018 for a local production company called Blue Water Studios, and lent their voices to video games including Mega Man X and Japanese animated shows Dragon Ball and Gundam.

Being a voice actor in your teens isn’t all fun and games, though. Day recalls a time where she had to skip half “I KNOW WHAT A a day of school for three POSITIVE FORCE THIS months to record around WAS IN MY LIFE AND 70 hours of dialogue for WOULD LOVE THE a 2004 video game called CHANCE TO OFFER Inuyasha: The Secret of the THAT POSITIVITY TO Cursed Mask.

OTHER PEOPLE.” “I passed all my Lucas Gilbe r tson provincials and I did graduate, and that was great, but I actually got kicked out of school because of Inuyasha,” Day says.

Calgary tends to fly under the radar when it comes to voice-acting opportunities, compared to cities like Vancouver or Los Angeles, but even so, the couple sees a future for the industry here. To create more opportunities for local performers, they formed their own production company, the Hermit Collective. They also continue to lend their own voices to independent video games and other projects through the Hermit Collective.

“I know what a positive force this was in my life and would love the chance to offer that positivity to other people,” Gilbertson says. “It was the most important thing going for me, for both of us, because who doesn’t want to be a kid helping to create the video games and TV shows that you watch?” —Nathan Fung

P H O T O G R A P H Y C O U RT E S Y O F H M H B O O K S A N D M E D I A , T I M M AT H E S O N , R A R A A P H O T O G R A P H Y

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DETOURS

Openings

MONOGRAM The popular local coffee company opened its fourth café location in the University District. Along with coffee and pastries, this is the only Monogram location offering slushies, which come in coffee and hojicha flavours.

4153 University Ave. N.W., monogramcoffee.com, @monogramco

SAUCY BURGER The latest venture from chef Michael Dekker (former executive chef at Rouge and currently at SAIT) is your new grab-and-go destination for juicy burgers and waffle fries.

1001 17 Ave. S.W., @saucyburgerca

THE WESTLEY HOTEL Nestled in downtown Calgary, this Hilton Tapestry Collection hotel designed by Frank Architecture features 104 ultra-stylish guest rooms, a fitness facility, an outdoor patio and more. It’s also home to Thank You Hospitality’s new Mexican restaurant, Fonda Fora.

630 4 Ave. S.W., 403-764-6262, thewestleyhotel.com, @thewestleyhotel Louise casemore and Daniel Fong (top) Photos by Erin Wallace

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THISTLE & CLOVER Located within the Lake Bonavista Promenade shopping centre, Thistle & Clover focuses on Canadian-made products including skin care, jewellery, cards, treats and more.

167, 755 Lake Bonavista Dr. S.E., 403-764-3038, thistleandclover.ca, @thistleandcloveryyc

TOKYO STATION Visit Tokyo Station in the Beltline for a bowl of ramen, sushi, packaged snacks and more. Don’t leave without ordering a scoop of Japanese gelato in flavours ranging from mango to wasabi.

1505 15 Ave. S.W., 403-719-2288, tokyostreetmarket.com/tokyo-station, @tokyo_station_yyc

THE SUNDAY SHOP If you have a green thumb, be sure to check out this new plant shop in Victoria Park where you can pick up tropical plants, plant pots and more.

1314 1 St. S.W., @sundayshopcalgary

VEGAN STREET TACO BAR The team behind Vegan Street in the Beltline has expanded with a vegan taco bar in Inglewood. Pop in to enjoy some plant-based tacos and a charred-pineapple mezcal margarita on the patio.

1413 9 Ave. S.E., 403-453-3282, veganstreet.ca, @veganstreetinglewood

P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y C A R L I N A N Q U I S T P H O T O G R A P H Y, M O N O G R A M , M O O N W A K E M E D I A

CANDY SHOP CAFÉ Satisfy your sweet tooth at this dessert and cocktail bar on 17 Ave. S.W. where you can indulge in a matcha-honey mousse cake or a sushi-inspired dessert platter.

1326 17 Ave. S.W., candyshopcafe.ca, @candyshopcafe

ADVERTISING FEATURE

DATA-DRIVEN URBANISM

Figure 1: Map of elemental landscapes of risk in Calgary, including air (aircraft noise pollution), water (flood hazard), and earth (planning building demolitions, traffic incidents and asphalt-augmented urban heat island effect).

Figure 2: Chord diagram of the 64 signals and trends from the horizon scanning process using a modified STEEP framework that maps strength and influences between relationships.

S

ince the energy sector downturn in 2015, Calgary’s downtown has seen unprecedented office building vacancy rates. This in turn caused problems for small business owners who rely on office workers for much of their sales. So how do we bring downtown back to life?

That’s the question occupying the minds of many people including building owners, real estate professionals, and the City of Calgary.

This spring’s decision by City Council to create a $200 million investment fund to kickstart redevelopment projects that would revitalize downtown is a very promising first step. But where should that money be spent to ensure maximum impact?

S A P L . U C A L G A R Y. C A @UCALGARYSAPL

Fortunately, researchers at the University of Calgary are working on an answer. Assistant professor Alberto de Salvatierra, for example, specializes in big-data urbanism at the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape. He is developing a platform called the Civic Common Catalyst that helps decision-makers better understand the broader social, cultural, and economic impact of a particular redevelopment decision.

De Salvatierra and his team have assembled large datasets on everything from risk sources and ecological systems to infrastructural networks and human geographies. He elaborates, “By overlaying this information onto maps of underutilized land and vacant buildings, we can

test various redevelopment options and identify which will have the biggest impact.”

Thom Mahler, Manager of Urban Initiatives with the City of Calgary sees significant value in this approach. “This project will be a source of both knowledge and inspiration to drive transformational change to underutilized civic and private assets.”

With the stakes so high and the cost of urban development so great, no one can afford any missteps. This cutting-edge research project is showing us how applying big urban data in novel ways helps to minimize risks and build a better Calgary.

ADVERTISING FEATURE

DIFFERENT

BY DESIGN Alpine Park looks to offer Calgarians an unprecedented lifestyle, both in the neighbourhood and beyond.

As visitors experience Alpine Park for the first time, they may notice a distinct lack of garages along the tree-lined boulevards. Instead, builders in the master-planned neighbourhood by Dream will be largely rear-loaded, with picturesque porches and balconies fronting the homes and garages situated behind.

The configuration is no coincidence — it’s the result of conscious and meticulous design. Put simply by manager for Calgary Land at Dream Tara Steell: “We’re bringing back the porch.”

The aspects that set Alpine Park apart from other developments in practice, of course, go much further than porches. The 476-acre development west of Evergreen in the city’s southwest looks to reimagine the Calgary community, focusing on strengthening the social fabric, encouraging neighbourliness and building around residents.

Designed by Peter Calthorpe of HDR Calthorpe, one of the founders and leaders of new urbanist design, Dream set out to put people at the core of its development. Wide sidewalks will occupy both sides of streets, while six major parks and an abundance of green spaces with fire pits, barbecues and other amenities will create spaces purpose-built for gathering.

“We’re bringing people to the forefront. When you start to look at it from that perspective, it’s a very different type of neighbourhood,” says Michael Tandara, Dream’s director of marketing in Western Canada. “It’s layers and layers of tons of little decisions that lean toward prioritizing people.”

Location is another factor that makes 32

Alpine Park unique. Directly neighbouring the Southwest Calgary Ring Road means Alpine Park is just 17 minutes from downtown by car and minutes from the recently opened Costco Wholesale on the Tsuut’ina Nation.

Beyond the city limits, mountains are just over 30 minutes away in Kananaskis. The access translates into more experiences among the Rocky Mountain peaks and fewer limitations for when you can enjoy them.

“Everybody in Calgary has access to the mountains,” says Tandara. “But 35 minutes versus an hour is the difference between [going on] weekends or at the end of the day after work.”

It’s also this proximity to both the pristine marvels of nature and the energy of the innercity that contributed to the creation of Alpine

Park’s catchphrase — “Live True West.”

“You have those mountain views, but you have city views too,” says Steell. “It feels removed, but you’re not.

You’re actually much closer to everything than you think.”

Creating the “True West” lifestyle is also applied within the community. Master planning over the past several years has allowed Dream to think of and execute a truly unfragmented neighbourhood. As construction moves forward, the vision will come to life in parks, on porches and within the Village Centre, where carefully selected grocery, restaurant and retail experiences will create another place to gather once completed.

After breaking ground on Alpine Park in 2020, Dream is now nearing completion on different-by-design show homes to open this fall. Construction is finishing up alongside park creation and community landscaping, creating a chance to tour homes and true ‘slice of life’ sample of what Alpine Park can offer.

“There’s a feeling to the difference that we think people want and need to experience,” says Tandara.

An ambitious next-generation community in Calgary’s new west, founded on New Urbanist principles.

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B Y S H E L L E Y A R N U S C H , T S E R I N G A S H A , M E R E D I T H B A I L E Y, C O L I N G A L L A N T, M I C H A E L A R E A M A N D J A M I E S C H M I D T

C

algary is a big city — like actually physically big. With a geographical area of around 825 square kilometres, Calgary is much bigger than Toronto (630 km²), Edmonton (699 km²) or Vancouver (only 114 km²), with just under

200 neighbourhoods, and counting. For the intrepid urban explorer, the sheer size of the city means much to discover. From peaceful enclaves of urban wilderness to quirky landmarks, there are a lot of amazing things here. But too often, these things remain unknown to the people who don’t live near them. So, to broaden our horizons, we reached out to readers through an online poll to see what their favourite things were in communities throughout the city. Some of the answers were things we know and love, while others provided something new for us to ponder as we created this celebration of neighbourhood gems

HOOD GEMS

NEIGHBOUR

PHOTOGRAPH BY JARED SYCH

— hidden, and those out in plain sight — in this big ol’ city of ours.

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W H AT ’ S O L D I S N E W

E

Why Bridgeland is one of our favourite new communities despite being one of the city’s oldest communities. events in the city’s history: the the northeastern side of downtown demolition of Calgary General for over a century be perceived as a Hospital No. 4. The hospital had new community? been a cornerstone of the commuThe answer becomes clear if you nity from its opening in enter Bridgeland from the early 1950s until it its south side. Walk was deemed obsolete. past the Insta-worthy THE CATALYST At precisely 9 a.m. on sign spelling out the FOR “NEW” Oct. 4, 1998, Calgary neighbourhood’s name and you’ll find yourself BRIDGELAND WAS General imploded in a in a hub of multi-fami- ONE OF THE MOST gigantic cloud of dust, breaking a world record ly residential buildings EARTH-SHAKING at the time for the all erected within the EVENTS IN THE number of structures last two decades, some demolished in one go. still under construction.

CITY’S HISTORY. The transformation A contemporary-styled of the old hospital site community hall faces into the modern community hub out onto a modern play park and you see today certainly didn’t hapsports field. Beyond that to the west, pen overnight. Photographer Jason newly constructed streetfront shopStang moved his home and business ping offers new incarnations of local into a renovated heritage fire hall favourites like Village Ice Cream and just blocks from the site in 2000 and Una Pizza + Wine. recalls a “fenced-off rubble heap” The catalyst for “new” Bridgeland during his first years in the neighwas one of the most earth-shaking

bourhood. Since then, he has had a front-row seat to the development of new Bridgeland and is mostly in favour of how the area has turned out. “I think they’ve done a very good job,” he says (joking that the one downside is he might not be cool enough for the new neighbourhood).

His most favourite thing about the new Bridgeland is the subsequent transformation of 1st Avenue N.E. from an unremarkable stretch mostly catering to hospital workers on break, into a vibrant and walkable area.

Stang doesn’t take issue with the idea of Bridgeland being thought of as a “new community.” He even agrees. “It’s not anything today that relates to where it was,” he says. “And it’s become far more than what I conceived it would.” You might say that out of the rubble, a new community has emerged — new buildings, but also a new outlook for an old community. —S.A.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JARED SYCH

nabled by a lack of geographical barriers, there’s a tendency in Calgary toward building new communities.

Drive far enough in any direction and you’re bound to end up in one. Some offer large lots and sweeping views, while others have densely constructed homes. Some are built around shopping amenities while others center around human-made lakes and parkland.

But whatever the design ethos, Calgarians are certainly not starved for choice when asked to name a favourite new community — which is why it was somewhat ironic that when we did ask Avenue readers to name their favourite new community the most popular answer was actually one of the city’s oldest communities: Bridgeland. How, then, can a community that has anchored

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F LYOV E R F UN WHERE: 651 MCDOUGALL RD. N.E.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JARED SYCH

What was once an underused, some would even say “sketchy,” space beneath the 4th Avenue Flyover (the elevated throughway that funnels cars off Memorial Drive into the east end of downtown) is now a vibrant new park. Officially opened in December 2020, and designed by Grade 6 students from nearby Riverside (formerly Langevin) School and students from the Landscape Architecture program at the University of Calgary, the park includes Ping-Pong, tetherball, two slides, a tandem swing, ladder ball and a stick forest climbing feature.

Flyover Park began as a grassroots community effort — residents added small touches like paint and the Ping-Pong table — before receiving the support of the Parks Foundation, the City and the Province. The park was recognized in 2018 by the National Urban Design Awards, Community Initiatives category for its eco-friendly design and community-building spirit.

—C.G.

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URBAN WILDERNESS GEM H E R I TA G E PA R K BISSETT WETLANDS

URBAN HIKING GEM DOUGLAS FIR TRAIL WHERE: EDWORTHY PARK, 5050 SPRUCE DR. S.W. Our readers voted the Douglas Fir Trail the best urban hiking trail in Avenue’s Neighbourhood Gems poll and it’s easy to see why. The out-and-back trail runs for 5.8 kilometres with an elevation gain of 214 metres, so a relatively fit person can easily work it into their day or evening.

A viewpoint overlooking Edworthy Park and the surrounding communities is a nice reprieve one-third of the way in. —T.A.

H

eritage Park might be a household name in Calgary, but the Heritage Park Bissett Wetlands are not as well known outside of the nearby communities like Haysboro and Chinook Park who have been enjoying this oasis of wilderness in the city for over a decade. But for the Avenue readers who voted the wetlands “one of the places you need to visit” in the Neighbourhood Gems poll,

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this natural area within the city limits is a secret worth sharing.

The wetlands used to be a marshy space on the outskirts of Heritage Park. But when the park was expanded in 2007-2008, that marsh was developed into a beautiful park space and ecosystem that is abundant with wildlife. Mallards and goldeneyes are frequently spotted sunbathing on the three floating docks, and you’ll hear the sing-song warning call of male red-winged blackbirds protecting their nests amongst the reeds.

Naturally, this spot is very popular with school groups and Heritage Park’s education programming department offers guided tours for grade schools. But anyone who simply enjoys the rhythm of nature and the presence of wildlife (muskrats and deer have been spotted for years making their home on the lands or within the wetlands small forest) will enjoy this spot. A network of pathways for biking and walking via the Glenmore Reservoir also make Heritage Park Bissett Wetlands a nice spot to stop for lunch. —T.A.

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVE COLLINS

WHERE: HERITAGE PARK, 1900 HERITAGE DR. S.W.

COMMUNITY GARDEN GEMS

THREE MORE COMMUNITY GARDENS WE LOVE

Throughout the city, neighbours come together in horticultural harmony to create community gardens. Here are the top community gardens in the city as voted by Avenue readers in our Neighbourhood Gems poll.

THE BOTANICAL GARDENS OF SILVER SPRINGS WHERE: 37 SILVER SPRINGS DR. N.W. With 13 main garden areas and six feature/specialty gardens spread throughout a 20-acre birthplace forest park, this volunteer-run project offers plenty to explore, including a Shakespeare Garden with quotes from the master playwright, as well as a labyrinth planted with wild thyme.

CROSSROADS COMMUNITY GARDEN WHERE: EAST VILLAGE Located just south of the RiverWalk, Crossroads Community Garden provides local residents the chance to grow food and flowers in a central urban environment. The garden is next to a play park and an enclosed dog park, and has 88 leasable plots with accessible water.

SUNALTA COMMUNITY WILDFLOWER GARDEN

PHOTOGRAPH BY JARED SYCH

WHERE: 1310 16 ST. S.W.

The Sunalta Community Wildflower Garden had its official groundbreaking on July 5, 2001, however, the garden’s roots in the community go much deeper. The lot that is now the garden was owned by a longtime resident of the community who willed it to the City decades earlier to be used as a green space. Since

then, the garden has grown and expanded under the care of community volunteers. Along with the array of colourful, native wildflowers, it is also home to native grasses, trees and shrubs. The garden also provides more than 20 rentable plots to grow food, herbs, or colourful plants during the growing seasons.

As the Sunalta community continues to grow, the garden remains a place where residents and visitors can gather and connect. —M.R.

HILLHURST SUNNYSIDE COMMUNITY GARDEN WHERE: 9TH AVENUE N.W. AND SUNNYHILL LANE Started by residents in 1989, this garden is a haven for those who believe in the principles of organic gardening, with rules forbidding the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. —M.R.

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THE PRIDE OF BOWNESS

U

ntil 1964, the neighbourhood of Bowness was a separate town on Calgary’s western edge. Today, the city has grown and expanded around it, but Bowness has never lost its small-town feel. Just like many small towns, community events take place often in Bowness. There’s the Tour de Bowness bike race and street festival, the Bowness Auto Parts Show and Shine, Halloween on Mainstreet, and more. But one of the best events is the Bowness Stampede Parade and Breakfast.

Most years, on the first Saturday of the Calgary Stampede, the Bowness Parade winds along Bowness Road from the Shouldice Bridge to the

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Bowness Community Centre. The procession starts at 9 a.m., but many Bownesians in Western wear begin to plunk down lawn chairs along the route hours before. Like the Stampede Parade, the Bowness event has horses and acrobats and music, with one major difference — every float or vehicle throws candy to the crowd. Bownesian kids know that on parade day collecting Ring Pops and Tootsie Rolls is all part of the fun.

The parade celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2019. Then, like many events, it was required to take pause in 2020. That year, on Christmas Eve, deep into COVID restrictions, a group of Bowness moms decided to start a new parade tradition. They gathered at the Safeway near Shouldice Park and led a festive, socially distanced holiday

procession through the community. My little family bundled up to watch the 10 or so vehicles, some decorated in Christmas lights and all with carols blazing, drive through the snow-packed streets. That night we felt a little less isolated.

Natural barriers surround Bowness: two of the main entrances to the community cross over the Bow River. These barriers make Bowness feel distinct from the rest of Calgary, but despite this, Bownesians aren’t exclusive. We’re a friendly bunch and welcome all Calgarians to experience the neighbourhood, whether that means a fresh cup of coffee from Cadence, shopping for a shiny new bike from Bow Cycle, a pedal boat trip around Bowness Park Lagoon or a spot on the sidewalk during the next Bowness parade. —M.B.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JARED SYCH

A resident Bownesian explains why those from this unique northwest neighbourhood aren’t shy about loving where they live.

In this exclusively-estate community of southeast Calgary, every home in Artesia backs onto a green space, water amenity, ravine or pathway. Enjoy lush greenspaces, walking paths, tennis courts, picturesque ponds and wide open spaces that are all meticulously maintained to the highest standards.

MORNING COFFEES WITH A VIEW Pond Lots Available New Show Homes Now Open

ESTATE HOME BY

CRYSTAL CREEK HOMES

Take a virtual tour and see why Artesia is where you belong.

LiveInArtesia.com

ESTATE HOME BY

CORNERSTONE HOMES

SWIMMING HOLE GEM THE SLABS

O

n a hot summer day, there’s nowhere better to be than poolside, which is why eight neighbourhoods in Calgary are very fortunate indeed to have community outdoor pools. As public facilities, the pools are open to anyone from any part of the city, but for the people living close by they are true community hubs.

Since 2004, the pools have been managed by the notfor-profit Calgary Outdoor Swimming Pools Association (COSPA) with a funding allowance from the City.

(Initially, Silver Springs Community Pool was independently run by its community association, though it has since become a COSPA pool as well). Gloria Kelly was around for the formation of COSPA and currently volunteers as a director on the COSPA board. As a resident in the pool-endowed community of Highwood, Kelly

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frequented the pool there with her young children in the early 2000s. In 2003, she approached the Highwood Community Association about opportunities to volunteer and found herself with the role of pool coordinator.

“It was a huge learning curve, because I knew nothing about operating an outdoor pool,” Kelly says.

Kelly managed to get her bearings and has run the pool ever since for the community, which pays her an honorarium. Over her two decades in the role (minus two years when she stepped away while COSPA and the City of Calgary did a major renovation on the pool), she has seen little kids learning to swim grow up to become pool staff. The reason she has lasted so long is because it’s fun, she says, but also a great way to connect with her community. Whether it’s young families who come to splash around or seniors who are there to swim laps and sunbathe, they all love their pool. —S.A.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JARED SYCH, STEVE COLLINS

WHY OUTDOOR PUBLIC POOLS ARE TRUE NEIGHBOURHOOD GEMS

This sweet swimming spot gets its name from the rectangular concrete forms placed on the bank of the Elbow River as it rounds the bend from Stanley Park. At that point, the river deepens and the current slows to a gentle crawl, making it an ideal spot for a dip.

That being said, it’s also a popular gathering spot for speaker-toting sunseekers, so don’t expect to have The Slabs to yourself. —S.A.

Images Courtesy of Carmen MacLeod

Build the life you’ve always dreamed of in a community rich with lifestyle amenities for you and your kids to grow in.

A strong community is somewhere you feel at home spending time with family and friends, playing outdoors with the kids or enjoying a relaxing evening for two. Bayside Estates in Airdrie is a place you’ll love living in.

This is a community where you build connections and make memories – for life.

Build your dream life in a community developed by Genesis Land. You are just around the corner from the amenities and essentials that you need balanced out by scenic greenspaces, canals and views. It provides a one-of-a-kind setting for an active, multi-season lifestyle with endless opportunities for fun and recreation. When you’re thinking about taking the next step in life, take a step into one of Airdrie’s most beautiful communities, Bayside Estates.

EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS - Reaching the next milestone in your life is exciting and building your forever home is one of those moments. If you’re planning to grow your family or need more space for your kids, moving into a community like Bayside Estates is a great opportunity to find a home that can upsize and upgrade with you.

Genesis has partnered with two noteworthy builders in Bayside, Genesis Builders Group and McKee Homes to make your dreams come true. Quality, integrity and honesty are at the core of what they do, which comes through in their exceptional craftsmanship and tailored approach.

After all, we know home is more than bricks, mortar and a roof over your head.

Home is the place where you live out your dreams and watch your family grow and put down roots.

For more information on Bayside Estates in Airdrie or to request a show home tour, visit Genesis Land’s website, genesisland.com.

THE PUBLIC ARTWORKS WE LOVE In the past year, when galleries were shuttered, public art provided a safe way for people to experience the visual arts, and perhaps this made us all appreciate it a bit more. We asked our readers to tell us their favourite pieces of public art in the city. Here are the top four answers.

THE CONVERSATION (1981) WHERE: STEPHEN AVE AT 2ND STREET S.W.

WHERE: BOW TOWER, 500 CENTRE ST. S. It comes as no surprise that Jaume Plensa’s Wonderland is popular with our readers. The 12-metre-tall painted-stainless-steel statue has become a prominent fixture of Calgary’s downtown over its nine-year tenure at The Bow. If you haven’t taken a selfie in front of it by now, what are you waiting for?

VAN GOGH MONUMENTAL (2020) WHERE: UPTEN, 201 10 AVE. S.E. Bruno Catalano’s Van Gogh Monumental statue is a hit, despite being a relatively new feature at Strategic Group’s Upten apartment building. The mind-bending sculpture is a gravity-defying depiction of a fractured Van Gogh, and is one of three Catalanos on site, with the other two in the Upten lobby.

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This bronze work by William Hodd McElcheran has been a staple on Stephen Avenue for 40 years. The piece depicts two businessmen in an intense conversation, perhaps negotiating the terms of their latest oil and gas deal, like many other businesspeople who have passed them by in the last four decades. It is the only known McElcheran work in Calgary, though you can find his pieces throughout Ontario as well as in Pisa, Italy.

WOLFE AND THE SPARROWS (2019) WHERE: 12TH STREET BRIDGE (SOUTHWEST CORNER), INGLEWOOD This depiction of British Army General James Wolfe is not your average monument: only upon approaching the bronze sculpture at the gateway to Inglewood can you see that Wolfe’s visage is distorted by a flock of sparrows. Artist Brandon Vickerd was inspired by an existing statue of Wolfe sculpted by John Massey Rhind in 1898. That monument — a gift to the City from Glenbow founder Eric Harvie — can be seen at South Mount Royal Park in Upper Mount Royal. — C.G

I M A G E S C O U R T E S Y O F S T R A T E G I C G R O U P, C I T Y O G C A L G A R Y, C B R E

WONDERLAND (2012)

The Ranchmen’s Club Introducing our new General Manager and Head Chef

The Ranchmen’s Club is excited to announce that Will Trow will join the Club as General Manager and Douglas King as the Head Chef. They bring their passion and culinary expertise leading Canada’s award-winning restaurants. As industry experts, Will and Chef Douglas will work with the current team to achieve even higher levels of service and delivering our members and guests the kind of Club experience that only The Ranchmen’s Club has to offer.

Contact our Marketing & Membership Director, Cristina Guevara, to book an official tour of our clubhouse. membership@ranchmensclub.com www.ranchmensclub.com @RANCHMENSCLUB1891

W O N D E R WA L K S

ARTISTS (LEFT TO RIGHT) TYLER LEMERMEYER, CORY BUGDEN AND SYDONNE WARREN ON THE CRESCENT HEIGHTS MAGIC WALK.

best (and only) ways to visit with friends and family during times when restrictions prevented gathering indoors.

For many, this led to a rediscovery of the inherent pleasure a simple stroll can provide in a busy, fast-paced world. While you can go for a walk anywhere, these three walks in the neighbourhoods of Crescent Heights, Sunnyside and Brentwood Heights all offer something extra.

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CRESCENT HEIGHTS MAGIC WALK WHERE: CENTRE STREET N., BETWEEN SAMIS ROAD AND 7TH AVENUE N.E. Sandwiched between busy Centre Street and a retaining wall, the stretch of sidewalk leading into Crescent Heights from downtown was formerly an uninspiring trudge — local residents went so far as to refer to it as “The Walk of Doom” — and a poor representation of the vibrant and engaged community around it. So, in 2019, the Crescent Heights Community Association asked neighbourhood residents how the walk could be improved. The answer was simple: colour and art. Selected by a Crescent Heights jury, artists Sydonne Warren, Tyler Lemermeyer and Cory Bugden transformed the walk with a colourful new mural. No longer the walk of doom, the stretch is now referred to as the “Magic Walk.”

WHISPERING WOODS WALK WHERE: ACCESS FROM BARRETT DRIVE N.W. OR BRENNER DRIVE N.W.

MEMORIAL DRIVE LANE CLOSURE WALK WHERE: MEMORIAL DRIVE (EASTBOUND) BETWEEN 9TH STREET N.W. AND CENTRE STREET The section of pathway along Memorial Drive across from Prince’s Island Park is usually packed with pedestrians, cyclists, strollers and skaters on warm days and evenings. In an effort to give everyone a bit more room to move during the pandemic, City officials closed the two eastbound lanes of Memorial to traffic and opened them up to non-vehicular use as part of Calgary’s Adaptive Roadways Program, a pilot project to provide safe spaces for people to walk, run and cycle. The popularity of the program thus far means plans to expand capacity are already in the works.

Back in the 1960s, during the development of the northwest community of Brentwood Heights, a little piece of grassland got cut off from the larger spread of what would eventually become Nose Hill Park. In 1995, Dr. E.W. Coffin School adopted that small patch of prairie as part of Calgary’s outdoor environmental education projects. The students named the area the “Whispering Woods” and turned it into an explorative and interactive nature walk, creating a series of panels called the Whispering Signs and placing them throughout the area. Each sign is an “ecological alphabet” that reveals more about the plant species and local wildlife, making Whispering Woods both a beautiful walk and an educational experience.

—M.R.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CRESCENT HEIGHTS VILLAGE

Going for a walk was one of the

COMING TOGETHER IN THE SPIRIT OF CARING How Bonavista Cares and Parkland Cares have made building community a family affair.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JARED SYCH

A

s the pandemic secluded us in our homes, it reinforced the need for connection with our neighbours.

For two women in southeast Calgary, it also reinforced their commitment to the grassroots volunteer movement they started in pre-COVID times.

Crystal Milne and Julie Kyliuk are the respective founders of Bonavista Cares and Parkland Cares — sister organizations that promote communitybuilding and caring. Kyliuk, a born-and-raised Calgarian, and Milne, a transplanted Ontarian, became friends in the most Canadian of ways: their kids played on the same minor hockey team.

Milne started dreaming up what would eventually become Bonavista Cares while she and her family were temporarily relocated to the U.S. During that time, she looked for a volunteer opportunity that could include her three kids but kept coming up short since they were always too young to participate.

That desire to do volunteer work as a family stayed with her upon returning to Calgary. When she learned that others in her community of Lake Bonavista shared this desire (and frustration with age limitations) Bonavista Cares was born in 2015.

Kyliuk also took to Milne’s idea, seeing it as something she could adapt to her community of Parkland. With the city starting to feel the economic effects of a slump in oil prices, Kyliuk recognized a growing need for community members to support one another. “I know from experience that stress can make people internalize and isolate,” she says. “I figured that being a part of a community group that helped others might combat the negativity and worry.”

Bonavista Cares’ inaugural project was a Christmas Adopt-a-Family, while Parkland Cares launched with a food drive. Both organizations continued to operate throughout varying degrees of COVID-related restrictions on gatherings.

Bonavista Cares fundraised to purchase $15 gift cards for front-line workers in businesses serving

JULIE KYLIUK AND CRYSTAL MILNE

the community and delivered them with thank-you cards signed by community members.

Both Bonavista Cares and Parkland Cares also continued to compile birthday-parties-in-a-bag for the Calgary Food Bank throughout the pandemic, with over 200 bags donated in the past year.

The informal nature of the groups is sometimes the biggest challenge, with some events drawing only a handful of volunteers and others delivering overwhelming numbers. But Milne takes it in stride. “With everything that we do, if we get three people or if we get 300 people, it doesn’t matter

to me because I really believe that everything builds community,” she says. And while she acknowledges that it’s much easier to simply donate money to various efforts and causes, that misses one of the key ideals put forth by Bonavista Cares and Parkland Cares — to instill the value of community-building and caring in their kids. These kinds of community initiatives are more vital than ever right now and both women hope to inspire others to start their own Cares-style volunteer groups across the city. —J.S. avenuecalgary.com

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PA R K P E R F E C T I O N The City of Calgary Parks department manages more than 5,600 public park spaces, meaning that if you went to a different park in Calgary every day, it would take you more than 15 years to explore them all.

Among the thousands of parks out there, here are four of our favourites.

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READER ROCK GARDEN

WHERE: 4900 MONSERRAT DR. N.W.

WHERE: 325 25 AVE. S.E.

The sheer size of this athletic and recreational park in the northwest community of Montgomery is its most notable feature. Spread out over 28 hectares, you name it and Shouldice has it: batting cages, sports fields, tennis courts, access to the Bow River, a picnic area in a delightful shady grove. There’s also a massive (15,000 square feet) new inclusive playground, donated and installed in 2018 by Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, that Avenue readers deemed best in the city in our online poll. Basically, Shouldice is the kind of park that you pack up for and spend the day at, well worth the trip from any quadrant.

This heritage garden on the grounds of the historic home of the late William Reader, Calgary Parks superintendent from 1913 to 1942, is one of the city’s true hidden gems. Many Calgarians — even long-time residents — are unaware of its existence, despite it being right next to Stampede Park. But those who do know of the garden love it for being an oasis of tranquility, with winding stone pathways, placid waterfalls and soft grassy areas where you can put out a blanket and enjoy a picnic or relax with a good book. —S.A.

avenue September 21

PRINCE’S ISLAND PARK WHERE: ENTRANCES FROM EAU CLAIRE AND MEMORIAL DRIVE AT 3RD STREET N.W. This classic park is an actual island in the Bow River accessed by pedestrian bridge connectors. Prince’s Island is best known for hosting the Calgary Folk Music Festival and as the site of the special-occasion go-to restaurant River Café. But it’s also great for regular old park hangouts, with shady spots amidst towering trees, open spaces to play Frisbee or kick a soccer ball and multiple perches where you can sit and look at the river. Just don’t call it Princess Island.

RIVER PARK WHERE: 4500 14A ST. S.W. Of course, we had to include a great dog park on this list and River Park has long been a favourite of pups and their human companions. River Park has an enclosed area where dogs can run off-leash that features a “park within a park” with benches and custom-made water fountains for dogs and people.

The unique feature, first installed in 2007, is a memorial for Cathryn “Cat” Margetts, a local dog-walker and dogsitter who lost her life trying to rescue animals from her burning home.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JARED SYCH, STEVE COLLINS

SHOULDICE PARK

ADVERTISING FEATURE

The Plintz Report SEPT 2021

|

YYC

Real Estate That Works in an Unpredictable World The world has changed. The real estate market is changing. The real estate industry needs to change, too.

Plintz Real Estate embraces change and we can help you do the same when it comes to buying or selling a home. We study the data, acknowledge reality and put our experience to work for you.

We’ve proven this in Calgary’s tumultuous market over the past two decades, from 2008’s massive recession and 2014’s oil crash, to the ongoing turbulence of COVID-19. It’s easy to reach new heights in the good times; we’re most proud of our ability to achieve record results for our clients in the most challenging ones.

Change is inevitable. Change is good.

Our team learns from it and engages with it to move forward with our clients, while making the most of their real estate options. No matter the storm outside, we have been able to maintain steady sales growth while launching a new brokerage and hiring a larger team.

We would love to put our experience to work for you through whatever may come.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

A MESSAGE FROM DENNIS PLINTZ Resilience in Real Estate

20 Nearly 20 years experience

In 2019, I left a well-established real estate brokerage to found Plintz Real Estate because I had a vision for a different level of service. The result is a locally owned and operated brokerage with a focus on marketing and extended services that are tailored to the Calgary marketplace and to each unique client.

With nearly 20 years’ experience and over 1,000 clients served, our Plintz Real Estate team is well-equipped to assess and understand market trends and choose the most effective pathways for a variety of real estate transactions. My team and I deeply value responsiveness, creativity, and the connections made through three generations of living and building relationships in Calgary.

Building on the Past

1000 Over 1000 homes bought & sold

1 Goal to help you with your next move

2020 offered a lot of learning opportunities for every single one of us. We were rocked by the turbulence of a global pandemic and the resulting economic uncertainty. At Plintz Real Estate, we’re coming out of it tougher, more resilient, more aware, and ready to handle whatever else is thrown at us.

Let’s handle it together.

But it’s not nearly as important to dwell on the past or to even worry about today as it is to talk about where we are going. I’m excited about the future. I see it as a future that will build on what we’ve learned from the past, a future that’s calibrated for maximum opportunities.

It’s one thing to say it’s raining right now. It’s a whole other thing to be the person who saw that change in weather coming and got ready for it.

The same can be said for real estate: It’s one thing to be able to review the stats that describe the trends that are already upon us. We understand what’s coming next and how best to take advantage of it for you.

Positively,

Dennis Plintz Realtor®, Broker, Founder, and a believer that better is possible 2

At Plintz Real Estate, we believe that small is often better – at least when it comes to our team. Our compact but fiercely hardworking team isn’t worried about being the biggest. And we don’t aim to set sales records or win awards (but sometimes we do anyway).

We focus on knowing Calgary’s diverse neighbourhoods incredibly well. And we focus on you.

Why? Because our clients deserve it.

With each person we get the opportunity to serve, we create a customized approach to make buying and selling easier and better. Every step of the way, we empower our clients to hold us accountable to our core values of responsiveness and creativity.

Meet Our Team. A team that works for you.

Dennis Plintz – Founder and believer that better is possible for you and your real estate. Broker, Realtor, Owner.

Dennis has devoted his career to building relationships and improving the lives of the people he serves. Whether it’s seizing innovative technologies, telling the story of a client’s home with exceptional marketing, or expertly negotiating important deals, Dennis’s strategic vision allows him to navigate what is the largest transaction of most people’s lifetime.

Mandy Martin – Focusing on the details, always smiling, and extraordinarily helpful. Realtor.

New to the team, Mandy has hit the ground running, navigating Calgary’s fast-paced market and closing many significant transactions, from full-priced sales to competing offers.

Jonas Magnien – Waking up excited to go above and beyond for our clients. Realtor.

With a background in construction and entrepreneurship, he brings a wealth of knowledge, determination, and integrity to the team and to his clients. Jonas goes the extra mile for his buyers to help find them the perfect home.

Danielle Reneau-Hrycenko – Caring and creative at the highest level. Executive Assistant.

Having worked with Dennis for nearly a decade, Danielle keeps all the moving parts of our business working efficiently. She brings resourcefulness and thoroughness that make her a strong asset to her team and to our clients.

Kerry Howley – Expertly coordinating dates, detail, and people. Conveyancing.

Kerry’s attention to detail and excellent client service skills make her an indispensable member of the team. When launching Plintz Real Estate, we sought her out knowing she was the perfect fit to manage brokerage conveyancing while also providing client and agent support.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

ELBOW PARK 3819 12 Street SW

Upper Elbow Park - meticulous style & design

• • • • • • • • • • •

3,310 sq.ft

1,526 sq.ft lower level 4 bedrooms

4/1 bathrooms 10’ ceilings

Dual washer/dryers Outdoor kitchen Triple garage

West backyard 50 x 125’ lot

Offered at $2,500,000

ELBOWPARKYYC.com

ELBOW PARK 1009 38 Avenue SW • • • • • • • • • • •

4,623 sq.ft

2,187 sq.ft lower level 5 bedrooms

5/2 bathrooms

Elevator to all 4 levels

Covered deck w/ fireplace Double garage

Heated driveway South backyard 50 x 125’ lot

Offered at $2,885,000

38AVEYYC.com 4

Size, style, and views in Upper Elbow Park

ADVERTISING FEATURE

ELBOW PARK 909 Ridge Road SW • • • • •

6,026 sq.ft

2,655 sq.ft lower level 5 bedrooms

3/2 bathrooms

Renovated by Mitchell Design House

• Golf simulator • Triple garage • Backing onto ridge with extraordinary views

• Offered at $5,750,000

Extraordinary ridge location & views in Elbow Park

RIDGEROADYYC.com

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BEL-AIRE 1216 Belavista Crescent SW • • • • • • • • • •

4,401 sq.ft

2,312 sq.ft lower level 5 bedrooms

5/1 bathrooms

Floor-to-ceiling windows Two storey vaulted entry Grand curved staircase Wine tasting room

Backing onto golf course 100 x 150’ lot

Quiet community backing onto golf course

BELAVISTAYYC.com 5

ADVERTISING FEATURE

ERLTON 2605 Erlton Street SW • • • • • • •

Executive quality & design on the river

3,900 sq.ft

1,745 sq.ft lower level 3 bedrooms

4/1 bathrooms

Nam Dang-Mitchell design Indoor/outdoor living

Triple garage with heated driveway

• West backyard • 50 x 150’ Riverfront lot • Offered at $3,500,000

ERLTONYYC.com

ROXBORO 3027 3 Street SW • • • • • • • • • • •

3,829 sq.ft

1,741 sq.ft lower level 6 bedrooms

4/2 bathrooms

Dual home offices

Luxury master retreat Triple garage

Outdoor fireplace West backyard 50 x 125’ lot

Offered at $2,895,000

ROXBOROYYC.com 6

Unprecedented size & style in the inner city

ADVERTISING FEATURE

MOUNT ROYAL 1333 Montreal Ave SW • • • • • • • • • • •

2,461 sq.ft

663 sq.ft lower level 3 bedrooms

2/1 bathrooms

Two-storey great room

Deck, balcony, private yard South backyard Double garage

Heated driveway 50 x 110’ lot

Offered at $2,250,000

Architectural masterpiece on desirable street

MONTREALAVE.com

MOUNT ROYAL

103, 1732 9A St SW

310, 838 19 Avenue SW

• • • •

• • • •

1,297 sq.ft

2 beds / 2 baths

610 sq.ft patio+ balcony Offered at $450,000

CHELSEATERRACE.com

1,301 sq.ft

3 beds / 2 baths Titled parking

Offered at $370,000

MOUNTROYALCONDO.com 7

ADVERTISING FEATURE

PUMPHILL 151 Pumpmeadow

Place SW • • • • • •

3,423 sq.ft

1,842 sq.ft walkout basement

5 bedrooms + 4/2 bathrooms Paul Lavoie Design 4 vehicle garage

West backyard with pool, hot tub, fireplace & kitchen by VisionScapes

Private, poolside in the prestigious Pumphill

• 80 x 149’ lot • Offered at $2,500,000

PUMPHILLYYC.com

ALTADORE 4410 16A Street SW • • • • • • • • • • •

2,634 sq.ft

1,346 sq.ft lower level 4 bedrooms

4/1 bathrooms

Designer finishes throughout Luxury master retreat 300+ sq.ft deck Double garage 33 x 124’ lot

Built by Laratta Homes Offered at $1,650,000

ALTADOREYYC.com 8

One-of-a-kind luxurious style & design

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Interest Rates “YES - CONSIDER A 10 YEAR FIXED TERM MORTGAGE,” says this real estate company.

When it comes to buying a home, now is not the time for short-term thinking. Now is the time to consider the value of cash in your pocket now versus the long-term trajectory of interest rates and the economy.

The 10-year fixed interest mortgage rate in Canada has never been this low.

A home is meant to provide comfort, safety, security, and ultimately hold or even increase its value. And that’s why a 10year interest rate makes sense. For a lot of Calgarians who are thinking about buying a home, this is a fantastic time to buy.

That doesn’t mean everyone should buy a home. For example, if a few hundred dollars either way on your monthly mortgage payment is your primary focus when buying, then perhaps owning a home right now is not for you. Likewise, if that same few hundred dollars is the difference between making it or missing it on a month, then you may already be excessively leveraged, which is a dangerous position when rates inevitably increase and terms come up for renewal.

Let’s imagine for a moment that you’ve always wanted to buy a Toyota and they have never been cheaper than right now. You can afford it, so why not buy it? If you think short-term only, you may be attracted to a cheaper car that offers a lower payment. However, that car also won’t last as long as a more expensive but better-made vehicle and will likely have a lower resale value in the future. If things go really badly, you may even have to replace that “cheaper” car even before you’re done paying for it. Which was the better choice in the long term?

Real estate is different because it’s an investment whereas a car is not. Cars only depreciate, while the overwhelming trend with real estate is appreciation.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words Whenever a banker, broker or someone else says, “you should do this,” in real estate, it’s a good idea to look to see if they’re doing the same thing.

Are they taking their own advice? Are they buying the same products, services and assets in the same way as they advise you?

Dennis not only leads Plintz Real Estate, but also owns of a small portfolio of rental properties and is currently refinancing all of his mortgages and locking them in for 10 years. This is advice he is both giving and living.

Consider a 10-year interest rate. Talk to your lender, ask about projected rates over the next 10 years, do the math, and decide if a 10-year rate is right for you.

If you have questions on the value of a 10 year mortgage, pick up the phone and call Dennis. He will give you data, insight, and connect you with a few great mortgage brokers if needed.

587-317-8347

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

MISSION 1101, 318 26 Avenue SW

Rooftop paradise in the heart of Mission

• • • • •

The Riverstone

• • • • •

1,100 sq.ft patio

2,371 sq.ft

2 bedrooms

2/1 bathrooms

Floor-to-ceiling NanaWall to the outdoor patio

4 titled parking stalls Pools, fitness centre

24/7 concierge service Offered at $2,750,000

RIVERSTONEINMISSION.com

WILDWOOD 120 Wildwood Dr SW • • • • • • • • • • •

3,353 sq.ft

2,217 sq.ft walkout 4 bedrooms

4/1 bathrooms

Ron Molyneux architecture Triple garage

Extensive landscaping

SW backyard with views

Backing onto escarpment 70 x 261’ lot

Offered at $2,850,000

WILDWOODDRIVE.com 10

An architectural dream on the ridge in Wildwood

ADVERTISING FEATURE

WEST HILLHURST 2339 Westmount DR NW • • • • • • • • • •

2,621 sq.ft

1,049 sq.ft lower level 4 bedrooms

3/1 bathrooms 9’ ceilings

Botticino stone fireplace Smart home automation Triple garage 40 x 107’ lot

Offered at $1,325,000

Quality and turnkey on large corner lot

YYCWESTHILLHURST.com

WEST HILLHURST 2106 2 Avenue NW

Fully renovated and a perfect location

• • • • •

2,521 sq.ft

• • • • •

9’ ceilings

1,064 sq.ft lower level 4 bedrooms

3/1 bathrooms

Renovations by Xerri Custom Homes

Floor-to-ceiling fireplace Double garage 33 x 130’ lot

Offered at $1,290,000

WESTHILLHURSTYYC.com 11

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Valour Park

By Empire Custom Homes

LUXURY TOWNHOMES ONLY 3 REMAINING Over 3,000 sq.ft of refined interior design located only seven minutes from downtown. Enjoy the benefits of a lock and leave lifestyle with privacy of a single-family home. These luxurious townhomes with private elevators start from $1,570,000.

4VALOUR.com

VALOURPARKYYC.com

VICTORIACROSSBLVD.com

HEALTHY SINGLE FAMILY HOMES

102 Valour Circle SW • • • • 12

2,221 sq.ft

5 beds / 3/1 baths Double garage

Offered at $1,119,000

At Empire they take pride in building homes that are healthy and sustainable, with enduring quality and design. These single-family homes in the desirable community of Currie are an opportunity you don’t want to miss.

Quick possession and custom built homes available.

102VALOUR.com

ADVERTISING FEATURE

CHESTERMERE 685 East Chestermere Drive • • • • • • • • • •

Lakefront, pool, and unmatched outdoor lifestyle

3,946 sq.ft

2,519 sq.ft walkout 5 bedrooms

3/3 bathrooms Pool, hot tub

Oversized 4 car garage West backyard Lakefront

100 x 360’ lot

Offered at $2,350,000

CHESTERMERELAKEFRONT.com

MCKENZIE LAKE 90 McKenzie Lake Island SE • • • • • • • • • • •

2,063 sq.ft

1,370 sq.ft lower level Walkout bungalow 4 bedrooms

3/1 bathrooms

Vaulted ceilings Double garage

Lakefront with private dock Gated community 46 x 160’ lot

Offered at $1,350,000

Gated community & private lake access

MCKENZIELAKEISLAND.com 13

ADVERTISING FEATURE

LAKEVIEW

6911 Lowes Court SW

5606 37 Street SW

• • • •

• • • •

2,301 sq.ft

5 beds / 2/1 baths

Large West backyard

Offered at $1,450,000

LAKEVIEWVILLAGEYYC.com

MEADOWLARK PARK

3 beds / 2/1 baths Double garage

Offered at $725,000

LAKEVIEWYYC.com

CHESTERMERE

18 Mayfair Road SW

193 Rainbow Falls Manor

• • • •

• • • •

1,290 sq.ft

4 beds / 3 baths

610 sq.ft patio+ balcony Offered at $1,100,000

MEADOWLARKPARKYYC.com 14

1,968 sq.ft

1,116 sq.ft

3 beds / 2/1 baths Front veranda

Offered at $250,000

RAINBOWFALLSMANOR.com

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Rent, don’t buy OWNING REAL ESTATE IS HARD WORK Being a landlord can be a love-hate relationship. On the one hand there is the potential for profit. On the other, there are messes, cleanups, evictions, and missed payments.

Dennis bought his first house after his first year in the real estate industry. He has since added several more properties to his portfolio through the years, learning the realities of being a landlord. He has also helped over 1,000 clients buy, sell, and own their real estate – and even helped them clean up some messy situations involving an occasional loss.

“Everybody should own real estate, but not everybody should be a landlord,” Dennis says.

While he has a book’s worth of horror stories about being a landlord, he’s also seen some amazing results when people with the skills to be landlords take on tenants. That includes great people skills and being handy – or knowing which people to hire when the situation calls for it.

“When it works, it works great,” he says. “But owning real estate is also hard work. Never underestimate it. There is no such thing as passive income.”

Securing a tenant is hard. Collecting rent can be hard, maintaining a property is hard and evictions are extremely hard. Some landlords get lucky, but it’s not usually as simple buying a property and letting the income roll in. Even though it takes hard work, though, real estate is still one of the greatest wealth generators in history.

Should You Rent or Buy?

“When it works it works but owning real estate is work. Never underestimate it.

There is no such thing as passive income,” Dennis Plintz.

Though he earns his income from helping clients buy and sell real estate, Dennis says, “just because you can buy it doesn’t automatically mean you should.”

Whether we “should” buy is one of the most common questions a real estate agent is asked. Many agents say yes, buy, buy, buy because they want to earn a commission. We’ll tell you the other side of the story, which is that there can be benefits to renting as well.

Renting is easy and flexible. It offers a lot of freedom and doesn’t tie up your cash. And when the refrigerator dies or the hail storm hits, it’s not your problem. Does that sound right for you?

At the same time, buying can make more sense when you have a secure job, want to place roots in a community, have kids in school, want to put your own touch on a home, or you want a secure place to invest your money.

Whether you’re in the early stages of considering whether to buy a home, ready to jump in, or curious about buying an investment property and becoming a landlord, the Plintz Real Estate team will take the long view for you. We put you and your family first by asking a series of strategic questions to gain the insight needed to help you make the best real estate decisions possible.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

BIG EVENT COMING SOON - Early 2022 Off the record luncheon with Dennis Plintz.

Lake Bonavista

Britannia

An experienced perspective on the past, the present, and the future of real estate.

Reserve a seat at PlintzOffTheRecord.com

Elboya

Rideau

Currie Barracks

Britannia

RECENTLY BOUGHT

Mount Royal

At Plintz Real Estate we love helping you buy but we’re also excited to help you own your home and preserve your equity.

CREDIT

$1,000

CREDIT

$1,000

RECENTLY SOLD

Purchase a home with Plintz Real Estate before Dec 31, 2022 and receive $1,000 credit to HomeUpkeep.ca for the maintenance of your new home.

Elbow Park

We have partnered with Upkeep to help you maintain your home.

Elboya

Mount Royal 16

Until 27 November

Join us for the Made in Alberta marketplaces.

B O W VA L L E Y S Q U A R E OCTOBER 20, 9 AM TO 3 PM

CENTENNIAL PLACE OCTOBER 21, 9 AM TO 3 PM M ARKET HOS T

RELATIONS: Diaspora and Painting Curated by Cheryl Sim RELATIONS: Diaspora and Painting is organized by the PHI Foundation for Contemporary Art, Montréal, presented in collaboration with Esker Foundation.

More information & artists:

www.eskerfoundation.com/ exhibition/relations PROJECT SPACE AT STREET-LEVEL:

Molly JF Caldwell With One Hand Tied Behind My Back Until 10 October FREE Admission 4th Floor, 1011 9th Ave SE Inglewood, Calgary, Alberta @eskerfoundation www.eskerfoundation.art Image: Rajni Perera, Ancestor 2, 2019. Courtesy the artist and Patel Brown Gallery, Toronto.

avenuecalgary.com

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B Y T S E R I N G A S H A , N AT H A N K U N Z A N D L I S A W I L T O N P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y J A R E D S Y C H

COMMUNITY

A R T S

CHAMPIONS The arts have the power to inspire us, and also to bring us together. Meet five Calgarians working in the visual and performing arts, who help create community and make the city a more vibrant and engaging place to live.

Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett LIGHTING UP THE CITY WITH ARTWORKS THAT SPARK JOY AND WONDER

L

ast winter, a large spiky ball of light appeared in the neighbourhood of Ramsay and became a beacon during the darkest days of the year, sparking many a conversation between passersby and the artists who put it there, Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett.

Titled Solar Flare, the sculpture was originally commissioned in 2013 by the Calgary Downtown Association and hung above Stephen Avenue. Brown and Garrett had created a set of “legs” for the sculpture for a photo shoot and decided to exhibit it at the home they rent in Ramsay (the duo is a couple as well as creative partners). “We thought, ‘you know, it’s been a hard year for everyone, and it would be nice to share something with the neighborhood,’” 50

avenue September 21

Garrett said. “So, we decided to take advantage of our space. We’re on a corner lot, so there’s a lot of foot traffic, and we thought we would set it up in the yard and share it.”

It’s not the first time Brown and Garrett have brought people together through art. Nine years ago, their CLOUD sculpture was a highlight of Calgary’s first-ever Nuit Blanche art festival. The photogenic, interactive piece was constructed out of 1,500 pounds of steel and 6,000 new and burnt-out incandescent lightbulbs that could be manipulated by hanging chains.

CLOUD launched Garrett and Brown to the international stage, and the sculpture has since been shown in more than 15 countries.

“Even before CLOUD had its moment, it was already a communal artwork, in a way, because we had asked people to donate their burnt-out incandescent light bulbs,” Brown recalls. “We’ve had such great luck in Calgary because our community is investing in us as well, and we do try to pay it back.”

Another career high for Brown was helping curate and coordinate the collaborative exhibition Wreck City in 2013. Over the course

“SO MANY NEIGHBOURS CAME BY AND SAID THAT SOLAR FLARE BRIGHTENED THEIR DAY.” CAITLIND R.C. BROWN

of nine days, more than 150 artists, musicians and performers took over a block of soon-tobe-demolished houses in the community of Sunnyside. The exhibition attracted upwards of 10,000 people and remains one of the city’s greatest public art events ever.

When asked why Wreck City was so successful, Brown suggests the sheer number of artists had something to do with it, but also credits the neighbourhood’s embracing of the project.

“There was a great deal of curiosity,” she says.

“There are a lot of culturally active and culturally engaged folks who live there, so that really helped. And it was also right on the CTrain lines, so people could actually see the Wreck City sign from the window of public transit. It was free, too, and we tried to keep it as familyfriendly as possible.”

More recently, Brown and Garrett, along with Lane Shordee, were lead artists on an initiative to make Elbow Island Park more inviting. Their Wandering Island project features six permanent and functional art pieces installed throughout the island formations in the section of the Elbow River that approaches 4th Street S.W. Garrett and Brown’s contribution was the staircase that connects the park to Mission Bridge.

Back in Ramsay, Garrett and Brown often worry that encroaching gentrification could eventually spell the end of their domestic exhibition space. In the meantime, they’re just grateful to have it and intend to continue using it to present art to the community. Last year’s showing of Solar Flare was part of the duo’s Hibernation Project, a series they created to keep their spirits up and creative juices flowing during Calgary’s winter months. The project’s original intention was for fellow artists to collaborate on themed installations in their yard, though last season’s COVID-related restrictions meant many Hibernation events happened at public venues such as parking lots.

If there was a bright light from last season’s artistic output, it was the one in their yard.

“So many neighbours came by and said that Solar Flare brightened their day,” Brown says.

“We have a neighbour across the street who is in health care and was super depressed when the COVID cases were really high. She came home and Solar Flare was installed and she said it felt like it was a sign for her, and that it gave her this small amount of hope. Anything that makes people feel a little bit better right now is worthwhile.” —L.W. avenuecalgary.com

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Wunmi Idowu CREATING A MOVEMENT TO SUPPORT BLACK ARTISTS AND AFRICAN CULTURE IN CALGARY

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“[PERFORMING] WAS A WAY FOR ME TO START COMBATTING RACISM BECAUSE PEOPLE GOT AN IDEA OF WHAT MY CULTURE WAS ABOUT...”

WUNMI IDOWU

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avenue September 21

s founder and director of Woezo Africa Music & Dance Theatre, Wunmi Idowu uses the performing arts to connect audiences in her North American home to the culture of her homeland.

A natural-born performer, Idowu started dancing for friends and family at the age of three, before immigrating to Canada from Nigeria in 1992. During the years when she and her two siblings were the only Black kids in their Edmonton school, the performing arts became a lifeline for Idowu, reminding her of the power of community and how art could bridge gaps between her culture and her new home when it felt like the two were worlds apart.

“That was a way for me to start combatting racism, because people got an idea of what my culture was about, in how to access music and the style of dance that I presented,” she says.

Idowu performed with Edmonton’s Wajjo African Drummers and Kekeli Dancers as a teen. She went on to start Woezo in 2006.

Though performance is a huge part of what Woezo does, the organization is so much more than a performing arts company. Idowu’s mission includes cultivating a rich community of performers in Calgary by developing all kinds of artistic talents. She has spearheaded initiatives such as the Black Arts Development program on scriptwriting and acting; and Roots to Balance, a project for young people aged 12 to 22 to tell stories through animation. She also helped launch the Unganisha professional networking mixer, a space that celebrates Black entrepreneurship and culture.

Last October, Immigrant Services Calgary awarded Idowu the Immigrants of Distinction Award for Arts and Culture. She kept busy throughout the pandemic by presenting programming such as Roots to Balance virtually.

Idowu plans to continue her twinned missions of cultivating appreciation for African performing arts and serving performers here in Calgary. “We want to continue to build on that because it’s putting Calgary on the map,” she says. “We want people to know that there are some amazing artists here.” —T.A.

Karolina Gajewska MAKING AN IMPRINT FOR BUSINESS AND CREATIVITY TO THRIVE

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“SEEING PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO RELATE ON SOMETHING BRINGS MAGIC.” KAROLINA GAJEWSKA

n the past decade, Karolina Gajewska has lent a hand and led the charge with local arts mainstays like the Calgary International Film Festival, Market Collective and Sled Island Music & Arts Festival. Currently, she is president of the printmaking hub Burnt Toast Studio, while also assisting on TV and film sets. But at the heart of it all is a desire to bring people together. “There are so many incredible people looking for ideas and for other people to chat to. It’s cool to be able to facilitate that in a small way,” Gajewska says. “Seeing people being able to relate on something brings magic.”

Recently, Gajewska extended her work to a different definition of community through the Calgary Greenview Industrial Business Improvement Area (BIA), where Burnt Toast is located. Gajewska first got involved with the Greenview BIA shortly after it was established in 2017. In late 2020, she stepped into her current role as executive director.

As a small-to-medium industrial zone, Greenview is unique in its wide range of longtime tenants, which include automotive shops, cultural societies and trades services. But in recent years, the neighbourhood has welcomed buzzworthy new businesses such as Citizen Brewing Company and Queens Breakfast Cocktails, plus creative-arts spaces like Idle Eyes Collective, a studio and gallery for photographers. Gajewska says finding a common vision for all tenants is central to the Greenview Industrial BIA’s mission. “The one thing that we can rely on is everything is going to change.

So how can we influence that change so that it’s beneficial to [the older] and the newer businesses that are coming in?” she says, noting that adding sidewalks and deterring crime have been some of the BIA’s recent focuses.

Gajewska knows the process of improving a community takes time, collaboration and a lot of patience. But, as with all her endeavours, the potential for positive progress keeps her moving forward. “It is a lot of work, but it’s also just the belief structure I have,” she says. “If you want to make a change, you’re going to have to put in the time.” —N.K. avenuecalgary.com

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“MURALS HELP BEAUTIFY OUR CITIES, AND HELP BEAUTIFY OUR STREETS AND OUR BUILDINGS AND OUR WALL SPACES.” DEXTER BRUNEAU

Project and a founder of the Sunnyside Murals Project. In other words, he’s mad about murals.

Dexter Bruneau PAINTING THE TOWN TO INSPIRE AND ENGAGE

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he next time you spot a colourful scene on a high-rise in the Beltline, or an intricately painted garage door on a residential street in Sunnyside, you can thank Dexter Bruneau for that. Bruneau is the executive director of the Beltline Urban Murals

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“In the most simple way possible, [murals] help beautify our cities and help beautify our streets and our buildings and our wall spaces. It makes it a better place to live, a more enjoyable place to be,” Bruneau says. “Further to that, it also helps engage people, because people all of a sudden have a reason to be looking at a wall.”

Bruneau will be the first to say that painting murals isn’t a new phenomenon in Calgary.

“It’s a tradition that’s been going on for a long time — specifically painting garage doors to help activate the alley spaces in the neighbourhood — so this is by no means a new or unique

thing that I’m doing,” he says. The residents of Sunnyside are especially passionate about this style of art, he says.

But by creating a pipeline of paid artistic opportunities, and connecting muralists to one another, Bruneau believes he can contribute to the longevity of Calgary’s artistic community.

“It’s crucial to continue paying artists,” he says.

“By paying artists, it helps encourage them to ask for compensation for their time and their effort and their creative work, which, in turn, will help create more opportunities for them and help them work their way into a place where they can have it be a more reliable source of income.” —T.A.

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C H I N AT OW N PAS T PRESENT FUTURE

With its Tomorrow’s Chinatown planning initiative, City Hall hopes to revitalize Chinatown for residents, business owners and visitors alike.

Those with ties to the area are hopeful but wary of these intentions. or more than 20 years, Joyce Chan and her family have owned Try Again, a bubble tea shop in the lower level of the Opulence Centre on 3rd Avenue S.E. One of the first bubble tea shops in downtown’s Chinatown, the family business had already weathered the 2013 flood, with no electricity for 10 days, and a flurry of popular bubble tea chains from Taiwan and Hong Kong popping up nearby before the pandemic took its toll on the area.

Chan can often be seen behind the plastic partition helping her mother and father fill orders. She doesn’t view the new bubble tea shops as competition, so much as another way to attract people to visit the area, particularly during the pandemic.

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The Opulence Centre is home to other Chinatown icons like Rainbow Bakery and Auntie’s Chinese Burger. As a long-standing business in the centre, Try Again has evolved along with the community, witnessing its many shifts. “When we first opened, no one knew much about bubble tea,” says Chan.

“Chinatown has changed a lot. After the flood, many restaurant owners retired or didn’t reopen.”

Even after flood recovery in the area, Chan says she has noticed foot traffic decline over the years.

Recently the pandemic has made staying open even more challenging and many storefronts have closed.

Try Again has managed to stay afloat partly because of its takeout options. It has also received ongoing

BY STEPH WONG KEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE COLLINS

support from the local community, drawn to the high-quality drinks with homemade tapioca pearls and the friendly demeanour of the family in the small, well-decorated shop.

Chan notes that some shops have closed due to a generation gap. The older generation who immigrated from China and other parts of Asia set up shop in Chinatown only to find their children either aren’t able to, or aren’t interested, in inheriting their businesses. Though Chan plans to take over Try Again once her parents retire, she worries about other older business owners who may not have this option. “It’s sad to see places closing,” she says, “I wonder what will happen to Chinatown and how to

connect younger people back to the area, to honour it and make it seem valuable again.”

Try Again is one of many businesses in Chinatown uncertain about the future of the community.

Its future affects not only business owners, but residents, seniors, benevolent societies and the visitors who all contribute to the sustainability of the area.

As the effects of the pandemic linger and antiAsian racism continues to rise, Chinatown feels more necessary than ever as a space for the community to stay connected and find support, both financially and culturally.

Spurred by a public call for an updated planning model for the area, the City of Calgary recently

announced its Tomorrow’s Chinatown planning initiative, “to support Chinatown’s future growth so it remains a vibrant, culturally rich place to live, visit, work and do business for generations to come.” The initiative is meant to replace the Chinatown Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) from 1986, which the City admits didn’t consider planning for Chinatown with a cultural, community-centred lens.

“The new ARP is unique because it will be influenced by Chinatown’s own cultural plan,” says Fazeel Elahi, one of the senior planners on the project and the lead for the Local Area Plan. “It will give guidance and direction based on Chinatown’s unique local conditions and community.” avenuecalgary.com

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“I wonder what will happen to Chinatown and how to connect younger people back to the area.”

JOYCE CHAN

TERRY WONG

“Communities are not just property values.”

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The City’s redevelopment plan comes at an opportune time for Chinatown, given the many challenges it’s facing and the many different groups working to improve it. Though the City has taken steps to engage the community in the planning process, residents and stakeholders are still cautious about outcomes and how redevelopment will affect Chinatown’s sustainability.

Terry Wong, executive director of the Chinatown District Business Improvement Area (BIA), sees the City’s proposal as part of a longer-term project to ensure the community stays vital and relevant. “If we don’t establish Calgary Chinatown as a unique cultural enclave, we risk losing it,” he says.

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algary’s Chinatown is no stranger to the risk of losing its claim to space.

Historically, its status as a cultural enclave in the city has been both its biggest asset and its biggest challenge.

Dating back more than 100 years, Chinatown has existed in three different locations in Calgary.

In the 1880s, Chinese railworkers, predominantly young men, could neither afford to go back home, nor have their families join them due to the head tax imposed by the Canadian government that started at $50 and eventually rose to $500 per person. This left them stranded and separated from their families. Trapped in unfamiliar territory, they formed a small community at 8th Avenue and Centre Street near what is now the site of Glenbow museum. In 1886, a fire consumed much of the original district, and the community relocated just south of what is now 9th Avenue.

Chinatown was displaced again before 1910, when the Canadian Northern Railway decided to run tracks through the area and bought out the land to build the Palliser Hotel. To establish the community once more, several Chinese merchants purchased land near 2nd Avenue and Centre Street south, despite debate at City Hall about whether Chinese Calgarians should be segregated and not allowed to hold building permits.

Despite being described as an area with “generally unsatisfactory conditions,” where “unsavoury smells abound” by the Calgary Herald in 1910, the district thrived with the establishment of organizations like the Chinese YMCA, the Chinese Mission and the Chinese Public School.

In 1947, the federal government repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which had halted Chinese immigration for more than 20 years. By 1967, the Chinese population in Calgary had soared.

However, many newcomers opted to live outside

“THE MOMENT YOU THINK YOU KNOW MORE THAN THE BUSINESS OWNERS, THE SENIORS AND THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, IT’S AN ISSUE.” TERRY WONG

of Chinatown, away from the city centre, putting the community in jeopardy yet again.

But the most serious threat to present-day Chinatown began in the 1960s when City planners proposed the construction of the East-West downtown “penetrator,” a freeway extension of Bow Trail that would split Chinatown in two. In response, the community gathered to create the Calgary Chinatown Development Task Force, a coalition of community leaders and business owners. The task force worked together for three years to create a design brief for the area, calling for a stop to the penetrator as well as improvements to housing, schools and cultural facilities.

Several other important groups and landmark projects emerged out of this work, including the Sien Lok Society, Sien Lok Park and the Oi Kwan Foundation’s senior housing project (now part of Clover Living, a senior retirement centre in the heart of Chinatown). It also helped pave the way for the Chinese Cultural Centre, completed in 1992, which was constructed to prevent the development of high-density buildings in favour of a shared community space.

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any Chinatowns, like Calgary’s, sit on prime downtown real estate, ripe for redevelopment.

Across Canada, Chinatowns and their stakeholders are engaged in an ongoing and sometimes tense conversation about the growing trend of knocking down older buildings and replacing them with high-density office and residential towers. This type of redevelopment often results in “building creep,” raising the cost of living for residents and pushing the

community further out into the suburbs. “We see downtown creep happening now in Chinatowns in Winnipeg, Vancouver and Toronto,” Wong says. “It’s definitely worrisome for Calgary.”

Calgary’s Chinatown faced this issue in 2019, when a developer proposed a three-tower project at 2nd Avenue S.W., just east of the Cultural Centre. The project was eventually rejected after the community protested.

As a former member of the advisory group for the Tomorrow’s Chinatown initiative, Wong hopes the City will respect the historical significance of several buildings in the area and not allow highdensity developments to be approved. He notes that new developments often are not affordably priced for seniors, lower-income households and multi-generational living — key populations in Chinatown. Development also typically leads to an influx of chain retailers and corporate franchises as anchor tenants in new buildings. This can then put smaller local and family-owned businesses, and less-formal operations like street vendors, at risk of closing. Wong believes these smaller retailers are the character of Chinatown and shouldn’t be overrun. “Communities are not just property values,” he says. “Communities are made up of the people who need to thrive in the area.”

Sien Lok Society president John Dong is more in favour of development. He sees it as a way to increase foot traffic for existing businesses and support the area financially. Established in 1968, Sien Lok Society supports Chinatown with fundraising galas, free events for seniors and donations to organizations in Chinatown and throughout Calgary, as well as an annual scholarship program.

Dong notes that currently, businesses in the area can’t compete with grocery chains like T&T in suburban communities, and as a result, business is suffering. “I don’t want to see our Chinatown become dead or empty,” Dong says, “because our family has been in Calgary for over 100 years.”

Danny Ng, a director of the Sien Lok Society who has participated in the advisory group for the Tomorrow’s Chinatown initiative, also believes development could increase activity in the area and make it feel vital again. He feels businesses are struggling due to fewer visitors in the area and because none of the usual festivals and events took place during the pandemic.

Both Dong and Ng are weary of changes made to Chinatown without community consultation, particularly by the City. Wong agrees more work could be done to help build trust between the City and the community. avenuecalgary.com

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“The moment you think you know more than the business owners, the seniors and the community members, it’s an issue,” Wong says.

The Tomorrow’s Chinatown initiative has focused efforts on community consultation, an acknowledgement, perhaps, of the gaps in the previous ARP. As part of the discovery process, the City’s planning department consulted with key stakeholders like the BIA, Sien Lok Society and seniors’ organizations, and established the advisory group of 25 members from the community. “We recognize and acknowledge the painful past of Calgary’s Chinatown,” Elahi, the senior planner, says. “With the development of the Cultural Plan for Chinatown, the City will continue to facilitate an ongoing conversation with the community.”

This past summer, the City opened a bike and walking pathway through 3rd Avenue. The project happened in tandem with construction in Eau Claire and flood mitigation work in the area. Proposed as a way to increase foot traffic in Chinatown, it nevertheless raised community concerns. Grace Su, executive director of Clover Living seniors’ residence, thinks the pathway may help make the area more walkable for visitors, but worries about its unintended effects on residents and merchants. “The loss of parking stalls could affect family visitations to senior residential buildings in the area, including Clover Living,” she says.

“The speed of scooters and bikes is also a concern for seniors who are slow crossing the roads.”

Wong, who is running for City Council in Ward 7 (which includes Chinatown), feels the proposed pathway project is an example of City Council not thinking holistically about how a small development change affects the community as a whole. He believes communities should be involved at the “problem/opportunity definition stage” rather than used as a sounding board for the City’s solutions.

He also points out that though the City’s proposal for Chinatown may be approved, the community will still need to collaborate to put it into action, bringing together all of the key stakeholders who are passionate about the area’s future. “Ultimately, the City’s cultural plan for Chinatown is just a plan,” Wong says. “We need to take ownership on executing the plan, using it as an opportunity and a responsibility to move forward together.”

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lice Lam, a member of the volunteer advocacy group I Love YYC Chinatown, says the tone on City Council seems to be shifting to be more informed and considerate of com-

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“CHINATOWN HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR A CONNECTION THAT CAN’T HAPPEN ELSEWHERE.” T E R E S A TA M

munity needs. She sees this shift as reflective of the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests and public anti-racism hearings in July 2020, as well as calls for City Hall to be more inclusive in how it engages with the public. “Councillors have become more radicalized, more educated,” Lam says. “As the City embarks on an anti-racist approach to the way they handle things, it is important [that they] not force something to happen if the majority of residents don’t think it will benefit the neighbourhood. It should be a partnership, and compromises must be made on both sides toward the goal of building a better community.”

Part of I Love YYC Chinatown’s mission is to act as a bridge between older generations in Chinatown and the greater Calgary community, as well as foster cultural exchange and preservation. The group provides walking historical tours of the area, highlighting the stories of the original settlers and the tongs. The tongs, also known as benevolent societies, grew out of Asian immigrants’ needs for support for housing, jobs and community connection, particularly amid ongoing racism and discrimination. The tongs also helped establish affordable living spaces and amenities within walking distance, creating a planning model that responded directly to the needs of residents.

“We want more Calgarians to learn about the resilient history of this community and see the value of replicating this model in other parts of the city,” Lam notes, adding that she’d love to see young families moving into Chinatown.

I Love YYC Chinatown is part of a resurgence of younger people taking an active interest in the area’s future. Artist-run centre The New Gallery

(TNG) moved to Chinatown in 2013, and has since made it a priority to engage with the needs and interests of the community. Partnering with the City of Calgary Public Art Program, TNG created the Calgary Chinatown Artist Residency.

Three artists with a connection to Chinatown were selected from across North America to create new projects that include outreach with local community members. “Residencies are important for public art because the community needs to be able to see and access how art is made to avoid a disconnect,” says TNG’s director Su Ying Strang.

Teresa Tam, a participating artist in the TNG residency along with Annie Wong and Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong, is also one half of Yolkless Press, a risograph printing press started in 2020 to create art outside a traditional gallery space. Yolkless distributed its first publication, Colonial Imports, for free throughout Calgary. The publication explored the ubiquity of bubble tea in Chinatown and its relationship to the future of the area. “Colonial Imports came from a frustration with the tokenization of ‘ethnic’ food, often reviewed with a colonial perspective,” Tam says. “We wanted to create an enjoyable project, while also being critical of the typical ways of reviewing and responding to food.”

With several projects in the works, Yolkless Press hopes to find an affordable location in Chinatown with enough room to create an informal gathering space in the community. “Chinatown has the potential for a connection that can’t happen elsewhere,” Tam says. “It would be great to create a place to linger in the area, to exchange not only money, but also ideas and art.”

Despite some decline, new businesses have also continued to open in the the area. Nhi Tran and Tanner Ennis, say they couldn’t have found a better spot for their first hospitality venture, Paper Lantern. Known for its authentic Vietnamese food and creative drinks in a tropical setting, the restaurant prides itself on its varied clientele, and co-owners Tran and Ennis say they hope this inclusiveness contributes to the sustainability of the community.

“Chinatown is a magical, welcoming place that’s rooted in culture. It’s home to some of the most amazing food and history you’ll find in Calgary,” Tran says. “And we wanted to be a part of that.”

The more this sentiment is shared by businessowners, residents, visitors, City officials and others, the more likely it is that Chinatown will continue to be a vibrant and relevant cultural enclave, regardless of future development.

SU YING STRANG

“The community needs to be able to see and access how art is made to avoid a disconnect.”

TERESA TAM

“We want more Calgarians to learn about the resilient history of this community.”

TANNER ENNIS AND NHI TRAN

ALICE LAM avenuecalgary.com

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HOME RUN BETWEEN HISTORICALLY LOW MORTGAGE RATES, CHANGING LIFESTYLE NEEDS, BOLSTERED SAVINGS AND MORE COMPETITION IN THE MARKET, THERE’S A LOT FACTORING INTO HOW THE RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE MARKET HAS CHANGED OVER THE PAST YEAR.

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B Y M I C H A E L A R E A M I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y M AT E U S Z N A P I E R A L S K I

osh Sim lives in Calgary and works remotely for an Ontario-based company, a work-life situation spurred on by the pandemic. Statistics Canada reports that since the beginning of 2021, 32 per cent of Canadians aged 15 to 69 are working mostly from home, compared to just four per cent who worked from home in 2016.

In his pre-pandemic life, Sim lived in Ontario in a rented apartment. He had considered buying, but felt priced out of the market.

“I rented the whole time and kept an eye on prices, but I felt like I was a long way off from owning what I wanted to own,” he says.

Originally from Calgary, Sim saw an opportunity to buy here

thanks to the more affordable market and the fact he could now work remotely. His search began in November of 2020, and in March of 2021 he was able to close on a house in Killarney that he took possession of in May. Like Sim, many other homebuyers have experienced changes in their home needs and possibilities, and these shifting needs — especially for the new remote-work lifestyle — have fuelled a housing boom. Between pent-up demand for new homes created by the early pandemic freeze on buying and new needs created by lifestyle changes, the market has seen drastic upheaval in a short time. As such, first-time buyers, upsizers and downsizers alike need to be aware of how the market is changing before jumping in. avenuecalgary.com

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First-Timers First-Timers TakingTheir Their Taking FirstSteps Steps First When the pandemic reached Calgary, realtors and economists predicted a full freeze in the housing market.

Uncertainty about the future meant no one wanted to buy or sell.

But then Calgarians caught what real estate agents now refer to as “pandemic fever.” The market kicked into overdrive and houses sold faster than new listings came available. Despite the initial impact of the pandemic, Calgary has since seen some of the strongest sales comparative to the last five years, nearly enough to offset all the losses from the first shutdown.

In March 2021, the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB) reported 2,903 home sales. The last time the month of March saw such high housing sales was in 2007 with 3,939. April 2021 also saw record sales with 3,209 homes sold, compared to 573 in April 2020 and 1,547 in April 2019.

The surge in sales is, in part, a result of the number of homebuyers looking for larger homes with bigger backyards — homes that can accommodate remote offices and online classrooms. Single-family detached homes with three or more bedrooms are currently leading the market.

For first-time buyers, stepping into a market that’s even more heated than usual can feel daunting. That said, Royal LePage reported that 56 per cent of Albertans aged 25 to 35 own their own home, and 25 per cent of them bought during the pandemic.

Paradoxically, the pandemic created the perfect market for many first-time buyers. Interest rates are low and there is a lot of comparatively affordable inventory. While the prices of larger detached houses have soared, bungalows have increased by about four per cent and condos have decreased in price by 1.6 per cent.

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MortgageMatters Matters Mortgage When the economy is strong, interest rates are typically higher. The Bank of Canada adjusts the lending rate in order to cool the economy and stabilize inflation. In a weak economy, the opposite is the case.

Low growth leads to fewer investors and buyers, so lower interest and mortgage rates help the economy recover. As a result of the pandemic’s extremely weak economy, interest rates have plunged to historic lows. Not just the lowest rates since a specific year, but the lowest rate ever recorded in Canada.

“They’ve never been as low as they have been since they started keeping track of these things,” says Dan Eisner, founder and CEO of True North

Mortgage (and a member of Avenue’s Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2009).

Pre-pandemic, mortgage rates sat between two and five per cent, depending on the type of loan.

In the spring of 2021, the best rate on a five-year fixed-rate mortgage was 1.58 per cent. True North’s online mortgage calculator used to put out an error message if clients tried to search for anything less than two per cent. “There’s never been a mortgage rate of two per cent or less. So, the rates are so low it literally broke our calculator,” says Eisner.

Calculator-breaking mortgage rates are part of what ultimately opened the market to buyers of all

BetterHomes Homes Bigger andGardens Gardens and Upsidesfor for Upsides Downsizers Downsizers andInvestors Investors and

While first-time homebuyers like Sim have helped heat the housing market, one of the early factors that pushed the real estate market into fever territory came from upsizers.

Homeowners in the inner city and the core migrated to larger suburban homes with space for home offices, online learning and bigger backyards.

Buyers looking for larger homes created what real estate agents call “the hollowing out” from the downtown residential and commercial scene. In the fourth quarter of 2020, Calgary’s downtown office vacancy rose to 26.9 per cent and commercial real estate services company Avison Young predicts things will still get worse. As many jobs shifted to remote work, fewer Calgarians needed to live near their corporate offices. And with lockdown measures in place there wasn’t anything else to do downtown, either. Short commutes were no longer the domain of those living in the inner city as suddenly everyone’s commute was measured in metres.

kinds. Right now, the Bank of Canada has set rates deliberately low to help support economic activity and steadily promote new growth. The question is when the Bank of Canada will increase the lending rate. While there are lots of estimates, there is no definite answer. Still, the Bank of Canada has promised an increase once the country reaches its inflation objective of two per cent. Currently, experts predict that goal will be reached in the second half of 2022.

As for True North Mortgage, Eisner guaranteed its calculator would never break again by setting it to accept anything above zero.

“[MORTGAGE] RATES ARE SO LOW IT LITERALLY BROKE OUR CALCULATOR.” DAN EISNER, TRUE NORTH MORTGAGE

Thanks to the strong interest in singlefamily detached homes, downsizers are ideally placed to take advantage of high prices on what they’re selling and comparatively lower prices on what they’re buying. Those looking for smaller condominium homes are especially spoiled for choice at great prices. In April 2021, 837 condos went on the market, pushing the total inventory to more than 1,800 condo listings. CREB’s June 2021 benchmark price for apartments sat at $253,000, a modest increase from $250,500 in June 2019.

Thanks to these comparatively lower prices, there’s also potential opportunity for investors looking to earn extra income through rising rental rates.

Since hitting a high in August 2019, Rentals.ca has seen rental rates decline steadily in many Canadian cities. As of this past June, year-over-year rent on a one-bedroom in Toronto had declined by 12.9 per cent, in Vancouver by two per cent (and 8.2 per cent for a two-bedroom), in Montreal by 3.7 per cent and in Edmonton by 0.9 per cent. Calgary, however, is one of the exceptions. Here, as of June, average monthly rents have increased year over year by 6.9 per cent for a one-bedroom and by 12.7 per cent for a two-bedroom unit.

Even though downtown is hollow now, Kamil Lalji, an associate broker at CIR Realty, predicts people will move back once the pandemic is over to return to the social scene offered by the area. For those looking for a long-term investment, snapping up downtown real estate while it’s priced competitively may be just the ticket. avenuecalgary.com

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Logicvs. vs.Emotion Emotion Logic Mortgage rates are so low now that they have nowhere to go but up. As those rates increase, Eisner says it’s likely home prices will decrease. The question is how much and how soon.

If increases are driven by natural economic growth, the drop shouldn’t be too big. But if the increases are a “bubble” and the prices are unrelated to value, the drop can be steep. When real estate bubbles burst, housing prices plummet suddenly and leave mortgages above the market value of any property. Eisner says, there’s no real way to know which scenario you’re in “until after the bubble bursts.” Still, he believes Calgary isn’t experiencing a real estate bubble.

A bubble, Eisner notes, is characterized by speculative sales. “So you have people buying a home today in anticipation of it costing more a year from now and maybe selling it in a year. Generally, that’s not what we’re seeing. We’re seeing people that want a home they like to be in when they’re forced to stay home all the time.”

Lalji believes that much of the boom in the housing market is a result of lifestyle changes brought on by the pandemic. What people want in a home and in their life now is different from what they wanted before, and one thing the pandemic has done is given everyone clarity. “There’s been a lot of situational change, and that’s the biggest reason why there’s all this energy and excitement,” he says.

Indeed, Sim purchased his Calgary home, an older, smaller detached house, with a sense of newfound clarity. “When I was looking at [homes in] Ontario, I was looking solely at condos because of the prices. Now, I work from home, which will be a pretty significant part of my work going forward, so I wanted more space.”

He also needed a yard for his new dog and space for a home gym. While going to a gym was a regular prepandemic activity for him, Sim says it 66

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isn’t something he wants to continue.

“I wanted a bigger garage for a home gym. Having more amenities in the home has become quite important to me,” he says.

Lalji cautions, however, that as the demands of post-pandemic life start to change again, there isn’t necessarily a guaranteed return on investment on a big suburban home with lots of amenities. “If you overpaid for the property in the suburbs, you’re stuck with that for 15 or 20 years until things reverse again,” he says.

But across the market, homebuyers are jumping onto low rates and appealing homes before prices and rates can change, regardless of the cost. Lalji sees buyers who are more than willing to pay above asking and to waive conditions getting “caught in the emotion of the time.” In one case, Lalji says, a listed house sold unconditionally for $60,000 over asking.

Eisner calls it a fear-factor reaction — homeowners responding to the threat of rising interest rates rather than to an actual increase in rates.

If your own interest in buying is lifestyle needs rather than trying to make money on a smart investment, then buy now. Just make sure it’s right for you, not because of the market buzz, or what Lalji calls an “auction mentality,” where you’re buying just because everyone else is.

He adds that homebuyers should analyze the property and make sure it makes sense from a value perspective first. “There’s always opportunity in every market, so it really just depends on what you’re buying.”

Fortunately (for some), new mortgage stress test regulations came into effect this past June, making it harder to get a mortgage. The stress test thresholds help ensure that buyers will be able to pay off their mortgage even if interest rates go up. The change will most likely help cool the market (and emotions) a bit.

“[ THE PANDEMIC] HAS MADE PEOPLE CONSCIOUS ABOUT HOW THEY CHOOSE TO LIVE.” JAMES ROBERTSON, UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY PROPERTIES GROUP

ThePost-Pandemic Post-Pandemic The HousingMarket Market Housing James Robertson, president and CEO of the University of Calgary Properties Group (UCPG), says that companies and employers are shifting long term to working from home. “I think companies have realized they don’t have to bring their staff downtown every day and people enjoy that lifestyle,” says Robertson. He also notes the “social side effect” of working from home that many people have since come to appreciate. “We see more of each other, we get to know our neighbours.”

Even so, Robertson believes housing demands will change yet again post-pandemic. “We’re going to see people choose location as a very important criterion. I think [the pandemic] has made people conscious about how they choose to live.”

Confessions of a Former Renting Advocate Writer Max Fawcett has advocated renting as the road to financial security for many years. But this past spring he bought a home. What changed?

I That new sense of value will also transform future building demands. Senior living communities, multi-generational housing and affordability are at the forefront of these new demands. And there’s already a shift toward houses with home offices built into the layout becoming the new standard.

Spending more time at home has also shifted many homeowners’ focus on the sustainability of their homes. Everything from energy-efficient appliances, LED lighting and triple-pane windows are becoming standard in new homes. “The sustainability aspect is now almost an expectation, versus a stretch goal. People are simply building sustainability into their lifestyles,” Robertson says.

In addition to the UCPG’s sustainable building measures, a number of local developers, including

Trico Homes and Jayman Built, are implementing sustainable measures and methods into their future building plans. “We start to win on sustainability when we no longer talk about sustainability. It just becomes an aspect of design,” Robertson says.

Like Lalji, Robertson believes the pandemic has encouraged a new outlook of connectivity, community and support, which he sees playing into Calgary’s recovery. “I think we’re going to appreciate getting our way of life back to some level, but I think it’s made people conscious about what they value.”

Whether you’re a first-time buyer, a buyer looking to upsize or downsize, or just want to stay put where you are, considering your own values rather than home values might be the key to coming out of the fever market in good health.

f you try to make your living as a writer for long enough, eventually you get hoisted on one of your own petards. But even by that standard, my recent decision to buy a house — an actual house, with actual land underneath it — still came as a surprise. After all, I’ve spent the better part of a decade advocating on behalf of renting, and renters, and it’s not like my argument has fallen apart. If anything, the soaring prices in the cities and suburbs across Canada makes it stronger than ever.* But here in Calgary, we live on an island of relative sanity — at least when it comes to our real estate market.

That’s why as my life changed and the personal advantages of homeownership started to clearly outweigh the negatives, I decided to buy.

I’ll still happily wave the flag for renting in this country, and I’ll continue to insist that we need policies that make it a more attractive and rewarding choice. In places like Toronto and Vancouver, there is no reasonable alternative for millions of people.

The only difference now, I suppose, is that I’ll wave that flag from my house. —Max Fawcett *To read those arguments, just type “Max Fawcett rent” into any search engine.

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TAKING IT FROM THE TOP B Y T O M I A J E L E I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y J A E S T E R L I N G

Calgary is not exempt from the widespread problem of racial inequity within the leadership of arts and cultural organizations, but even though efforts are being made to change things, the question remains whether it is enough to make racialized artists want to stay and create work here.

or a long time, the boards and leadership groups of major arts organizations have been predominantly filled by white people over 50. In his June 2020 article, “A Crisis of Whiteness in Canada’s Art Museums,” for Canadian Art, author Sean O’Neill surveyed four of Canada’s top art museums over a two week period prior to publication. His findings were that all directors were white, all board presidents were white, 96 per cent of the senior executives were white and 75 per cent of board trustees were white.

None of the four museums O’Neill looked at were based in Calgary, but that doesn’t mean Calgary is exempt from the problem of racial inequity in arts leadership and governance. Here, like everywhere, this concentration of power has made it difficult for racialized artists to thrive.

Recently, Calgary’s arts sector has been taken to task with calls by artists for more accountability and transparency around racial equity. In response, many organizations here — both established and 70

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grassroots — have implemented changes to organizational structure, policies and processes. Among these organizations are the city’s new contemporary art gallery Contemporary Calgary, and one of its longest-standing institutions, Glenbow.

Recently, Glenbow has taken significant steps to diversify its board of governors.

“Often, we think that if there is diversity at the executive level in organizations that this is sufficient to ensure appropriate representation. However, if there isn’t diversity at the board level, to whom the executive reports, this can be dangerous.

The ultimate control of the organization rests with the board,” says current board chair at Glenbow Irfhan Rawji, founder and CEO of the tech talent firm MobSquad and principal at Totem Capital Corporation.

This past spring, Glenbow announced the nominations of five new board members, all of whom identify as Black or Indigenous. Once these nominees are formally confirmed as governors at the annual general meeting this month, there will be 10 racialized board members, representing 42 per cent of the Glenbow board, up from 22 per cent.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: CHERYL FOGGO, ALEX SARIAN, JAE STERLING, DAVID LEINSTER, JORDAN BAYLON. avenuecalgary.com

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hile representation in leadership is an important step toward achieving equity for racialized artists, organizations also need to dig deeper to address systemic racism in their processes, practices and norms that have previously gone unchallenged.

The process of actively deconstructing these foundations is often referred to as decolonization.

DAVID LEINSTER Over the past year, Contemporary Calgary has engaged in conversations about barriers that exist in processes and systems that have colonial foundations. “It’s clear listening to some of the concerns of artists in the community that organizations need to do Sarian says that he hopes to more than just provide a space for an artist,” says David Leinster, CEO of “change the DNA” of what has historiContemporary Calgary. cally been — and continues to be — To create an environment where racialized artists can thrive, Contemporary a white-led organization. He notes Calgary has shifted from a standard onboarding process to an approach of cothat this work will be done through a creating a unique residency experience with each artist. “When we sit down with combination of arts programming, as an artist to talk about an opportunity in the gallery, it’s not just to say, ‘we have well as challenging the organization’s a spot in a residency, are you interested?’ The conversation needs to be, ‘tell me hierarchy and re-conceptualizing the more about your practice. How can we support you as an artist in the commuphysical design. nity? What are the things that you’ve found difficult to achieve the success or the “I think that the process of leaning type of experience you’re hoping to have in a residency?’” Leinster says. into this both personally and instituArts Commons is also examining its organizational practices, suggesting that tionally is a very intimate and reflecthe Arts Commons Transformation (ACT) project — a $450 million expansion tive process,” Sarian says. “No two and modernization of the Arts Commons buildings — is meant to be about institutions can tackle it, or should more than just the bricks-and-mortar spaces. tackle it, the same way.”

“We need to stop talking about transformation as being physical,” says Alex The need for transformation in Sarian, president and CEO of Arts Commons. “We need to start talking about leadership and programming isn’t transformation as being philosophical and programmatic. Our new building just the domain of the city’s estabneeds to be the physical manifestation of who we become.” lished companies and organizations To develop its Indigenous strategy, Arts Commons consulted with Indigehowever. nous cultural and spiritual leaders. It’s just one example of how Arts Commons Even those groups that have been is working to build a better arts ecosystem for the city. forged in progressive thinking, such

organizations need to do more than just provide a space for an artist.

i sometimes feel frustrated with the pace of change. And while change has accelerated in recent years, it came at a cost.

CHERYL FOGGO 72

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as Femme Wave, are not exempt from experiencing a racial reckoning in terms of leadership and governance.

Founded in 2015 by friends and bandmates Kaely Cormack and Hayley Muir, who crowdsourced $5,000 to put on a music festival showcasing women and non-binary artists, Femme Wave grew into an annual feminist arts festival with 20 committee members, a board of directors, and a large community of interdisciplinary artists. From its inception, the goal of Femme Wave was to hold space for those the arts community and society had marginalized. This

commitment to social justice left the founders feeling strongly convicted after being challenged by their community because the leadership team was made up of only white women (Cormack, Muir and Stephanie Perrin, the organization’s resource director). During the upswell of public dialogue around systemic racism in the summer of 2020, Femme Wave’s community was also dismayed by the organization’s silence on the issue — and this compounded the existing concerns about the all-white leadership team.

“It was very clear that we had done some harm to people,” Cormack says.

In January 2021, the entire Femme Wave leadership team stepped down from their paid positions in the organization (though they remained available to help board members on a volunteer basis). Cormack and Muir had founded Femme Wave out of a desire to foster a safe space for artists, but both felt that taking a step back was the only way to truly uphold that JORDAN BAYLON mission and create space for BIPOC and LGBTQ2SIA+ leadership.

To support the organization’s transformation, Femme Wave brought on Jordan Baylon, a queer non-binary way, all parties agree that the wellbeFilipinx artist and community worker. “The intention was originally to hire me ing of the community needs to be to undertake some sort of process to bring the community into this conversaprioritized over the longevity of the tion, to center those Black, Indigenous, racialized voices,” Baylon says, “and in organization. “We’ve come to terms an intersectional way as well, that also considered other aspects of equity, such with the fact that Femme Wave might as inclusive design and gender and sexuality.” not exist after this,” Cormack says.

They also brought in The Colour Factor, an organization dedicated to deIn the arts, as in life, history has colonizing wellness that was co-founded by three Black and racialized women, shown that change can be slow and Priscilla Cherry, Nitu Purna and Iftu Hargaaya. The Femme Wave leadership often happens on the backs of those worked alongside Baylon and The Colour Factor to collect feedback from who suffer the most. Author, filmCalgary’s arts community and to re-center the organization — a long and often maker and playwright Cheryl Foggo, ambiguous process of change. recipient of the The Doug and Lois “Compared to a lot of the other organizations, they are actually committed to Mitchell Outstanding Calgary Artist honoring the time and not giving up,” Cherry says. But embracing the inherent Award at the 2021 Mayor’s Lunch for complexity that comes with confronting systemic discrimination has left the Arts Champions (an annual event future of Femme Wave and its leadership up in the air. “The answers are still organized by Calgary Arts Developgoing to be with the people that have never been at the table before,” Baylon ment and the Office of the Mayor), says. “All I want to do is create the conditions for that to happen. I’d really love has watched Calgary’s arts scene to see Black, Brown, Indigenous, racialized folks who haven’t been at the table mature over the past 35 years. come in and take ownership of the organization. To me, that would be success.”

“I sometimes feel frustrated with While the original leadership team and the transformation team all hope to the pace of change,” Foggo says. “And see Femme Wave continue on to serve marginalized artists in an intersectional while change has accelerated in recent

The answers are still going to be with the people that have never been at the table before.

years, it came at a cost.”

With the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd and the start of the Stop Asian Hate movement, many believe we are experiencing a society-wide “racial reckoning.” For the arts, that reckoning encompasses #InTheDressingRoom, a conversation started by a takeover of the Stratford Festival’s Twitter account by Black theatre artists, who used the opportunity to express their experiences of racism in the performing arts.

As Foggo points out, this current shift in the landscape is due to “people’s excruciating pain being exposed.” It’s a common thread in human-rights movements that gain significant public attention — that the pain and labour of racialized people is a necessary catalyst for change.

At Contemporary Calgary, conversations that began addressing barriers for racialized artists only started after the artists put themselves out there to describe their negative experiences working with the organization.

“We learned some lessons about things that we can do differently,” says Leinster. “They were difficult, especially for the artists who experienced them, but we’re really grateful for those artists having come forward with those concerns.

Because they allow us to grow as an organization, and that will only help to improve the arts ecosystem in this community.”

As The Colour Factor team knows from their work with Femme Wave, even organizations that are open to change and transformation end up having racialized individuals wrestle through a cycle of educating and then validating the feelings of those who are being challenged. “The process wasn’t easy for them. It wasn’t easy for us as well,” says Colour Factor’s Purna. “We were exhausted.” avenuecalgary.com

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Too often, for us to get recognition, we have to go through these harsh environments and harsh realities.

JAE STERLING

his cycle illustrates the need for community care and healing throughout the change process. “I’m hurt by your actions in some ways, and then I can see you are also in pain ... because I hold you accountable for something,” Purna says.

“It’s kind of like I’m doing double the work.” Since racialized artists are the victims but also, in many cases, the problem solvers, creating space for these artists to have decision-making power is a way for organizations to honour that labour.

Arts Commons’ Incubator program aims to help redesignate power within that organization. Funded and supported by Arts Commons, the program operates under the leadership of 2021 fellows Jae Sterling, a Black multidisciplinary artist known for his work as a muralist (and the illustrator of this article); and multidisciplinary artist Contra, one half of the hip-hop act Cartel Madras. Launched this past spring, Incubator aims to accelerate artists’ careers through networking, professional development, mentorship and performance and exhibition opportunities. “The program is exactly what we’ve been trying to do here, which is create a safe space and a space for multidisciplinary artists that are often overlooked,” Sterling says. “They basically gave me the keys to the building. And I’ll take advantage of that, trust me.”

Sterling believes that the decision to have him and his associates, the SANSFUCCS collective, run a program like this is a significant step for Calgary.

“They didn’t get me out of academia,” he says. “The person that they approached about this is a former rapper who comes from a background that was never going to be acknowledged by these institutions. I think that alone gives me a lot of optimism as far as what it’s going to look like in the future, what downtown Calgary, the art scene is going to look like.”

As one small step toward building a scene in which racialized artists can thrive, Incubator offers a glimmer of hope. “We are going to start the narrative that you don’t have to go through a hostile environment to get recognition as a QTBIPOC artist in the city,” says Sterling. “Too often, for us to get recognition, we have to go through these harsh environments and harsh realities. So we’re gonna change that. I don’t even want to say we’ll try. We have to.”

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Even as programs such as Incubator show that some institutions are inviting change, only time will tell if the impact to the arts in Calgary will be long-term, and if it will be enough to get racialized artists to stick around.

“I was never the only [Black artist] here, but I was sometimes the only one that stayed,” Foggo says. “I have worked with amazing Black actors and theatre makers and writers for decades and they’ve almost always felt that they had to go away in order to be recognized or to get opportunities.

That’s been devastating to me. So I’m holding on to hope that I will actually see a pool of people working here and staying here and able to tell stories that are from here.”

Accountability of arts organizations will always be a crucial part of the story of how racialized artists find a home, but an equally crucial part of the story is recognizing that these artists have been making space for them-

selves within these organizations long before public pressure and protests.

“We have always carved out our own spaces, because we’ve had to,” Foggo says. “And we have accomplished incredible things just by refusing to sit down, refusing to be silenced.

“I think that has to be part of the conversation — just how much placemaking we have always done and will always do — no matter what the people who control the purse strings, or no matter what organizations that are still, really, predominantly controlled by white folks, do.”

But until there is lasting change, the reality is that racialized artists may not stay, and Calgary’s arts scene will suffer the loss. “So we will continue to create change for ourselves and to create spaces and to make art,” says Foggo.

“We will also continue, or perhaps participate more fully, in holding organizations to account.”

FA L L

MARIE Iris Setlakwe coat, $629, from Espy Experience; Icône jacket, $129, and pants, $89, and bralette top, $25, all from Simons; Ganni platform sandals, $575, from Leo Boutique; chain necklace, $22, and earrings, $24, from Oak + Fort; Bottega Veneta crossbody bag, $3,970, from Holt Renfrew; Celine sunglasses, $470, from Chinook Optical.

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COLOURS

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MARIE Rains puffer jacket, $1,099, from Espy Experience; Icône button-up shirt, $59, Contemporaine cargo pants, $99, Twik ribbed tank, $49, Matt & Nat sunglasses, $65, and Polo Ralph Lauren ankle socks, $20, all from Simons; Prada loafers, $1,250, from Holt Renfrew.

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MARIE Metallic joggers, $149, and tank, $98, from Kate Hewko; Jenny Bird chain necklace, $235, from Leo Boutique; Casio watch, $79, from Simons; Dr. Martens boots, $250, from Little Burgundy; Acne Studios crossbody bag, $250, and Versace sunglasses, $306, both from Holt Renfrew.

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RYAN Stone Island overshirt, $650, cargo pants, $500, and crewneck, $535, all from Less 17; Vitaly mother-of-pearl necklace, $135, and bracelet, $105, from Simons; A-Cold-Wall crossbody bag, $860, from Holt Renfrew; Nike Jordan AJ1 Mid sneakers, $150, from Foot Locker. avenuecalgary.com

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RYAN The North Face windbreaker, $130, Neil Barrett denim jacket, $1,200, and cuffed pants, $650, Acne Studios T-shirt, $300, Salomon trail-running shoes, $200, and Vitaly chain necklace, $160, all from Simons; Vuarnet sunglasses, $475, from Chinook Optical.

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MARIE Burberry jacket, $1,350, hoodie, $830, shorts, $1,250, and sneakers, $960, all from Holt Renfrew; socks, stylist’s own.

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MARIE Ellese half-zip anorak, $200, bike shorts, $40, crop tee, $35, and Calvin Klein socks, $16, all from Simons; Prada loafers, $1,250, and Saint Laurent SL sunglasses, $575, both from Holt Renfrew.

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T HE K-FOOD GUIDE TO CALGARY Korean restaurants to try right now.

B Y G R A C E WA N G W I T H F I L E S F R O M C O L I N G A L L A N T P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y J A R E D S Y C H

K

orean cuisine has been a vital part of Calgary’s dining scene for at least three decades — Korean Village Restaurant in Downtown West End is celebrating its 30-year milestone this year — and more recent additions routinely end up on lists of the best places to eat in Calgary. In recent years, the other KFC (Korean fried chicken) has exploded in popularity. So with all that in mind, it seemed like the right time to highlight some of the finest Korean restaurants in the city. Read on, then go out and enjoy!

R OY ’ S KO R E A N KITCHEN

R

oy Oh earned his reputation as one of Calgary’s most exciting chefs with his Koreanfusion restaurant Anju. But with Anju closed for renovations, Roy’s Korean Kitchen has become the go-to for those craving his modern dishes with a traditional Korean twist.

For hands-on types, Roy’s also offers Korean barbecue kits so you can create lettuce and meat wraps at home.

MUST TRY DISHES Roy’s oxtail tortel-

lini is Korean-Italian-fusion perfection: Wonton wrappers, subbing in for traditional pasta, are stuffed with juicy oxtail flavoured with soy sauce and a touch of truffle oil. Roy’s soy-maple Brussels sprouts offer a delicious take on this trendy side dish, with bacon providing a salty counterpoint to the sweet maple syrup flavours.

2024 4 St. S.W., 587-287-9949 (text only), royskoreankitchen.com, @royskitchenyyc

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DINING

SUDAM KO R E A N R E S TA U R A N T

L

ocated in Calgary’s far northwest, Sudam Korean Restaurant is an unassuming joint serving up some of the most authentic and flavourful Korean food in the city. While most meals at Korean restaurants start with complimentary banchan (side dishes), Sudam’s rotating banchan offerings stand out for their freshness, presentation and flavour.

The traditional soups (tang) and stews (jjiggae) are flavourful and rich, and the hotpot offerings (a fondue-like preparation where meats and vegetables are cooked at the table in boiling broth) are consistently delicious.

MUST TRY DISHES Sundubu jjigae is a spicy soup flavoured with beef, pork or seafood and a generous dose of Korean red chili, cooked up and served in a traditional stone bowl.

Budae jeongol, is a hotpot version of the popular Korean dish known as “army stew,” created after the KoreanAmerican war from surplus American military ingredients. You’ll find Spam, sausages and kimchee in Sudam’s version of this spicy, salty comfort food as well as ramen noodles.

122, 15 Royal Vista Pl. N.W., 403-460-9222, sudamrestaurant.ca, @sudamrestaurant avenuecalgary.com

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HANKKI

I

n Korea, street-food vendors are popular options for snacks, meals and everything in between. Hankki, a restaurant whose name translates to “one meal,” serves up a small menu of tasty snacks such as seasoned fries, fried chicken and bulgogi dumplings, but the main draws here are Korean-style hot dogs and cupbop, flavourful meats and veg served over steamed rice in a cup. The food comes out fast, fresh and at affordable prices.

MUST TRY DISHES For a fun take on a classic hot dog-and-fries combo, order the “ugly potato” corn dog with chunks of potato in the batter, and honey-butter seasoned fries.

Bow Valley Square (second floor) and 1058 17 Ave. S.W., 403-475-2218, hankkica.com, @hankkiyyc

K STREET FOOD

K

Street Food is another option in Calgary for authentic, delicious Korean street food. From bowls of Korean noodles to traditional fish cakes, K Street Food has a wide variety of both savoury and sweet snacks — not to mention trendy drinks like caramel-infused Dalgona coffee, a whipped concoction of sugar and instant coffee over milk.

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MUST TRY DISHES Gimbap (or

kimbab) is a twist on sushi, where seaweed and rice are stuffed with cooked ingredients such as carrots, egg, radish and meat. K Street Food also has hotteok, a traditional winter street-food that’s like a cross between a pancake and a cinnamon roll.

1211 Edmonton Tr. N.E., 587-352-8811, @kstreetfood_calgary

DINING

KO R E A N VILLAGE R E S TA U R A N T

C

algary’s grand dame of Korean restaurants, Korean Village, has been serving up hearty, traditional Korean dishes, barbecue and hotpot since 1991. While the menu offerings are pretty much all solid choices, the barbecued meats are definitely a cut above. Meat dishes come in both spicy and mild marinade options, and larger tables have built-in grills on which adventurous diners can cook their own proteins. That said, Korean Village staff will barbecue your meal for you in the kitchen if you’re feeling a bit grill-shy.

MUST TRY DISHES Wang galbi is an

extraordinarily tender short-rib cut marinated in a traditional sweet and savoury barbecue sauce. It’s served with special scissors so you can cut strips that are the perfect size for wrapping up in lettuce with a dollop of ssamjang, a spicy soybean and chili sauce.

1324 10 Ave. S.W., 403-228-1120, koreanvillageyyc.wordpress.com

BB.Q CHICKEN

I

n Korea, the pairing of fried chicken with beer is a cultural phenomenon known as chimaek. Korean fried chicken distinguishes itself with a two-step frying process that ensures a crispy and light texture. Thanks to this method, even sauce-glazed Korean fried chicken retains its crunch.

Bb.q Chicken, a global Korean fried chicken chain, has perfected its technique and offers a variety of sauce options.

MUST TRY DISHES Bb.q’s secret-

sauced chicken is a perfect example of classic Korean fried chicken, with its thin, crispy crust and savoury-sweet Korean sauce with a kick. Of course, it pairs perfectly with your favourite cold beer.

Four Calgary locations, taplink.cc/bbqchicken_calgary, @bbqchicken_calgary

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DINING

AND FOR DESSERT...

Korean dessert shops are a category unto themselves.

Here are some of the sweetest spots in Calgary.

SNOWY VILLAGE (101, 3604 52 Ave. N.W.) is where you’ll find bingsu — strands of shaved ice milk topped with everything from green tea and fresh fruit to Oreos.

JINBAR

A

ward-winning chef Jinhee Lee’s restaurant serves up expertly made KFC alongside creative fusion dishes.

A Waldorf salad, for example, is transformed with sesame aioli and the mac ’n’ cheese gets a Korean twist with the addition of kimchee.

MUST TRY DISHES Jinbar’s fried

chicken has a signature crispy texture and comes in a variety of flavours — try the honey-garlicbutter for a sweeter treat, or for spice lovers, there’s the buldak, which literally translates to “fire chicken.” The Korean beef bulgogi pizza is fusion at its finest, with slices of marinated, grilled beef and enoki mushrooms.

24 4 St. N.E., 587-349-9008, jinbar.ca, @jinbaryyc 88

avenue September 21

GALBI

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ocated just off Macleod Trail, the newly rebranded Galbi (formerly Migarock Korean Restaurant) offers a wide selection of Korean cuisine staples with an emphasis on barbecue and a selection of contemporary fare. In July, the menu was updated to focus on high quality meats, you-grill meal experiences and, of course, wang galbi (translation: “king ribs”).

MUST TRY DISHES Aside from the

wang galbi, diners should consider

the chulpan experience, where you grill at the table with a large cast iron pan. It comes with sauces, meat and veggies, and is usually ordered with sari (add-ons). There’s also dolsot bibimbap, a rice, beef and vegetable dish cooked and served in a sizzling hot stone bowl, giving the outer layer of rice a satisfying crunch. It is finished off with gochujang sauce and an egg.

17, 7400 Macleod Tr. S.E., 403-452-1020, galbicalgary.com, @galbicalgary

At DAUCK SA RANG (1324 10 Ave. S.W.), tteok (sweet rice cakes) are handmade and steamed fresh daily. One of Dauck Sa Rang’s must-try treats is a vividly purple tteok flavoured with ube (purple sweet potato).

WOW BAKERY (three Calgary locations) is a popular bake shop that adds Korean and Japanese touches to French-style patisserie. In addition to its signature tea-flavored chiffon cakes, Wow is known for fusion items like the soft matcha milk loaf and pastry chef Kyung Yeon Hwang’s flaky, buttery croissants.

ALPINE LUXE H OW TO E XP ER I EN CE THE HI G H L I F E I N T H E M O U N TAI N S THI S FAL L

T

GALLERY SUITE AT FAIRMONT BANFF SPRINGS.

he Alberta Rockies once represented the height of luxury travel, with well-heeled visitors arriving by train for stays at grand hotels the railway built to entice them to the area. While travel to the region has become much more accessible, those seeking a taste of the high life can still tap into that legacy

of alpine luxury. As seasoned Calgarians know, fall is an optimum time to experience the best of Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper — along with autumn colours, you’ll find relative peace and quiet and much-desired elbow room if you wait out the busy summer tourist season. Here are some ways to truly indulge yourself in the mountains (and Foothills region) near Calgary this season.

BY COLIN GALLANT

EDEN RESTAURANT AT THE RIMROCK RESORT HOTEL.

EAT AT FIVE-DIAMOND EDEN The Rimrock Resort Hotel up near Banff ’s famed hot springs is where you’ll find Eden, the only restaurant in Banff National Park with a fivediamond rating from the AAA/CAA Diamond-Rating program. (Because the Michelin Guide does not rate restaurants in Canada and Canadian restaurants are not eligible for James Beard awards in the restaurant and chef categories, the AAA/CAA is the regional restaurant-rating authority.)

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At Eden, it’s all about French-inspired tasting menus and prix-fixe meals in the rustic-but-dramatic room — think a hyper-elevated take on The Great Northern Hotel from Twin Peaks.

Choose your number of courses and tier of pairings and let the chef and sommelier take care of the rest. Expect decadent foie gras and caviar served up alongside local beef and bison to arrive at your table, or request a vegetarian tasting menu if that’s more your style.

MOUNTAINS OUTLOOK CABIN AT FAIRMONT JASPER PARK LODGE.

THE WINE CELLAR AT THE POST HOTEL.

GET A TASTE OF FINE WINE CULTURE The Post Hotel in Lake Louise is part of Relais & Châteaux, a prestigious Frenchfounded hospitality group for boutique properties. While that distinction has earned The Post a certain cachet, in the last two decades, the hotel’s claim to fame has been its wine cellar. Curated by co-owner George Schwarz, the wine cellar at The Post contains more than 25,000 bottles and has received Wine Spectator’s Grand Award for 19 consecutive years. The cellar is not open to the general public, but guests of the hotel can arrange for private tours and tastings as an add-on to dinner reservations.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL SROKA COPYRIGHT THE POST HOTEL

FIND YOURSELF IN THE FOOTHILLS Secluded Azuridge Estate Hotel near Priddis was originally built in 1997 as a private residence. Now it’s a boutique hotel with 13 exclusive rooms on a property that spans 13 acres. Professional butlers are on hand to cater to your every need, while the relatively new (as of spring 2020) Flourish — The LIV Well Spa offers a crystal-themed experience as designed by author and “transformational change” coach Sean Liv. Consider the stay package that includes two nights at Azuridge with three meals each day, one spa service of your choosing, an in-person coaching session and guided trail walk with Liv, and a Flourish journal.

DINE IN A PRIVATE DOME This past February, the Fairmont Banff Springs — the only Forbes Travel Guide star-rated hotel in the region — added a new private-dining experience to its hospitality repertoire: The 360° Dome.

Seating a maximum of six, the heated Dome is made of transparent hexagonal panels that provide clear views of the world-famous

alpine scenery. The Dome has been on the Vermillion lawn for the summer and will move to the Lookout Patio for the upcoming winter. Two-hour bookings are available for brunch; wine, charcuterie and cheese spreads; or five-course dinners featuring dishes such as Brant Lake Wagyu beef carpaccio, scallop rumaki and bison short ribs.

GO GOURMET AT THE NEW BUFFALO Up on Tunnel Mountain, just far enough removed from bustling Banff Avenue, Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts’ Buffalo Mountain Lodge recently did extensive renovations to its Buffalo Suites. The new Buffalo Suites feature wood-burning stone fireplaces with sitting areas. Mobilityaccessible and pet-friendly suites are also available. While the suites have kitchenettes, it’s unlikely you’ll do much cooking if you opt for the gourmet getaway package, which includes dinner for each night of your stay as well as breakfast in the lodge’s restaurant, The Prow — the pancakes with macadamia nuts, strawberries and melted-ice-cream sauce are about as decadent as breakfast gets.

SEE THE “MATTERHORN OF THE ROCKIES” BY CHOPPER Striking Mount Assiniboine is often referred to as “the Matterhorn of the Rockies” and without a doubt, the coolest way to see it is by helicopter. The Canmore base of Alpine Helicopters offers sightseeing tours to Assiniboine, which is on the Continental Divide where Alberta and B.C. meet. Your pilot will point out various landmarks along the way, and you are also free to ask any questions you like. Most bookings require a minimum of two people, but if you’d like to fly solo, give Alpine a call and they’ll see what they can do.

BEST ROOM IN THE HOUSE TH E SE SUP E R IOR SU IT ES A RE T HE H E I G H T OF LU X U RY IN T HE N EA RBY M OUNTAI NS. IF YOU ’ RE LOOKIN G FO R TH E BEST OF T HE BEST, YO U’V E FOU N D IT.

OUTLOOK CABIN AT FAIRMONT JASPER PARK LODGE The best rooms at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge are not rooms at all — they are cabins, though this humble descriptor hardly begins to describe the Outlook Cabin, which has housed Royals on more than one occasion. At 6,000 square feet, the Outlook has sleeping capacity for up to 16, and each bedroom has its own ensuite bathroom. Outlook guests enjoy views of idyllic Lac Beauvert, an enclosed conservatory and veranda, two wood-burning fireplaces, a full kitchen with private catering entrance, a generous patio and private parking. fairmont.com/jasper/

RHODOCHROSITE SUITE AT AZURIDGE ESTATE HOTEL This suite is often booked for wedding parties due to its expansive dressing room, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay there just because you feel like it. Named for a mineral that, according to Azuridge, “opens the heart, lifting you up and encouraging a positive and cheerful outlook,” Rhodochrosite also has a custom ensuite bathroom with curved-glass shower and Jacuzzi and a king-sized bed. azuridgehotel.com avenuecalgary.com

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DECOR HOSPITALITY SUITE AT POMEROY KANANASKIS MOUNTAIN LODGE The grandest room in K-Country is certainly this one, which was designed with entertaining in mind.

The 1,200-square-foot suite features a large, spacious living room area with a dining table that seats eight and a bedroom with a king-sized bed. With its earth-toned alpine-modern decor and stylish pendant lighting, the interior is nearly as beautiful as the view of Mount Allan. lodgeatkananaskis.com

GALLERY SUITE AT THE FAIRMONT BANFF SPRINGS

BELVEDERE SUITE AT FAIRMONT CHATEAU LAKE LOUISE Pretty much any room at the Chateau with a view of Lake Louise and the Victoria Glacier is special, but the Belvedere Suite is next-level special.

The 870-square-foot, two-storey corner suite has a living-dining area and powder room on the lower level and a bedroom and ensuite on the upper level, with the two levels connected by a spiral staircase. The suite has two private lakeview balconies, and there are large windows in the ensuite so you can gaze out at the world-famous scenery from the deluxe soaker tub. faimont.com/lake-louise/ 92

avenue September 21

SUITE INFINITY 900 AT RIMROCK RESORT HOTEL This 800-square-foot suite is located at the tip-top of the Rimrock. Amenities include a king-sized bed, granite-appointed ensuite bathroom with a soaker tub, and Bose sound system. A royal-blue-andplush-brown colour scheme gives the suite a historic alpine-Victorian feel, though the star attraction is undoubtedly the 1,100-square-foot balcony: its expansive size, lounge chairs and tremendous vistas are worth the price of a stay. rimrockresort.com

The 850-square-foot Gallery Suite at the Springs is part of the hotel’s Signature Collection. The suite boasts two spacious bedrooms, each with its own ensuite bathroom, positioned on either side of a large sitting room with a fireplace (and additional powder room) where you can gaze out over the Bow River and Spray Valley. The suite has its own foyer entrance with a food-preparation area for in-room dining. Gallery Suite guests also get full access to Signature Collection amenities including private VIP concierge, daily fresh flowers and more. fairmont.com/banff-springs/

Avenue’s writers and editors are occasionally invited to experience dining or adventure experiences as a guest, including some of the experiences in this story.

Neither complimentary experiences nor advertising are required for coverage in Avenue. Neither companies that advertise nor those that provide other incentives are promised editorial coverage, nor do they have the opportunity to review or approve stories before publication.

ADVERTISING FEATURE

NEW COMMUNITIES YOU’LL WANT TO CALL HOME In each of Calgary’s four quadrants — and in desirable bedroom neighbourhoods outside city limits — brand-new developments are providing potential homebuyers and renters with great options when it comes to improved liveability and welcoming communities to call home.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

FIND THE PERFECT FIT FOR YOUR FAMILY Whether you’re looking for a community that supports your family’s active, outdoor lifestyle, a development with countless amenities nearby, or the opportunity to customize a home specifically for your family’s needs, you’ll find what you’re looking for in one of these new Qualico communities.

NATURE AT YOUR DOORSTEP IN DAWSON’S LANDING

In Dawson’s Landing, a new 267-acre community located in West Chestermere, outdoor activities and opportunities are never hard to come by. It’s just a short drive from Chestermere Lake, where lakeside living can be enjoyed year-round. Access to nature is right in the community itself with pathways and wetlands in the one-of-a-kind Stormwater

Kidney™ opening this fall and 24-acre eco-park coming later in the community’s build-out.

While life in Dawson’s Landing means less traffic and fewer crowds, amenities are still nearby. Located a 10-minute drive from retail essentials in Calgary’s East Hills — and with two school sites and a civic centre planned for the near future — Dawson’s Landing offers easy access to conveniences all families need.

With a variety of home types, including front garages, duplexes, laned and townhomes, families can find an option that best fits their needs. Interested buyers can sign up for the phase three waitlist to stay in the know and find their ideal Dawson’s Landing lot by visiting liveindawsonslanding.com/new-phase.

A CONVENIENT LIFESTYLE IN AMBLETON

Buying into the northeast Qualico community of Ambleton means living in a brand-new area that still has a well-established feel. Ambleton is located just north of Evanston, meaning residents “can build a brand-new home, but aren’t waiting for amenities like a grocery store or daycare,” says Nina Wulder, communications and marketing coordinator at Qualico. “They’re already built out [in Evanston] and are so close.

Ambleton has everything anyone could need on their doorstep.”

A high school and activity areas are also planned for Ambleton’s near future.

As well as five parks and over seven kilometres of pathways, Ambleton offers a range of home types, including laned and front garage models; Ambleton’s second phase lots are for sale this fall and will bring condos, duplexes and townhomes to the development. Buyers interested in phase two can sign up for the phase two waitlist at liveinambleton.com/new-phase.

A CUSTOM FOREVER HOME IN CRESTMONT VIEW

There are countless reasons why Calgarians would want to establish their dream home in Crestmont View. Not only are there breathtaking views of the Rockies and the river valley, the desirable location in southwest Calgary is close to WinSport and retail in the neighbouring communities of Crestmont and Aspen Landing.

Plus, there’s ample space to unwind, relax and disconnect.

Crestmont View is an exclusive location that buyers are proud to call home and make their own. “Crestmont View offers buyers the opportunity to buy larger estate lots,” says Wulder, explaining potential residents can choose the lot that fits their personality. “Buyers can get a bigger home, on a bigger lot, and customize it with an estate builder.”

Simply, Crestmont View is ideal for buyers looking for peaceful seclusion, close proximity to city living and the opportunity to design a home that caters to their unique needs for years to come. Find out more at crestmontview.com.

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See what residents love about Currie Weaving brand new, custom developments together with its rich past, Currie is a community where home and residents take center stage. Enjoy the newness of an ongoing development while delighting in the charm of a mature, welcoming neighbourhood.

Connected to Everything

New Developments, More Options

Abundant Community Spaces

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A 7-minute commute to the downtown core

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Thoughtful home design adds to welcoming streetscapes

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23 acres of green space, parks, and public gathering areas

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Bike paths that lead to a variety of city parks

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Only new build community in inner city Calgary offering single-family homes

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Urban bark park with agility and play equipment

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Access to unique businesses and amenities

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Custom builders that are attentive to your family’s needs

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Distinct heritage sites that add a feeling of an open-air museum

Find your home at CurrieLife.ca

ADVERTISING FEATURE

FROM BARRACKS TO COMMUNITY, DISCOVER WHAT MAKES CURRIE HOME Once a former base for the Canadian Armed Forces, Currie (formerly Currie Barracks) is more than just your typical community; it’s a community with a legacy engrained in Calgary’s history. Currie embodies optimism, growth, ingenuity and opportunity. It’s the place you can call home and put down roots of your own that will last for generations.

Currie Barracks was built in the 1930s as a new permanent location for Canadian military forces. Over the years, the base hosted numerous special events, which helped the local citizens and Canadian Armed Forces create and foster a better sense of community. By 1998, the military forces moved to an Edmonton base, and Currie Barracks was officially decommissioned. Canada Lands Company (CLC), a respected development company focused on enriching Canadian

communities, stepped in and bought the land and buildings. In 2008 the plans to build a community were approved and, since then, it has welcomed over 1,500 residents. While much has changed since then, that sentiment of fostering connections and close-knit relationships is still reflected in the community’s design and feel.

Today, Currie spans more than 200 acres and blends historical and modern elements through its housing, parks and heritage sites.

New additions to the community include a contemporary home builder, Dominium, the playfully designed off-leash Bark Park and The Inn on Officer’s Garden (formerly The Officers’ Mess). Today, The Inn has transformed this heritage building into a new community hub ideal for weddings, everyday dining, a great place for staycations and more.

Future developments include additional single, multi and mixed-use housing, park amenities and new businesses. Homage to the old is preserved in 11 designated historic buildings

and landscapes that add unique character and heritage to the neighbourhood.

It’s a community of two worlds, but that union is what has ultimately drawn many residents to Currie, including Patrick and Lisa Jarvis.

Both Patrick and Lisa have spent their careers travelling worldwide, but as born-and-raised Calgarians, the city has always been home. The couple knew of Currie Barrack’s history but only recently learned of the Currie community. When given a chance to live there, they jumped at the opportunity and moved in April 2021.

“Even though it’s new, it’s embedded within a community that honours its history and feels well established,” says Patrick. Once the community is complete, CLC expects around 12,000 residents will call Currie home.

As the community continues to develop, growth won’t take away from the unique appeal of Currie’s local focus. “I’ve never lived in a community that has felt this liveable and walkable,” says Lisa, referring to the extensive walking and bike trails woven throughout Currie. With narrower streets as well, Currie slows down the daily hub and rush of life.

Residents will find it easier to walk or bike instead of drive and access nearby amenities, schools and retail destinations like Wild Rose Brewery, Mount Royal University and the Marda Loop area. Even Calgary’s downtown is just a scenic 30-minute bike ride away.

For young couples, families, or retirees looking to settle somewhere new in Calgary, Currie may be the right community to move to next. Lisa’s advice to any locals or prospective residents is to take a closer look and experience Currie first-hand.

“Look twice at Currie for sure because there is a lot happening, and a lot you didn’t know existed here that will amaze you.”

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

A DEVELOPMENT TO MATCH YOUR VALUES

Dominion by Bucci Developments is reimagining what’s possible in a rental home — and its unbeatable location in Bridgeland, close to the Bridgeland/Memorial CTrain station, the RiverWalk and countless local restaurants and shops, is only part of what’s inspiring Calgarians to live here.

“The building itself caters to residents who march to the beat of their own drum,” says Mike Bucci, vice-president of Bucci. He explains that the central location and careful interior design, as well as the amenities, appeal to “people who are not necessarily participating in a traditional 9-5 workday. Dominion’s 24-hour amenities offer residents convenience and flexibility to grow and connect with other residents, no matter their schedule.”

In other words, renting at Dominion means being part of the historic Bridgeland neighbourhood but also part of the Dominion community.

A PLACE OF CONNECTION, BELONGING AND PERSONAL GROWTH

“I think if the pandemic taught us anything it is that, by nature, we have a desire to learn, connect, and grow. Our amenities provide the perfect space to hone skills and hobbies,” says Bucci. They also offer practical extensions of private living space when a change of scenery or some extra space is welcomed.

The development has more than 20 thoughtfully designed amenities to help residents discover new interests, meet new goals and connect with like-minded people who share similar passions. Residents can work up a sweat in the 2,200 sq. ft. fitness centre, invite friends over for a board game or video game in the lounge, or fine-tune a DIY project in the on-site workshop. There’s also room to get work done in the lobby café and business centre. The pet spa, outdoor terrace and urban garden are just a few of the other perks that make Dominion a desirable, community-minded place to call home.

PRIORITIZING SECURITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

Built-in tech is an integral part of the units’ design, with all homes at Dominion featuring smart door locks for suite entry.

“Our smart locks offer superior safety and convenience,” says Bucci. “We’ve also considered the security of our planet and legacy.

[We incorporated] applied sustainable design practices, eco-friendly appliances and individual HRV [heat recovery ventilation] systems inhome to ensure residents can breathe easy for years to come.”

development features six unique layouts, meaning everyone can find the floor plan that best suits them. The expansive patios provide up to 25 per cent more living space and built-in storage and display features inside each home maximize residents’ opportunity to showcase who they are.

“We’ve designed these homes in a way that empowers our residents to maximize their space and showcase what makes it feel like home — whether it’s a collection of records, games, trinkets from their travels, or one too many plants,” says Bucci, speaking to the custom storage solutions in each unit. “The space is here for the residents to make it their own.”

Bucci Living Limited (“BLL”) is acting as agent for I.G. Investment Management, Ltd., trustee for IG Mackenzie Real Property Fund (collectively “IG”) for Dominion project.

A RENTAL HOME THAT’S YOURS

Whether you’re renting a studio suite, a one-bedroom, or a corner two-bed, living at Dominion means feeling at home. The 99

INTRODUCING THE STREAMS OF LAKE MAHOGANY L I V E W H E R E T H E VAC AT I O N N E V E R E N D S .

The Streams of Lake Mahogany is Calgary’s first and only lakeside villa bungalow resort – designed to make you feel like your life’s postcard perfect inside and out. With amenities that bring people together and turn neighbours into friends, it’s a perfect place to relax and recharge. And make that vacation feeling you work so hard for last forever.

F E AT U R E S • Outdoor living spaces, including firepits, BBQs, seating areas, water features and room to roam, expertly designed for socializing with friends and neighbours • Exciting nightlife nearby with Chairman’s Steakhouse and Alvin’s Jazz Club

• Retail shopping & professional services minutes away • Mahogany Lake access, including two beaches, 22,000 sq. ft. clubhouse, tennis courts, fishing, kayaking, skating and so much more.

• The ultimate in Maintenance Free Living

Introducing the new Reflection Estate Condos— redesigned with Jayman's Core Performance Energy Efficient Inclusions and more solar panels!

CONDOMINIUMS ON THE LAKE

1,705 – 2,053 SQ. FT.

$1.2M – $2.1M

CO N D O M I N I U M S I N T H E PA R K

+gst

1,705 – 1,747 SQ. FT.

N

MAHOGANY BLVD SE

E EET S 52 STR

MAHOGANY WEST BEACH

188 Mahogany Gardens SE | 587.350.0237 ResortLiving@jayman.com

WESTMAN VILLAGE PRESENTATION CENTRE MAHOGANY GARDENS SE

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LEARN MORE AT THE WESTMAN VILLAGE PRESENTATION CENTRE:

MAHOGANY GATE SE

MAHOGANY VILLAGE MARKET

$850’S – $1.2M

V I L L A B U N G A LOW S

MAHOGANY BEACH CLUB

Mon. - Thur. 2PM - 8PM | Fri. CLOSED Sat., Sun. & Holidays NOON - 5PM JAYMAN.COM/THESTREAMS

1,161 – 1,402 SQ. FT.

$530’S – $720'S

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

COMMUNITY COMES TO LIFE OUTDOORS

BUILDING A LIFESTYLE With construction of The Streams of Lake Mahogany underway, Jayman BUILT is creating more opportunities for resort-style living in south Calgary.

The latest development from Resort Living

by Jayman BUILT was inspired by the success of the nearby Westman Village, which brought amenity-rich living options to Mahogany in 2016.

Now, the concept Jayman pioneered is being applied and expanded at The Streams, which is set to have its first residents in spring 2022.

“We’re proud to have set the bar with Westman Village,” says Sandy Perron, area sales manager with Jayman. “And because we understood that people are looking for this type of lifestyle, that’s why we launched The Streams.”

The Streams will be the city’s first and only lakeside villa bungalow resort community, offering Calgarians the chance to live amongst beautifully designed homes and outdoor features with the convenience of urban amenities close by.

Home options in The Streams of Lake Mahogany will offer south-facing views over the city’s largest lake and greenspaces with flowing streams. Reflection estate condominiums modelled after those of the

same name in Westman Village are available from 1,705 sq. ft. to 2,053 sq. ft. The 1,400 sq. ft. Benjamin, 1,200 sq. ft. Wyatt and 1,160 sq. ft. Sawyer villa bungalow models will line the community streets.

Already, Perron says growing interest in the community proves the concept behind The Streams is resonating with future residents.

From young professionals to those settling into retirement, the freedom of resort-style living holds universal appeal.

“It really works out with people’s lifestyles right now,” says Perron. “People are excited about what we’re building. It’s actually what they were looking for without even knowing that they were looking for it.”

The Streams of Lake Mahogany is designed for enjoyment beyond your front door. Lounge areas, fire tables and barbecue sites are being built to foster community spirit. A stroll along the lake is also instantly accessible, while the Rotary/Mattamy Greenway links the community to over 128-kilometres of citywide pathways.

Maintenance-free living is included throughout the community, with snow removal from driveways and exterior landscaping translating into more time enjoying the outdoors with less time spent on upkeep.

A commitment to the outdoors is further evident throughout The Streams, as every building in the community will feature solar panels.

Homebuyers also have the option to upgrade to net zero certified Quantum Performance Ultra E-homes for even more energy efficiency.

Walking through Westman Village, Perron says the sense of community Jayman has helped establish is immediately noticeable. As residents move into The Streams of Lake Mahogany, she says she’s looking forward to experiencing that same warmth.

“We feel the energy when people come in — they’re wanting that lifestyle. And here we are giving that opportunity again in Lake Mahogany,” says Perron. “We understand that people are at different stages in their lives, and they need different home features at all different stages. And here we are creating it and building it. And then it becomes home for them.”

Temporary showhomes are now open for tours for those looking to experience resort-style living first-hand.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

FIND THE HARMONY IN YOUR LIFE

There’s nothing quite like finding your perfect balance, so come home to a community that will bring harmony back into your life.

From peaceful pathways and sandy beaches to an enticing Adventure Park and pristine 18-hole Mickelson National Golf Club, families, kids, adults and retirees will never lack adventure in Rocky View County’s Harmony community.

Water enthusiasts will love kayaking, paddleboarding and swimming, while children can let loose and meet new friends at the two playgrounds. Morning runners and evening stroller can also discover over 12-kilometres of pathways.

Challenge yourself at Adventure Park, where a day of fun and activities will entertain the entire family.

“Harmony’s Adventure Park will provide the ability to partake in more outdoor activities in all four seasons,” says Laurel Lapointe, marketing manager for Bordeaux Developments. “In the warmer months, residents can enjoy beach volleyball, the pump track and the all-wheel flow plaza. Come winter, they can use the skating ribbon and toboggan hill. Plus, the off-leash dog park will be accessible in all seasons. It brings another layer of connection and activity to

the community.”

A diverse range of housing options only helps make this Springbank community more accessible to those from all walks of life.

Townhomes from the $460s, single-family from the $620s, bungalow villas from the $800s, estate homes from the $930s and lakefront homes from $1.2 million highlight a housing selection that is geared toward finding the right fit for you and your family.

Mountain vistas, countless amenities and diverse housing options — why not bring some Harmony into your life today?

4X

COMMUNITY OF THE YEAR

CALGARY REGION

W I N N E R

2019

A Lake Community with so much more...

SPRINGBANK’S AWARD WINNING LAKE & GOLF COMMUNITY >TOWNHOMES from the $460s >SINGLE FAMILY HOMES from the low $600s >BUNGALOW VILLAS from the $780s >ESTATE HOMES from the $930s

As four time Community of the Year in prestigious Springbank, Harmony offers an enriched urban-country experience only eight minutes west of Calgary.

Harmony balances wide open green spaces, direct access to — and views of — The Rockies, a highly rated school system, and an incomparable amenities package. Lake living, a pathway system, a social membership to Mickelson National Golf Club, Adventure Park, and a world class spa anchoring the future Village Centre. Discover why life is better when it is lived in Harmony.

LiveInHarmony.ca

AUGUSTA FINE HOMES | BAYWEST HOMES | BROADVIEW HOMES | DAYTONA HOMES NUVISTA HOMES | STERLING HOMES | STREETSIDE DEVELOPMENTS

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

LIVE LIFE YOUR WAY

Feeling at home goes beyond loving the four walls of your house. It’s also about connecting with the community you’re in and knowing it supports your unique lifestyle. In University District (U/D), that’s easy to do.

This new community in the city’s northwest offers a range of home types, including purposebuilt rental units, condos and townhomes. But U/D also provides a range of things to do, eat and see to meet the diverse lifestyles of all residents.

Right at its heart is the retail main street, a

walkable and vibrant hub. As well as essential big brands, the retail main street is home to Calgary companies, including Monogram Coffee, YYC Cycle and Market Wines. And it’s growing: many other local brands are set to open their doors soon, including OEB Breakfast Co. and Village Ice Cream.

Central Commons Park, an inviting greenspace, will also be located right in the heart of U/D. Travis Oberg, University District’s director of design, says it will be a desirable spot to enjoy some fresh air year-round with an all-season playground, events in the summertime and an outdoor skating rink for the colder months. Scheduled to be complete in 2022, Central Commons Park will include a splash

pad and fire features and will complement the already completed Northwest Commons Park, urban dog park and two ponds.

And University District’s unbeatable location means residents can easily walk to the University of Calgary to use community facilities like the Olympic Oval, head to Edworthy Park or take a trip to Market Mall.

“We have put a lot of thought into making University District a truly connected and livable community,” says Oberg. “At the end of the day, you have the ability to curate your life.”

See what’s new in U/D by attending its Block Party on September 19. Get all the details at myuniversitydistrict.ca.

WE’RE HAVING A

BLOCK PARTY Join us on September 19 from 1–4 pm for an afternoon of fun to see what’s been happening in University District. Meet the newest retailers joining the block as we bring the retail main street to life.

Extraordinary! SuperDogs performances Free parking Pet friendly and family friendly Outdoor patios Special one-day retailer promos

Visit myuniversitydistrict.ca for more info.

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DECOR

CONTEMPORARY

COZY HOW INTERIOR DESIGNER ADENE LU C A S T R A N S F O R M E D A BIG, COLD HOUSE I N T O A WA R M A N D INVITING HOME.

THIS PAGE Designer Adene Lucas added visual interest and warmth to the industrial grey-brick livingroom wall with a triptych of antique doors.

OPPOSITE PAGE In the main living area, Lucas painted the prominant horizontal beam white and added contemporary furniture in pastel hues to create a comfortable environment for entertaining and taking in the view of downtown.

104 avenue September 21

DECOR

dene Lucas knows first-hand that life happens when you’re busy making other plans. As an interior designer, she is often called in to revamp homes for clients who are making the transition to being empty nesters, or downsizing. But when her partner suggested the two of them, along with Lucas’s two university-aged kids and dog move into a four-bedroom, three-and-half bathroom home in Erlton, Lucas became her own client.

“This house came up and we thought, ‘you know, we’ve dated long enough, we either take this and try it or what are we doing?’” she says. After 25 years in a 1950s bungalow, moving in with a new partner into a three-storey infill was a major change. “It was a challenge. I had to flip the switch and look at this more like a job and less as my house,” she says.

Lucas transformed the home into a contemporary space for both entertaining guests and curling up for a night in. Right off the bat, her biggest challenge was figuring out what to do with the double-height industrial grey brick wall in the main living space. After she and her partner found a set of light-coloured antique doors to mount on it, her overall vision for the home became clear.

“That was the first thing we bought, we didn’t even have furniture yet,” says Lucas. “You need a starting point and that was it for me.”

BY TSERING ASHA PHOTOGRAPHY BY JARED SYCH avenuecalgary.com 105

DECOR

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT The antique items and artworks in the home are mostly from Freyia Dekor, the Scandinavian antiques business owned by Lucas. Two exceptions are the dog statue and working antique radio, which were contributions from her partner.

White curtains allow light into the dining room while keeping the space cool and separating it from the

backyard outdoor-living space. Lightcoloured rugs provide contrast with the dark flooring that runs throughout the main level.

Despite Lucas’s love for antique decor pieces, most of the large furniture items for the home were purchased new. “It can be overwhelming trying to incorporate old stuff with a new house,” Lucas says. “Sometimes it just doesn’t work.”

She began sourcing accent furniture in soft pastels to offset the dark flooring and hard features like the floating metal staircase. “My goal was to soften the space so it felt warm and inviting instead of like a big box,” says Lucas. In the living room, she arranged seating so that people could socialize easily. She also added curtains to the wall of windows overlooking downtown. “At night, with the lighting outside, it’s really pretty and there’s nobody in front of us so I like that,” says Lucas.

Her favourite room, the main bedroom, is a hidden oasis. Frosted-glass doors separate the bedroom and fireplace area from the rooftop balcony, walk-in closet and ensuite bathroom with soaker tub and walk-in shower, providing a generous amount of sound insulation. The sense of privacy is another novel concept that Lucas enjoys in her new home. “[In my old home] everything was on one floor, I could hear my kids make their beds or turn on a light switch,” she says. “Now, I never have to hear anything.”

106 avenue September 21

“My goal was to soften the space so it felt warm and inviting instead of like a big box.”

ADENE LUCAS

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DECOR

T R E N DY S C A N D I N AV I A N DECOR PIECES Not all antiques are meant to be admired from afar. Here are three beautiful and functional items that designer and Scandinavian antiques seller Adene Lucas recommends for any home.

WOODEN TRAYS

Wooden antiques are often crafted to withstand the years, so don’t be afraid to use them. In Lucas’s living room, an 18th century Scandinavian cheeseboard displays candles and trinkets, but also doubles as a charcuterie board for entertaining.

SHEEPSKINS

These versatile pieces can be used on the floor as rugs or on a sofa or chair as a throw. They are also hypoallergenic and dirt-resistant and add texture, warmth and a natural element to any decor scheme.

CHURCH PEWS

Instead of furnishing your dining room with matching chairs all around, use a Scandinavian church pew as a dining bench. The wooden pews have armrests and backrests, allowing dinner guests to sit comfortably together and converse.

108 avenue September 21

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP The main bedroom ensuite was formerly a dark, espresso-brown colour.

Lucas had the walls and cabinets painted to open up the space.

Doors to a rooftop balcony off the main bedroom allow sunlight to stream into the space.

The dramatic main-level powder room is in contrast to the rest of the home’s pastels and lighter colours.

Floral motifs and feminine details provide an elevated sense of style in the main bedroom ensuite.

SOURCE Light fixtures throughout by Cartwright Lighting & Furniture, 7301 11 St. S.E., 403-270-8508, cartwrightlighting.ca Antique doors (hung as artwork) from Uniquities Architectural Antiques, 403-813-4342, uniquities.ca Living-room drapes by Kathryn Aston Interiors, 403-399-9313, kathrynastoninteriors.com Living-room sofa and swivel chairs from Whittaker Designs, 4770 46 Ave. S.E., 403-571-7229, whittakerdesigns.com Armchairs, coffee table, side tables and lamp from HomeSense, seven Calgary-area locations, homesense.ca Antique wooden tray from Freyia Dekor, 1, 4640 Manhattan Rd. S.E., 403-651-7491, freyia.ca Living-room rug from Wayfair, wayfair.ca Planter from Silk Plant Warehouse, 6108 Centre St. S., 403-252-8282, silkplantwarehouse.ca Ottoman from Real Canadian Superstore, 12 Calgary locations, realcanadiansuperstore.ca Sheepskins from Freyia Dekor Cowhide rug from Wayfair Decor items on hutch all from Freyia Dekor Dining bench from Freyia Dekor Dining-room drapes by Kathryn Aston Interiors Chair fabric from Essential Living (design trade only), 402-262-6150, instagram.com/e.l.designtrade Kitchen-island stools from Essential Living Kitchen accessories from Freyia Dekor Ensuite bathroom rug from Wayfair Blinds by Kathryn Aston Interiors Large art piece from HomeSense Bedside table lamps from HomeSense Bedding from Hudson’s Bay, five Calgary locations, thebay.com Custom cushions from Essential Living Art from High Country Antiques (Invermere, B.C.) Framing by FrameSource, 7805 Flint Rd. S.E., 403-252-9662, framesourcecanada.com Powder-room paint is C2 Stout from Walls Alive, 1328 17 Ave. S.W., 403-244-8931, wallsalive.com Powder-room sink from Wayfair Tile from CDL Carpet and Floor Centre, 11752 Sarcee Tr. N.W., 403-275-3304, and 7265 11 St. S.E., 403-255-1811; carpetandflooring.com Accessories from Hudson’s Bay Art by Melissa McKinnon Art, 403-808-8825, melissamckinnonart.com

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avenuecalgary.com 109

THE LIST B Y T R AV I S K L E M P

DAN ALLARD

S

T HE E S K E R F O UND AT I O N “The workshops and gallery are world-class, and it is definitely one of the mailers that I always sign up for to see what’s coming next.”

S M I T HB I LT HAT S “From Oprah to the Dalai Lama, anyone who comes to the city and gets white-hatted has it done there.”

MUSIC MILE “King Eddy, Blues Can, Ironwood, they are all amazing venues. I feel like they are doing some great marketing and developing of the scene, and it’s an inevitability that [Music Mile] becomes like Calgary’s Nashville.”

THE FIREPIT AT THE TOP OF THE HILL ON ST. PATRICK’S ISLAND PARK “You can go up there with a crew and a bundle of wood and have a beautiful view of the city and downtown.”

THEATRE, COMEDY AND FESTIVAL EVENTS “Beakerhead is like having our own Burning Man in the city and High Performance Rodeo has some of the best acts in the world.”

110 avenue September 21

SINGLEWOOD AND FRIES AT I N G L E W O O D D R I V E - I N “[The Singlewood] is the best burger in the city. I get it every time.”

B A S K E T B A L L AT G O P HE R PA R K “We got this tiny park built across from Cold Garden and it has been so fun to go there and play ball with friends on the single basketball net.”

C E NT R A L L I B R A RY “When things get too busy at the brewery and I need time to work, the Central Library is amazing — not only because of all of the resources and things to learn, but architecturally it is beautiful and I love being there.”

D O W N H I L L K A R T I NG AT W I NS P O R T “It is crazy to go up there with some buddies and use this track right in our city, it’s just like Mario Kart.”

S K AT E B O A R D I N G T HE R I V E R PAT HWAY S T O HA R V I E PA S S A G E “Going from East Village to Harvie Passage and watching people kayak is a part of the city that I feel like people don’t really know yet.”

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ince 2017, Cold Garden Beverage Company has been an eccentric and lively fixture at the boundary of Inglewood and Ramsay. The brewery’s co-founder Dan Allard has a passion for beer and building vibrant communities in our city. Cold Garden is the bridge that connects one to the other.

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NEW & NOTEWORTHY

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LOCAL FINDS

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Third Wheel Ceramics Secret Mug Society There’s something thrilling about getting mail that isn’t a bill, especially when it’s a mystery gift, even if you bought that gift for yourself. Third Wheel Ceramics’ Secret Mug Society is just that. Each month Third Wheel opens up orders for a mystery ceramic mug that they then deliver to the doorsteps of customers who have preordered it. The mugs sell out quickly, so make sure you check the site frequently. thirdwheelceramics.com 112 avenue September 21

low-waste packaging. The multi-use formulation brightens and hydrates face, eyes and lips, while the single-tube package is made of reusable, recyclable or renewable materials. xotreatmentroom.com

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COLOURING IT FORWARD SUBSCRIPTION BOX Colouring It Forward curates its EquinoxBox ($75) with at least $120 worth of self-care products made by locally owned Indigenous businesses, plus calming artwork and guides on a range of activities that encourage joy.

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Friday Sock Co. Floral Collection This collection from Friday Sock Co., the local purveyor of charmingly mismatched socks, features an eco-friendly plantable paper hang tag. Plant the tag in soil, keep it moist and enjoy growing Exclusive to

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WORK OF ART C U R AT E D B Y K AT H E R I N E Y L I T A L O

T I T LE

Tribute to Land

TRIBUTE TO LAND

DATE

1991/2000 ARTIST

Irene F. Whittome MEDIUM

L

114 avenue September 21

SIZE

Area of installation is 12.5 feet (height) by 19.5 feet (width) by 57.75 feet (length); Turtle is 72 inches (h) by 77 inches (w) by 50 inches (l).

LOC AT I ON

Southwest plaza of Royal Bank Building, 888 3 St. S.W. NOT ES

Commissioned by Trizec for Bankers Hall, currently owned

by Brookfield Properties.

Bronze fabrication by Fonderie d’Art D’Inverness (Quebec).

Whittome is represented by Galerie Simon Blais, Montreal.

sity in Montreal is distinguished by major awards for artistic excellence. She was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2005.

She currently lives in Ogden, Quebec, where she built two studios on land that includes an abandoned granite quarry.

During a lecture at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, she called granite “earth’s memory, in a fashion.” In Tribute to Land that concept is fully explored. Whittome originally placed nine grey granite paving squares in a line, suggesting the passage of time. At the western end of the installation, one square is inlaid with bronze letters spelling the word “birthplace.” This is the start of a path between two tapered granite towers, suggesting

a vestigial gateway to an ancient city.

Midway, the great bronze turtle balances on a polyhedral base of polished black granite. Another square is inlaid with bronze letters spelling out “land.” A cast-bronze sea turtle design embedded in twin slabs of granite has with age accrued a subtle sea-green patina. At the eastern end, a polished black granite bench is inlaid with the evocative word, “motherland.” Elegantly proportioned, the bench is both resting place and minimalist sculpture.

A hidden treasure in Calgary, Tribute to Land generally goes unnoticed by thousands who drive by it daily on 9th Avenue but rewards those who enter its space.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JARED SYCH

eatherback turtles are the largest of all sea turtles, with ancestors that date back to the Cretaceous Era. They are known to migrate widely and accomplish prolonged deep dives. A dominant element in the sculptural installation Tribute to Land by esteemed Canadian artist, Irene F. Whittome, this life-size bronze replica of a magnificent leatherback is fixed in motion: mouth ajar, ridges down its hydrodynamic body, powerful front flippers outstretched and flexible lower flippers undulating. The giant sea turtle captures the imagination as it appears to ascend, swimming up from the deep — or perhaps flying in a dreamscape.

Thirty years ago, Whittome envisioned Tribute to Land as a space of quietude that honours the earth and the perspective of Indigenous peoples. Indeed, she says that she continues to feel “gratitude to all Indigenous people for their spiritual relationship to our earth, then and especially now.”

Property developer Trizec Corporation commissioned Whittome to create Tribute to Land just as Calgary entered an economic downturn in the early 1990s. Whittome was fully involved in the initial temporary siting inside the East Tower of Bankers Hall, but by the time the second tower was built in 2000, ownership had changed hands twice and the site plan shifted.

The current installation differs from the original design, but the spirit of the work still rings true. Whittome unites seemingly disparate elements with artistry, calling on architecture, archaeology, memory, geometry, language, metaphor and materiality to deepen the conversation.

Whittome’s long career as an artist and professor of fine art at Concordia Univer-

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