See the Calbridge collection in Alpine Park, Bayview, Clearwater Park, Fireside and Mahogany.
Raising the Bar for Cosmetic Medicine in Calgary
Meet Dr. Andrei Metelitsa, one of Beacon Dermatology’s experts who has devoted his entire career to refining his cosmetic dermatology skills and knowledge.
Getting a cosmetic procedure can be scary. Patients want to know that the experience will deliver flawless results, and the best way to ensure that outcome is by finding a provider with expertise you can trust. At Beacon Dermatology, a Calgarybased state-of-the-art dermatology centre, the team of board-certified dermatologists is committed to providing the highest level of care and results.
Beacon Dermatology offers a wide range of cosmetic services with the latest devices and tools, but guaranteed results don’t always come with the greatest tools — they come with experienced and knowledgeable providers. Dr. Andrei Metelitsa, co-founder and provider at Beacon Dermatology, has devoted his career to continued learning and becoming a world-renowned expert in cosmetic dermatology.
“I’m not okay with providing mediocre results, so for my own benefit, I want to ensure that I have all of the knowledge and expertise to be the best I can be. To do that, you have to have this high level of training and be in constant education because it’s not a stagnant field,” he says.
Specialized training
Metelitsa specializes in cosmetic dermatology and laser surgery, offering rejuvenation procedures with injections and laser treatments. Part of his passion for cosmetic dermatology stems from the flawless results he can deliver without the need for surgery. “Most of my patients request
to look natural after the treatment, but the way to look natural is to see the cosmetic provider who has the most expertise,” says Metelitsa.
Metelitsa’s education goes beyond that of a standard cosmetic injector — he graduated from medical school at 23, pursued a fiveyear dermatology training at the University of Alberta, and after his residency, completed a one-year fellowship specializing in cosmetic surgery and lasers under the direction of Harvard and Yale faculty.
“All of this education and everything that I do is to ensure that I have the scientific knowledge and skill set to provide the best possible natural — I call it elegant — outcome for our patients.”
And it’s not just patients who benefit from his drive to become the best; many physicians go to him for help and assistance. He’s highly regarded by dermatologists worldwide; he gives keynote speeches globally on the most innovative and effective approaches to cosmetic procedures.
A
drive to find the latest and greatest
There’s a culture of learning at Beacon Dermatology. Metelitsa and his team are continuously involved in clinical research. In fact, Metelitsa is already exploring the treatments of tomorrow — he has about a dozen clinical trials for new cosmetic treatments on the go. Over the years, he’s been involved in hundreds of trials and was even the lead physician in charge of
the Dysport launch in Canada in 2013, the latest prescription injection at the time. He’s currently training physicians around the world on how to use the latest and most improved liquid neurotoxin, which will soon be available in Canada.
“By constantly pioneering aspects of the newest treatments — whether it’s conducting clinical trials on the newest therapies or flying around the world and educating others about techniques that are not even available in Canada — it ensures our patients in Calgary benefit from all of the latest innovations that are backed scientifically, but also done in an appropriate manner by a true expert.”
To learn more about Dr. Metelitsa and Beacon Dermatology, visit beaconderm.com.
Facial shaping technique by Dr. Metelitsa to enhance lower facial balance. Correction of chin, jawline, cheeks and marionette lines using injectable filler.
by Calgary’s architectural heritage, this development community features beautiful executive homes, breathtaking views, walking and biking paths, as well as west Calgary’s premier shopping destination Aspen Landing Shopping Centre.
Homes By Us
Crystal Creek Homes
Homes By Us
Homes By Us
Crystal Creek Homes
Inspired
Aspen Landing Shopping Centre features top retailers and services in unique, locally-owned storefronts sprawled across a distinctive landscape in southwest Calgary. Whether you need a quick check-up, a mouth-watering lunch, or need to complete an extensive to-do list, you can get it all done at Aspen Landing! FREE INDOOR PARKING.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR
EIGHT-TIME CHAMPION OF COMMUNITY LIVING: WHY HARMONY KEEPS WINNING HEARTS
The team behind Harmony, the lake-centered community west of Calgary, shared how Harmony’s lifestyle, amenities and vision allow for a full life beyond the city.
Q: Eight-time winner of Community of the Year, what makes Harmony so unique?
A: From the start, Harmony focused on balance: nature and convenience, recreation and relaxation, timeless home design and innovative infrastructure. From the lake and scenic pathways to evolving community retailers, the community was built on the philosophy of connection.
Q: What kind of lifestyle does Harmony offer?
A: Life in Harmony is as active or relaxed as you choose. Paddle on the lake, golf at Mickelson National, or wind down at Common Grounds
for a coffee. There’s just as much opportunity to recharge as there is to adventure.
Q: What amenities set Harmony apart?
A: Harmony’s lake offers swimming, paddling, and fishing year-round. With Mickelson National Golf Club, an adventure park, skating rink, and playgrounds all set against mountain views—you get the full experience just minutes from the city.
Q: Who’s moving to Harmony?
A: Families, professionals, downsizers and multi-generational households. With a flexible mix of home styles ranging from estate to townhomes, there’s an option for every stage of life.
Q: What surprises people most?
A: How quickly it feels like home. There’s an instant sense of belonging, an engaged community, and natural beauty in every direction.
Q: What’s next for Harmony?
A: With new amenities and home options underway, Harmony is more vibrant than ever. Now is the perfect time to discover the heart of this thriving community. Stay updated with us on our social channels, there’s always something new to discover.
Your kind of community.
Experience the perfect balance between amenity-rich city living and the comfort of a small town lifestyle at Huxley. With naturally preserved wetland parks, convenient access to downtown Calgary, and walking distance to amenities – Huxley brings it all together.
Sea Art with Impact
A powerful new art exhibit is making waves at the zoo! From May 31st to September 14th, 2025, dive into a
Construction is in full swing at Currie on the Park, nestled in the heart of the awardwinning Currie arracks master-planned community. We currently have six of these luxury single-level villas remaining. Our Show Home is opening in August and occupancy is set for Fall 2025. Contact us for a full brochure and detailed price list.
•Check out the amazing Banquet Exhibition
•Play with Pixels in Quantum Sandbox
•Head outside to the Brainasium
•Enjoy unlimited 360 experiences in the Infinity Dome
Aspen Woods Estates | Belvedere | Currie
Guild Townhomes at University District | Legacy
Hudson in Pine Creek | Juniper Ridge Villas at Taza Park
Pine Creek Villas at Heritage Pointe | Richmond Luxe Townhomes
Rockland Park | Watermark at Bearspaw Explore our award-winning home designs in our premier communities. Explore quick possession homes and our award-winning models at CrystalCreekHomes.ca - your new home is just a click away.
24 Editor’s Note
DEPARTMENTS
30 Hello, My Name Is… Bertrand Bickersteth: The poet and scholar brings light to forgotten parts of Alberta's Black history.
32 DIsh it
The luscious layers of Bridgette Bar’s banana cake.
34 Shop Talk
Discover the wonders of cheese at Peasant Cheese.
36 Made Here Westside Woodworks’ quality handcrafted boards.
36 The Fun-Things-To-Do List in July and August.
37 How To Be Good
Beekeeping to benefit ecology, sustainability and even self-confidence.
104 Decor: Favourite Spaces
A fun colour choice makes a northwest townhome kitchen pop.
112 Mountains Van camping in B.C.’s West Kootenays.
118 Mountains Moving through Banff National Park differently is the key to reconciling tourism and conservation.
122 Parting Shots The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo’s ENMAX Conservatory
FEATURES
39 Best Neighbourhoods
We took a new approach to our often controversial — but always interesting — exploration of the city’s more than 200 neighbourhoods, looking for what makes the best ones. And we also feature our picks of the top up-and-coming communities.
66 Flow State
As with any city, first we shaped our rivers, and thereafter, our rivers shaped us, and our city's culture.
74 Life’s a Beach
A look at Calgary’s beach scene.
79 Hot Times in the City
From river floats to ice cream treats and festival fun, here's how to have the ultimate Calgary summer experience.
86 25 Best Things to Eat
Local foodies Carmen Cheng and Chanry Thach are back with their latest list of must-try snacks, treats, sips and more.
98 A Silent Violence
Coercive control is a type of intimate partner violence that increases the likelihood of homicide by nine times, so why isn't it a crime in Canada?
EMBRACING CALGARY
ALANA WILLERTON DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR
awillerton@redpointmedia.ca
hen I first moved from Edmonton to Calgary more than a decade ago, I didn’t fully realize I was moving from one river city to another. The biggest urban parkland in North America, Edmonton’s River Valley is one of the city’s most beloved jewels and often touted as one of the features that residents love most. Growing up in Edmonton, I didn’t live close to the River Valley and didn’t visit it much. So for me, while it was a beautiful natural attraction, it wasn’t woven into my day-to-day life.
In Calgary, my relationship to the rivers couldn’t be more different. Soon after moving here, I found myself exploring Inglewood, a spunky community conveniently located steps from the Bow River. When I took mental health walks during the COVID-19 pandemic, I’d often make my way to the picturesque Elbow River for a long stroll and some fresh air.
Nowadays, my visits to East Village and Kensington are usually punctuated by a walk along the Bow River. Slowly but surely, wave by wave, Calgary’s rivers became a key part of what I love about the city. And I’m not alone — in this issue, assistant editor Chris Landry explores how the city's river culture has developed on page 66.
Of course, the rivers aren’t the only great thing about Calgary. This city is full of vibrant neighbourhoods boasting helpful amenities, delicious restaurants, walkable parks and more. These com-
munity pockets, each with their own personality and appeal, are another one of my favourite things about Calgary. Naturally, the answer to what makes a neighbourhood “great” or “the best” varies from person to person. That’s perhaps why Avenue’s annual Best Neighbourhoods feature is one of its most popular and certainly its most controversial. In this year's edition, we name 10 neighbourhoods as the best in the city, digging into what makes them great, where they could improve (because none are perfect), and how locals living in those communities feel about them. We also looked at some of the city’s best up-and-coming neighbourhoods and gems that help make the city special. Check it out starting on page 39. Calgary is also full of local food producers, small businesses, bakers and sandwich makers whipping up incredible food and drink products that give you a little taste of the city. That’s why I always look forward to our list of the best things to eat and drink in Calgary. Local foodies Carmen Cheng and Chanry Thach dive into this year's picks, which range from stuffed chocolate bars to a canned Spicy Guava Gin & Tonic, on page 86. To try some of these treats for yourself, join us at the Best Things to Eat Market in Rangeview (noted as one our our best "up and coming" neighbourhoods), on July 19.
Whether it’s local restaurants and shops, the nightlife, the rivers or the community initiatives that appeal to you most, I encourage you to find that thing you love about Calgary and really embrace it this summer. I certainly plan to — if you spot me walking along the river and soaking up the sun with a locally made coffee or snack in hand, please say, hello.
PHOTO BY JARED SYCH
SUNDAY, AUGUST 10 | 10AM-5PM 33 AVE SW | FREE TO ATTEND 1:30-2:15PM | MAIN STAGE AT 20 ST @mardagrascalgary The new Marda Loop is coming together and the vibes are
MARDA LOOP NIGHT MARKET
FRIDAYS, JUN 20, JUL 18, SEPT 26 5PM - 10PM | 18 ST & 34 AVE SW FREE TO ATTEND | FAMILY & PET FRIENDLY @mardaloopnightmarket
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| OCT
FUTURE OF THE CITY
We look at how Calgary is being shaped today to build vibrant communities for tomorrow.
BEST DRESSED Don't miss our showcase of super stylish Calgarians!
MOUNTAINS RECREATIONAL PROPERTY GUIDE
Find your new home-away-from-home.
LUXURY
and
this
A HOLE - IN - ONE FOR MODERN GOLF LIVING
Delacour Development Corp. tees up a new community east of Calgary.
Delacour Development Corp. (DDC) is creating something exciting six minutes east of Calgary, in the rural western hamlet of Delacour.
Having signed agreements to acquire 315 acres of land in March, the area will be known as Delacour Crossing — a vibrant new community that will feature single-family homes, a commercial entertainment space, modern amenities and the rebranding of an existing golf course as The Golf Club at Delacour Crossing.
BUILDING A COMMUNITY
Established 110 years ago, Delacour will see the development of 480 home sites between 50 and 65 feet wide, which are no longer available in The City of Calgary. Many of the 50-65-foot lots will face the golf course or the canal, and 40-foot-wide lots will also be available as a side-by-side villa option.
Housing options will include villas, single-family residences and estate homes — ideal for a range of potential residents, including retirees, golf enthusiasts, multigenerational families and investors.
Spread over three phases of development, DDC will select four leading Calgary builders to construct and sell homes over the next two to seven years.
“Delacour currently has a population of only five people, but in just a few years, this community will be home to roughly 1,500 people,” says Gerry Mendyk, founder, CEO and chief financial officer of DDC. “The recreation facilities will be a year-round destination for the greater Calgary area, and the expansion will create dozens of new job opportunities for Albertans.”
Targeting fall 2025, an upcoming sales centre will feature a physical 3D model of the entire community, giving prospective buyers an immersive and accurate preview of life in Delacour Crossing. “Interactive software will offer detailed views of the available home types, and each builder will work closely with buyers to build the perfect home,” says Adam Oruclar, founder and chief marketing officer.
The community will feature connected pathways, park space and a vibrant village centre.
TEEING UP SOME CHANGE
A links-style championship course featuring open terrain and natural features draped along the undulating farmland in eastern Rocky View County, The Golf Club at Delacour Crossing originally opened in 2005 and has since become a favourite among local enthusiasts after earning a nomination as one of Canada’s best golf courses. DDC is looking to enhance that experience with several upgrades, including a new 25,000-square-foot clubhouse and homeowner facility, a banquet and event centre (The Station), a year-round driving range (The Range) and a racquet and fitness club (The Courts).
The Range will feature Top Tracer, a cutting-edge technology that tracks golf ball flight in real time, offering feedback and insight to players of all skill levels.
“It’s the best golf-tracking technology on the market, used by the PGA, with more data points than anything else available,” says Simon Hawkshaw, founder and chief operating officer of DDC. “It can be a fun entertainment experience or serve as an accurate training tool to help experienced players improve their game.”
The Range will also include a sports lounge, social and games area and 32 all-weather bays, allowing golfers to enjoy the sport year-round — rain or shine, and even snow.
The new clubhouse will offer an elevated experience with a modern farmhouse aesthetic, sure to appeal to both seasoned golfers and newcomers alike.
“The Golf Club at Delacour Crossing is a hidden gem, regarded as one of Alberta’s top golf courses,” says Mendyk. “Community feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with tons of excitement around the new amenities to come.”
Hal Walker, founder and chairman of DDC, has built and owned
several golf courses across Alberta, British Columbia and the Caribbean over the past few decades. He says, “The Golf Club at Delacour Crossing is, without question, the most exciting project I’ve been a part of.”
“The foundation laid by the original developer is outstanding,” Walker continues, “and what truly excites me is the vibrant, forward-thinking community we are about to build.”
Delacour Crossing will also feature The Courts, a world-class, multi-purpose racquet and fitness centre, offering recreational activities for residents and neighbouring communities. DDC has forged an affiliation with the Bow Valley Athletic Club with reciprocal benefits for members.
CHASING A RECORD
The Guinness World Records will have its eyes on The Golf Club at
Delacour Crossing on September 15, when the community aims to break the record for the fastest round of golf (FROG).
Oruclar says the goal is to complete 18 holes in less than 11 minutes, with a team of golf professionals and low-handicap golfers stationed along each hole acting.
“It will be a fun-filled charity event, inspired by the spirit of what’s coming together at Delacour Crossing as a community,” he says, adding that family-friendly activities will also be part of the celebration.
From a picturesque, humble hamlet to the Calgary area’s next premier mixed-use destination, Delacour Crossing is a hole-in-one for modern golf living — where lifestyle, leisure and luxury come together in perfect harmony.
For more information, visit delacourcrossing.ca.
BY JACQUIE MOORE
A proud alum of the former Olds High School who married his highschool sweetheart, Bertrand Bickersteth is a poet, playwright, essayist and scholar of Alberta Black history. These days, he lives in Calgary and teaches communications at Olds College. Recently, he also served as writer-in-residence at Athabasca University. In short, he’s a deeply entrenched Albertan. Still, Bickersteth, whose family emigrated to Edmonton from Sierra Leone when he was an infant, is regularly asked where he’s really from.
“People aren’t always satisfied with my answer when I say, ‘I’m from here,’” says Bickersteth. “I got asked that question so often growing up that I felt I couldn’t be Albertan.”
Though he felt alienated, he used that feeling of not belonging to seek connection to his home province through the lens of Black identity. The rich history he discovered of Black Albertan fur traders, pioneers, homesteaders and cowboys roots him and informs his formidable creative work. Bickersteth’s multiple-award-winning poetry collection, The Response of Weeds, explores the question of what it means to be both Black and from the Prairies. In 2020, he also had a role in acclaimed author Cheryl Foggo’s documentary, John Ware Reclaimed, about Alberta’s legendary cowboy.
Lately, Bickersteth has tasked himself with bringing forgotten Black cowboys into the digital present by creating visual poetry and a unique typeface, or font, using the symbols from their cattle brands.
“Branding marks are a form of expression, a language,” he says. So far, Bickersteth has uncovered at least eight brands registered by early Black Alberta cowboys. Many untold stories remain in the province’s Black history; who better to tell them than one of our own literary mavericks?
Hello, My Name is...
Bertrand Bickersteth
THE POET AND SCHOLAR BRINGS TO LIGHT FORGOTTEN PARTS OF ALBERTAN BLACK HISTORY THROUGH HIS CREATIVE WORK.
1
BERTRAND BICKERSTETH’S HIGH FIVE
THESE FIVE THINGS, REFLECTING INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN HISTORY AND RACE, MOVE AND SHAKE THIS POET AND EDUCATOR.
“The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks is a brilliant anthology of the history of Black cookbooks by Toni Tipton-Martin. I enjoy cooking, but I am also very much a person who reads cookbooks more than one who cooks from them. This one ticks all the boxes for me and, most importantly, is a moving example of how Black history can be carefully sieved from the ephemera of what’s been ignored in the past.”
2
“The poet Langston Hughes is a massive influence on me, and I regularly go back to his poem, ‘The Negro Speaks of Rivers.’ I love its reconfiguring of landscape into historical perspectives. I also love that Hughes was a founding contributor to the Harlem Renaissance — the Black literary and arts movement of the 1920s and ’30s — and that, like me, he was a prairie boy, born in Missouri, raised in Kansas.”
3
“The song ‘Hipnosis’ by Archie Shepp from his 1975 album, A Sea of Faces. It’s avant-garde jazz, so not for everyone. For me, though, Shepp is intentionally trying to give voice to the unvoiced growing pains of Black America. When you listen to it with that perspective, it’s nothing short of spine-chilling. I seek to inspire at that level in my own work.”
4
“I inherited my piano from my wife’s family, who only managed to get one of their six kids to make it through enough lessons to play. It’s a very plain upright with no brand name anywhere. It has so many problems and, I won’t lie, has become something of a landing spot for household ‘things without a home.’ I had planned to fix it as a [COVID-19] pandemic project, but, ahem, haven’t managed to get to it yet. Still, I love it and squeeze whatever music I can out of it.”
5
“Grass. It defines us here. We live in grasslands. Historically, the cattle industry grew out of the growing patterns of grasses. Is there anything more Albertan than wheat and cattle? Many successful grasses that grow on this continent originate from Africa, haphazardly brought over on slave ships as bedding, as seeds that were collected or on the bodies of Africans. Some of these grasses, like Bermudagrass and Kikuyu, are today used on golf courses. There you have it: grass.”
Get your fill of banana pie at the Calgary (739 10 Ave. S.W.) or Canmore (1030 Spring Creek Dr.) locations of Bridgette Bar. bridgettebar.com
THE RUM-CARAMELDRIZZLED MERINGUE
This Italian meringue starts with a syrup that is frothed up with egg whites, producing a relatively durable pillow of sweetness. The rum-and-cream caramel topping infused with roasted banana skins beckons your spoon to dive into the meringue again and again. It must be akin to what angels eat on their birthdays.
THE BASE LAYERS
A big fan of brown butter, Hartl mixes this slow-cooked ingredient with chocolate and cinnamon (made from sticks blackened over an open flame and ground to a fine powder) to make the pie’s first flavour layer. This is then topped with a caramelized banana jam layer.
BRIDGETTE BAR’S BANANA PIE
Introduced by founding chef JP Pedhirney, Bridgette Bar’s banana pie was a hit from day one. Inspired by his love for banana cream pie, Pedhirney created this magnificent confection. Tweaked by pastry chef Jordan Hartl — who uses the whole dang banana — the pie is now taller, richer and, yes, even more a-peel-ing.
BY JACQUIE MOORE PHOTO BY JARED SYCH
THE PUDDING
A whipped, cold-brew-espresso ganache disc sits atop the pie’s pudding layer, which is a cinnamon pudding made with banana purée. The resulting banoffee (that’s banana and coffee) over- and undertones marry to produce one of the best things that has ever happened to a piece of fruit.
THE CRUST
Hartl left the pie’s perfect, original crust as is. Instead of the usual graham-cracker crumb, the base is salty-sweet, crushed pretzel.
EXPERIENCE THE COTTAGE DREAM AT MERIDIAN BEACH
Enjoy lake access, forest trails and a relaxing ambiance in this quiet community.
NORA
AND NORVAL HORNER know first-hand the special moments that happen at a family cottage — Nora’s parents had a cottage at Gull Lake, a quick twohour drive from Calgary, where they spent their weekends and summers growing up. So, when a quarter section on Gull Lake went up for sale, the couple bought it with a vision to develop a quiet cottage community where others could experience those same moments. To that end, the duo founded Inshore Developments, and after more than 20 years in the making, Meridian Beach has approximately 140 acres of developed land and 120 acres of natural habitat.
Building a cottage for your lifestyle
Meridian Beach’s unique charm, aside from its lake access and relaxing nature, is its cottage country atmosphere. Buyers can purchase their preferred lot and build a home designed to fit their needs and wishes, as long
as it abides by the community guidelines.
Buyers can DIY-build their cottage or hire their choice of builders, but must follow architectural guidelines put in place to fulfill the Horners’ vision of a cohesive cottage community. For example, the guidelines prohibit vinyl siding and encourage natural materials like wood, brick or stone. “We wanted a classic cottage country look. We’re fine with timber frame construction and log construction, and we’re looking for things like craftsman styles and arts and crafts styles,” says Norval.
So far, Meridian Beach has 180 cottages built, creating a picturesque community that compliments the natural surroundings. Since the community is located on such expansive land, its lots are larger than most lakeshore communities, allowing for more privacy and enjoyment of the environment. There’s also a full piped water and sewer system with offsite sewage treatment.
“Generally, you won’t have anyone behind you. You’re either on the water or you back onto the forest, so there’s quite a good sense of privacy,” says Norval. “Most lots are very well connected with nature, and we’re surrounded by Crown forests as well as the
lake. There’s lots of lovely forest paths and open areas for children to play.”
Beach amenities
One of the biggest features of Meridian Beach is, of course, the access to Gull Lake. The community spans over two kilometres of shoreline with two beaches and another in development. There’s also a marina and a canal where buyers can purchase a boat slip and leave their boat without worry.
Residents can boat, swim and fish in the lake, play tennis or pickleball, or retreat to one of the many walking paths. It also has a community hall for social events. Because of its minimal commercial amenities — there’s only one restaurant store — Meridian Beach is quiet, and it’s easy to get to know your neighbours.
“The freedom for the children is one of the biggest things. They can just bike and run everywhere,” says Nora. “There’ll be groups of kids playing tag or capture the flag all over the place, and they’ll just pick up other kids along the way.”
A cottage at Meridian Beach ensures you and your family have a place to gather and create special memories.
BY BY OLIVIA PICHÉ
shop talk
CHEESE, PLEASE!
FOR THE LAST DECADE, PEASANT CHEESE OWNER CRYSTAL MCKENZIE HAS HELPED CALGARIANS DISCOVER THE WONDERS OF CHEESE.
When it comes to cheese, there’s something almost magical for Crystal McKenzie, a trained chef with a deep admiration for food.
“Cheese has always been a miracle to me,” says McKenzie. “It’s basically four ingredients, more or less, creating thousands of different things. That’s fascinating — how you can get so many different textures, flavours and profiles.”
Steered by her love for cheese and a hankering to try out entrepreneurship, McKenzie opened Peasant Cheese in 2013 in Kensington, highlighting what she loves most about the delicious product: its variety. Peasant Cheese offers approximately 120 different cheeses, with Comté as its bestseller and Caprotto, a dry Italian cheese made from goat milk, as one of its most interesting offerings. The shop offers an ever-evolving selection, and you’re sure to get a fresh block, cut to order.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the store has expanded its charcuterie offerings so clients can find everything they need to make a complete meat-and-cheese board. You can also order custom charcuterie and fresh delicious sandwiches. In 2020, McKenzie opened a second Peasant Cheese location in Mission, delivering the same cheesy (in a good way) experience.
“We want you to come in, feel welcomed into the shop and just chat with us,” she says. “[Cheese] is a very personal thing, and we just want to make sure we’re giving the right cheese to the right person.”
To discover new cheeses, join the shop’s cheese club. Every month, subscribers receive three cheeses, a cracker and a condiment to explore the world of cheese.
1249 Kensington Rd. N.W., 587-353-3599; 2206 4 St. S.W., 587-353-1322, peasantcheese.com
“[Cheese] is a very personal thing, and we just want to make sure we’re giving the right cheese to the right person.” CRYSTAL MCKENZIE
BY TSERING ASHA
OUT OF THE WOODWORK WESTSIDE WOODWORKS
SELLS QUALITY HANDCRAFTED BOARDS.
Seven years ago, Matt Rudderham was indulging his love for woodworking by holing up in his Strathcona Park basement and creating beautiful cutting boards. He started getting more interest, so, in 2018, he decided to start his online business, Westside Woodworks, to sell his boards.
Now, Rudderham still operates out of his basement, but has added charcuterie boards, spice racks, displays and stands to his repertoire. “There’s just something about creating a product for a space where people live and create their memories that makes it a special thing to do,” he says.
His most popular charcuterie board is made with walnut wood and has a live, or natural, edge feature, but customers can order custom pieces, too. In the same way a fine crystal glass can enhance a wine, Rudderham says, a handcrafted board made with quality wood elevates a charcuterie experience. — Olivia Piché
WHERE TO FIND IT Online at westsidewoodworks.ca
The Fun-Things-To-Do List
JULY
Cheer on the Wild FC
JULY 12 AND 19
Calgary’s women’s soccer team, Calgary Wild FC, is one of six teams in the new Northern Super League, which kicks off its inaugural season this summer. Check out home games on July 12 against Vancouver Rise FC and July 19 against Ottawa Rapid FC, both at McMahon Stadium. calgarywildfc.com
Take the leap at World Skydiving Day
JULY 12
The annual World Skydiving Day takes place on the second Saturday in July (July 12 this year). It’s a worldwide record-breaking event, but adrenaline junkies can head to Skydive Extreme Calgary year-round. worldskydivingday.com
Cool down at YYC Ice Cream Fest
JULY 18 TO AUGUST 17
Indulge in an array of cool and curious ice cream flavours from participating shops and makers in support of Calgary Meals on Wheels’ annual festival.
yycicecreamfest.com
Sway to the tunes at Folk Fest
JULY 24 TO 27
2025 marks the 45th annual Calgary Folk Music Festival. That means four days of family-friendly, cultural and musical experiences with more than 70 artists, food vendors, an arts market and much more. calgaryfolkfest.com
AUGUST
Watch fireworks at GlobalFest
AUGUST 14 TO 23
Countries from around the world show off their sparkle in the night sky during this annual fireworks festival. To cheer on Canada’s team, get tickets for Aug. 23, when Canada will perform the finale for this year’s event. globalfest.ca
Two-step your way to Country Thunder Alberta AUGUST 15 TO 17
If country music is your jam, don’t miss Country Thunder at the Confluence with headliners Cody Johnson, Bailey Zimmerman and Old Dominion. countrythunder.com/ab
Get literary at When Words Collide AUGUST 15 TO 17
Calling all readers, writers, poets, artists and publishers to this annual festival celebrating the business of writing. Network with your peers, learn new skills and help build a strong literary community.
whenwordscollide.org
LOL at the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival
AUGUST 22 TO 24
This comedy fest features a lineup sure to get your belly aching. See Chelcie Lynn, Theo Von, Bert Kresicher and Whitney Cummings perform at Prince’s Island Park. greatoutdoorscomedyfestival.com
BY JACQUIE MOORE
how to bee good
GET BUZZY WITH IT
BEEKEEPING DOESN’T JUST YIELD YUMMY HONEY; IT ALSO BENEFITS ECOLOGY, SUSTAINABILITY AND EVEN SELF-CONFIDENCE.
Summer is busy for bees — and for the growing ranks of Calgary’s backyard beekeepers for whom these tiny livestock provide delicious honey and a meaningful hobby.
Alberta is a terrific place to learn this ancient craft: our province is home to the largest beekeeping industry in Canada, representing approximately 40 per cent of the country’s honeybees.
Even for hobbyists, approved training is required to keep bees in Calgary. That’s where groups like the Calgary and District Beekeepers Association come in. The now-95-year-old club’s active membership sits near 300, and it’s led by a small, but mighty colony of volunteer educators and mentors, like Liz Goldie.
If you had a bee-related question for The City of Calgary between 2012 and 2022, you likely encountered Goldie, who keeps two hives in Scenic Acres. She reassured residents with guidance like, “If you plug the crack in your hot-tub lid, honeybees won’t drown in there looking for a drink of water.”
During her decade-long tenure on the association’s board, she also helped The City develop its beekeeping bylaws. (Calgary approved its beekeeping licence via the urban livestock licensing program in 2022.)
Like many urban beekeepers, Goldie enjoys the often hundreds of pounds of honey her bees produce annually, but that isn’t the only attraction. Beekeepers do good by helping grow honeybee populations, which contributes to urban ecology and sustainability and, ultimately, to the global reliance on bees to pollinate agricultural harvests and maintain food security.
Goldie also sees beekeeping as a powerful path to self-confidence. The club is exceptionally social, and bee-mentors talk new beekeepers through animal-husbandry tasks with encouraging conviction. Goldie’s advice goes like this: “‘Are you zipped up? Okay, job number one today is to open your hive! You can do this!’” It’s a sweet gig.
The Calgary and District Beekeepers Association is a non-profit organization that promotes awareness and education of its members and the public about honeybees and good beekeeping practices.
To learn more, find approved courses or volunteer, visit calgarybeekeepers.com.
For more about beekeeping in the city, visit calgary. ca/pets/licences/urban-beekeeping.html.
LIZ GOLDIE WITH THE AMAZING BEES AT HER HOME HIVE — PAINTED BY LOCAL ARTIST, DEAN STANTON.
the
Natural beauty, lakeside living and modern convenience form the vision behind the Calgary region’s Community of the Year winner for the eighth time.
With its proximity to the mountains and unparalleled amenities, the community of Harmony — located in Springbank, between Calgary and the town of Cochrane — is more than just a place to live; it’s a philosophy. Inspired by the developers’ desire to offer a holistically planned, sustainably built neighbourhood, Harmony’s allure lies in its blend of natural features and thoughtful planning.
“Harmony’s popularity stems from its unparalleled blend of lakeside lifestyle living, natural beauty with proximity to the mountains and modern convenience,” says Emily Smith, director of marketing and customer care for Qualico Communities.
Smith says being named Community of the Year by BILD Calgary for the eighth time is a testament to the developers' focus on bringing a true sense of community to Harmony.
“An award like this serves as recognition for all the hard work and dedication that has gone into achieving such a unique community vision,” she says.
That vision includes access to a diverse range of amenities: There is the community garden; South Beach offers swimming, fishing and kayaking; an adventure park features a skate park, climbing wall, ninja course, pump track, dog park and skating ribbon and rink; and the Mickelson National Golf Club — designed by PGA major champion Phil Mickelson — includes
LaunchPad, a year-round social hub and restaurant with heated driving-range bays, various games and virtual courses, ideal for both avid golfers and beginners.
CONTINUING TO IMPROVE
Being named the best community in the Calgary area doesn’t mean the development team isn’t looking for ways to enhance residents’ living experience.
As Smith points out, at full buildout, Harmony will include an expanded pathway network, commercial storefronts, a Nordic-themed spa, a new school, a beach club with additional beach
locations and more options for shopping and entertainment.
Harmony also offers a variety of housing types for future residents at a range of price points. From townhomes, multifamily homes, duplexes and higher-density, single-family options to an assortment of stately, high-end houses, the community is accessible to a wide range of buyers.
“Harmony is bringing on more affordable home products at lower price points, including starter duplexes, laned, front-garage duplexes and narrower frontgarage, single-family homes, making the community more attainable and allowing new homebuyers a chance to get a foot in the door,” says Smith. “This is really important for the long-term sustainability and attainability of the community.”
A bridge will soon connect the north and south ends of the community, and a new 100-acre lake will support the next housing phases and construction of the Village Centre, offering residents better access to shopping and entertainment.
Harmony is showcasing new semi-estate offerings from NuVista Homes, Daytona and Baywest Homes. It will also highlight starter duplex and laned housing options from Homes by Avi and Broadview Homes, as well as move-up, front-garage homes from Sterling Homes and Genesis Builds, with show homes for those and new estate show homes as well in September.
“There is really a little bit of everything in Harmony that people should check out,” says Smith. “Affordability has and will be a priority in this community.”
Life is better in Harmony. Visit liveinharmony.ca today and become part of the community.
Award-winning Harmony sets
standard for community living.
C | A | L | G | A | R | Y ’ | S
BEST NEIGHBOURHOODS
We already know that Calgary is one of the best places in the world to live. On the Economist’s Global Liveability Index, the Blue Sky City has been a top 10 city in the world for nine of the last 10 years and, in five of those years, Calgary has been ranked the top city in North America. But where is the best place to live in Calgary?
This year, we took a new approach to our oftencontroversial, but always interesting exploration of the city’s more than 200 neighbourhoods, looking for what makes the best ones.
With more than 1.7 million Calgarians, and growing every day, the city’s neighbourhoods must cater to a wide range of tastes, needs and price points. What makes a neighbourhood great for one person doesn’t necessarily make it great for another — let alone for a family. With that in mind, we looked into the data, poured through our history of Best Neighbourhoods coverage and the on-the-ground experience of our editorial team to come up with this year’s Best Neighbourhoods, as well as our Best Up and Comers List.
E L B O W PA R K
BY SARAH COMBER AND LAUREN KALINOWSKI
Avisit to Calgary’s historic Elbow Park community is a treat for the architectural senses. Along the neighbourhood's winding residential roads, an eclectic mix of houses ranging from modern designs to heritage homes built in the early 1900s convene cohesively.
Aesthetics aside, the neighbourhood’s greatest quality is its community spirit. The Elbow Park Residents Association has many active volunteer members who are instrumental in bringing a range of events to life — such as hosting Movie in the Park in the fall and managing the community ice rinks.
Elbow Park is bordered by three prominent greenspaces: Sandy Beach, Earl Grey Park and Stanley Park. The neighbourhood is also treated to wellmanicured landscaping and ample mature trees. The Resident Association maintains a range of facilities — including tennis courts and soccer fields — ideal for the community’s blend of young families and residents nearing retirement age. For those with memberships, The Glencoe Club is the neighbourhood's recreational pièce de résistance. Being centrally located, Elbow Park
is only a 10-minute drive to Calgary’s downtown and within walking distance of trendy shopping and dining areas, such as the plethora of local businesses in nearby Mission and Britannia Plaza — with local favourites including Native Tongues Taqueria, Village Ice Cream and Monogram Coffee.
Unique Challenge
While Elbow Park is a quiet residential community, during pick-up and dropoff at Elbow Park School (one of two schools within the community), traffic safety is a concern. Located near Sifton Boulevard S.W., the school posts parents as volunteer traffic guards to ensure students can cross the busy road safely. — S.C.
What the Neighbours Say
The [2013] flood, as difficult as it was for the city of Calgary and Southern Alberta, really brought the community together even more. It was always a tight-knit community, but what transpired during the flood — when we all worked tirelessly over weeks to support our neighbours — has created a tremendous community spirit.” — Scott Jenkins, an Elbow Park resident since 2009.
BY THE NUMBERS
Population 3,285
Median Household Income $288,000
Housing Types 98% single-detached
Percentage of owners 94%
PHOTO BY JARED SYCH
Elbow Island Park and River Park
At the enchanting Elbow Island Park, art and nature intertwine. Calgary’s art island showcases permanent installations by local and national artists integrated into nature. The artworks, created in consultation with Indigenous Elders, ecologists and river engineers, complement the natural landscape and improve park safety and accessibility. This urban oasis balances city life with wild spaces, creating a unique escape in the heart of Calgary.
Neighbourhood Architecture
A stroll through this inner-city Calgary community can feel like a self-guided tour of the city’s architectural offerings. Just try to spot all the treasures like romantic Tudor turrets and Victorian gingerbread detailing, Craftsman craftsmanship and Neogothic flourishes. As Steve McKenna of Rimrock Real Estate notes, “[the area is] anchored by the historic Glencoe Club to the north and Elbow Park School to the south, and is shrouded in heritage and interspersed with some of the city's finest architecture, from designated heritage homes to ultra-modern enclaves."
Eyebrow gables and Juliet balconies
add whimsical touches throughout, while California Contemporary and mid-century masterpieces complement, rather than compete with their historic neighbours. This neighbourhood, one of Calgary's first planned residential suburbs, established in 1910, defines a unique kind of luxury. It’s one where architectural history lives on in carefully preserved homes and thoughtfully designed modern additions.
Residents Association Outdoor Movie Nights & Events
Elbow Park has Calgary's oldest community association, which knows how to bring neighbours together. In September, the neighbourhood celebrates with an annual outdoor movie night. Winter transforms the neighbourhood into a wonderland of family skating nights, sledding adventures and cross-country skiing.
The Elbow Park community clubhouse offers a creative playground, two hockey rinks, two pleasure skating rinks, a baseball diamond, basketball courts and tennis courts. Whether you're catching a family flick under the stars or lacing up for a moonlit skate, Elbow Park proves that the best memories are made when neighbours come together.— L.K.
PHOTOS
K E N S I N G T O N
BY LAUREN KALINOWSKI AND SEAN P. YOUNG
Technically, Kensington is a Businesses Improvement Zone that includes Sunnyside and Hillhurst. But, colloquially, Kensington has long been one of Calgary’s most vital neighbourhoods, where history, art, shopping and community come together.
Just across the Bow River from downtown, this pedestrian-friendly district mixes inner-city energy with the small-town vibes that date back more than a century to when it was the village of West Hillhurst.
Few places in the city offer such a cool strolling experience. Heritage brick buildings give way to buzzing patios, boutiques and art installations. The neighbourhood is home to established indie gems like The Plaza Theatre, Sunnyside Art Supplies and Pages On Kensington bookstore.
Coffee culture has thrived here for decades. When The Roasterie opened here in 1985, it was the first Calgary café to roast its own beans. Calgary’s first Starbuck’s also opened here in 1996. A multitude of independent cafés like Higher Ground and Aggüdo now fuel the neighbourhood.
Proximity to the Bow River Pathway makes Kensington a favourite for
cyclists and joggers, and Riley Park attracts families with its playground, wading pool and rock garden.
Historic homes share space with recently developed condos and apartments, making the neighbourhood diverse and enticing to young families and business owners, alike.
Unique Challenge
Parking has long been tough in Kensington, especially on weekends. Increasing residential densification in the area and more vehicle and foot traffic can make a drive down 10th Street N.W. or Kensington Road a congested crawl. — S.Y.
What the Neighbours Say
The draw is unparalleled. I can’t imagine another community bordered by one of the largest urban green spaces in Riley Park on one side, and the river and downtown core on the other. Between these five blocks are some of Calgary’s best local businesses and restaurants that make it a strong community and a sense of pride for our diverse residents. There is no reason to leave when it’s all right here.” Laila Adam, a management consultant who has lived in Kensington since 2015.
BY THE NUMBERS
HILLHURST
Population 5,475
Median Household Income $93,000
Housing Types 30% single-detached; 26% apartments less than 5 storeys; 26% apartment buildings over 5 storeys
Percentage of owners 51%
SUNNYSIDE
Population 4,000
Median Household Income $69,500
Housing Types 17% single-detached; 60% apartments less than 5 storeys
Percentage of owners 32%
PHOTO BY JARED SYCH
Plaza Movie Theatre
The Plaza Theatre is more than just a boutique cinema. Behind the historic façade and iconic velvet curtain, you'll find an intimate theatre where films are better shared with a crowd, a speakeasy-style bar mixing up drinks like Dark & Stormy and Pretty in Pink, and a café serving Phil & Sebastian coffee alongside Hoopla Donuts.
The vibe is quaint and cozy andtickets are cheap ($12.99 for an adult ticket), with a constantly rotating selection of independent films, blockbusters and old favourites.
The Plaza is open daily (yes, even on holidays), and the theatre invites you to grab its famous popcorn (no ticket required), catch a movie, sip a cocktail or enjoy the food truck offerings on the patio.
Yoga Santosha
Yoga Santosha has been nurturing body and soul since 2007 under the thoughtful guidance of co-founders Alastair and Candace Cooke. With more than 70 classes weekly, this sanctuary offers something unique in Calgary's wellness landscape. The gentle sound of a trickling fountain enhances the studio's calming atmosphere, while the innovative Great Yoga Wall allows students to explore new dimensions of stretching using gravity-
assisted poses.
What sets Santosha apart is its holistic approach to wellness with restorative classes, workshops in breathwork, chanting and mobility led by community experts.
Regal Cat Café
The Regal Cat Café in Kensington offers the purr-fect blend of coffee, community and cats. Since being acquired by MEOW Foundation in 2022, the café has also supported adoption. For just $10 on weekdays and $12 on weekends, visitors can spend 30 minutes in the "Kitty Kingdom," a dedicated space where adoptable cats roam, play and charm their way into hearts.
Though the cats are the stars, the café's menu shines with locally roasted Chronicle Coffee, custom-blended teas named after cat breeds (like Calico and Black Cat), and an array of treats from local bakeries including vegan and gluten-friendly options from Canela, Pretty Sweet Co.'s adorable cat-themed cookies, and Ollia's Instagramworthy macarons.
Maybe you're seeking a furry friend to adopt, can't have a cat at home or just need some feline therapy with your coffee. This unique spot ensures every visit supports Calgary's homeless cats. — L.K.
M A H O G A N Y
BY SARAH COMBER AND LAUREN KALINOWSKI
Mahogany is a shining example of a neighbourhood that seamlessly merges convenient amenities with ample access to parks and outdoor recreation, alongside a variety of housing options.
The 63-acre freshwater lake with 21 acres of private beach is a huge draw for prospective residents. The lake offers year-round outdoor recreation, from beach volleyball and fishing to ice skating. The neighbourhood also boasts 74 acres of naturalized wetlands, with 22 km of community pathways, ideal for late-afternoon walks with the family, as well as early morning jogs.
With the eventual completion of the Green Line, the local LRT station will be a 10-minute walk from the lake, and an even closer jaunt to Mahogany Village Market. The shopping district hosts all the essentials, from groceries, personal care and dining options, to a range of professional services — and even a daycare.
Mahogany offers a variety of housing options, including waterside condos, net-zero townhomes and detached family homes.
The majority of Mahogany’s
residents are young families. The area has two elementary schools and intends on building three additional schools. Featuring excellent walkability and easy access to amenities, the community is also ideal for aging residents. Mahogany’s local retirement residence, The Journey Club, provides resort-style living where seniors can conveniently age in place.
Unique Challenge
While Mahogany stands out for its cohesive aesthetic and meticulous residential planning, the trade-off is the lack of scruffy charm often found in older communities. Whereas neighbourhoods that have been developed over time display a range of decades and designs, Mahogany’s comparative uniformity marks its newness as a budding suburb. — S.C.
What the Neighbours Say
What I like about Mahogany is the amenities we have now as it’s built up. There is just about every service you need in here, and that is the selling feature now, because you don’t have to go far.” — Phyllis Johnston, a resident at The Journey Club since 2018.
BY THE NUMBERS
Population 13,860
Median Household Income $142,000
Housing Types 66% single-detached;
18% apartments 5 storeys or less
Percentage of owners 86%
PHOTO BY JARED SYCH
Alvin’s Jazz Club
Drawing inspiration from the golden age of New York City's 1930s and 40s supper clubs, the Alvin’s menu artfully balances tradition with innovation. Modern techniques elevate the pan-seared salmon and short-rib Wellington, while timeless favourites such as beef and bone marrow tartare, fresh oysters, and short-rib croquettes honour classic cuisine. Sit out in the town square courtyard patio in the summer with a cocktail and listen to a live band as the sun sets.
Sink into the leather and velvet surroundings, sip seasonal cocktails, share a seafood platter, and save room for the signature mango and coconut cheesecake.
Mahogany Lake
Mahogany Lake is the blue heart at the centre of the community. Its unparalleled 63 acres of pristine waters and 21 acres of sandy beaches transform everyday life into a permanent vacation. Calgary's largest lake invites residents to escape the urban rhythm, without leaving their neighbourhood.
The lake evolves with the seasons, hosting sun-soaked beach volleyball matches and lazy afternoon paddling in summer and magical skating parties under winter
skies. Here, families build sandcastles at one of the two private beaches, residents cast lines from the fishing pier and friends gather for sunset barbecues. The lake creates those precious moments that turn neighbours into friends.
Chairman's Steakhouse
Chairman's Steakhouse is an enchanting homage to the golden age of Old Hollywood, where elegance reigns supreme. Perched on Mahogany’s waterfront, the dining room pairs sweeping views with the subtle opulence of rich leather, burnished wood and the intimate glow of carefully curated lighting.
Your evening might begin with the signature bone marrow flambée or the indulgence of foie gras parfait. Exquisite crab Wellingtons and gleaming towers of fresh seafood herald the main presentation: masterfully prepared Chairman's cuts, baked lobster thermidor, Cape d'Or organic salmon and perfectly prepared lamb T-bone chops.
As the evening draws to a close, surrender to the sublime pleasure of a Valrhona chocolate and almond torte or savour a precisely crafted espresso martini while drinking in the shimmer of the lakeshore lights. — L.K.
B E LT L I N E
BY LAUREN KALINOWSKI AND ALANA WILLERTON
On a summer weekend night in the Beltline, there’s a palpable buzz as Calgarians pop in and out of local bars; head to reservations at one of the 100-plus restaurants, lounges and cafés on the bustling 17th Avenue S.W. strip; or simply explore the area with an ice cream cone in hand. This energy, not to mention the neighbourhood’s walkability (it has a walk score of 91) and access to countless restaurants, shops and amenities, are all key draws for many residents, as well as the visitors.
The Beltine came to be when the Connaught and Victoria Park neighbourhoods merged in 2003, and the area takes its name from an early 1900s trolley streetcar route. Peppered with historical architecture dating back more than 100 years, the innercity community begs to be explored with attractions like its many parks (for both humans and dogs), the first public library in Alberta (Central Memorial Library), and event hot spots like the Scotiabank Saddledome and BMO Centre. If that weren’t enough, active business improvement areas like the 17th Ave BIA, the Victoria Park BIA and The Blox ensure plenty
of events and activations to enjoy throughout the year. — A.W.
Unique Challenge
It's hard to build community in a neighbourhood with high turnover — neighbours just don’t have the time to get involved. According to the City, three quarters of current Beltline residents moved into the neighbourhood in the past five years. Compared to some of our other Best Neighbourhoods, that’s very high. In Saddle Ridge, more than half of residents have been in the community longer than five years and, in Elbow Park, two thirds have been in the community for more than five years.
What the Neighbours Say
When I moved to the Beltline from the suburbs in 2020, I didn’t expect to make many connections. Surprisingly, I’ve made quite a few — the baristas at my favourite coffee shop, my neighbours on my floor, the folks at the run club that meets in Lindsay Park. There’s no shortage of things to do, people to meet and places to go in the Beltline.” — Tsering Asha, Avenue’s senior editor, who has lived in the Beltline since 2020.
BY THE NUMBERS
Population 25,880
Median Household Income $71,000
Housing Types 86% apartments more than 5 storeys; 12% apartments less than 5 storeys
Percentage of owners 25%
PHOTO BY JARED SYCH
BUMP Festival
Every August, the streets buzz with creative electricity as artists from around the globe scale buildings and make their mark on the city through giant painted murals, while alley parties pulse with music. BUMP leaves in its wake a living gallery.
Since 2017, this public art movement has painted life into every corner of the neighbourhood. Today, more than 360 installations cover the city's buildings, each telling its own visual story.
“[We] foster a sense of community, encouraging residents and visitors to engage with their surroundings in new ways,” says Anna MacLaren, BUMP's director of visual programming.
“BUMP has helped position Calgary as a leader in urban art, providing opportunities for both emerging and established artists to contribute to the city’s cultural fabric.”
Central Memorial Park
On the eastern edge of Central Memorial Park, the historic Memorial Park Library, Alberta's first public library, adds a touch of architectural grandeur to this urban oasis. The western side of the park is dominated by the cenotaph that gives the park its name. On the southern edge lies the lovely Park by Sidewalk Citizen restau-
rant. And between them all is a delightful pocket of tranquility amidst the Beltline's bustling streetscapes complete with manicured gardens, open lawns and two water fountains. In a neighbourhood where green spaces are rare, this park provides precious breathing room, lovingly tended by The City to become a summer showstopper that is a riot of floral colour.
First Street Market
With its converted warehouse feeling, soaring ceilings, exposed brick and bright modern finishes, this vibrant destination brings together an impressive collection of local culinary talent serving their most exciting concepts.
There’s something here to satisfy every craving, from Pure Viet's authentic street food and K Town's fried chicken, to La Mano's handcrafted pasta and Moose & Poncho's Mexican cuisine. Start your day with Friends with Benedicts' breakfast classics, grab lunch from Hi-5 Burgers or Saffron Street's Indian kitchen, or unwind with drinks in the evening.
With Alforno Bakery, Actually Pretty Good Pizza and Raw by Robyn's fresh juices rounding out the offerings, the hard part is choosing what to eat, but that's just another reason to keep coming back. — L.K.
U N I V E R S I T Y
D I S T R I C T
BY LAUREN KALINOWSKI AND VIANCY
If you haven’t been near the University of Calgary in a few years, the University District neighbourhood might come as a bit of a surprise. Here, suddenly, in a fairly central location, sits a whole new and growing community. Not only that, it’s walkable and provides access to shops, transit and restaurants near the university and it's not too far from downtown.
Acquired by UCalgary in 1995, the 200-acre neighbourhood on the west side of its main campus was previously known as the West Campus lands. The area was a blank canvas full of opportunity, and the University of Calgary Properties Group seized that chance, beginning construction in 2015. Now it's filled with accessible areas to live, work, shop and dine.
University District is best known for its built-in convenience. It’s a community designed with walkable pathways, bike lanes and transit. Market Mall, Alberta Children's Hospital and Foothills Medical Centre are all nearby. In the community, University Avenue N.W.'s amenities and services
include restaurants, a bank, salons, cafés and shops as well as a hotel.
Residents can also enjoy green spaces sprinkled throughout the neighbourhood, and the Central Commons Park offers community members a yearround outdoor gathering space that hosts summer markets and winter skating parties. — V.S.
Unique Challenge
University District is still under active development, with many construction projects that will continue in the coming years. Because the property is owned by the University of Calgary, it cannot be sold in a traditional way, so buyers here own “leasehold,” rather than traditional “freehold” properties.
What the Neighbours Say
The neighbourhood has grown so much since I first lived here. The district has almost everything you need, and it’s all very accessible. Being close to downtown and the university, it’s the perfect place for a student.” — Luis Contreras, a University District resident.
BY THE NUMBERS
Population 960
Median Household Income $74,500
Housing Types 22% single-detached; 36% apartments 5 storeys or less; 23% apartment buildings over 5 storeys
Percentage of owners 28%
PHOTO BY JARED SYCH
SALUBRE
Charcut
The second location of Charcut boasts the northwest's most-coveted patio — a heated, south-facing oasis anchoring the District's main street, adjacent to the Alt Hotel Le Germain.
Grab an after-work cocktail, maybe a Portuguese Negroni, and build your own charcuterie spread (don't forget to add fresh whipped cheese with truffle honey) while basking in the afternoon sun. Like its downtown sister location, Charcut artfully blends Italian and Portuguese traditions through house-cured meats, handmade pastas and its signature rotisserie Alberta beef prime rib. All diners will find something, regardless of preference, with Charcut's vegetable-forward sharing plates. And, for home cooks, there’s also a top-quality online butcher shop.
Central Commons & Northwest Commons Parks
University District has two destination recreational green spaces. With its imaginative space theme and thoughtful design, Northwest Commons Park goes beyond typical playground fare: think roller slides with interesting textures, a showstopping rope tunnel, outdoor ping pong tables and even a human-sized chess board. And
Central Commons Park includes communal barbecues and a splash pad for kiddos in summer and a skating rink in winter.
The thoughtful design welcomes everyone with accessible ramps, varied seating heights and spaces that bring all generations together — and both parks are dog-friendly!
Central Common’s prime location off University District’s main street, surrounded by cafés and an ice cream shop, makes it a natural gathering spot for the community.
U/D Night Market
On the last Wednesday of every month from May through September, the Central Commons Park transforms into U/D Night Market, a lively community celebration.
Before the sun sets, the park comes alive with the sounds of live music and the buzz of local artisans showcasing their talents. Bring your four-legged friends and browse through an expertly curated selection of handcrafted treasures. Think aromatic soaps and candles, artisanal chocolates, unique clothing pieces, stunning jewellery and local artwork. A perfect way to support local. — L.K.
E S T S P R I N G S
BY LAUREN KALINOWSKI AND ALANA WILLERTON
Established in 2001, this southwest neighbourhood is a convenient home base for families and singles, alike, thanks to its proximity to a wide range of amenities and attractions. While there’s plenty of appeal right on its doorstep, other handy destinations like Aspen Landing Shopping Centre, WestHills Towne Centre and CF Market Mall are all just a short drive away.
While access to major roadways like Bow Trail S.W. makes it easy to head downtown for a bite, foodies can also find plenty of local dining options close to home with restaurants like Brekkie, Vin Room West, Mercato West, Una Pizza + Wine, and Blanco Cantina. The neighbourhood also offers amenities like grocery stores, fitness studios and salons. Even more local produce, products and bites are just 10 minutes away at the Calgary Farmers’ Market West.
West Springs is also a great community for those who enjoy outdoor recreation — the neighbourhood is also a 10-minute drive from Canada
Olympic Park’s beloved ski hills and outdoor activities, plus there’s easy highway access to hit the slopes in Canmore and Banff. — A.W.
Unique Challenge
The neighbourhood caters to families, with a quarter of the population under 14 and another quarter in their 40s (a.k.a., those kids’ parents). Over 60 per cent of households are couples with children. With only seven per cent of homes in apartments, there aren’t currently many opportunities for aging in place.
What the Neighbours Say
West Springs offers the perfect balance of convenience and community. It’s close to downtown and it’s incredibly easy to access key areas of the city. With the recent opening of Stoney Trail, you can really zip in and out of the area in no time.
It’s also really family friendly, with lots of parks to enjoy and walkable to grocery stores and restaurants.”
— Cher Kotulski, a West Springs resident for the past six years.
BY THE NUMBERS
Population 11,560
Median Household Income $172,000
Housing Types 70% single-detached; 15% row house
Percentage of owners 88%
PHOTO BY JARED SYCH
Brekkie
Brekkie brings a fresh take on breakfast culture to Calgary's west end, where chef-driven creativity meets cozy neighbourhood vibes in a thoughtfully designed space. Don't let the potential wait deter you (pro tip: join the waitlist ahead of time online); this 85th Street S.W. gem delivers equally impressive sweet and savoury options that are worth the wait.
From the “famous” eggs Benedict selections to seasonally rotating delights like sugar plum French toast and pumpkin cranberry pancakes, each dish showcases locally sourced ingredients with flair. The menu hits all the right notes.
More than just a restaurant, Brekkie has mastered the balance of feeling both sophisticated and homey.
Mercato WestPizzevino Bar
Mercato West is a lively one-stop shop Italian culinary destination. The philosophy is simple: share everything, with generous portions perfect for family-style dining. While the ristorante crafts modern takes on traditional classics, the casual Pizzevino Bar serves up perfect pizzas and other casual fare, and the market beckons with
treasures like three flavours of tiramisu and fresh pasta in every shape imaginable. It’s a dream for busy families.
Mercato’s ready-to-heat meals showcase homemade classics from cannelloni to lasagna, paired with an array of house sauces.
Whether you're shopping for ingredients, grabbing dinner to go or letting them cater your next party, Mercato West brings a taste of Italy to Calgary's west end.
West Springs Playground & Park
West Springs offers a perfect blend of recreational amenities for families of all ages. The community's interconnected walking and cycling paths wind around a peaceful pond, linking together its thoughtfully designed play spaces.
Active families can choose between two playgrounds: a toddler-friendly area in Westpark and the West Springs School playground, which include an impressive rope web climber. In the summer, The City sets up a mobile Skate & Scoot skatepark at West Ridge School. The City-managed tennis court adds to the recreational mix, while abundant green spaces and pathways provide peaceful spots for nature walks and afternoon picnics. — L.K.
I N G L E W O O D
BY LAUREN KALINOWSKI AND SEAN P. YOUNG
As Calgary’s oldest neighbourhood, Inglewood has endured many identity changes in its 150-year history. Located east of downtown at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers, over the past 30 years, Inglewood has become known as one of Calgary’s pre-eminent arts and shopping districts, particularly attractive to shoppers in the warmer months.
Inglewood’s main street, 9th Avenue S.E., is lined with brick heritage buildings and single-level shops, some that date back more than a century to when the area was known as Brewery Flats.
Inglewood marks the east end of Music Mile, with the headquarters of Calgary Folk Fest and live music staple Ironwood Stage and Grill here. Hipster hotspots, vintage shops and brewpubs juxtapose with the grit of Inglewood’s past in the form of the Blackfoot Truckstop Diner and Proline Shooters, a gun shop located next to a florist. This mix of new and old creates a weird charm celebrated by residents and makes it an urban experience unlike any other in Calgary. Inglewood’s proximity to the Bow River and its many green spaces —
including Pearce Estate Park and the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary — makes it a haven for outdoor excursions, whether it be walking, cycling or water-sport activities at the Harvie Passage.
Unique Challenge
Many locals would like to stick to the KISS principle — Keep Inglewood Slightly Sleezy — as the neighbourhood continues to densify and decaying bungalows get replaced with shiny new infills. Character is a hard thing to quantify, but part of the creative heart of Inglewood lies in its old buildings and mix of retail, industrial and residential spaces, and many locals try to protect that from erasure. — S.Y.
What the Neighbours Say
My wife and I really love Inglewood. We’ve got two dogs, so we spend a lot of time on the pathways and along the rivers. What’s made it more attractive as well are all the great dining options and breweries that have opened since I moved here from the Beltline. And I just love all the brick and just the rundown vibe of it here.” — Michael Magnan, a landscape architect who moved to Inglewood 10 years ago.
BY THE NUMBERS
Population 4,130
Median Household Income $87,000
Housing Types 28% single-detached;
27% apartments less than 5 storeys
Percentage of owners 56%
PHOTO BY JARED SYCH
Esker Foundation
This dynamic, 15,000-square-foot gallery has a mission to break down the traditional barriers between contemporary art and everyday life. Throughout the year, Esker orchestrates three seasonal exhibitions: fall, winter and spring/summer. Its street-level Project Space serves as an artistic laboratory where emerging and established creators breathe new life into the neighbourhood's cultural fabric. Everyone's invited free of charge to explore, engage and be inspired through thought-provoking exhibitions, illuminating publications and interactive programs that make contemporary art accessible.
espy
Since 2009, espy has transformed how Calgarians and clients worldwide approach fashion. The designer clothing boutique specializes in helping clients discover their unique style through professional styling services, an extensive collection of quality clothing and footwear (including work by Canadian designers), and expert denim fittings.
Recognized as one of Canada's top independent fashion retailers, espy's mission remains clear: making self-confidence through fashion accessible to everyone,
regardless of age, gender or style, all while maintaining a range of price points that keep quality fashion within reach.
And beyond retail, espy has raised more than $350,000 for Calgary charities through innovative events like #nakedespy, an annual fundraiser for the Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre.
Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary has been Calgary’s secret nature preserve since 1929. This 36-hectare slice of wilderness is a testament to urban wildlife at its finest, where curious visitors can wander two kilometres of serene trails and perhaps catch a deer peeking through the trees, spy a beaver in the lagoon, or spot one of the sanctuary's feathered celebrities (think Mourning Warblers and Hairy Woodpeckers) among the 270 bird species that call the sanctuary home.
Bikes and four-legged friends (with the exception of service animals) need to sit this adventure out. The sanctuary's Nature Centre stands ready to help you unlock the mysteries of its wild residents. This urban oasis proves you don't need to leave the city to find yourself in the heart of the wild. — L.K.
M I D N A P O R E
BY SARAH COMBER AND LAUREN KALINOWSKI
Rich in character and community, Midnapore has retained its smalltown charm since being annexed by The City of Calgary in 1961. While much has changed since then, Midnapore’s greatest qualities continue to be its community-centric living, greenspace and convenient amenities.
With residents ranging from young families to retirees, community events routinely bring the neighbourhood together. On Thursday afternoons, the Social Seniors host card games and conversation over complimentary coffee and tea. June brings the annual Kick Start to Summer festival, including food trucks, carnival games and performances. And the colder months are made more cozy with a themed wine-tasting.
Yet, the epicentre of community life happens outdoors. A range of year-round activities take place for residents on Midnapore Lake’s sandy shores, including beach volleyball, fishing and skating. Meanwhile, walkable access to Fish Creek Provincial Park means residents can easily immerse themselves in nature.
The community also has two local shopping centres: Midlake Plaza and
Midnapore Mall. The latter hosts a range of cuisines including Filipino takeout restaurant Munting Kusina ni Nanay and Fiesta Market & Restaurant, which offers a dine-in menu and a Latin market. Midnapore also boasts nearby access to retailers and supermarkets along Macleod Trail.
Unique Challenge
While greenspace walkability — including Fish Creek Park and Midnapore Lake access, as well as walking paths throughout the community — is a neighbourhood highlight, Midnapore lacks convenient walking access to shopping and restaurants. Most errands require a car. And, while there are a number of specialty markets here, there isn’t a major grocery store in the neighbourhood itself. —S.C
What the Neighbours Say
We have lots of green spaces around here to walk. Everybody stops and says hi, or waves at you, or hangs across the fence to chat as people go by… We also have a wide swath of generations. It's really nice. It feels like its own little area, in a way.” — Patsy McNish, who moved to Midnapore in 1988.
BY THE NUMBERS
Population 6,480
Median Household Income $91,000
Housing Types 49% single-detached;
19% apartments less than 5 storeys
Percentage of owners 69%
PHOTO BY JARED SYCH
Fish Creek Provincial Park
Fish Creek Provincial Park is the second largest urban park in Canada. It’s a thriving urban wildlife sanctuary within Calgary's city limits, bordered to the west by the Tsuut’ina Nation. Wildlife encounters are common here. The park features more than 100 km of trails that connect to the larger Calgary pathway systems and to the Trans Canada Trail.
You’ll find the popular Sikome Lake (officially the Sikome Aquatic Facility) here, as well. Unlike many of the other man-made lakes in the city, this one is open to the public for a reasonable fee, and it's a popular family destination all summer long.
The park also features Annie's Café and the upscale Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant in the historic Bow Valley Ranch area, where visitors can enjoy anything from ice cream to a full meal.
Lake Midnapore Disc Golf Course
Calgary has a vibrant disc golf community and The City of Calgary operates four permanent courses, as well as a number of pop-up spaces throughout the city. But the Lake Midnapore Disc Golf Course is one of the few private courses. Established in 2014, this course just for Midnapore
residents and their guests features nine Disc Golf Association Mach V baskets, plus a practice basket, all complemented by natural tee pads.
The course's challenging terrain, characterized by significant elevation changes, makes it more suitable for experienced players than beginners.
Fiesta Market and Restaurant
This bright-orange, cafeteria-style spot tucked into a strip mall off MacLeod Trail S.E. is two adventures in one. The restaurant side serves up the real deal: sopes, flautas, chiles rellenos, pozole and tacos. Don't leave without trying the soulwarming tortilla soup or the indulgently juicy birria tacos paired with an ice-cold beer, and save room for the cloud-like tres leches cake.
But the true treasure hunt begins in the market at the back, where floor-to-ceiling shelves provide a mini-maze of Mexican and South American delights. There's an entire wall dedicated to salsas, dried chilies and real-sugar Mexican candy. Between the Día de Los Muertos decorations and the steady stream of Spanish-speaking regulars, you might just forget you’re in Calgary. — L.K.
Central park now open!
Adventure awaits in fireside
At Fireside of Cochrane, life moves at just the right pace—with scenic pathways, schools, and homes designed for every stage of life. Nestled between the mountains and the city, it’s a community built for adventure, connection, and lasting roots. Visit Fireside and find your perfect home today!
B OW N E S S
BY LAUREN KALINOWSKI AND SEAN P. YOUNG
The town of Bowness was amalgamated into Calgary in 1964 and most of the small-town allure and timeless community spirit remains in this west-Calgary pillar.
Bordered by the Bow River to the north and east, and the Trans-Canada Highway to the south, and home to the iconic Bowness Park, the neighbourhood sees visits from natureloving Calgarians, outdoor sports enthusiasts and families every season of the year.
Bowness is a socioeconomically diverse neighbourhood, with many of the former military houses (after the Second World War, the Canadian government offered one-acre plots to veterans in an area called “Soldiers’ Settlements”) sharing the community with large luxury homes lining the Bow River.
This diversity is also seen in the variety of commercial offerings. The community has a quirky vibe with restaurants such as Angel’s Drive In, a 1950s-style burger spot, and Cadence Coffee, a throwback diner space where locals gather for brunch.
The Mainstreet Bowness Business Improvement Area features more than 60 businesses including indie artisan shops like Light Cellar Super Foods
and Grasby Art Studio, and enduring outdoor-recreation spots like Bow Cycle & Sports.
Unique Challenge
While Bowness boasts a strong sense of community and beautiful river access, its ongoing transformation brings challenges. Residents and civic leaders have urged The City to halt densification until aging infrastructure is updated. Last year’s Bearspaw South Feeder Main break occurred in nearby Montgomery, shutting down businesses and water service in both neighbourhoods.— S.Y.
What the Neighbours Say
We originally moved to Bowness in 2021 because it was close enough to downtown and right on the river. But we immediately discovered that the real magic of this neighbourhood is the people. Folks will say hello to you on the street and some of my neighbours have become close friends. When the water crisis happened last year, we all found ways to take care of each other. I can't imagine living anywhere else now.”
— Gideon Mentie, volunteer board member at the Bowness Community Association.
BY THE NUMBERS
Population 10,770
Median Household Income $72,000
Housing Types 42% single-detached;
26% apartments less than 5 storeys
Percentage of owners 52%
PHOTO BY JARED SYCH
Brewsmith Brewing
Located on Bowness's main street, Brewsmith Brewing opened last November and quickly established itself as a community-oriented, family-friendly space. “We’re really the only brewery in northwest Calgary, and we've got really strong ties to the neighbourhood," says taproom manager Brian Cardwell. Visitors can enjoy board games, live music on Thursdays and rotating art exhibitions featuring two Calgary artists at a time.
The venue also offers local artisanal products including cards, art and soap. The establishment's commitment to local partnerships extends to featuring Eau Claire Distillery cocktails and Tuesday Brewing non-alcoholic beer.
Bowness Park
This year-round park is where childhood memories are made: climbing trees, roasting s’mores, skipping rocks, paddle boating across the lagoon and skating under twinkling lights.
Before the First World War, local developer John Hextall designed the park as a weekend retreat for Calgarians in what was then the town of Bowness. Today, the park continues to offer year-round activities centred around the Seasons of Bowness
Park restaurant and market where visitors can warm up with hot cocoa, or sit down for a meal. They also make a takeaway Picnic in the Park complete with a basket, blanket and Frisbee!
Park amenities include boat rentals, a children's train ride, a wading pool, playgrounds and many picnic sites with shelters. Winter activities include crosscountry skiing, rentable ice bikes and Crokicurl.
Bow Cycle & Sports
Located across from the historic streetcar on Bowness’s main street, Bow Cycle is a cyclist's paradise stocked with everything from fat bikes and cargo carriers to mountain bikes and e-bikes, all available for purchase or rent. The iconic shop is a one-stop cycling haven, featuring a fullservice repair department, walls adorned with race jerseys and mountain biking maps, and every accessory imaginable from garage storage solutions to car carriers, shoes and kids' gear.
"Bow Cycle, this is where the fun begins" isn't just a slogan — it's the spirit that keeps this cycling hub rolling, welcoming everyone from training-wheel novices to seasoned road warriors through its doors.
— L.K.
S A D D L E R I D G E
BY SARAH COMBER AND LAUREN KALINOWSKI
Saddle Ridge's development encompasses the many uses of this area through time. Standing on the traditional grounds of the Blackfoot Territory, the land that is now Saddle Ridge was annexed by Calgary for ranching in 1894. The community has since grown to a population of 24,365 residents, 62 per cent of whom are newcomers to Canada. This longstanding heritage combined with a diverse community exemplifies Calgary’s cultural mosaic as well as its past, present and future.
Community activity revolves around the Genesis Centre. Although the centre technically lies in neighbouring Martindale, it serves various Northeast Calgary residents and was partially funded by the Saddle Ridge Community Association.
It's common to find the young and elderly gathering at the centre, which also hosts a range of cultural celebrations and events, from youth chess leagues and soccer games to Indigenous markets and Diwali celebrations.
Saddle Ridge features easy access to many amenities. Getting errands done is a breeze with a visit to Saddletowne Circle. Within walking distance of Saddletowne Station, highlights
include South Asian grocer Chalo! FreshCo and Vattan Halal Meat.
Among Saddle Ridge’s numerous playgrounds, the community also boasts two prominent greenspaces, Saddlecreek Ponds and Bear Park — which includes a playground, picnic area and numerous pathways ideal for both walking and cycling.
Unique Challenge
While Saddle Ridge has ample parks and greenspaces, as with many newly developed communities, it lacks the large trees found in longer established neighbourhoods. However, last September, the community benefited from a Neighbourhood Tree Planting initiative by The City of Calgary. The City planted more than 500 container trees on public land as a result. — S.C.
What the Neighbours Say
We have a very diverse community here…. The Genesis Centre plays a part in that because we have cultural festivals there quite frequently, which is a chance to learn what our neighbours celebrate.” — Judy Brown, who has lived in Saddle Ridge for 25 years.
BY THE NUMBERS
Population 24,365
Median Household Income $104,000
Housing Types 68% single-detached;
10% apartments less than 5 storeys
Percentage of owners 77%
PHOTO BY JARED SYCH
Lovely Sweets Street
Eat at Savanna Bazaar
Step into the aromatic whirlwind that is Lovely Sweets Street Eat, where Calgary gets its fix of authentic Indian street food magic. Since 2021, this buzzing spot has been doing double duty, with one side churning out everything from sizzling Indo-Chinese creations to perfectly spiced regional curries, while the sweet shop tempts with towers of colourful treats. The air is thick with the heavenly scent of fresh naan, and every dish (each one crafted from scratch) comes dressed to impress with just-right garnishes. From the curries like peppery, creamy shahi paneer to the zing of street-style pav bhaji, and the golgappe counter that has everyone hungry, Lovely Sweets captures all the beautiful chaos of India's food scene.
Chalo! FreshCo
Step into Chalo! FreshCo, where the hunt for South Asian ingredients becomes an exciting one-stop adventure. Part of the Sobeys family, these bright and bustling stores have transformed the international grocery experience from a multi-store expedition into a single vibrant destination. The aisles are full of treasures from across Southeast Asia, the Middle
East and beyond, while the produce section tempts with ever-changing deals on fresh fruits and vegetables. Halal meat, an impressive fish selection and walls of spices sit alongside Western groceries in spotless, well-organized displays.
Genesis Centre
The Genesis Centre, a 225,000square-foot marvel of recreational and community opportunities, has become the neighbourhood's gathering place. You'll find kids shooting hoops in the massive 30,000-square-foot event centre and aunties sharing family recipes in the community kitchen. The Genesis Centre is a perfect reflection of the neighbourhood itself, a mix of cultures where residents bring their diverse heritage to life through events, sports and celebrations. With two indoor field houses, a community gym and numerous multi-purpose rooms, there's space for everyone to play, learn and connect. The Genesis Centre includes a YMCA and a Calgary Public Library branch. This is where business meetings happen down the hall from cultural festivals, where trade shows set up shop next to family celebrations, and where you might hear conversations in any number of the 165 languages spoken in Calgary. — L.K.
PHOTOS BY JARED SYCH
NEIGHBOURHOOD
Best Up and Coming
CALGARY IS HOME TO MORE THAN 200 RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBOURHOODS — AND THEY ARE CHANGING ALL THE TIME. THESE NEIGHBOURHOODS DIDN’T MAKE OUR “BEST” LIST THIS YEAR, BUT THEY ARE EACH ON THEIR WAY TO BECOMING TOP SPOTS TO LIVE IN THE CITY AS THEY GROW AND DEVELOP.
MARDA LOOP
Marda Loop includes the communities of South Calgary, Garrison Woods and Altadore. The area features trendy boutiques, chic cafés and dining spots and also includes an outdoor pool and public library. This walkable community offers a range of housing, from condos and lofts, to townhouses and detached homes, so residents can age in place as their needs change. But, the community is under considerable development pressure and many of its streets seem to be a revolving door of construction closures, which has created lots of frustration for residents and visitors, alike. And that’s not likely to end soon, as the proposed almost two-acre Marc and Mada Block development by Calgary Co-op and Truman gets underway. However, in the long run, this revitalization will enhance the pedestrian experience and bring more residents and commercial opportunities to the area.
GREENWICH
Inspired by its Manhattan namesake, Greenwich is a 59-acre planned community that promises New York City style in Calgary’s northwest. Dotted with charming brownstones, modern condos and upscale townhomes, the community will boast a mix of residential and commercial spaces to create a complete community in a village-like setting. Perfect for those seeking an active lifestyle, the neighbourhood is on the Trans-Canada north of WinsSport, providing residents convenient access to the mountains while still being a 20-minute drive to downtown.
The Calgary Farmers’ Market West, where residents can shop for locally grown, fresh produce and other artisanal goods, anchors the commercial offerings. The new neighbourhood also features 16 acres of lush green spaces that will be complete with parks and walkable trails.
YORKVILLE
One of the city's most recent additions, Yorkville is a new neighbourhood west of Macleod Trail and south of 194th Avenue S.W. This area boasts an all-season community Central Park, with a playground, skatepark, dog park and walking trails surrounded by lush greenery. The area also features a pond with three fountains and crossed by a walking bridge. Featuring Brownstone and Georgian colonial-style architecture, Yorkville offers various housing options including townhomes, duplexes and single-family homes. The area has already proven to be attractive to families. In addition to its growing amenities, the community is near the more-established communities of Silverado and Legacy, where residents can access shops and other essential services. And its proximity to both Macleod Trail and the ring road makes it easy for commuters to access the inner city or the mountains.
Neighbourhoods
CURRIE BARRACKS
Currie Barracks is a new community that combines historic charm and urban living. Built on the former Canadian Armed Forces base, this southwest community has preserved 10 provincially designated historic buildings, including both the Inn on Officers Garden, now a boutique hotel and restaurant; and Veranda, a restaurant and tap room that is home to Burwood Distillery and Vacay Brewing. The neighbourhood offers diverse housing to accommodate different lifestyles, from stylish townhomes and luxury single-family homes to designer condos and senior assisted- and independent-living suites. The neighbourhood also includes several parks and walking trails. Developed by the Canada Lands Company, there are nine builders involved in the community, which is expected to be completed over the next 20 years.
WALDEN
Suitable for a community named after Henry David Thoreau’s treatise on living a simple life in natural surroundings, Walden balances the beauty of the prairie landscape with modern development. Located near the south edge of the city, this neighbourhood promises residents tranquility paired with convenience. The community enjoys access to nature through its scenic parks, pathways and wetlands. Walden also features a commercial area with quick access to grocery and drug stores and sits between the communities of Chaparrel and Legacy, giving residents access to even more shops and amenities nearby. Situated off of Macleod Trail, the community enjoys convenient access into Calgary’s inner city. Walden promises a community with spacious modern homes, quiet streets and playgrounds ideal for families. It’s a suburb at the intersection of natural beauty and quiet city life.
GREATER FOREST LAWN
Forest Lawn has long been neglected and maligned, but it is primed to be a great area, especially for investors eager to find an opportunity as new residents flood into the city and young families get priced out of the western side of the inner city.
Greater Forest Lawn has all the hallmarks of a great neighbourhood — lots of amenities, shops and restaurants, public art installations, a public library, and great access to transit and major roadways. The area is undergoing a development/revitalization project by creating more housing options, enhancing recreational spaces and building community facilities. The proposed investment includes the Forest Lawn Civic Centre, a cultural and recreational hub. While the project hasn’t yet received specific funding commitments from City Council, the area continues to make improvements.
RANGEVIEW
Calgary’s first garden-to-table neighbourhood, the founder of development company Section23, Robert Ollerenshaw, established Rangeview on his own family’s former farm. The neighbourhood features community gardens, orchards and greenhouses, offering residents hands-on opportunities to take part in growing and celebrating local produce. Rangeview blends the charm of small-town living with urban conveniences. Its pedestrian-friendly Urban Village encompasses over 10 acres of commercial area, with shops, cafés and essential services within walking distance. Proximity to amenities like the South Health Campus and the world's largest YMCA in Seton further enhances the community's appeal, making Rangeview ideal for those seeking a balance between nature and modern living. Come to Rangeview on July 19 for Avenue's annual Best Things to Eat Market.
Life at the Lake’s Edge
Enjoy lakeside living paired with the best of urban amenities in the new development, Waterside at Mahogany.
Combining the serenity of lakeside living with inner-city-esque conveniences, Waterside at Mahogany is among Calgary’s most exciting condominium opportunities for homebuyers looking to live on the lake’s edge.
As the community develops, Calgarians continue to recognize Logel Homes, Waterside at Mahogany’s reputable builder, for its quality construction and second-to-none commitment to customer experience. Interested homebuyers can swing by Waterside to see what makes the community and condominiums stand apart, with seven new show suites to help them envision life at the lake.
Where lakeside living meets urban amenities
Spanning 63 acres, Mahogany is Calgary’s largest lake, and Logel Homes’ Waterside condominium development is situated just a stone’s throw away. Paired with all the modern amenities and conveniences of a premier neighbourhood, Waterside offers
lakeside living without compromising urban lifestyle.
“Mahogany has Analog Coffee, Diner Deluxe and all these things that you usually find on 17th Avenue or in Bridgeland, but in a suburban setting,” says Reilly LePage, director of sales and marketing at Logel Homes. “You have all these amenities, but are also literal steps away from the water at Mahogany Lake.”
Mahogany offers two beaches, where residents can paddle board or fish right across from their homes, and buyers can stroll natural pathways for easy access to urban shops and restaurants.
With prices starting in the mid $200,000s, lakeside living is made more attainable for Calgarians looking to downsize or those looking to buy their very first home.
Making a home your own
As Calgary’s five-time consecutive multifamily builder award winner, Logel Homes is committed to making sure customers love their homes for what they are, not
just where they are. With seven beautiful, new show suites now open to the public, Logel Homes offers over 20 floorplans and multiple styles to choose from, and potential buyers can see them for themselves. Not to mention, the thoughtful designs are also easy for prospective buyers to make their own.
“With most multi-family builders, you can pick between two or three colour palettes, but we offer over 2,000 à la carte items to pick from, both standard and upgraded offerings. We’re highly customizable, and the unique part about that process is that our customers get to meet one-on-one with a professional interior designer, a rarity in new multifamily homebuilding,” says LePage. “We have our own interior design team, and our customers meet with them on site in our show homes and our design centre.”
The development will feature an onsite design centre where prospective buyers can peruse potential features and furnishings at their leisure, ensuring their home turns out exactly how they want it.
“In everything that we do, our guiding principle is exceeding customers’ expectations.”
REILLY LEPAGE Director of sales and marketing at Logel Homes
Award-winning homes
With over 25 years of business, the company has built over 5,000 homes across 20-plus developments in Calgary and Canmore. Logel Homes remains a family business. Chairman and CEO Tim Logel’s son Brayden is the president of
the company, and his son Kevin is the construction manager. Tim’s brother, Brad Logel, is the area sales manager. And throughout its 25 years of business, the company has built a reputation for excellence in homebuilding. Building quality and exceeding customers’
expectations are two of the pillars that set Logel Homes apart. And one needn’t take their word for it — the company recently took home its fifth consecutive Large Volume Multi-Family Builder of the Year trophy at this year’s BILD Calgary Region Awards. The BILD Awards recognize excellence in the innovation, design, construction, sales and marketing of new homes. The company was nominated for 14 awards and took home eight at this year’s BILD Calgary Region Awards. Logel Homes takes great pride in continuing its winning streak and commitment to excellence, explains LePage.
“In everything that we do, our guiding principle is exceeding customers’ expectations,” says LePage. “That starts from the sales process — that first point of contact when somebody decides, ‘I’m ready to buy a new home,’ — all the way through their design experience, while their homes are under construction up until the possession date, and then a year after that with our customer care team. Everybody on our team shares the same passion for and dedication to our customers’ experience.”
Come see what’s new in Waterside at Mahogany and visit the seven new show suites.
To learn more about Waterside at Mahogany, visit logelhomes.com/mahogany.
FLOW STATE
Calgary, at its heart, is a river city. We work and play on the waters of the Bow and Elbow, and The City of Calgary relies on their glacial flows to provide us with a constant and clean water supply.
But, despite being a born-and-bred Calgarian, I didn’t truly appreciate how special Calgary’s rivers are as I was growing up.
BY CHRIS LANDRY
At first glance, it seemed to me that Calgary didn’t have a river culture at all. I travelled to other cities, including Brisbane, London and Paris, where the riverbanks are fully urbanized with roads and bike paths, restaurants, markets and public transportation up and down the waterways. It seemed to me these cities provided a life oriented towards their rivers in a way that Calgary
didn’t. Brisbane, in particular, has an amazing “boat bus” (a moniker that I use affectionately) called the CityCat, which I love to bring up in just about any conversation that I can.
Through my travels, I often marvelled at how other cities had absorbed their rivers into their identity and culture, and I wondered why Calgary hadn’t done the same.
FROM THE BEGINNING
The settlement of Calgary began where the Bow and Elbow meet, in 1875, when the North-West Mounted Police established Fort Calgary at their confluence of the two rivers. For generations before that, the Indigenous people of the region used this area as a gath-
ering place with both practical and sacred purposes.
In the 1800s, Calgary settlers used the Bow River to transport lumber from the Rockies, floating it downstream until it was picked up at Prince’s Island and used to build some of the first homes here.
The rivers have always been an important part of Calgary’s history, and the city prob-
ably wouldn’t be here without them.
Calgary has always relied on the Bow River for many of its resources, from industrial transportation to water power, says Frank Frigo, manager of environmental management in The City of Calgary’s Climate & Environment business unit.
“The river is very much integrated with [Calgary’s history], and the city has grown
“WE WENT FROM A BUNCH OF RIVER SURFERS GOING INTO THE MOUNTAINS [TO LOWER KANANASKIS RIVER] TO HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY RIGHT HERE.”
DAVID ROUSSEAU
radially around the river,” says Frigo.
And, while we haven’t urbanized our waterways the way many cities have, especially in Europe, that’s actually the source of our unique river culture. In Calgary, there is life — people, plants and animals — in the actual river, not just alongside it.
Throughout the year, the flows of the Bow and Elbow can range from slow trickles to rushing torrents, and that volatility makes it risky to build any infrastructure nearby. Building up the banks with concrete and guiding the river, like Paris has done with much of the Seine, isn’t a good option either. Much of the area along the rivers is designated as a flood plain, and seasonal excess water needs this broad expanse of flat bank to expand into — if it doesn’t have space, flooding becomes an even higher risk.
“Some wonderful turns of fate, historically, have allowed us to maintain a more naturalized environment adjacent to the river than other urban centres of comparable size,” says Frigo. Specifically, he notes the significant plots of land repurchased by The City through the 1960s and '70s and turned into the riparian parks (ecological areas along the banks of a river) that we know today.
That philosophy continues in The City of Calgary’s drought and flood-management program, which takes a natural approach to controlling the rivers' ebbs and flows.
“The Riparian Management Strategy looks specifically at ensuring that we’re maintaining room for the river,” says Frigo. That means accounting for the ups and downs of our rivers by providing space for their natural movements rather than by trying to control the banks.
“[The rivers] are influenced by the steep alpine terrain and high elevation that produces rapid runoff when there’s rainfall and then drops to almost nothing,” says Frigo, and so The City’s drought and flood management has to account for that. Fish in the rivers also rely on areas of high and low flow — to swim and spawn, respectively.
Calgary’s relationship to its rivers is special. We fish in their cold waters, spend
our afternoons floating leisurely down them with our friends, picnic on their banks, and bike and hike along miles of riverside pathways. We are also terribly aware of the damage rivers can bring.
Overall, we respect the rivers. Whether we walk alongside and admire them, float down them, or simply drink their waters, the rivers connect us all. That is what makes Calgary’s river culture undeniably unique and beautiful.
SURF’S UP, COWTOWN!
When Calgarians think of their rivers, recreation is top of mind for most. It’s hard not to feel connected to the city when you’re floating down the Bow through downtown on a blow-up raft, along with hundreds of others doing the same. Calgarians love to float, fish and frolic along the banks, but surfing is probably the last form of recreation you think of in landlocked Calgary.
The 2013 flood brought an immense flow of sediment with it. Some of that sediment piled up underneath the Louise Bridge that crosses from Kensington into the downtown core, and, as the river
returned to normal flow, a surfable wave formed.
“That wave changed everything for Calgary,” says David Rousseau, a board member for the Alberta River Surfing Association (ARSA) and wave consultant for Surf Anywhere, a Calgary-based company that consults on river wave building around the world.
“We went from a bunch of river surfers going into the mountains [to Lower Kananaskis River], to having an opportunity right here," Rousseau says.
But sediment doesn’t tend to stay in place. The wave slowly declined, and it hasn’t been usable for surfing for the past two to three years. To replace it, ARSA and Surf Anywhere have proposed a major project — the Calgary River Wave Park.
The project would include an adjustable wave (which could even be fully eliminated, if needed), and possibly an urban beach for viewing and a deep slow pool for swimmers and waders. Surf Anywhere estimates the park will cost just under $10 million, and could generate up to $6 million a year in economic impact. A similar project that Surf Anywhere completed in Bend, Ore., generated $4.8 million in economic impact in 2017.
Economic impact is great, but this project could also help with flood mitigation.
The gravel bar that formed the natural wave in 2013 is considered one of the highest risk zones for future flooding, and ARSA is in talks with The City of Calgary to combine the Calgary River Wave Park project with lowering the gravel bar.
The City’s 10th Street Gravel Bar Flood Mitigation Project website notes: “There did not appear to be any technical, environmental, regulatory or other reasons to exclude a recreational wave from the project’s design. As a result, the recreational wave’s feasibility will continue to be reviewed as part of Detailed Design for the 10 Street Gravel Bar project.”
The project aligns with The City’s Downtown Strategy. If all goes to plan, construction of the Calgary River Wave Park could be finished by 2028.
“Imagine having a world-class, adjustable wave in Calgary’s downtown,” says
RIVER SURFERS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A BEAUTIFUL DAY AT HARVIE PASSAGE.
Rousseau. “You’ve got the city background, with the turquoise blue waters, and boom! A wave. The cultural impact, the economic impact, the safety impact, not just for surfers but for the tens of thousands of people that use the river every year. And the marketing impact? All of a sudden, Calgary is a surfing city. Now we’re talking.”
BOTH SIDES NOW
Living by the river comes with its benefits, of course, but it also comes with plenty of challenges.
There is no more obvious example than flooding. Visually, we can see the destruction that flooding rivers can cause in a matter of days.
During the 2013 flood, the Bow’s flow peaked at eight times its regular rate and the Elbow’s at more than 12 times. The floods caused $6 billion in damage across Southern Alberta. But the rivers’ volatilities affect Calgarians in many more unseen ways.
The City’s Flood Resilience Plan strikes a delicate balance between natural strategies — using bioengineering like plants and rock structures — to restore riparian areas and stabilize the bank erosion, and larger mitigation strategies like upstream dams to control flow on a larger scale.
Throw in recreational activities and bio-
“ WE WANT PEOPLE TO LOVE THE RIVER, BUT THERE’S A POINT OF LOVING THE RIVER TO DEATH. ”
FRANK FRIGO
logical sustainability on top of that, and the problem of managing the rivers only gets more complex.
“We’re very conscious of the recreational activities because we want people to love the river, but there’s a point of loving the river to death,” says Frigo. “The [Calgary River Wave Park] project is a great example [of finding that balance] because one of the things that’s good for the biology of the river is having a wide range of depths and velocities.”
Frigo and his department aim to strike a balance where fish still exist peacefully, plants can still grow and people can enjoy the river responsibly.
Calgary’s water systems are a masterclass in maintaining that balance.
According to Frigo, Calgarians use an average of 200 litres of water per capita per day for
personal use, down from around 750 litres in the mid 1970s. As a result, we are affecting the natural flows of the river less, showing that maintaining balance in the river is important to Calgarians.
RIVER DEVELOPMENTS
Calgary’s rivers and their banks may be unusually natural for a large urban centre, but that’s not to say that we haven’t tried to build up our riverside infrastructure.
One of the most recognizable examples of this is Eau Claire Market. Opened in 1993, the shopping centre was billed as a riverside shopping destination, akin to Vancouver’s Granville Island.
Ultimately, a lack of use sent the shopping centre into a years-long decline, culminating in its demolition earlier this year.
But a shining example of a successful riverside business is located close to where the Market was — River Café. Owner Sal Howell opened the restaurant in 1991, and it has grown to become one of Calgary’s best restaurants, gaining national and international recognition.
Howell took over the building when it was just a small concession stand in Prince’s Island Park, and rebuilt it into the restaurant with fishing lodge decor to reflect the story of the Bow River. “If you look at the walls, it’s a collec-
THIS RENDERING OF THE PLANNED CALGARY RIVER WAVE PARK SHOWS THE BEACH AND RIVER SURFING AREAS
tion of fly-fishing artifacts and cabin treasures, of sorts,” says Howell. “It’s a 100-per cent direct response to the opportunity of the location and the proximity to the river."
If River Café is any indication of the city’s river culture, it demonstrates that Calgarians don’t want shiny new infrastructure that is near, but separate from the river — they want something that reflects the river’s natural character.
“Many a pitch has landed on my desk saying, ‘Why don’t you build a River Café in my development over here?’ but it wouldn’t belong there — just here," Howell affirms.
Having a business so close to the river comes with challenges, though. The restaurant’s location on an island that doesn’t allow cars makes it difficult to maintain a steady stream of customers, especially during the colder months. And so, River Café closes during the month of January.
During the 2013 floods, the high water level made it into the lower floor of the restaurant, forcing Howell to shut down River Café for a period. The water levels rose so quickly that much of the restaurant's equipment and a large portion of its wine cellar could not be saved.
Now Howell monitors the river’s flow rates almost daily during flood season, trying to be prepared for a sudden change of pace.
“The restaurant has a rhythm, and the river has a rhythm,” she says. “With the seasons of the year, that all plays together, and we’re more in tune with the river because of it.
“Despite the devastation, that was a bonding experience for the people here at that time. We’ll never forget those moments.”
and work to protect our city. During drought, Calgarians work together to reduce their water usage.
“ YOU DON’T GET TO EXPERIENCE THE CITY FROM THE WATER VERY OFTEN ... YOU START TO THINK ABOUT WHAT REALLY MATTERS.”
SAL HOWELL
A RIVER CULTURE OF OUR OWN
A 2018 survey said that 88 per cent of Calgarians value and use our riparian parks and appreciate our rivers — in part, according to Frigo, because of their biodiversity and ecological functions and the aesthetics that come along with them.
Calgary has grown around these natural areas, and our river culture has grown around that. In a 2024 TEDx Talk given by Frigo titled The Bow River: Friend and Teacher, he describes the river as a connector — not only physically, flowing from the Rocky Mountain glaciers through Canada until it reaches Hudson Bay — but philosophically, as well.
During floods, Calgarians come together
Calgarians feel a sense of pride in our waters, and we’re lucky that our rivers are natural and crystal clear so we can enjoy activities like rafting, surfing, swimming and fishing.
Frigo takes his kids rafting every year, making sure to point out the interconnectedness of it all. “I tell [my daughter], ‘When you turn on the tap, this is where it comes from. And when it rains and water comes off our lot, this where it eventually goes.’”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Howell took the River Café team on a canoe trip down the Bow River, arriving at Prince’s Island.
“We took this trip and celebrated the location we have, it was a great little reminder of what we fell in love with," he says. " You don’t get to experience the city from the water very often and after what we went through during the pandemic, you start to think about what really matters.”
Rousseau visits the river weekly, winter included. “It’s a very important part of my life. Both through surfing and giving back to the community by teaching people who want to get into the sport [of river surfing].”
And, as for myself, I’ve also come to appreciate how Calgary’s river culture is unique to our city — reflecting us, but also changing us.
In a way, Calgary’s relationship with its rivers is one of “live and let live.” The rivers teach us to go with the flow, so to speak — to choose our battles, and to work with nature, rather than push back against it.
That’s a lesson we can all stand to learn.
REVOLUTIONARY SKINCARE FROM TRUSTED LOCAL EXPERTS
Derm.ca offers cosmetic, surgical and medical dermatology services, as well as a resultsdriven, dermatologist-developed and tested skincare line, Revoderm Pharma.
Not only does healthy skin help you look your best, but it’s also important for your overall health and to feel your best. Derm.ca has been providing dermatology services to Calgarians and building a trusted reputation since 2008. Derm.ca’s care providers are Dr. Ken Alanen, a board-certified dermatologist and skin cancer specialist, and Ildikó Juhasz, clinic CEO, cosmetic medicine director and founder of Revoderm. The duo make a perfect pair, specializing in different areas of dermatology, and lean on each other’s expertise.
“Patients feel safe here because of the comprehensive care,” says Juhasz. “It’s their trust that makes us a very established clinic. When you save patients from skin cancer when they thought it was a cosmetic concern, it speaks for itself.”
FULL-RANGE SERVICES
On the cosmetic side, Derm.ca offers procedures ranging from Botox and filler injections to individual anti-aging solutions, acne, rosacea and spot treatments, platelet-rich plasma therapy for hair loss, non-surgical facelifts and
more. The medical side of the clinic, led by Alanen, has treated over 140,000 patients with various medical and skin cancer conditions since the clinic opened.
The clinic offers mole mapping, a digital scan that monitors any change in mole growth or colour. Mole mapping allows for more precision and decreases the need for biopsies since the moles can be closely monitored over time. The service is available without a referral and with an out-of-pocket fee. The clinic also offers regular skin cancer detection services, with or without a referral.
“We know there are patients who are concerned and just want to see someone with years of experience in this field and good surgical skills,” says Alanen.
A COMPREHENSIVE SKINCARE LINE
In 2009, after establishing Derm.ca,
Juhasz decided to create a skincare line, together with Alanen, based on the needs she was seeing in the clinic.
“It was hard for me as a provider to find one line where I loved and recommended every product. There are lots of great lines out there, but for me, it was really hard to choose just one to treat the conditions we see at the clinic,” says Juhasz. “That’s where our skincare line comes in, and patients love it.”
Juhasz’s line, Revoderm Pharma, has results-driven products that fight acne, wrinkles, rosacea and hair loss, as well as help with skin pigment control and brightening. Most products are made here in Calgary, and Juhasz knows every ingredient that goes into them. Revoderm’s products are highly concentrated, meaning you only need to use small amounts and they will last you a long time. And since it’s a small company, the products are made in small, fresh batches with active and potent ingredients.
With over 20 years of experience and after having seen thousands of clients, Juhasz understands the science of skincare and has intentionally designed the products with field expertise and innovation. Take the Revoderm sunscreen, for instance. The age-defying mineral sunscreen is the first of its kind in Canada with light-activated antioxidant properties. It’s made with a dry, matte formula, so it’s not greasy and won’t make your skin oily, cause breakouts or drip into your eyes. It’s coral-reef safe, chemical- and parabenfree and most importantly, made here in Calgary.
Revoderm products are available to anyone through the clinic or website.
Dr. Ken Alanen
Ildikó Juhasz
LIFE'S A BEACH
From sandy stretches with public access and cool riverside picnic spots, to clothing-optional hangouts, Calgary’s beach scene is bumping.
ST. PATRICK'S ISLAND
Calgary is home to many parks with easy access to the Bow and Elbow rivers that accommodate a host of interests, whether it's swimming, floating down the river, or simply sitting by the shore and taking in the scenic views. While the city's eight public outdoor pools are always an option, nothing beats the beauty of the natural environment. Here are some of the local beaches the city has to offer.
Located on the Bow River near East Village and next door to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, St. Patrick's Island Park gives urbanites convenient access to nature, not far from the bustling activities of downtown. The riverbank has somewhat rocky terrain, so visitors should come with appropriate footwear. For those looking to engage in water activities, a wading area known as The Cove is a popular spot for rafters and licensed fishers, and there is a pebble beach on the west end of the island, where visitors can dip into the river. The park has walking and biking pathways, a picnic area, a playground, and a grassy hill that overlooks the water and provides scenic views of downtown. On the east side of the park, Confluence Plaza is a popular destination for live music and performances in the summer, with shade, seating and public washrooms available.
1300 Zoo Rd. N.E.
CALGARY
NUDE BEACHES
Within Altadore, right along the Elbow River, Sandy Beach Park features lush green spaces and a beach that offers public river access for rafting and canoeing. In addition to walking and biking pathways, the park has picnic sites and fire pits that can be booked in advance through The City of Calgary's website. Four of these picnic areas allow alcohol. For families with small children, Sandy Beach is home to an inclusive playground with equipment that can be used by people with mobility devices. It's also a popular spot for dog owners to bring their furry friends, with off-leash areas in the north- and west-end pathways. Access is via 50th Avenue S.W., east from Crowchild Trail, though visitors should anticipate periodic roadway and pathway closures and detours while the park undergoes improvements until the fall of 2025.
1411 50 Ave. S.W.
While the law is a bit ambiguous on being nude in public in Canada, there are at least two unofficial, clothing-optional areas in Calgary where groups like Calgary Nude Recreation and others have been known to gather. The far-western edge of Weaselhead Flats, by Glenmore Reservoir, has been an established spot for more than two decades and is accessible via an approximately 30-to-40-minute dirt-trail hike from the Weaselhead Natural Area parking lot. Hidden Beach is a newer location in the northwest end of Fish Creek Provincial Park, much closer to the city and accessible through multiple, well-established dirt paths.
SANDY BEACH PARK
ST. PATRICK’S ISLAND
PRIVATE LAKES
Calgary is also home to several lake communities that offer exclusive water access to its residents and their guests. If you want a chance at accessing these lakes, you’ll want to either move to one, or become pals with a resident. 66 Avenue and 37 Street S.W.; 14428 Bannister Rd. S.E. (via Glennfield area)
HARVIE PASSAGE
Located off Pearce Estate Park in Inglewood, Harvie Passage is a recreational area on the Bow River commonly used for canoeing, kayaking, surfing and paddle boarding. Since the area has rocky terrain, visitors should come with appropriate gear, specifically life-jackets, water shoes and helmets. The passage has two river channels with rapids for different skill levels. The (right) south channel has low flow patterns with some surfable waves, while the (left) north channel is only recommended for experienced whitewater paddlers who can skillfully navigate fast and powerful water currents. All visitors to the passage should be aware of standard river risks and safety guidelines before accessing the water. Seasonal washrooms and limited free parking are available at Pearce Estate Park. 1440 17A St. S.E.
SIKOME AQUATIC FACILITY
Located in Fish Creek Provincial Park, Sikome Aquatic Facility is the destination for a classic family beach day. The water in this human-made beach comes from three freshwater wells and water quality is maintained by an onsite watertreatment plant. Sikome is ideal for swimming or simply lounging on the sandy shore. The seasonal facility is open from late June to the Labour Day long weekend and requires paid admission. There are picnic tables and a concession for snacks, and beach essentials like sunscreen and inflatables are available for purchase at the Beach Shop. While “safety ambassadors” monitor and patrol the area, there are no certified lifeguards onsite and visitors should exercise caution when accessing the water. With the exception of service dogs, pets are prohibited. Depending on the weather, how big the crowds are and how many supervising staff are onsite, sporting gear like footballs and badminton may be permissible.
22 Sikome Circle S.E. (via Bow Bottom Trail S.E. or Sikome Road S.E.)
Come home to better living
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Sales Centre: 19515 Sheriff King Street SW Calgary, AB T2X 0T9
BY VIANCY SALUBRE ILLUSTRATIONS BY SAM ISLAND
HOT TIMES
IN THE CITY
From river floats to ice cream treats and festival fun, here's how to have the ultimate Calgary summer experience.
Whether you’re a local looking to shake up your routine, or a visitor ready to dive into Calgary’s seasonal charm, there’s no shortage of ways to soak up the city's bright sunny days or warm summer nights. Here are three quintessential Calgary experiences to make this the best summer ever.
THE CROWD AT THE STAMPEDE'S EVER-BUMPIN' COCA-COLA STAGE.
SUMMER IN CALGARY ISN’T JUST A SEASON, IT’S A NONSTOP FESTIVAL MARATHON. WHEN IT COMES TO MAXIMUM FESTIVAL ENJOYMENT, PRE-PLANNING GOES A LONG WAY.
CALGARY STAMPEDE
Taking place July 4 to 13, the Calgary Stampede is an annual 10-day celebration of western heritage with world-class rodeo, art, music, food and carnival rides. While western wear and cowboy boots are encouraged, walking more than 200 acres of land calls for comfy shoes. Reusable water bottles are a must and can be refilled at water stations throughout the grounds. With express shuttle buses and extended bus hours, transit is the way to get to Stampede. Take the C-Train’s Red Line to Erlton/Stampede station for easy access to the rodeo and the Coca-Cola Stage, or go to the Victoria Park/Stampede station to hit the food stalls and carnival games at the midway.
HOT TIP: Find air-conditioning at the Range Food Hall in the Big Four Building.
THESUMMERFESTIVALSURVIVALGUIDE
CALGARY FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL
Since 1980, Prince’s Island Park has played host to this annual festival of emerging and wellknown artists. It returns, across eight stages, this July 24 to 27. The island park location means pack your bug spray. And the weather can be unpredictable, too, so bring clothing for rain and brisk nights. Tarps, blankets or festival chairs (legs shorter than eight inches) are encouraged for sitting on the grass in front of the stages. To get to the festival, ditch the car and opt for transit, walking, biking or renting a scooter. The Bow River Pathway leads straight to the park, and there is a designated bike lock-up spot. A visit to the artisan market is recommended.
HOT TIP: While alcoholic drinks must be purchased on site and there are food vendors to try, you can bring in snacks and non-alcoholic beverages from home.
GLOBALFEST
Running August 14 to 23, GlobalFest at Elliston Park in the southeast features multicultural pavilions, performances, food and fireworks. To capture every moment of these pyrotechnics, bring a portable charger to keep your phone ready. The fireworks happen after dark, so come dressed for cooler weather. There is no parking on site, but GlobalFest has designated parking lots off site and you can pre-purchase a spot online. Plus, all general admission ticket holders can access the return shuttle bus service from designated lots to three different entry points, and bike lock-ups are free of charge at the park.
HOT TIP: VIP tickets come with parking, shuttle bus transport, light snacks and a view of the launch site, directly across the lake. A-List members can join us in our VIP tent on August 21 — find out more at thealist.vip
HAMES
ABBEY’S CREATIONS
Abbey’s Creations has eight locations in Calgary and one in Cochrane, serving delicious flavours like KitKat mallow and churro crunch. There are also unique flavour combinations on the menu like mango sticky rice, ube queso and durian delight.
Multiple locations, abbeys.net
ICE ICE SUMMER AT THE SCOOP UP
MADE BY MARCUS
This popular ice cream spot has five permanent locations, and a pop-up in Inglewood during the summer. The malted chocolate honeycomb and roasted strawberry buttermilk flavours are favourites. Or try the seasonal summer flavours, which may include toasted hay and Saskatoon berry or habanero peach blackberry. Multiple locations, madebymarcus.ca
PARLOUR ICE CREAM
Parlour Ice Cream uses the best local ingredients to create rich and indulgent ice creams. Don’t miss the cookie monster, with cookies in a vanilla cream base, or sample a seasonal flavour like ube or s’mores.
537 Riverfront Ave. S.E.; parlouricecream.ca
ABBEY'S CREATIONS, UBE QUESO ICE CREAM IN A SPRINKLE WAFFLE CONE.
BABY! COOLEST ICE CREAM SPOTS IN CALGARY.
LICS
It’s hard to miss this ice cream shop in Parkdale with the huge ice cream sculpture mounted on its roof. Since 1982, Lics has been a Calgary staple, serving more than 44 flavours from black licorice to cereal milk ice cream flavours like Lucky Charms or Honeycomb. 3410 3 Ave. N.W.; lics.ca
AMATO GELATO
Amato Gelato serves up delicious authentic Italian gelato and sorbet in 72-plus rotating flavours, such as matcha tea and classic hazelnut. Amato also offers treats like the bomboloni gelato panino, an Italian doughnut filled with pastry cream or nutella and your choice of gelato. 7, 2104 Kensington Rd. N.W.; 602 17 Ave. S.W.; amatogelatoalberta.com
VILLAGE ICE CREAM
Village Ice Cream has five locations all over Calgary where you can try its tasty handcrafted flavours like Phil & Sebastian coffee or guides mint (inspired by Girl Guides chocolate mint cookies). The seasonal Stampede-inspired minidoughnut flavour is a fan favourite and makes a comeback this July. Multiple locations, villageicecream.com
PARLOUR ICE CREAM, COOKIE MONSTER ICE CREAM IN A WAFFLE CONE.
AMATO GELATO, GREEN TEA ICE CREAM IN A REGULAR CONE.
LIKE A PRO FLOATDOWNTHERIVER
ACalgary summer is incomplete without a float down the Bow or Elbow rivers.
When you're deciding on which river to float, there are a few things to consider.
There are several launch points along both rivers, and floating times and routes are customizable, depending where you start and stop. The Elbow is shallower and calmer and offers shorter floating routes. The Bow is deeper and faster, with stronger currents. For those who want a leisurely ride through the heart of the city with beautiful views, the route along the Bow from West Baker Park to Prince’s Island Park typically takes half a day. Shorter routes, such as from Sandy Beach to Stanley Park via the Elbow, can take one to three hours of float time.
If you don’t own a raft, Lazy Day Raft Rentals makes it easy. Located along the Bow, Lazy Day offers around 300
vessels that guests can rent, from roomy rafts for up to 12 people to plastic tubes. Lazy Day provides all the essentials, including safety kits with rope, a safety whistle and a water bucket. Plus, all rentals come with paddles and personal flotation devices (PFDs), so all you need to bring is sunscreen, water and proper footwear. Rafts and all other vessels are available as of May long weekend, besides tubes, which are available starting in June. July and August are prime floating months and the season runs to mid-September, depending on weather, flow rates and demand. Although Lazy Day offers pre-float shuttle buses from its shop to the West Baker Park launch, across the river from Bowness, parking one car at your start point and another car at your end point can make your commute easier. Make sure to check the weather, and book your raft in advance.
720 3 St. N.W., lazydayraftrentals.com
NEED
PFDs are required on both rivers and, if caught not wearing one, you can receive a mandatory court appearance and up to a $500 fine. Knowing how to steer, stop and paddle your raft is also essential for safety. Alcohol and marijuana are not allowed on river rafts, but snacks, refreshments and dogs are. If your pet is not the best at doggypaddling, guarantee your fuzzy friends are safe on board by using dog PFDs (which are also included with your Lazy Day rental).
LAZY DAY RAFT RENTALS TAKES AWAY THE HASSLES OF FLOATING THE BOW.
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EAT&DRINK BESTTHINGSTO
For years, we’ve been highlighting the best things to eat and drink in Calgary. Local foodies CARMEN CHENG and CHANRY THACH are back with their latest list of must-try snacks, treats, sips and more.
BY CARMEN CHENG AND CHANRY THACH FOOD STYLING
BY CHRIS LANDRY PHOTOS BY JARED SYCH
“I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY THE QUALITY AND BOLD FLAVOURS, AND EAGERLY RETURNED THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND FOR ANOTHER.”
C ARMEN CHENG
01
HOAGIE by Scozzafava’s Deli
Owner Nick Scozzafava, a former electrician from Ontario, clearly rewired his career for greatness, because these subs? Unreal. I’ve been following Scozzafava’s Deli since the early pop-up days back in 2022, but it wasn’t until it opened its 17th Avenue S.W. shop in 2024 that I really fell hard. The Hoagie is my ride-or-die, stacked with mild salami, mortadella, capicollo and provolone, plus shredded lettuce, tomato, red onion and pepperoncini aioli in a dreamy sesame bun. It’s a masterpiece. —C.T. 1004 17 Ave. S.W., 403-454-3354, scozzafavasdeli.com, @scozzafavasdeli
02
CACIO E PEPE PAIN SUISSE by Otie
A delightful cross between a classic Roman pasta and a beloved French pastry, the Cacio e Pepe Pain Suisse at Otie emerged from a happy accident. While demonstrating laminated dough techniques with the team before the business opened, owner Daniel Ramon grabbed some béchamel and pecorino from the cooler as a fun filling. The result? An instant hit with his team. Ramon is renowned for making some of the finest laminated dough in the city, and this exquisite pastry features an exceptionally crispy exterior and a soft, buttery interior. Imported pecorino romano delivers a sharp kick, while black pepper adds a gentle heat. —C.C. BLVD Beltline, 1225 Macleod Tr. S.E., otiebakes.com, @otiebakes
03 STUFFED CHOCOLATE BARS by Coco YYC
I first discovered Lisa Nguyen after shamelessly drooling over her creations on Instagram. Now, I’m lucky to call her a friend. What began as a COVID-19 pandemic hobby making beautiful treats for loved ones has grown into Coco YYC,
Nguyen's small-batch dessert business producing some impressive sweets. From smash cakes to chocolate creations, Coco YYC does it all, but it’s the stuffed chocolate bars that truly won me over. Thick and generously filled, these bars made with Belgian couverture chocolate come in flavours like Dubai Pistachio Knafeh (Nguyen's top seller), Biscoff, Nutella and Caramel Crunch. Monthly rotating features like Vietnamese Coffee and Matcha Strawberry are just as irresistible. —C.T. bio.site/coco.yyc, @coco.yyc
04
CUTTING CHAI
by
Chai Spice
I love a warm, cozy, cardamomforward chai. Chai Spice launched in early 2023 with a variety of chai blends. Its Cutting Chai is a cherished family recipe robust in ginger and cardamom, inspired by the strong chai enjoyed from street-side chaiwalas in Mumbai. “Cutting” refers to the small glasses that are typically used, which are half the usual serving size. This chai is for folks who love bold flavours. —C.C. Available at multiple retailers, chaispice.ca, @thechaispiceofficial
05
APPLEWOOD SMOKED BRISKET BBQ FEAST PLATTER by Doughlicious
Doughlicious is a bustling Mediterranean food market known for its popular pita pies, or manousheh. However, on Fridays and Saturdays it features a truly standout smoked brisket platter as part of its barbecue menu. The platter features thick slices of brisket complemented by fresh slaw, really great fries and aromatic Mediterranean rice infused with spices. The first time I had this platter, I was blown away by the quality and bold flavours — and eagerly returned the following weekend for another.
—C.C.
4140 6 St. N.E., 403-230-5160, doughlicious.ca, @doughlicious.yyc
06
BANH MI #6 — HOUSE SPECIAL ĐAC BI Ê T by Saigon Deli
After moving to Calgary in the early 2000s, I went on a hunt for my favourite banh mi and found it at Saigon Deli, which was established in 1997. The original owner has retired, but her daughter continues to run this iconic shop, crafting all the meats, sauces, mayonnaise and pâté from scratch. The satay beef and cold cut subs are popular, but my standing order is the “#6 with extra mayo.” This House Special Đac Biêt is loaded with Vietnamese cold cuts, chicken, vegetables and pâte. It is so good I have to resist immediately devouring it in my car. —C.C. 4527 8 Ave. S.E., 403-273-8820, saigondeliab.com
07
TROPICAL CIDER by Uncommon Cider Co.
Uncommon Cider Co.'s Tropical Cider features an enticing kiwi aroma that’s complemented by vibrant pineapple, papaya and passion fruit flavours and finished with a smooth coconut water mouthfeel. Uncommon Cider started producing ciders commercially in 2016 with a community approach, turning excess neighbourhood apples into delicious ciders. If you love the juicy sweetness of tropical fruits, this is your cider. —C.C. 3921 Manchester Rd. S.E., uncommoncider.com, @uncommoncider
“IF YOU LOVE THE JUICY SWEETNESS OF TROPICAL FRUITS, THIS IS YOUR CIDER.” C ARMEN CHENG
08
DIY TACO KIT
by Moose and Poncho
I’ve been following Moose and Poncho since it first opened in Chinatown, and, let me tell you, it’s only gotten better. Since 2019, chef Miguel Cornejo and his team have been serving up the real deal: authentic Mexican food made from scratch with local ingredients and so much care. The taco kits at its current First Street Market home are a game changer. Each kit comes with one pound of your choice of protein, 16 tortillas, onions, cilantro and six different salsas. Same bold flavours, but now I get to crush tacos on my couch with Netflix. Living the dream. —C.T. First Street Market, 6, 1327 1 St. S.W., fsmyyc.com, @mooseandponcho
09
BURMESE CHILI BITS
by Ariya Burmese Foods
Inspired by a traditional Burmese condiment, the Burmese Chili Bits by Ariya Burmese Foods have a craveable, crunchy texture. Chili flakes, crispy onion and soy protein are coated in flavourful chili oil to maintain their crispness while delivering a deliciously spicy and umami-rich experience. I love this plant-based seasoning on fried rice and noodles, but it also adds a nice texture as a topping on salads and macaroni and cheese. —C.C.
Multiple retailers, including select Sobeys, Safeway and Calgary Co-op locations, ariyaburmesefoods. com, @ariyaburmesefoods
10
YOURS TRULY BATCH
004 SINGLE MALT WHISKY
by Eau Claire Distillery
This special whisky honours the contributions of women in the distilling industry. Crafted with the expertise of master distiller Caitlin Quinn, this whisky is blended, packaged and marketed by the women of Eau Claire Distillery. The flavours and casks used to produce it change from year to year. When you take a sip of this year’s whisky, you’ll experience notes of oak, raisin and caramel, with a lingering butterscotch at the back of the palate. —C.C. Multiple retailers, including both Calgary Farmers’ Market locations and Rupert’s General Store, 113 Sunset Blvd. S.W., Diamond Valley, eauclairedistillery.ca, @eauclairecraft
“ W HEN YOU TAKE A SIP OF THIS YEAR’S WHISKY, YOU’LL EXPERIENCE NOTES OF OAK, RAISIN AND CARAMEL, WITH A LINGERING BUTTERSCOTCH AT THE BACK OF THE PALATE.” CARMEN CHENG
11
LEMON
RICOTTA COOKIES
by Dolce & Veloce
Dolce & Veloce (D&V) is the sweet little sibling to Mercato, Calgary’s beloved Italian institution whose Mission location just celebrated its 20th anniversary. Launched in 2023 by Alessia Bellusci, D&V brings the same heart and heritage, just with a dessert-first attitude (which is my favourite kind). The lemon ricotta cookies (available with or without sprinkles) are the star of the show — they’re light, moist and perfectly citrusy. It’s the kind of cookie that feels simple at first bite, but then suddenly you’ve eaten five and you’re Googling how to become part of this family. —C.T.
Multiple retailers, including Mercato Mission, 2224 4 St. S.W., 403-263-5535, ext. 1, and Mercato West, 873 85 St. S.W., 403-263-6996, @dolceandveloce
12
BAGELS
by Bagel Daze
Back in May 2024, I heard whispers about a bagel pop-up in Bridgeland and had to investigate. One bite and I was done for. Bagel Daze makes the chewiest, softest bagels I’ve ever had — not quite Montreal; not New York either. More like … Calgary style. Founders Melanie and Mathieu Cedar started the biz here in 2017, took it to the Caribbean in 2021, then brought it home. Thank goodness! It now operates as a full-blown microbakery in their home. The pepper parmesan bagel is my forever fave, but Bagel Daze nails every flavour. Dill, sesame, rosemary, poppy seed ... they all hit. —C.T.
587-971-4701, bageldaze.ca, @bageldaze
13
LUNCH BOX WITH RICE by BBQ Express — Tiem Heo Quay
Tran Minh
BBQ Express is as old school as it gets. When you walk in, the entire setup is simple: a long display case filled with the day’s Chinese barbecue offerings — glossy, golden and hanging in all their mouthwatering glory. Right beside it, a staff member stands at a butcher block with a cleaver in hand, ready to slice your meats to order. You can buy by the pound, but I always go for the $11 lunch combo: a generous serving of steaming white rice and your choice of two meats. Mine’s always the roast pork and sweet char siu (barbecue pork). It’s cash only, and yes, there’s usually a line. Trust me, it’s worth it. —C.T. 1403 Centre St. N.W., 403-230-8888
TWO GREAT
NEIGHBOURHOODS
“ T HEY’RE NOT TOO SWEET, WHICH MEANS I CAN TAKE DOWN A WHOLE BOX WITHOUT FLINCHING. STRAIGHT-UP IRRESISTIBLE.”
CHANRY THACH
14
CHIN CHIN
by The Cake Aisle Inc
An addictive Nigerian snack, Chin Chin is a deep-fried cookie dough that is crunchy and golden brown on the outside with a soft, airy interior. Launched in Calgary in September 2016, The Cake Aisle Inc's version of this nostalgic snack is available in a variety of flavours such as Plain and Simple, Island Coconut and Butter Vanilla, but it’s the Spicy Ginger Chin Chin that remains the customer favourite. —C.C.
Multiple retailers, including Adoniaa Collective and select Safeways and Sobeys, thecakeaisle.com, @thecakeaisle_chinchin
15
CRINKLE
COOKIE SANDWICHES
by Lasa Chocolates
Lasa Chocolates is out here redefining the humble crinkle cookie. Co-founders Elizabeth Tumambing and Hans Suarez started the biz in 2021, when Tumambing had the idea to make crinkle cookies and Suarez suggested turning them into sandwich-style treats like macarons. The result? Soft, chewy cookies stuffed with cream cheese filling that seriously deliver. My go-to flavours are the banana caramel, strawberry cheesecake and pandan. They’re not too sweet, which means I can take down a whole box without flinching. Straight-up irresistible.
—C.T. lasachocolates.ca, @lasachocolates
16
SPICY GUAVA
GIN & TONIC by Confluence Distilling
The Spicy Guava Gin & Tonic was born out of a creative collaboration between neighbours Confluence Distilling and Cabin Brewing Company. Seeking a non-beer option for its tasting room, Cabin challenged Confluence to craft a drink that would captivate its beer-loving audience. This ready-
to-drink cocktail combines real guava and pineapple juices with Confluence’s house-made tonic and signature gin for a bold, complex beverage. For me, it strikes the perfect balance of sweetness, juicy tang and mildly bitter spice. —C.C.
Multiple retailers, or at Confluence Distilling, 507 36 Ave. S.E., confluencedistilling.ca, @confluence_distilling and Cabin Brewing Company, 505 36 Ave. S.E., 403-244-3331, cabinbrewing.ca, @cabinbbrewing
17
SOUTHWESTERN FIESTA by Stock and Sauce
On our way to the mountains, we made a quick stop at Calgary Farmers’ Market West for snacks, where we got completely sidetracked at the Stock and Sauce booth due to the plethora of samples. One tub of the Southwestern Fiesta later, and we were hooked. It’s the kind of dip that feels fresh, bright and way too easy to eat. We finished the whole thing before hitting Banff. It started as a road-trip snack and is now a fridge staple.
—C.T.
Calgary Farmers’ Market South, 510 77 Ave. S.E.; Calgary Farmers’ Market West, 25 Greenbriar Dr. N.W. stockandsauce.com, @stockandsauce
SUYA BBQ SEASONING by Ahinke
Ahinke’s Suya BBQ Seasoning is a bold spice blend essential to West African cuisine, especially Nigerian dishes. Made from ground peanuts, onion, garlic, paprika, ginger and other spices, it delivers a unique nutty heat and is perfect as a dry rub for chicken, beef, fish and vegetables. At Ahinke’s restaurant, this spice is used in several dishes including the suya chicken and waffles, suya beef and suya bacon eggs Benedict. —C.C. 6, 2650 36 St. S.E., 877-622-7212, ahinkesrestaurant.com, @ahinke_taste_of_nigeria
BUY LOCAL
STONE HOUSE DECOR
Modern Farmhouse Decor and Gifts inspired by Magnolia Market #216 - 10816 Macleod Trail SE IG @Stonehousedecorcanada
COUNTRY HILLS MEDICENTRES (403) 241-8848
5149 Country Hills Blvd NW #220, Calgary, AB T3A 5K8 MOUNT ROYAL MEDICENTRES (403) 229-1771
www.drhelendion.ca
NATUREMARY
NatureMary is an all natural pain relief and wellness company specializing in using plant terpenes for muscle, joint, arthritis, and headache relief. www.naturemary.com
PASCAL’S PATISSERIE
One of a kind French pastry shop. Frozen to fabulous. Handcrafted by Alberta’s finest French Pastry Chef. Cochrane’s best kept secret. 1, 205 - 1 St. E. Cochrane, AB (403) 393-4657 www.pascals.ca
STYLISH HOME DECOR FOR EVERY ROOM
HELEN DION - FAMILY DOCTOR
“ T HE FLAVOURS ARE AS FUN AS THE VIBE: LYCHEE, WINTER MELON, YUZU … ALL THE FLAVOURS THAT MAKE MY TASTE BUDS DO A HAPPY DANCE.” CHANRY THACH
19
KOMBUCHA
by Bacteria Bar
Bacteria Bar is what happens when two sisters turn their COVID-19 pandemic hobby into a fizzy little empire. Kady brews the kombucha, Emily makes it look cute (branding), and together they officially launched Bacteria Bar in early 2024. The flavours are as fun as the vibe: lychee, winter melon, yuzu … all the flavours that make my taste buds do a happy dance. Lightly bubbly, super refreshing and, honestly? Way more exciting than whatever’s in your fridge right now. —C.T. bacteriabar.com, @bacteriabar_yyc
20
MACARON SHELL MIX
by Ollia Macarons & Tea
Ollia is my go-to spot for beautiful French macarons. After taking the shop’s Macaron 101 baking class, I actually believed I could make my own. With Ollia's macaron shell mix, made of fine almond flour and icing sugar, I can! Just follow the recipe and instructions on the website, and you’ll be pumping out perfect macarons at home in no time. —C.T. 810C 16 Ave. S.W., 403-457-9775, byollia.com, @byollia
21
ROASTED GARLIC CHEESE BUNS
by Yum Bakery
Calgary has its fair share of iconic cheese buns, and the ones by Yum Bakery absolutely
“JUST FOLLOW THE RECIPE AND INSTRUCTIONS ON THE WEBSITE, AND YOU’LL BE PUMPING
deserve a spot on the roster. Made from scratch with no mixes, fillers or preservatives, these buns are the real deal. Roasted garlic butter and cheddar cheese are rolled up into the pillowy dough, then topped with more cheese, because, use them for sandwiches — they disappear fast. Soft, savoury and seriously addictive.
Calgary Farmers’ Market South, 510 77 Ave. S.E; Cal gary Farmers’ Market West, 25 Greenbriar Dr. N.W., yum-bakery.com, @yumbakery.yyc
GOLDEN GARLIC HUMMUS
by Garbanzo’s
The Garbanzo’s takeout concept features a vibrant menu of Mediterranean-inspired bowls, loaded pitas and fresh salads. Now, its signature dips are available in packaged format at its two locations. The Golden Garlic Hummus, integral to Garbanzo’s rice bowls, boasts a velvety texture and balanced flavour, thanks to highquality tahini and garlic that’s slow-cooked to golden brown. —C.C.
Garbanzo's is located in Blush Lane Bridgeland, 617 Meredith Rd. N.E., 587-575-2554, and in Gulf Canada Square, 200K, 401 9 Ave. S.W., 403-264-4624; garbanzos.ca, @garbanzosforever
“I’M A SUCKER FOR THE RASPBERRY JAM, UBE AND LEMON CURD DOUGHNUTS.” CHANRY THACH
23
BRIOCHE DOUGHNUTS by Pâte Sucrée YYC
Pâte Sucrée YYC started slinging brioche doughnuts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I vividly remember counting down the days until its ordering system opened each week. Run by wife-and-husband duo Kimberly and Nelson Lapidario, this home-based business specializes in fluffy, filled brioche dreams. I’m a sucker for the raspberry jam, ube and lemon curd doughnuts, but don’t sleep on the chocolate ganache. The dough is so light and airy, you’ll inhale one without even trying. No regrets. —C.T. patesucreeyyc.com, @pate_sucree_yyc
24
VEGAN KIMCHI by Asahi Sushi
Asahi is a gem inside Crossroads Market that’s run by the Yu family — mom, Michelle, son, Sunny, and daughter, Jess. They've been perfecting their vegan, gluten-free kimchi for more than four years. They originally created it when Jess went vegetarian and needed an alternative that didn't contain fish sauce, but still delivered on flavour. Using an original recipe from Michelle’s mom as a base, the Yus adapted the kimchi for Jess, and the result is something seriously special. We keep a tub in our fridge at all times and add lashings to almost every meal. Funky, spicy and full of homemade love, it’s small-batch magic. —C.T. Crossroads Market, 715, 1235 26 Ave. S.E., 403-667-7215, asahikoreats.com, @asahisushiyyc
25
HABANERO
AND CARROT HOT SAUCE by Beck Farms Ltd.
Beck Farms’ super-sweet carrots rank high on my list of favourite Alberta produce, so I was thrilled to receive a jar of its carrot and habanero hot sauce as a gift from a colleague. This delightful sauce combines the farm's beloved carrots with spicy habanero, resulting in a unique, slightly sweet condiment that delivers a satisfying heat. Perfect for hot wings, its thick consistency clings beautifully to the meat, elevating the flavour of each bite. —C.C. Calgary Farmers’ Market South, 510 77 Ave. S.E; Calgary Farmers’ Market West, 25 Greenbriar Dr. N.W., innisfailgrowers.com, @innisfailgrowersw
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Coercive control is a type of intimate -partner violence that increases the
rom the outside, it looked like Karen and George Gosbee lived the perfect Calgary life for most of their 23-year marriage.
The couple stood cheekto-cheek and smiling in photos that ran in the society pages of the Calgary Herald. Karen was a tall, blonde philanthropist who volunteered for local institutions like the Edge School and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra; George built two successful investment firms and coowned the now-inactive NHL team, the Arizona Coyotes. The family’s three children excelled at
school, hockey and ballet.
In 2017, a different picture emerged about what life had been like inside the Gosbee home. George died by suicide that November. He had kept his diagnoses of bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression hidden from the world, and had abused human growth hormone, prescription medication and alcohol.
He’d also abused his wife. At first, she hesitated to admit that fact publicly — the stories of things that happened inside their home would change the reputation of a man who’d been a titan in Calgary’s business community. And
what happened in their marriage didn’t always fit with what Karen thought intimate-partner violence looked like. For years, Karen had downplayed the danger in their marriage. “I didn’t realize I was in an abusive relationship,” she says.
In Karen’s own words, George had physically hurt her “less than a handful of times” over two decades. Once he tried to strangle her in their bathroom, leaving a neck injury that still causes her pain. Another time, he’d pounded her face in an Argentina hotel room.
But George also used spyware to track Karen’s text messages and emails. He belittled her, tell-
likelihood of homicide by nine times, so why isn't it a crime in Canada?
ing her she had early onset dementia. He sent her torrents of rage-filled texts and calls. He withheld information about the family finances — her financial requests had to be approved by George or his assistant. He once secretly cancelled her credit cards before she was hosting a fundraising lunch.
After George’s death, Karen started reading the growing literature around intimate-partner violence and saw her marriage in the pages.
Coercive control is a pattern of behaviour where an abuser works to humiliate, manipulate and diminish their partner’s sense of selfempowerment, with the goal of dominating
and controlling them. It takes different forms, such as limiting a person’s access to their own finances, isolating them from family and friends, selecting their clothes, coercing them into sex, or tracking their whereabouts.
Coercive control is part of the epidemic of gender-based violence happening in secret across the country. Psychological abuse — the hallmark of coercive control — is the most common form of intimate-partner violence in Canada, according to Statistics Canada. Most people never report it to police, but with devastating consequences — coercive control is a strong predictor of femicide* in intimate-
partner relationships. Studies show that coercive control in an abusive relationship escalates the risk of fatality by nine times, and cases involving coercive control are more likely to result in serious harm than cases involving discrete acts of physical violence.
Karen says she might have left their marriage earlier had she understood the risks. She’d always felt that she needed to stay until her
*The predominance of women as victims is significant, which is not to undermine the importance or significance of men who also face intimate-partner violence.
children came of age. “If I had understood the danger that I seriously was in, maybe I could have made more of an informed decision as to how I needed to get out,” she says.
She has since become an advocate for survivors of intimatepartner violence, and for better mental health and addictions services. In 2019, then-Mayor Naheed Nenshi asked her to join The City of Calgary’s Community Action on Mental Health and Addiction Stewardship Group. In 2020, she wrote a book called A Perfect Nightmare about her marriage.
Women who are struggling to break out of abusive relationships reach out to Karen privately to ask what they do. “A lot of times, they don’t know the actual danger they’re in. The first thing I'll ask them is: ‘Has he ever tried to strangle you? Are there guns in the house?’ A lot of times they'll be like, ‘Oh, it's not that bad, you know?’”
Women underplay the risks when they are in abusive relationships, especially when the perpetrator primarily relies on psychological means of torture, she points out.
People who work with and for survivors of intimate-partner violence are pushing for better awareness of coercive control. They argue that, if we’re to stop intimate-partner violence, we need to understand coercive control in order to recognize it. Many advocates believed that major change was finally at hand after NDP MP Laurel Collins introduced a private member’s bill to amend the Criminal Code of Canada to create an offence of exercising coercive control over an intimate partner in 2023 The bill, C-332, made it past all three readings in the House of Commons (backed by the rare support of all parties) and past second reading in the Senate. But, when Justin Trudeau resigned as prime minister, Parliament was
prorogued in January 2025, and the bill died.
“It was a tragic setback,” says Leslie Hill, executive director of Discovery House, which runs shelter and support groups for families affected by domestic violence.
The week before Parliament progrogued, four women were killed by intimate-partner violence in Canada — including one in Calgary and another in Edmonton. More have been killed since: statistics for the first six months of 2025 are not yet available, but, on average, a woman is killed by a former or current intimate partner every six days in Canada.
tool explaining coercive methods of control, now known as Biderman’s Chart of Coercion. American military trainers at Guantánamo Bay following the 9/11 attacks used this chart verbatim to conduct interrogation training.
Physical violence is not listed anywhere on Biderman’s chart — only the threat of it is. Physical pain “is not a necessary nor particularly effective method of inducing compliance,” Biderman wrote. The threat of violence was often more successful for the captors than violence itself.
In the decades following Biderman’s work, people noticed a similar pattern of coercion used
On average, a woman is killed by a former or current intimate partner every six days in Canada.
The concept of “coercive control” grew out of research done on prisoners of war during the 1950s.
Sociologist Albert D. Biderman studied American men who’d been captured by Communist forces during the Korean War, and wrote false confessions in captivity.
Biderman learned that the men had been subjected to a regimen of psychological techniques to undermine their moral strength. Their captors used eight methods: isolation, monopolization of perception, degradation, exhaustion, threats, occasional indulgences, demonstrations of omnipotence and omniscience, and the enforcement of trivial demands.
Taken together, these techniques were a teaching method for POWs. Through fear and stress, they taught the prisoners how to comply with their captors’ demands. Biderman put these techniques together in a
The idea that an abused woman is a “battered woman” (a term that’s rarely used anymore), or that only physical abuse counts as “real abuse,” remains the prevailing view of many in the public and the legal system, and of many abused women themselves, says Andrea Silverstone, CEO of Sagesse, an Alberta non-profit that works to prevent domestic violence. This restrictive definition of abuse hurts women. If coercive control was widely recognized as abuse, more people would recognize dangerous situations and fewer people would ask why women don’t just walk away, Silverstone explains.
“It helps to understand that [coercive control] is a removal or a colonization of a person's identity to the point that they're no longer able to express their personal agency or make decisions in their own best interest," she says.
on survivors of intimate-partner violence. Physical violence was common (and cruel), but not the worst part of the abuse for women, writes Jess Hill, an investigative journalist whose 2019 book, See What You Made Me Do, includes a history of coercive control. Some women weren’t subjected to physical violence at all, but they endured a kind of psychological and emotional torture that robbed them of their autonomy and ability to make decisions.
People working with domesticviolence survivors adopted Biderman’s chart of coercion to describe the techniques used by perpetrators of domestic abuse. In 2007, Evan Stark, a forensic social worker who researched domestic violence for 30 years with his physician wife, Dr. Anne Flitcraft, gave the pattern revealed in Biderman’s work a name — coercive control.
After years of lobbying from advocates, governments are beginning to recognize that coercive control is an often-deadly form of abuse and should be viewed as a crime. In 2013, the U.K.’s Home Office officially changed its definition of domestic violence to include coercive control. Two years later, England and Wales became the first jurisdiction to criminalize coercive control. Since then, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland and Australia have followed.
In Canada, Silverstone and other advocates have been calling for a similar law for almost a decade. They say legislation will help survivors recognize when they are living in danger and will help police respond in cases of coercive control. “What we hear from the police and our clients is that, when this pattern exists, there aren't tools in the justice system to support intervention,” says Hill. There are laws for physical assault and stalking, she points out. “But, when it’s
this kind of insidious pattern of abuse that the police are able to see, they don't have legislative tools to intervene.”
Says Silverstone: “It’s sort of shameful that Canada doesn’t have this legislation when so many other jurisdictions that are equivalent Commonwealth jurisdictions do I feel like it’s a no-brainer, and it shouldn’t be taking as long a journey as it’s taking.”
This belief isn’t universal among people who’ve dedicated their careers to studying and preventing domestic violence. Some worry that criminalizing coercive control may have unintended consequences. Jennifer Koshan, professor of law at the University of Calgary, argued to Parliament and Justice Canada against criminalization of coercive control. She says that
a criminal law of coercive control could be used against victims — a pattern that she sees in the family law system.
Since March 2021, Canada’s Divorce Act has recognized “coercive and controlling behaviour” as a form of family violence. Koshan and her colleagues’ research shows that fathers often respond to allegations of family violence by claiming that they are the real victims of coercive control because mothers sought to restrict their access to their kids. “Now women are sometimes being found to be coercive and controlling, simply when they're trying to protect their children from violence — that's seen as controlling their child's relationship with the other parent,” Koshan says
“Until we do a much better job of understanding how criminalizing this particular form of violence could end up being used against the most marginalized members of society, I just don't think it's something we should adopt.”
JENNIFER KOSHAN, U NIVERSITY OF CALGARY
Koshan has other concerns, too. A coercive control law could disproportionately hurt marginalized groups, particularly Indigenous and racialized people who are already over-represented in the criminal justice system. Although Indigenous peoples account for approximately five per cent of the adult population in Canada, they make up 28 per cent of all people receiving federal sentences in Canada; Black people, at four per cent of the adult population of Canada, account for nine per cent of sentenced offenders under federal jurisdiction. Koshan questions whether a specific law would meaningfully improve the lives of women targeted by coercive control. In the U K , when the definition of domestic violence was changed to include coercive control, calls to police for domestic violence increased 31 per cent over the next three years. But it’s not clear that more calls led to positive change for survivors.
“For me, until we do a much better job of understanding how criminalizing this particular form of violence could end up being used against the most marginalized members of society, I just don't think it's something we should adopt,” says Koshan. Criminalizing coercive control would require a fundamental shift in the way that judges and prosecutors think about the law, she explains. The legal system takes an incident-based approach to violence: one act of violence is a crime. But coercive control is a pattern, often made up of smaller acts that could, in the hands of a powerful storyteller, be presented as harmless or even romantic.
“The best analogy I've heard, but it's not a legal analogy, is that
“It’s not okay, but it is okay to speak up.”
GLENN ANDRUSCHUK, CALGARY POLICE SERVICE
understanding the difference between incidents of violence and coercive control is like the difference between looking at a photograph and looking at a film,” says Koshan. “If you look at a photograph, it captures a moment in time but if you really want to know what is going on in a particular relationship, you have to see the whole film.”
Advocates who work with domestic violence survivors say they share concerns about unintended consequences of criminalizing coercive control. But any potential downsides could be prevented by careful monitoring and studying of the effects, they argue. One essential component that critics and advocates agree on is that Canada needs an expert advisory panel on domestic violence. The
panel could be on watch to ensure the law is used as intended. But so far, Canada has failed to act on this idea. The Mass Casualty Commission, the public inquiry into a 2020 two-day killing spree in Nova Scotia that started as an act of domestic violence, called for such an expert advisory group. Nothing has come of it.
Everyone who spoke with Avenue for this story called for more training of police and judges, and for more resources and funding. Most also called for additional shelter spaces. They want action that demonstrates that the epidemic of domestic violence is not binary — only victims and the perpetrators — but a long-standing societal problem that requires widespread change.
Glenn Andruschuk, a staff sergeant in the Calgary Police Service’s Domestic Conflict Unit, is among those who support changing the Criminal Code to include coercive control. Doing so would help the police with intervening in domestic violence cases, he says.
But a legal change is not at the top of his wish list for preventing domestic violence. His top priority is more funding for things like shelter beds, counselling and other supports for shelters, along with ads and awareness campaigns. And he wants an education program for kids in schools across Alberta that has a singular message about domestic violence: “It’s not okay, but it is okay to speak up.”
Karen Gosbee grew up in a home affected by mental illness and substance abuse. She learned to stay quiet in times of crisis. She carried those childhood habits into adulthood, and didn’t speak out about the horrors going on behind the scenes in what looked like an Instagram-perfect life.
After George died, she wanted to change the narrative around domestic violence — helping people understand that it's not only happening in homes where women have bruises. Sometimes, the wounds are invisible.
R EPORTED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OCCURRENCES IN CALGARY IN 2024
4,502
(4.4 per cent increase from 2023) REPORTED DOMESTIC CONFLICT CALLS (NO VIOLENCE)
18,964 (1.7 per cent decrease from 2023)
A New Path to Wellness
Homewood Ravensview’s My Path program helps young adults manage challenges that can be common during this life stage, discover their potential, build confidence and create a healthy and fulfilling life.
ccording to a 2024 Canadian Mental Health Association report, more young adults aged 15 to 24 have a mood, anxiety or substance use disorder than adults. Young adults make up a significant portion of Canadians struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues, but there are limited inpatient treatment programs specifically designed for them.
Vancouver Island’s Homewood Ravensview, a comprehensive mental health and addiction
treatment facility, has recently launched a new program to help fill that gap. The facility intentionally designed the My Path program for individuals aged 19+ struggling with a range of issues. My Path addresses trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, substance use disorders and both substance and behavioural addictions.
“We notice that young adults coming into this program have specific needs related to their current life challenges,” says Homewood Ravensview general manager and vice president Deanna Brady. “Our goal is to provide specific and intentional programming tailored to this demographic.”
Targeted programming
During the inpatient treatment stay, clients participate in an immersive program where they connect with a specialized healthcare team that understands the unique coming-of-age challenges they may be facing. The team has
built this program around an open, inclusive and supportive approach to these challenges, which often go beyond mental health and substance abuse disorders.
Treatment is available for process addictions such as gambling, pornography, excessive shopping, gaming and technology use. The program also tackles challenges related to the transition to adulthood, sexuality, identity, selfesteem and social dynamics.
“What we’re seeing with this demographic is those who are really struggling with their identity,” Brady explains. “It’s such a transformative time between the ages of 19 to 25 when trying to figure out, ‘Who am I?’”
A team of experts
My Path is backed by Homewood Health’s 140+ years of clinical experience and excellence. A master’s-level therapist helps individual clients develop emotional coping skills and create strategies to achieve individual goals. The onsite team consists of a psychiatrist, addiction physician, counsellors, a 24/7 nursing staff and occupational, horticultural, recreation, art and music therapists.
My Path offers group therapy, one-onone counselling and a range of therapeutic approaches, including cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy and recreational and expressive therapies such as art, music and horticultural therapies.
Homewood Ravensview is located on a 28-acre naturally forested site, and its amenities include a fitness facility with basketball and pickleball courts, an outdoor cultural space, 24/7 nursing stations, community gardens, games rooms and more.
“There’s nothing more rewarding than when we see individuals walking out at the end of their treatment with their head held a little bit higher, knowing that they have learned so much and get to start a new chapter,” says Brady.
To learn more, visit ravensview.com/my-path-program.
Favourite Spaces
aniela Sanchez confesses that it took a little convincing to get her husband on board with a pink kitchen.
“I’m obsessed with pink,” she says. She would have happily splashed every surface with it, so the blush-toned kitchen island in her Point McKay townhome was a compromise.
This particular hue was discovered while wandering through IKEA: “I found a pink plant pot, and I was like, this is the shade,” Sanchez says. For the team at Amanda Hamilton Interior Design, the humble pot served as the perfect inspiration.
“It’s great to start out that way,” says creative director Amanda Hamilton, noting that Sanchez’s request for soft, rounded edges also informed the kitchen’s standout feature — the island. It flows through the space beautifully, and there was a practicality to the silhouette, too.
“Because we have kids in the family, it was really important that the island was curved from a safety aspect,” says Sanchez. “I’m super clumsy, too,” she adds with a laugh. The island is also functional for cooking the foods of Sanchez’s Venezuelan roots — many an arepa has been expertly stuffed on the white quartz counter.
When the family first purchased the townhome the kitchen was dark, dated and in need of a major overhaul. “Like most older homes with traditional floor plans, everything was broken up into different spaces,” says Hamilton, who started by demolishing the wall between kitchen and dining room.
Open white-oak shelving brings both warmth and airiness to the kitchen, and a curved hood fan complements the rounded island. Hamilton notes that open shelving isn’t something all her clients are, well, open to.
“But, I have found that for families or people who love to entertain, open shelves are way more convenient,” she says. The exposed shelves are artfully stacked with the family’s most-used dishes and pretty glassware, while hefty drawers provides space for everything else. The low drawers also make it easy for Sanchez's daughter to help out in the kitchen and get involved in what’s cooking. “It’s an environment where we can get messy and have fun,” Sanchez says.
PRETTY
A
IN PINK
BY ALYSSA HIROSE
THE ISLAND
A half-inch reveal separates the island countertop from the pink-lacquered MDF, so it almost appears as if it’s floating. “It’s a really nice detail, because it gives each material an opportunity to stand alone, and have a little bit of breathing room,” says designer Hamilton.
THE DINING AREA
The original layout of the townhome separated the kitchen from the dining area, but the Amanda Hamilton Design team opened up the wall to create a more open-concept space — something Hamilton says resulted in a “lighter, fresher and brighter” vibe.
THE SOCKETS
It’s all in the details: plugs integrated into the kitchen island are a whimsical take on the standard electrical (“they almost look like happy faces,” says Hamilton). The fitting-free sockets are well-placed for a stand mixer, blender or charging a laptop.
THE STORAGE
The kitchen was designed with lots of drawers within reach of little hands, so basic dishes and pantry items can be easily obtained by the household’s smallest member. “We want our daughter to be independent, so she has access to everything that she wants,” says Sanchez.
PHOTO BY COURTNEY MOLYNEAUX
CDL Calgary (403) 255-1811 7265-11 Street SE Calgary, AB T2H 2S1
Invermere (250) 342-1592 4B 492 Arrow Road Invermere, BC V0A 1K2
HIT THE OPEN ROAD
Alberta Open Farms Days offers a perfect reason to take a road trip and explore Saddle Hills County.
Tucked away in the northwest part of the province, an hour north of Grande Prairie, Saddle Hills County is ideal for a multi-day road trip on the road less travelled. The region offers scenic drives, several recreational options and a chance to truly get away from it all. Winding roads lead over rolling hills, through peaceful forests and past pristine lakes. Excellent camping, fishing, hiking and even geocaching opportunities leave no shortage of activities to try out.
In particular, Alberta Open Farm Days provide the perfect chance to explore this unique corner of the province. Running August 16th and 17th, the annual event is a province-wide open house for Albertans to visit farms and ranches, sample the best of Alberta farm products, learn about where our food comes from and participate in one-of-akind farm experiences. Take a tour of a Saddle Hills County farm or two in this agriculturally rich area for a memorable summer road trip.
flower patch for some Alberta-grown blossoms to take home.
BURNT RIVER RANCH
Ranching from the ground up — that’s the motto at Burnt River Ranch. Using traditional farming practices blended with new technologies, the ranch produces free-range eggs and grassfed pork and poultry. Operating since 2018, the ranch also breeds Haflinger Horses and Sarplaninac dogs. Stop in for some farm-fresh eggs or just to admire the inner workings
To learn more, visit saddlehills.ab.ca.
Peace River Petals
THE MOUNTAINS ARE CALLING
Swap your skis for hiking boots this summer at Sunshine Meadows.
When the snow melts and the flowers bloom, Sunshine Village packs up the skis and snowboards, but its doors remain open. Hop aboard Banff’s biggest gondola and experience what summer at 7,000 feet in Sunshine Village looks like.
TAKE IN INCREDIBLE SUMMER MOUNTAIN VISTAS
Ride the Standish Chairlift to over 8,000 feet and enjoy mountain views like no other. This kind of elevation offers 360-degree views of the Canadian Rockies, and Standish is the only chairlift with sightseeing access to three alpine lakes.
Hike among the greenery and wildflowers on hosted trail walks through Sunshine Meadows — accessible for mountain lovers of all abilities. Breathe in the fresh alpine air, enjoy the serenity of the mountains and learn about the surrounding peaks, wildlife and history from your guide or at the Sunshine Meadows Interpretive
Center. On the Standish Viewing Deck, enjoy more phenomenal alpine views.
7,000 FEET ABOVE ORDINARY
Turn in for the night on top of the world at Sunshine Mountain Lodge. Nestled high in the iconic Canadian Rockies, the mountaintop lodge delivers luxurious rooms surrounded by breathtaking scenery. In fact, Sunshine Mountain Lodge is the ONLY high-alpine hotel in Banff National Park. It offers casual and fine dining, the area’s largest hot tub and family-friendly activities.
Spend a relaxing night amid the alpine peaks, under a clear sky full of stars so you’re ready to enjoy another day of nature’s best, just steps from your room.
Learn more at banffsunshinemeadows.com.
Get to Know the Man Behind The Dorian’s ‘Wilde’ Offerings
Meet Joshua Dyer, the visionary executive chef crafting unforgettable flavours behind the many culinary outlets at The Dorian, Calgary’s one and only Michelin Key hotel.
As the executive chef at The Dorian hotel, Joshua Dyer oversees a variety of dining options. From breakfast spot Bistro Novelle to Prologue Café | Cocktails lobby bar, or 3-D dinner theatre at Le Petit Chef to the elevated offerings at The Wilde on 27, hotel guests, along with the public, are spoiled for dining choices at The Dorian. Here, you’ll get to learn a little bit about the man behind the menus.
Q: What inspired you to become a chef?
A: In my early 20s, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do in terms of a career path, but I was always a very creative person. I was working at a bucket factory, with brutal 12hour shifts. I quit that job, and I needed another, so I thought, ‘Why not get a job at a restaurant?’
I didn’t really think of it as anything more than that, but I totally fell in love with it. The ironic thing with that whole story is the bucket factory I worked at made food service-grade buckets — if I go into my fridge right now, I’ll see its name on those buckets. I’m reminded of that journey from time to time. So, it was a bit of luck and a lot of hard work.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you?
A: There’s never a typical day; the targets are always moving. As an executive chef, I’m responsible for the whole operation. My number one focus is the team and the people, making sure that they’re being taken care of and that they have the tools to succeed. Obviously, managing the business is a big part of my job, but then there’s the fun stuff. I always spend a portion of my day digging into menus, researching local products, seeing what’s available, meeting with suppliers and planning our next menus by testing them with our team.
Q: How do you go about creating a new menu item?
A: My culinary philosophy is to focus on what surrounds us. I’m very driven by what’s going on within our market in terms of ingredients, farms and different seasons. My brainstorming process literally starts with a blank page. I’ll start building a list of products, ideas or
techniques, and things that are in season that I’ve been excited to use. From there, I’ll take our current menu and start eliminating the dishes that I want to change and start building those dishes and pieces from that list of inspiration.
Q: Who is your cooking hero?
A: I was always very much inspired by my grandmother. She was the great cook in the family. For one of the first meals I ever made on my own for my family, I put together a five-course meal showcasing all these different techniques I had learned. She was blown away and so proud of me. She’s not around anymore, but she had written a cookbook for the family a few years before she passed away, with all of our family recipes in it, so that stays with me everywhere I go.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Located on 5 Ave. S.W., The Dorian is Calgary’s only hotel with a Michelin Key.
The Dyer family cookbook.
Steak frites and smash burger from Lunch on 27.
The Wilde on 27
“If I were dining at The Wilde, I would start with the scallops and follow up with the venison tartare. Then, I would have the Shio Koji bison striploin with a pear jus. Our menus are so dialed and focused, you really can’t go wrong. Everything’s special in that sense.
“Our new offering, Lunch on 27, is a great place to grab a quick mid-day meal with an incredible view. The steak frites and smash burger are two favourites.”
Chef Joshua’s favourites in-house and across the city
Aida’s Bistro
Shokunin
“One of my favourite spots in Calgary would have to be Shokunin. They do an amazing job. They’re really spot on, especially the scallops and the yakitori — those are favourites of mine, so that’s certainly one of my go-tos.”
“There’s another little spot on 4th Street called Aida’s Bistro. It’s a really small Lebanese restaurant, with maybe 30 seats. It’s been there forever, and does incredible Lebanese food; it's really, really delicious. So, that’s always a nice treat.”
To learn more, visit thedorianhotel.com/restaurants-downtown-calgary.
Pizza
“Pizza is probably my favourite food in the whole entire world. I think it’s perfect in every way, and we’re kind of spoiled for choice in Calgary. One of my go-to spots is Connie & John’s Pizza. John’s Pepperoni is loaded with dry, cured pepperoni from New York City — it’s a big New York-style pizza; beautiful, fermented, delicious, with chewy dough and a really nice crust.”
The Wilde’s Digby Bay Scallop appetizer.
Executive chef at The Dorian hotel, Joshua Dyer.
Yakitori cooks over binchotan charcoal.
John’s Pepperoni from Connie & John’s Pizza.
Aida’s Bistro’s hummus dip.
The Wilde’s Shio Koji bison dish.
WEST KOOTENAYS WEST KOOTENAYS WEST KOOTENAYS WEST KOOTENAYS IN THE
B.C.’s West Kootenays offer an abundance of lakes, streams and ponds for fun water-based activities and a refreshing reprieve from the summer heat.
BY SHELLEY ARNUSCH
summer in Calgary got off to a dry start in 2024. A major break to the Bearspaw South Feeder Main water pipe on June 5 resulted in a prolonged period of mandatory water restrictions for city residents and businesses.
As June turned into July with no end in sight for the repairs, my desire to escape the water-restricted city for an environment abundant with clear lakes, rushing streams and placid springs grew strong. And so, we (that’s me, my partner and my 10-year-old daughter) set forth for a week of camping in B.C.’s West Kootenays — a place where you can’t throw a rock without it skipping across a body of water.
C AMPING ON WHEELS
Amidst the summer heat, we headed out west with a Karma camper van. The Calgary-founded company’s fleet of kitted-out Ford transit vans are turnkey units that can hit the road running and are packed with everything you need for camping — groceries and firewood excepted.
The vans have a queen bed (complete with a duvet, pillows and linens) above a storage area for things like sporting equipment, both conveniently accessible through the double back doors. Built-in cupboards come stocked with everything you need for cooking (pots, pans, knives, corkscrew, etc.) and washing up (tea towels, scrubbers, dish soap, etc.). The vans come with a cooler and an optional refrigerator add-on, along with a small sink with both fresh and grey water tanks. Unlike in larger RVs, there is no built-in stove — rather, each unit includes a portable camp stove to use outside the vehicle. The camper vans have multiple USB outlets for charging and a solar power system that provided more than enough juice for whatever we required over the week.
Since we had a kid in tow, we needed a model with additional seating installed behind the driver and a second level of bunks. Though the vans have a generous six feet, five inches of headroom, the upper bunks do lie pretty close to the roof. It was enough space for a young child, but older/bigger youths or additional adult passengers might find it claustrophobic.
The vans could seem rather spartan to those accustomed to camping in a luxury RV, but they are an ideal comfort upgrade if you’re accustomed to tenting, and their compact size makes them easy to drive and to manoeuvre through campground lanes and parking lots. The drivability and ease of moving camp (no setting up and taking down tents or packing and unpacking) allowed us the freedom to roam, rather than stay parked in one place. Here are three destinations we experienced over the course of our week in the West Kootenays, all chosen for optimum access to lake swimming and other water activities.
KARMA CAMPER VANS HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO HIT THE ROAD RUNNING ON AN ADVENTURE.
PHOTO BY ROBIN WITTWER
K EEPING IT REAL C HILL IN KASLO
Camping in a town might not appeal to those looking to get back to nature, but scenic and charming Kaslo, B.C., isn’t exactly your average town (or village, in this case). Located on the west shore of Kootenay Lake, Kaslo is an approximately 45-minute drive east from New Denver along B.C. Hwy 31A, a winding road that passes through spectacular and wild mountain terrain. The Kaslo Municipal Campground on the east edge of town offers easy access to a rocky public beach perfect for swimming and launching a standup paddleboard or kayak. Try to secure one of the sites on the rise adjacent to the public park, which are shaded, cool and somewhat more private.
T HE RETURN
With the Kaslo campground mere steps from the beach at Kootenay Lake, it was easy to take one last dip before packing up and heading for home. Also easy was returning the camper van to Karma’s 24-hour self-checkout lot in central northeast Calgary — but it was hard to accept that our week of living our best van life in the West Kootenays had come to an end.
From the campground, it’s an easy stroll into the centre of town, where you can check out the S.S. Moyie, the world’s oldest intact sternwheeler, in a lakefront park. Operational from 1898 to 1957, the restored Moyie is now a National Historic Site. (There’s a Calgary connection here: Heritage Park’s S.S. Moyie, which sails the Glenmore Reservoir, is a half-scale reproduction of this vessel built in the 1960s.) Another key benefit to camping so close to downtown Kaslo is that you can stash the stove and enjoy local hospitality options like Angry Hen Brewing, a craft brewery and restaurant with a large and lively open-air patio.
Avenue’s writers and editors occasionally have 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.
KASLO MARINA AT KOOTENAY LAKE.
S.S. MOYIE, A NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE AT 324 FRONT ST.
SILVERTON HIGHWAY REST AREA ALONG HIGHWAY 6 AND SLOCAN LAKE.
BANFF IN THE
BALANCE
BY LYNDA SEA
Ifyou build it, they will come. No truer words could be said about Banff National Park. As Canada’s first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage site, Banff holds icon status. Unsurprisingly, it also holds the title as the busiest park among Canada’s 48 national parks and national park reserves.
Visitors to Banff expect a pristine Rocky Mountains landscape framed with panoramic peaks, glacial lakes, waterfalls, vast
wilderness and wildlife. But, in the busy summer months, they’re likely also encountering traffic congestion, a lack of parking, long lineups, overcrowding and overflowing garbage cans at day-use areas. All of this increases the potential for human-animal conflict and ecological impact, compromising the very thing that attracts visitors in the first place.
Banff National Park saw 4.28 million visits in 2023/24, the busiest year on record. The Lake Louise area has seen an even more pronounced increase in visitation within this time frame, especially in summer. A quarter of the park’s annual visits are to the Lake Minnewanka area, and traffic volumes there
have increased by about 50 per cent over the past 10 years.
“The town of Banff was created to support tourism in the late 1800s. That has always been the purpose of this area,” says Natalie Fay, external relations manager for the Banff Field Unit with Parks Canada. “That in and of itself is quite unique. I don't know of other places that were purpose built in that sense.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it gave many popular tourist destinations a reprieve from crowds, but it also hurt places like Banff, where strong visitor numbers fuel the local economy. Banff alone contributed about $1.2 billion to Alberta’s GDP in 2019.
Encouraging different ways of moving through Banff National
Park is the key to reconciling tourism and conservation.
TOO MANY CARS
When you ask Banff mayor Corrie DiManno if she feels her town is experiencing overtourism, she states: “Banff has one economy and that's tourism. The reason that this town was incorporated was to serve as a visitor centre for the park. It’s more that we don’t have enough space for everybody’s vehicles, not necessarily that we don’t have space for the people in them.”
So, it seems that Banff has a car-overcrowding problem, rather than a peopleovercrowding one. The Town of Banff’s threshold is 24,000 cars a day. Data shows that, during July and August, that number is
often exceeded. On the Saturday of the 2024 August long weekend, for example, traffic volume at the main entrance reached more than 31,000 cars.
The park's most popular areas, like Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Johnston Canyon and the Minnewanka Loop, are also the sites of the worst parking and traffic problems. From June to September, parking lots at Lake Louise are often full by 7 a.m. At peak times, 85 per cent of private vehicles are turned away at parking lots because there are no spaces — an estimated 5,000 cars daily in 2022.
“Lake Louise Drive and Moraine Lake Road — they’re intersecting the Fairview
wildlife corridor that’s an important highway for big animals transitioning between habitats in the Bow Valley,” says François Masse, superintendent of Lake Louise, Kootenay and Yoho with Parks Canada. “Road congestion ends up looking like a barrier for the wildlife that are trying to cross that road.”
Banff is also a very important headwater for the Bow River system, says Katie Morrison, executive director of the Southern Alberta chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. Since 1967, the chapter has led conservation efforts to protect areas in Banff National Park, Kananaskis, the Whaleback and Castle Provincial Park.
A TYPICAL DAY AT THE BANFF
GONDOLA PARKING LOT.
“Banff is special in that it has the full range of carnivores and large mammals that historically existed on that landscape, including the reintroduction of bison,” says Morrison. “What makes Banff different from a management context is the sheer volume of people who are visiting and using those areas. The pressure on the park is growing and growing, and the experience is really changing for people visiting.”
ENFORCING ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION
To address traffic and parking issues, in 2023, Moraine Lake Road was permanently closed to personal vehicles. Only Parks Canada shuttles, Roam public transit buses and commercial vehicle operators are now allowed.
Even before the change in policy, shuttle and bus services were seeing increased demand. Parks Canada reported a 29-per cent increase in ridership on its Lake Louise and Moraine Lake shuttles between 2022 and 2023. Other tactics for managing high visitation levels are already in place around the park, including seasonal and area restrictions, traffic controls, reservation systems and lotteries.
Similarly, in Yoho National Park, the only way to access the beautiful alpine backcountry at Lake O’Hara is by taking a Parks Canada shuttle bus from the parking lot, which requires a reservation. By limiting human impact, Parks Canada can keep sensitive areas from being loved to death.
“From a tourism sector's perspective, we recognize the single biggest asset that we have is this beautiful place,” says Leslie Bruce, president and CEO of Banff & Lake Louise Tourism. “We're very committed to ensuring it's protected, and we definitely want to talk about ways to [better] access it in the future, not how we stop visitors from coming.”
MAKING A PLAN TO REDUCE CAR USE
To that end, a 10-year vision plan to guide visitor use in Banff and Lake Louise was created in 2023. Lead Tourism for Good was developed as a guidepost for tourism, and it’s a collaboration between Banff & Lake Louise Tourism, the Town of Banff, Parks Canada, and an Indigenous working group. The town’s residents, tourism employees and industry partners provided feedback, and the blueprint is meant to complement other long-range plans like
the Parks Canada Management Plan and the town’s municipal plans.
“We started by just recognizing we needed to think differently. We have a car problem, not a people problem,” says Bruce. “We started thinking about how to move people out of their cars and onto bikes and into transit. And that has become, in a very short time, an accepted way to move in a national park.”
While the Town of Banff has seen little change in the number of personal vehicles entering the townsite in 2019 compared to 2023, that number (hovering around 6.5 million per year) is still too many. Encouragingly though, there’s been a 67-per cent increase in local transit ridership.
The On-It bus, which moves people between Calgary and Banff, has seen a huge increase
“We started by recognizing we needed to think differently. We have a car problem, not a people problem.”
LESLIE BRUCE BANFF & LAKE LOUISE TOURISM
of riders — 116 per cent more in August 2023 than in the same month in 2019. Roam Transit, the Bow Valley’s public bus operator, with routes in Canmore, Banff and Lake Louise, saw a record-breaking 2.76 million riders last year.
In the face of increased demand from visitors, Parks Canada enlisted an expert panel to tackle the future of transportation in Banff National Park.
The report re-envisions how to move people sustainably through the Bow Valley and is full of bold recommendations like mobility hubs (sites that consolidate transportation services), intercept parking lots (located outside of central areas, so people switch to other forms of transport to enter town centre), gondolas and train service — all with the goal of lessening dependency on personal vehicles.
“Banff is such a special place; we are so glad that people want to spend time here in our community,” says DiManno. “We just ask that we all do things a little bit differently than we did pre-pandemic, and that includes the way you're going to move around our townsite. Please get on transit. Please walk. Please ride your bike.
“I like to say that we need to change to stay the same. For me, that really means the way that we experience the townsite and the way we experience the national park. We need to ensure that this place is here for future generations to also enjoy it. And that means that we need to do our best to balance our reason for being.”
TO PRESERVE AND PRESENT
When it comes to tourism and conservation, Masse and Fay say Parks Canada has a dual mandate, outlined in the National Parks Act, to preserve and present our national parks.
“We've always seen it as more of a duality than a conflict. You can do both," says Fay. "You can provide authentic visitor experiences while also ensuring that your conservation requirements are met.”
Taking an intentional, long-term view of improving the impact of visitation takes creativity. It means walking the tightrope between hosting visitors and minimizing the strain on the ecology of the park. All parties seem committed to ensuring a resilient future for Banff and supporting a sustainable balance between a healthy natural environment and prosperity for the local community.
“This is one of the most incredible places on the earth,” says Bruce. “We'd like to take as many opportunities as possible to focus on the right future for us and think about encouraging, motivating and inspiring people to get on board with the changes we want and need to make so that we can have this place for future generations.”
It’s easy to be moved by the mountain wilderness in Banff and feel compelled to protect it. In that sense, tourism can bring people together and be a force for change. But can tourism actually leave a place better than it found it? If it addresses environmental sustainability, community well-being, cultural integrity and economic prosperity, the area’s stakeholders say yes.
1:01 P.M.
THE WILDER INSTITUTE/CALGARY ZOO
ENMAX CONSERVATORY
210 St. George’s Drive N.E.
Get up close and personal with many exotic species of butterflies and plants.
Family and Community at the Heart of It All
Trail Appliances celebrates over 50 years of strong family values and quality appliances.
To say that Trail Appliances is a family business is a bit of an understatement.
Founded in 1974 by Jackson Broderick and his son Paul, the locally based appliance retailer has grown to have over 20 family members involved.
After over 50 years since its humble beginnings in Calgary, customers can find Trail Appliances scattered across Western Canada; there are six in Alberta, one in Saskatchewan and a dozen in British Columbia.
Wally Broderick, the president of Trail Appliances, attributes the family’s entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to its customer base as key factors in the company’s longevity and success. And with Trail Appliances’ commitment to excellent service, it’s easy to see why it’s a leading appliance retailer in Western Canada.
Trail Appliances’ expert team delivers your purchase, installs your appliance and even offers a Haulaway Program to
consciously dispose of old appliances. Plus, it offers flexible financing.
A commitment to community
With all the success over the past half century, Trail Appliances has endeavoured to give something back to the communities it serves. The company supports over 100 charities through donations, sponsorships and community involvement.
“We know the foundation of our business comes from the community; without it, we wouldn’t be the company we are today,” says Wally. “That’s why we’ve always taken the time to say thank you and return that support.”
A quick and effective solution for all your needs
With thousands of appliances in stock locally, a broken fridge doesn’t have to mean waiting days for a delivery. A stop in a nearby showroom or a quick call
to the store can save your meat and vegetables with minimal hassle.
Expert advice also comes standard. Trail Appliances has an experienced team of product specialists with extensive knowledge to make sure customers find the fridge, stove or washing machine that best meets their needs.
Beyond just your basic household appliances, Trail Appliances also carries Kinetico whole-home and drinking water systems, BBQs, outdoor patio heaters and an extensive range of top-tier appliances to make your home enjoyable. With Trail Appliances, you can ensure the air in your home is as clean as can be. Find a variety of air purifiers, ranging from portable purifiers to whole-home devices.
While it’s difficult to say what the next 50 years will hold for Trail Appliances, you can bet community and family will be at the heart of it.
