ROSS MAGAZINE | ISSUE # 3 | NOVEMBER 2021

ROSS

EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE AND LIFESTYLE ISSUE # 3 | NOVEMBER 2021

GARRETT CAMP

FUTURE OF WHAT IS UBI? TRANSPORT

A winner is a dreamer who never gives up

- Nelson Mandela

EDITOR'S NOTE

It’s official. This is the 3rd issue of the ROSS Magazine.

November is here and snow is on its way. Our world continues to change.

I hope you enjoy these selection of articles as the year begins to wind down.

I am greatly appreciative of each and every contributor of this issue.

From learning more about the transportation options of the future, to finding out how a successful Calgary born self made billionaire is offering a hand to start ups across the globe, to an overview on the concept and trials of UBI, I hope you learn. I truly hope there is something within the digital pages of ROSS Magazine that will inspire you, move you, and maybe even bloom you.

Maybe you will feel a call that will lead you onto a new path, a new idea, a new place, or a new state of mind.

Lofty goals and not giving up is what we are about. Each issue of this magazine is an opportunity to strive a little higher, stretch the imagination a little further, and to connect and reach out into the unfamiliar.

With practice, as they say, we will get better at it.

DANIELLE ROURKE Editor-In-Chief

ROSS MAGAZINE EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR CONTRIBUTORS

Danielle Rourke Brigit Lister Danielle Rourke James Clarke-Lister Carla Grundison Melissa Mackey Monique Shaw Teatro Group Simon Rose Danielle Rourke

ROSSMAGAZINE.COM

Editorial Inquiries Contact: danielle@rosspavl.com

03 Editor's Note 07 Transportation as a Service 11 Innovations Health Clinics 16 What is UBI? 23 The Art of Growing an Art Show 28 Garret Camp 38 Electric Cars - Ready to Roll 54 Interior Design in the 21st Century 61 New Normal for Travel 67 The Future of the Downtown Core 74 The New Kid on the Block

TaaS

TRANSPORTATION AS A SERVICE

by Simon Rose

The pandemic has brought many changes to our daily lives, some of which may be temporary and others permanent.

I drove my car considerably less in the last eighteen months, restricting myself to essential trips and so on, but of course still had to register the car, have insurance, maintain the vehicle, and buy fuel, even when the vast majority of the time the car wasn’t being used. Like you, I’ve always assumed that car ownership is an integral part of my life. However, what if that wasn’t the case?

What if car ownership, at least in the way that people all over the world have become so accustomed to, became a thing of the past?

Hard to imagine, isn’t it? And yet this is the concept behind Transportation as a Service, also known as TaaS. So what exactly is this idea? An idea that would have revolutionary implications for the automobile industry, but also for car repair shops, oil change specialists, insurance companies, and of course just about every adult on the planet that drives their own car around.

With TaaS, people rent vehicles or

In a year, a person spends

buy trips when they need to make

thousands of dollars on a car for

them, instead of owning a car.

fuel, maintenance, repairs,

Companies like Uber and Lyft are

insurance, registration fees, and

already providing these kinds of

possibly car payments if it’s a brand

services, where another person

new vehicle. People could save

drives us around. However, even this

hundreds or even thousands of

will change in the future, once self-

dollars by moving to TaaS, rather

driving vehicles become more

than owning their means of

widely available.

transportation.

Most cars sit idle the vast majority

The concept provides more free

of the time, whether parked at a

time if you’re not doing the driving

person’s home or at their workplace.

on your commute. On the journey,

Four-seat vehicles also only have

you have the opportunity to read,

one person in them most of the time,

study, engage in one of your

which is hardly efficient. TaaS cars

favourite pastimes, take classes, or

and other vehicles operate twenty-

whatever you’d like to do if you’re

four hours a day and are used far

not focusing on the road.

more often than a person currently uses their own car.

This revolutionary concept can

It will be interesting to see what

reduce the number of people

happens to these spaces and

actually owning cars. More people

structures, especially in city

will have access to transport without

centres, once they’re no longer

having to own and maintain a

needed as parking areas.

vehicle. A lot less people will be buying car insurance, which will

In the long term this may be part of

have a major impact on the

how governments change their

insurance industry. This will intensify

concept of the downtown core, as

if self-driving vehicles become more

companies downsize, move to

common in the coming decades.

smaller premises, or have no downtown office at all.

With fewer cars on the road there will be a lot less demand for parking

Whatever happens next in our

lots and garages. If people stop

constantly changing world, it

owning cars and simply use a

seems clear that TaaS is likely to

vehicle for a trip, then use another

be one of our transportation

one when they next need to travel

options in the years ahead.

somewhere, there won’t be any need for parking spaces at all, or at least there’ll be a lot less of them.

18

INNOVATIONS HEALTH CLINICS: WHERE HEALING IS ABOUT THE WHOLE PERSON

BY CARLA GRUNDISON

Being entrepreneurs in health and wellness is natural for Dr. Neville Reddy, MD and Sureshini Reddy, MBA - the husband-and-wife team behind Calgary’s two Innovations Health Clinics.

Their philosophy is that healing the whole person – body, mind, spirit, and emotions – is essential to overall wellness, and that to achieve this requires a combination of cutting edge medicine and ancient healing practices.

18

With mind-body healing as the guiding principle, Innovations Health Clinics offer services in three main areas: conventional medicine (family practice, podiatry, internal medicine, pain management), rehabilitation medicine (physiotherapy, chiropractic, massage, osteopathic medicine, concussion rehab), and wellness (naturopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, psychology, EMDR, esthetics, yoga, meditation).

With Sureshini as CEO managing the overall operations of the clinics, Neville’s focus is on the medical side, zeroing-in on his chosen specialty: pain management. When asked what drew him to this field, he shares: ‘Physical pain is only the tip of the iceberg.

There is a high correlation between physical pain and emotional pain and trauma, between chronic pain and mental health disorders, which include insomnia, anxiety, depression and poor emotional reserve. Hence the unique approach we have taken by managing these issues in a multi-disciplinary way.’

Having conventional, rehab, and wellness practitioners on-site allows for ease in getting patients connected with the practitioner they require. From a family doctor to a chiropractor to a podiatrist to a psychologist (the list goes on) - they’re all just steps away.

They both find the most satisfaction ‘comes from seeing a patient who was in pain and distress the week before, come in to say 'I feel good Dr. Reddy. Thank you!’’

They measure success by both pain and function: ‘Our goal is to see improvement in both.’

During the pandemic they’ve

My role as a pain management

seen more fear, anxiety, and

specialist and as a person is

uncertainty in their patients.

simply to approach life as doing

They’ve strived to ensure the

the best you can to help others

clinics offer a supportive and

in the best way possible, using

nurturing environment – a refuge

your insight and training to help

amidst the chaos; and they’re

those in need the best way you

quick to commend their

can, using all the tools at your

colleagues and staff as being

disposal,’ says Neville‘

‘committed and unwavering in their care of our patients.

It’s a team effort!’

‘

How do they do it so successfully – working together as a couple? They say they just ‘get’ each other, celebrate each other, and leverage each other’s strengths; and in their downtime, Sureshini gladly leverages Neville’s love of cooking to allow her to spend more time working on their rose garden.

With one clinic in each of the southwest and southeast quadrants of Calgary, find all the relevant information about Innovations Health Clinics at: www.innovationshealth.ca

WHAT IS UBI?

BY JAMES CLARKE-LISTER

What exactly is UBI and why is it such a controversial subject?

In its simplest form, according to Investopedia, UBI is an unconditional periodic cash payment. This payment is one the government distributes to all individual adult citizens, not just households. Payments are made to all citizens regardless of their situation or requirement to work.

Typically, the payment comes in the form of a bi-weekly or monthly deposit/cheque. The universal amount is the same for everyone.

There is no social hierarchy to deem this measure of pay.

For example, a doctor and a student will receive the same amount.

This idea of a Universal Basic Income (UBI), or 'mincome,' dates back roughly B Y J A M E S to C Lbe A RaKhot E - L Itopic S T E Rfor a fair reason - it is half a century ago. It continues

complex. Scholars stretching across fields including sociology, psychology, economics, political science, development studies etc., have all consistently been researching UBI, publishing new information each month. Significant advocates of a guaranteed wage can be seen throughout history, from Martin Luther King Jr. to the leader of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte. To this day, the notion of UBI is often considered a 'radical policy.’ Presently, ideas surrounding a guaranteed income have become increasingly recognized, especially here in Canada, and primarily due to the consequences of job loss resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The month of March 2020 faced reports of the largest job losses in a single month since 1976. During March 15th – 21st, an estimated 1.3m people suddenly could not work due to COVID-19.

Those who remained working, worked half the hours they normally would.

The results of this practice have led to

Thus, Bill C-13 was

parliamentary discussion concerning the

established in the House of

establishment of a national guaranteed

Commons. Bill C-13 provided

income for all Canadians.

the federal government with economic firepower to

More specifically, in the form of Bill C-

address this crisis. Within it

273 – “an act to establish a national

was the Canadian Emergency

strategy for a guaranteed basic income”.

Response Benefit (CERB),

Naturally, many questions arise.

established to be a simple and accessible monetary aid

How will it affect jobs? Will people not

for all individuals impacted

want to work? How will it be paid for?

by COVID-19. The CERB

Is it fair? Such a hot topic requires

provided Canadians with a

thoughtful dialogue. Opponents of UBI

taxable 'benefit' of $2000 a

argue that the model will raise taxes for

month for the entirety of the

everyone, and that it may disincentivize

operating period. Quite

people to work.

literally, this was UBI in practice on a mass scale.

An argument commonly seen is that the implementation of a national or universal guaranteed wage may also trigger higher levels of inflation (inflation already occurs but it can potentially increase the rate.) Despite differing evaluations, facts remain apparent - Canada is not the only one to discuss such a topic, let alone practice it.

There are many countries where a form of UBI already exists and has been tested, including our southern neighbour, the United States.

One striking example is the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED), which took place in California, USA, in February 2019. The experiment was funded by donors and acted to give 125 people living in neighbourhoods below the median income average a no-stringattached $500 monthly cheque.

The experiment took place for one year, ending in February 2020.

According to NPR, the results were striking. Full-time employment rose among those who received the guaranteed income. Their financial, physical and emotional health improved.

Additionally, those who received the $500 a month went from part-time to fulltime employment at more than double the rate of those who didn't receive the amount. The study further demonstrated that by providing a guaranteed 'allowance,' financial hardships of lower-income individuals reduced significantly, alongside feelings and symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Moreover, feelings of dignity reportedly increased in said individuals.

A single experiment does not act to prove or disprove the notion of implementing a UBI; however, understanding the ideas and results behind the concept is worth acknowledging.

Financial hardships are a familiar feeling amongst many. It’s important to acknowledge that the solution for someone to generate more income to meet life's basic needs does not always solely lie in simply working harder.

The issue of income inequality is multidimensional and intersectional, with many components including race, gender, environmental circumstances and psychological factors. UBI may not be the silver bullet for all. Its potential long-term effects on a mass scale remain largely unknown. Still, it brings constructive dialogue to the table in the fight against economic inequality and poverty, continuing to affect and grow on a mass scale globally.

What do you think about the future of UBI for Canadians?

THE ART OF GROWING AN ART SHOW

By Danielle Rourke

Art. It influences and inspires. It’s universal. Language barriers dissolve. Art impacts our emotions. It has been proven to raise serotonin levels and scientifically shown to enhance brain function.

We all have examples of art in our homes and other parts of our lives, in one form or another. One thing we can all agree on is that art is impactful. With all of its wondrous shapes, colors, textures, mediums, subjects and sizes, art is ever evolving and art is not going anywhere.

Emma Justine Mccaul understands art. She opened a Calgary organization called ART SPOT in 2008, with the goal of supporting local emerging artists. It was here, at the organization’s first location, a small turn of the century home in Connnaught, where the very first “Under $100 Art Show” was launched.

GETTING INSPIRED BY THE UNDER 100 ART SHOW

Living upstairs of this small house for over a decade, Emma began to transform not only the local art scene but quite literally, the entire house. The walls of the living and dining rooms became the gallery space, and the kitchen was the ‘bar’.

Sharing this home with other artists, they worked together to dream up and produce ideas for shows, including the first “Under $100 Art Show".

The idea, to discount local art during the holiday season, was a way to give back to the community. Its plan was to make art accessible to people who were not be able to afford it otherwise.

That was 14 years ago.

The idea of the “Under 100 Art Show”caught on quickly,and has been growing and evolving rapidly ever since.

So, for the next several years, the show continued out of the ART SPOT house.

Year 5 they experimented with running out of a retail space on 17th ave.

It was set up here for an entire month, however this turned out to be too long.

The 8th year expanded to another venue and this was the year that sales tripled. The 9th year was the first time the show moved into a warehouse location and the first year nearly 100 artists became participants.

Since then, the ‘Under 100 Art Show’ has been growing exponentially with both the participating artists and the sales every year.

This 14th consecutive year ahead will be another first. The show will run over the course of 2 weekends, with 2 entirely different groups of artists.

The show has grown so much! It can be challenging rotating new artists in.

Today, the popularity of the show has increased so substantially, that over 100’s of artist applications must sadly be rejected each year.

This new format should allow more artists the chance to participate.

The ART SPOT “house” of the early days would not have nearly enough room to host the sought-after art show today. This expanding event now needs much more space to accommodate the tens of thousands of pieces of artwork and a guest count in the thousands. You can find a wide range of unique, local art in almost every medium, design and style.

Every art item sold at this December show is under $100.

In 2014, ART SPOT merged with Market YYCAssociation to form “Marketspot,” an organization to promote local artists and makers through a variety of environments including markets, pop up shops, and community programming.

Currently Marketspot has a shop in Market Mall, and will be popping up another location at the venue for the Under $100 Art Show, in the warehouse “showroom.” Learn more about this year’s show and these organizations :

www.artspotcalgary.com www.Marketspotyyc.com www.under100artshow.com

- Garrett Camp

GARRETT CAMP

OFFERING A HAND UP TO THOSE JUST STARTING UP – T H E W O R L D O V E R

by Carla Grundison Perhaps best known as the co-founder of Uber, Canadian Garrett Camp’s achievements run far deeper than one company.

Hailing from Calgary, he attended University of Calgary for his undergrad electrical engineering degree and master’s in software engineering. It was during his graduate studies that his entrepreneurial ventures began to take shape. Since then Garrett shifted his attention, at least in part, toward philanthropy and global initiatives as well.

In 2009, he co-founded Uber, the ondemand car service in which clients use a mobile app to request pick-up at their exact location and check the estimated time of arrival.

When visiting the U of C in November 2015 for Global Entrepreneurship Camp, along with several fellow Week, Camp shared that the initial grad students, created idea for Uber came out of his own StumbleUpon (now Mix) in 2002 – frustration when trying to hail a cab, a discovery engine which uses a as so many were simply passing him by. combination of algorithms and He saw the opportunity to capitalize users preferences to curate the on the capabilities of the cell phone to websites they end up ‘stumbling improve coordination in this area and upon’ and the sites become moved into action from there. At the increasingly tailored to their same U of C event in 2015, Garrett interests. After its inception and said that when it comes to business, having gained some initial success, he aims to create products that he StumbleUpon caught the attention wants to use himself – the ones he can of investors in Silicon Valley which really get excited about. prompted Camp to move south of the border.

But Garrett's work doesn’t end with developing his own ideas and companies. He continues to foster collaboration and mentorship with the start-up studio he created in 2013, Expa.

This start-up studio builds companies, offering the guidance and mentorship of experienced businesspeople and technical experts, as well as funding and resources - all of which increase the likelihood of the company’s success. Per Camp’s website garrettcamp.com, ‘Expa has raised $150M to build new start-ups and has created more than a dozen new companies.’

With locations in San Francisco, LA, NY and London - Expa’s first Canadian location was opened in Vancouver in 2017.

The year 2017 also saw him committing to the Giving Pledge which, per its website, is ‘a movement of philanthropists who commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy or charitable causes, either during their lifetimes or in their wills.’

After an impactful trip to Kenya where he saw first-hand a few of the challenges faced by those in the developing world, Camp decided to find a way to make meaningful change and positive impact around the world where it’s so desperately needed.

‘Philanthropy isn’t just about donating money, but also sharing your advice or spending time solving important problems,’ Camp says, on his Giving Pledge bio, adding to that his strong desire to ‘create more efficient solutions, and help people who need it most.’

He is in good company with The Giving Pledge, sharing this commitment with the likes of Elon Musk, Bill Gates and George Lucas, just to name a few.

To follow through on his philanthropic commitment and satisfy his desire to make a positive impact and lasting change globally, in 2018 Camp created The Camp Foundation. The focus of the foundation is, per its website camp.org, ‘to support research into infrastructure, sustainability and conservation projects that will have a significant global impact.’ Another example of how he’s making a difference is through every.org which connects donors with charities, making the process of helping others easier by offering one central location to search for and donate to meaningful causes. Camp sits on the advisory board and it’s supported by his foundation.

As if all of the above weren’t enough to keep anyone busy, Garrett created a luxury airline in 2019 called Aero, which offers private-jet type concierge service without the private-jet prices. Garrett Camp has also made several lists of innovators and young entrepreneurs celebrated as one of the top in the world.

Camp’s list of ventures and achievements just continues to grow and he’s only in his early forties. It’s likely that years down the road we’ll see that all he’s done so far was just the beginning.

ELECTRIC CARS READY TO ROLL

By SIMON ROSE

19

Electric cars have been a

There is talk about how much

topic of discussion for quite a

power these types of vehicles

while now, but they always

can store in their batteries.

seemed to be one of those

How can we ensure we will be

things that were on the

able to travel the same distances

horizon, something we’d see

as cars we currently drive?

in the future, without ever

People also comment on how

having a firm date. As target

infrastructure needs to be built

dates for cutting emissions

for chargers in countries around

that pollute the planet come

the world, some of which have

ever closer, as real

better developed electrical

commitments are promised to

power networks than others.

eliminate fossil fuel use in the coming decades, batterypowered cars seem no closer to becoming the norm.

19

Many prominent inventions of the

With the effects of climate

past seemed as if they would

change becoming ever more

have too many issues, or that

apparent and governments

they’d never catch on. But then

around the world beginning to

they did. Think of those early

set emissions targets and dates

portable phones and how bulky

for banning the sale of gasoline

they were, yet now we have the

and diesel vehicles, investors

seemingly indispensible cell

are carefully looking at the

phone that is carried everywhere

prospect of electric car sales.

by almost everyone.

Companies have been involved

Power issues for mobile electric

in electric car development for

devices, including vehicles, have

quite some time, but this has

often been the primary factor as

still never provided a clear

new technology emerges.

indication that these types of

Serious problems have usually

vehicles will replace the ones

been solved over time.

we currently use to get around.

However, a bold new era in transportation may finally be about to embark. One company in particular could be deemed as the primary electric car pioneer. Tesla.

Tesla’s Model 3 recently became the first battery-powered electric car to be a top seller in Europe. Tesla saw its market value exceed one trillion dollars in October 2021. Only a few companies have reached this milestone, including Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, and Alphabet, the parent company of Google. Tesla reported record sales in the third quarter of 2021, despite the shortage of computer chips worldwide, a negative effect on the automotive industry as a whole.

Hertz recently ordered 100,000 electric vehicles from Tesla for its rental fleet, which should all be delivered by late 2022, and Hertz already has the Tesla Model 3 available for rent in key US and European markets. If you rent a Tesla vehicle from Hertz, you’ll have access to Tesla’s extensive network of chargers located across North America and Europe. Hertz also plans to add thousands of chargers of its own at rental vehicle locations.

More and more people now say that they’d consider purchasing an electric vehicle. The trend is likely to continue, electric vehicles are quickly becoming more widely available.

After all, the basic idea behind the car, such as the vehicle body, seats, wheels, suspension, brakes, and other features remain the same. It’s the means of moving the car around that is different, and many could agree that electric-powered vehicles are much better for the health of our planet.

Maybe electric cars are finally ready to roll.

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By MONIQUE SHAW

INTERIOR DESIGN IN THE 21ST CENTURY 2021 Challenges and What You Need to Know

2021 has had its challenges for many obvious reasons due to the global pandemic, but for those of us in the interior design world, those challenges have hit our industry hard in several different ways. The pandemic has created a flurry of home selling, home buying, home building, but for those of us not moving and redecorating, there have been significant obstacles along our way.

2021 saw the rise of three key factors that are affecting homeowners, builders, designers and furniture retailers alike.

These are my recommendations on how to improve these situations:

1 There has been a significant spike in the price of lumber, affecting everything from the cost of wood for building a home, designing yard projects such as decks, pergolas and fences, and the cost of building furniture.

According to Statistics Canada, softwood lumber prices jumped by an eye-watering 118.9 percent in Canada between March 31, 2020, and March 31, 2021. The agency also reported that during March of 2021, prices for softwood lumber increased by 12 percent, and prices for veneer and plywood rose by more than 20 percent.

If you are looking to do a new fence or deck, you may find that re-staining or repainting your existing deck or fence may be an option until prices improve.

2 The Canadian government also imposed imports on furniture from the far east in 2021, where many sofa pieces originate from.

On May 5 of this year, the Canadian government placed import tariffs of up to 295 percent on upholstered furniture from Vietnam and China (source: cbc.ca). This caused many furniture prices to in some cases triple or quadruple. Buying local or Canadian-made furniture has never been more important if you are looking to save money. If you are looking for alternatives to replacing your furniture and paying these higher prices, consider ‘repurposing’ your furniture by either repainting, re-staining or, recovering your existing upholstery with new fabric for a fresher look, which is also a greener option. Another suggestion would be to shop at local furniture stores and support Canadian artisanal furniture makers.

3 Shipment or supply-chain issues have also impacted timeframes when it comes to how long your furniture will take to arrive. Times that would have taken weeks are now taking months to arrive, so if you are looking to order furniture anytime soon, do not delay and put your order in as soon as possible. Another way around this would be to consider shopping with local furniture vendors, or look at working with local furniture artisans who take bespoke commissions.

Canadian-brand Urban Barn manufactures many ‘Made in Canada’ pieces and have beautiful customizable furnishings with many different types of fabric choices to suit your décor.

Working with an interior designer is always your best option when looking to order new furniture.

They may be able to help you find what you are seeking sooner if alternatives are being sought, and they can also navigate the supply-chain process on your behalf.

If you are looking to work with a designer, get in touch with me today to book a consultation.

Monique Shaw Lux Interiors – Making Gorgeous Interior Design as Affordable as Possible, for as Many as Possible™, hello@homessoldbeautifully.com, homessoldbeautifully.com

NEW NORMAL FOR TRAVEL

BY MELISSA MACKEY

Melissa Mackey is no

There is still hope for

stranger to travel.

future travellers.

With 17 years in the

One thing she stands

industry combined with

behind is booking with a

a wealth of worldwide

travel agent. An agent,

globe trotting, Melissa

especially within these

has seen it all.

uncertain times, saves you so much time, energy

She shares her insights

and often times even the

and advice about travel

pocketbook.

as we now know it.

Navigating the travel As borders begin to

landscape can feel

open and restrictions

daunting, overwhelming,

start to lift, this travel

and confusing from a

veteran doesn’t expect

typical consumer’s

the travel & tourism

perspective.

industry to hit all-time highs in Canada until late 2022.

This is one of the main reasons Melissa suggests booking with an agent.

An agent helps you prepare for your trip and can certainly provide the most relevant and up-todate information regarding the ever-changing covid protocols and more.

The new normal for travel in the short term, is that guests can expect a cleaner, safer experience.

Mask wearing is now standard. New travel protocols shouldn’t deter you from booking your much-needed vacation.

Travel is and will still be at the top of many people’s to-do lists and travel is encouraged for so many reasons.

Tour operators, hotels, cruise lines; travel companies and groups are protecting travellers with decreased group size limits and enhanced cleaning protocols in destination.

Positive changes prior to and while onboard airplanes include a substantial increase in the quality of air circulation.

Inside the cabin, the air quality here is now considered almost better than anywhere on earth.

There’s also an increase in the cleaning/sanitizing of seats, table trays and public areas on both the planes and inside the airports.

Some things to keep in mind when travelling nowadays are to make certain you give yourself ample time before your flight. Don’t leave your house without travel insurance or your mask.

Expect longer wait times at the airport. Be prepared.

Download the ArriveCan app prior to entering back into Canada.

ArriveCAN is a user-friendly digital tool to help travellers comply with Canada’s border measures quickly and securely. Within the 72 hours before your arrival in Canada, ArriveCAN can be used to submit: • your contact and travel details, including where you’ve been and where you’re going • your COVID-19 vaccination information • your pre-entry COVID-19 test results • your quarantine plan; and • your COVID-19 symptom self-assessment

Beginning November 30, as the government stated, all travellers leaving Canadian airports will need to provide proof of full vaccination from approved lists.

As of now, we don’t know the protocols beyond November 30.

This program begins October 30 and there is a 30 day grace period whereby, those who do not qualify as fully vaccinated can provide a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of flight in order to board a plane.

Melissa encourages people to book now if they want to travel because supply is limited.

Many trips that have been cancelled in 2020 have been rebooked for 2022 and beyond, which also leaves less availability for future travellers.

The world is changing rapidly. Yet for some, travel is everything and travel is life. So, as long as you are prepared, flexible, patient and educated as required, you should still be able to live out your travel dreams.

As the quote by Anthony Bourdain states, “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body.

You take something with you.

Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”

Melissa Mackey (Herweier) is a CEO, published author, motivational speaker and specializes in all things travel including female group retreats and solo female travel. You can reach her at travelchicks.ca

Everything you can imagine is real - Pablo Picasso

THE FUTURE OF THE DOWNTOWN CORE

BY SIMON ROSE

As the pandemic has progressed

In many larger cities, especially in

over the last eighteen months or

North America, the downtown core

more, there’s often been talk of

has usually been the centre of

what society and local

economic activity. Yes, there have

economies will look like in the

always been workplaces in many

post-COVID world. Within

different parts of the geographic

these discussions has been talk

region that a city occupies, and in

of how people will return to the

recent years industrial parks and

office and other workplaces.

corporate offices have been built in

How exactly will companies plan

others areas of the city. However,

to persuade people to return to

the picture postcard view of a city

the office, after they’ve become

has invariably featured the high-rise

accustomed to being at home

buildings of the downtown core,

and adjusting their daily

showcasing the dynamic go-getter

schedules accordingly, hasn’t

nature of the city and its people.

really been explained.

19

As we’ve seen here in Calgary,

Bigger corporations may not have

downtown cores have become akin to

made these kinds of decisions yet,

ghost towns during the pandemic era.

but hundreds of medium or smaller

Admittedly, people do actually live in

companies and organizations

the downtown area, but city centres

considered the space in their office

have traditionally primarily been the

building. These spaces that they

home of major office premises and

were paying a great deal of money to

corporate headquarters.

rent, were spaces where some members of staff might be present

Once companies became accustomed

once a week or even less frequently.

to their employees working from

Smaller organizations wondered

home, and recognized that there was

how they could save money.

no way to predict how long this situation might continue, they started to look at the spaces they were occupying in downtown office towers, where workers were largely absent.

After experiencing six months of a

Even if we all go back to the way

mostly empty office and with no end in

things used to be, the era dominated

sight to the situation, it made financial

by lockdowns, restrictions, and

sense for many to move to a smaller

remote working has shown

space, perhaps in the same building, an

employers what they can and can’t

office space maybe half or even a

do to still operate successfully.

quarter of the size they occupied

It seems logical to assume that this

previously, usually depending on the

trend will continue in the years

number of employees they had.

ahead and implies for the

Businesses have to incorporate the

regeneration of downtown cores

renting of office space into their

across the globe.

operating costs and it makes sense to downsize premises in office towers, as people continue to work from home or an organization’s business is now increasingly conducted online.

The demise of the downtown core

In many ways we shouldn't be surprised.

has much wider implications, and

Centuries ago, the Greek philosopher

not just for the stores, coffee shops,

Heraclitus said that the only thing that’s

restaurants, and other businesses

constant is change. Earlier generations

that rely on office workers for their

went through changes, sometimes quite

income, at least from Monday to

significant ones too in the way they lived.

Friday. It also has implications for the commercial real estate industry

The lifestyles and routines they based

and even for the entire way that

their lives around were no longer part of

cities are planned and operate.

their daily lives. Change is inevitable and

People, a significantly less number

perhaps we just have to accept that

of people, are traveling into the

dramatic ones are coming our way.

core each day by vehicles, trains,

For some companies, there’s obviously an

and buses.

upside to downsizing, but it could lead to a very different future for the entire concept of the downtown core.

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Downsizing budgets may be necessary, but downsizing dreams is a decision to be disappointed

WILLIAM J CLINTON

Alforno First Street is the new kid on the block in Calgary’s bustling

THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

Victoria Park neighbourhood. The Teatro Group’s newest addition in the First Street Market is part of a nine vendor food hall that puts community and connection at the forefront. Located on the main floor between The Underwood and Union Square towers, the market houses Actually Pretty Good, Raw

by Robyn, Friends with Benedicts, Hi 5, La Mano, Moose and Poncho,

ALFORNO FIRST STREET

By Teatro Group

Pure Street Food and Saffron Street. Alforno’s second location brings an elevated experience to the new locale in a beautifully designed space.

COMMUNITY SPIRIT Their gleaming custom-made gold bar designed by McKinley Studios draws in the eye, which then focuses on intricate interior details like sections of exposed brick and lively greenery.

Alforno First Street boasts a menu that reflects that of the original Alforno location and is filled with small bites, sandwiches, soups, baked goods and of course, incredible coffee and beverages.

This new opening brings a sustainable coffee program to an area that was previously lacking in local coffee options. Due to this, the space has been drawing in professionals and residents from the surrounding area who are excited about this unique culinary one-stop shop.

Sentiments have been overwhelmingly positive, with many businesses and individuals reporting that First Street Market is just what the neighbourhood needed.

In the spirit of community, Alforno gifted its Victoria Park neighbours with mixed baked goods boxes to celebrate its new opening. These deliveries have been occurring on an ongoing basis for the past couple of weeks, as it takes time and care to complete this kind of task.

The establishment is happy to be contributing to the city’s vibrant downtown culinary scene, something that the Teatro Group has been dedicated to since its flagship opening in 1993. The dedication to this cause is evident by the team’s enthusiastic and helpful demeanor. Alforno First Street came a year after their Holy Cow YYC launch, the group’s gelato and donut shop concept in the city’s Sunnyside neighbourhood.

As one can see, the restaurant group that has elevated the Calgary food scene since the early 1990s continues to expand its influence and enhance restaurant experiences across town.

LOVE AND COMPASSION ARE NECESSITIES, NOT LUXURIES. WITHOUT THEM, HUMANITY CANNOT SURVIVE. - DALAI LAMA

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