Articles by Casey Richardson
Check out my published articles below! They go from latest published down. Introductions to the story are behind each title, and the read more tab takes you to the full page.
Thank you and enjoy the read!
We live in a society saturated by technology.
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As a result, people have become more interconnected than ever, but the same digital tools that have made our lives so easy has also made us so much more vulnerable.
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In 2016, more than 20,000 cases were reported in Canada; a number that’s doubled since 2014.
Calgary Journal reporters Sam Nar, Casey Richardson and Mollie Smith dive into the world of cybersecurity and explore answers to the question: How do you stay safe online?
In 2011, 9 people died of fentanyl overdoses in Alberta.
Just last year, 673 people died.
These numbers, provided by Alberta Health Services (AHS), speak for themselves — the opioid crisis is plaguing our province.
StephenAvenue in downtown Calgary will be filled with live music every weekday for the rest of the summer starting on Thursday.
The new program, Stephen Avenue Live, features local talents in six locations spanning 8 Avenue between 2 Street S.W. and 1 Street S.E.
From 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and again from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., visitors can enjoy the entertainment during lunch and happy hour, or if they’re just strolling the bustling street.
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More than 2,500 Calgarians who were issued tickets during the spring street sweeping campaign by the City of Calgary are having the fines withdrawn, according to the Calgary Parking Authority (CPA).
The CPA said on Wednesday that 2,549 tickets of the approximately 36,000 that were handed out during the months-long process were cancelled.
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A number of factors went into the cancellations, but the most common reason was signage-related, the parking authority said.
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An Alberta real estate listing has gathered close to 50,000 views online thanks to pictures of the property featuring someone in an inflatable velociraptor costume.
The listing for 41 Cimarron Springs Way in Okotoks, Alta. is posted on Remax.ca.
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The homeowner dressed up for the pictures, showing off the kitchen, pool table and yard in the inflatable costume.
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Calgary fire crews battled a fire at a vacant home in the city’s southwest on Friday morning.
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A fire erupted at 10:30 a.m. in the 2500 block of 16 B Street S.W., according to the Calgary Fire Department (CFD).
Fifteen fire trucks were called to the scene to tackle the fire and firefighters were able to get it under control within an hour of receiving the call, CFD said.
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Calgarians can set foot in the world of disaster response this weekend at the Samaritans Purse open house.
The event is being held at the organization’s newly-built warehouse in the northeast and features a tornado simulator, emergency field hospital, emergency shelter and community water system, which people can tour.
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Concerns around protecting Calgary’s elm trees are at the forefront this spring as officials try to raise awareness about the invasion of the European elm scale (EES) — a bug that can devastate the tree species.
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The pesky insect that is common across elms hibernates for the winter but comes out to feast on branches and sap in spring.
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A new fundraising campaign between the Calgary Police Foundation (CPF) and Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS) launched Thursday to celebrate two of the justice facility dogs working with the Calgary Police Service’s Victim Assistance Support Team (VAST).
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Hawk and Calibri are currently working on the team and were at the Paws for Compassion event at Jelly Modern Donuts to showcase specially-created treats being sold as a fundraiser.
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Charges are pending against a Calgary cab driver who police believe was involved in an assault Wednesday night.
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Officers responded to the scene at Edmonton Trail and 31 Avenue N.E. at 10 p.m.
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The Professional Bull Rider (PBR) Canada Monster Energy Tour expanded to two nights this year, adding a second evening of bull riding due to big demand.
Last year’s event sold out, which signalled to organizers that Calgary Classic could host an additional night of bull riding at the Nutrien Western Event Centre in Stampede Park, which pleased a lot of competitors.
Jason Davidson, the director of operations for PBR Canada, aims to increase Canadian competitions, giving riders an opportunity to travel less and decrease burnout
Dozens of dog owners gathered at Spruce Meadows for the Alberta Kennel Club’s Annual Winter Classic dog show. The event showcased three all-breed championship shows, three rally obedience trails and three obedience trails.
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This year, the event took place over three days, from Jan. 25 to 27. The next event is the Summer Classic which takes place during the August long weekend. The Summer Classic is another dog show similar to the Winter Classic.
The Alberta Kennel Club Winter Classic event has been occurring since its inception in 1904.
Opened in 1905, the King Eddy began its legendary start up next to the Canadian Pacific Railway coming into Calgary. The longtime bar and hotel was a cornerstone for the beginning of town’s downtown.
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“It opened basically where Calgary began, there were train stations here and people would walk in along 9th Avenue and they would be greeted by the King Eddy as one of the first landmarks here in the city,” said Jynnifer Gibson, the general manager of the King Eddy.
The Eddy fully reopened this summer, bringing back the legacy of its live music in collaboration with the National Music Centre (NMC) and Studio Bell. Since it’s olden days of welcoming out-of-towners to pop in for a night or stay a while, to its current live music nights and happy hour, Calgary’s longest running bar is here to stay.
The Alberta government passed the Local Food Sector Act to encourage consumer confidence and raise the profile of producers, resulting in farmers markets becoming the big focus for supporting local growers and companies. Visiting the Crossroads Market and the Calgary Farmers Market, these are the stories behind a few of the vendors.
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Field Stone Fruit Wines - Calgary Farmers Market
The beginning of Field Stone started with Lyndon Gill and his brother Marvin driving around the Okanagan and finding a fruit winery where the owner suggested they should start their own.
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“That’s all my brother needed to hear,” said Lyndon Gill. “We planted the bushes 17 years ago. We have thousands of Saskatoon, raspberries, wild black cherries and strawberries that we grow on 50 acres of land out of Strathmore.”
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Gwendolyn Richards is a graduate of the University of Victoria, the University of British Columbia Masters’ program and was a reporter for the Calgary Herald (2004-2016). She is now a freelance food writer, columnist, and author. Her first book, Pucker: A cookbook for Citrus Lovers, was published in 2014.
When applying for university, I knew I didn’t want to do anymore math that I didn’t understand. So, half of my applications went out to universities with a business major, [but] then I had this epiphany and the other half went out for a writing major.
I decided to go to the University of Victoria, and they offered a writing program that had fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screenwriting and so on, including a journalism component. So, I signed up for the journalism classes not knowing that was going to end up being a passion for me.
A higher minimum wage won’t kill jobs.
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At least that’s what the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) and the Parkland Institute at the University of Alberta are saying based on their studies of other cities and the data coming from previous minimum wage increases.
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The minimum wage increase to $15/hour hits the province on Oct. 1, despite small businesses petitioning for a freeze in the upcoming hike, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
Eighty-nine per cent of Alberta business owners surveyed by the CFIB urged the provincial government to freeze minimum wage at the current price of $13.60/hour.
Crack’d YYC food truck tries to connect egg producers with customers
The egg farmers of Alberta are finding new ways to connect local egg producers with consumers, running a farm-to-fork project that turned into a contest to launch a food truck.
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David Webb, marketing and communications co-ordinator at the Egg Farmers of Alberta, said the organization knew it wanted a food truck, but couldn’t operate a for-profit business as a non-profit. With no egg-focused food truck already in existence to partner with, they decided to create one.
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“We dreamed up this idea to run a contest to make funding available for our potential food truck owner to help with the start-up costs and that it would ultimately be their business to run,” said Webb.
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The applicants had to have a full business proposal, a rough idea of what their menu would look like, and a plan on how they would use the food truck as a way of representing the industry and egg farmers.
Jordyn Caron, a bartender at Craft Beer Market on 10th Avenue downtown, usually finishes her Friday and Saturday night shifts at 4:30 am. She takes transit to work. But often ends up taking an Uber home afterwards.
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“Usually I feel fine,” Caron said, in part because Craft Beer Market’s security team will escort workers when they can. However, sometimes they can’t. And Caron is aware that sometimes things aren’t fine.
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Caron mentioned another downtown worker being jumped after her late shift.
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“A girl got jumped and all of her tips were stolen, she was petrified.”
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That's why Caron would like to see Calgary have a Safewalk option, similar to the one already available at universities in Calgary – as well as other cities, such as Victoria and Winnipeg.
It’s June 15, and the Friday night rodeo is about to begin. A heavy downpour has turned the outdoor corral into slippery mud, but the competitors aren’t disheartened.
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The fans that attend the Innisfail Pro Rodeo at the Daines Ranch are high-spirited and ready for action — small town rodeos are the place to be to get up close to the battle between beasts and men and women.
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Seven professional and three novice events are lined up for this evening, including trick riders and stock from the Calgary Stampede and Outlaw Buckers Rodeo Corp.
Dana Daines Smith is a part of the Daines family and for her, their rodeo is a pinnacle event.
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Ward 1 incumbent, Ward Sutherland, is facing public outrage after an apparent anti-Semitic comment made during a forum Wednesday night.
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Sutherland made the comment while discussing public art, answering a question about how the councillors would deal with contentious issues such as a new arena, water fluoridation and bike lanes.
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“I found one of the biggest issues was the fact that the people, the committee that was picking the art, first of all, 10 out of the 10 people were artists,” he said. “And, when they were looking at it, they’re going well, Johnny Jew from New York, he’s the best artist so we’re going to use him and not even look at it.”
Concerns about writers and artists appropriating a culture other than their own have recently made headlines in Canada.
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But what happens when a chef cooks food that doesn’t match their own heritage?
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A prominent local restaurateur says he’s simply trying to show appreciation for those dishes, with one food culture expert saying it can be a means of showcasing less dominant cultures.
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George Nicholas, a professor, and chair of the department of archaeology at Simon Fraser University defines cultural appropriation as “using some aspect of someone else's heritage without permission [in] an inappropriate or unwelcome way, and that in doing so this causes some type of cultural or economic or spiritual harm.”
Karl Hirzer has been training in piano from the age of six, and went to two universities to realize his dream of becoming a conductor.
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But last summer he took a shortcut and applied for orchestral vacancies instead of continuing his education, being hired as the resident conductor of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
Growing up in New Westminster, a small suburb in Vancouver,
Hirzer studied from the same piano instructor for 12 years. Hirzer’s parents began his lessons when they saw him tinker away on their own upright grand piano.
Michael Noble’s extensive culinary career and years abroad gave him the ambition and skills to open two restaurants. Now, Noble aspires to mentor young chefs and inspire their lifelong dream, leaving not only the legacy of his restaurants, but also the legacy of his service.
The Calgary Journal went live on election night with political experts, student electoral groups and journalists to discuss the election and what it means for Alberta.
The conversations centered around voter concerns and media coverage over the 40 days of the campaign.
The City of Calgary is using the Heritage Day long weekend to get ahead on some road work, paving and construction projects. Numerous special events will also be closing down areas downtown.
Glenmore Trail will also be reduced down to a single lane heading eastbound. On Saturday and Sunday, between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., the road will be closed off to finish a concrete barrier.
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A Calgary teacher has been suspended from the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) for a year after head-butting a student when he was substitute teaching.
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Lazhar Abida was charged with unprofessional conduct under the Teaching Profession Act relating to an incident that happened in 2017, according to a written decision dated Jan. 9, 2019. The document was made available to the public on July 18, 2019.
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Almost two years after the incident occurred, a professional conduct hearing on Dec. 3, 2018, ruled Abida failed to treat the student with dignity and respect, contrary to Article 4 of the Code of Professional Conduct.
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UPDATE: On July 16, Calgary police said Tyler Lee Wapegan was arrested.
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The Calgary Police Service (CPS) is seeking the public’s help in locating a man believed to have broken into a southeast Calgary apartment while the people inside were sleeping.
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At around 3 a.m. on July 2, police say an unknown man entered an apartment in the 1300 block of 27 Street S.E., through an open window.
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He walked around the apartment momentarily and stole a security camera before fleeing through the same window, according to investigators.
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Stampede spirit kicked off early Tuesday morning when 10-year-old Anna Donovan-Harris and her family from Moncton, NB were white-hatted at YYC Calgary International Airport.
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Volunteers from Children’s Wish Foundation welcomed Donovan-Harris as a special guest and an honorary Calgarian, presenting her whole family with the traditional white cowboy hats — known anecdotally as the equivalent to the key to the city.
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The Calgary and Edmonton police services are set to face off for a fifth year in the annual Battle of Alberta Woodland Cup soccer match fundraiser this weekend in Calgary.
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The event was started to honour fallen Edmonton Police Service (EPS) member Const. Daniel Woodall, who was lost in the line of duty on June 8, 2015, after being shot.
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Calgary Board of Education (CBE) schools are preparing to cut teaching positions. Officials expect provincial funding for the 2019/2020 year won’t cover the costs of 1,800 more students entering the school system this fall, according to a board representative.
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CFO Brad Grundy said the board is expecting to receive the same amount of money as last year, and considering the province has yet to release its budget, officials are making decisions based on those figures.
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Travellers flying to and through Calgary from abroad can expect a faster pass through customs at YYC Calgary International Airport thanks to a new security screening process.
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Starting May 22, international passengers passing through the airport will get through the customs process as much as 50 per cent faster, according to the airport authority.
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The Town of Canmore continues to struggle with a high number of “van lifers” living in parking lots and their vehicles and is taking steps this spring to try to address issues being raised on multiple sides.
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First noticed in the summer of 2018, the issue of affordable housing in the small mountain town was highlighted when more and more people were found to be parking, and often overnighting, behind the Save-On-Foods and next to Elevation Place, the town said in a release on its website.
Global News
It was just a regular shift for Andreena Hill, a 19-year-old server in Calgary. Yet this ‘regular’ shift consisted of continual sexual harassment from her male manager. For months, Hill’s manager messaged her daily, pressuring her to sleep with him. Hill felt powerless because he would threaten to fire her if she didn’t comply.
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“He used to offer me mornings off the next day if I came over to his house, spent the night, drank a bottle of wine or smoked a joint with him. This was super unprofessional, especially as a young girl. He was in his late thirties at the time,” says Hill.
The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Canada Monster Energy Tour was held on March 22 and 23 at the Nutrien Western Event Centre at Stampede Park. Bull riders faced off over the weekend. The event this year was expanded to two days for a chance for the riders to have a break from travelling. For full story click here.
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Photos by Casey Richardson
Audra Foggin, a Sixties Scoop survivor who teaches social work at Mount Royal University (MRU), believes the best way to unlock understanding and healing surrounding intergenerational trauma is through inclusive, open conversation.
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The assistant professor says these conversations need to expand well beyond Indigenous communities. This helps Indigenous people return to their roots and not be defined solely by the trauma and abuse of the past.
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“I look at my sons and they have suffered from pieces of intergenerational trauma but they are stronger than it. They are out there at law school doing great things. They understand where they are from, they are looking for solutions to Indigenous social issues and they are proud of who they are. They know who they are because I have made that effort to reconnect them.”
Add-a-pearl, as this is known, is not a new concept and dates back to the 19th century. Much like my mother’s idea, family members would gather together to purchase the set as an economical and affordable way to build a present, most starting when the child is a baby and adding to it at each celebration.
Juergens and Andersen, the main company of pearl jewelry was opened in 1854 in Chicago. According to the Pearl Girls Company, they launched the campaign, Add A Pearl Necklace in 1915 as a way for families to assemble a natural pearl necklace over time.
Add-a-pearl, as this is known, is not a new concept and dates back to the 19th century. Much like my mother’s idea, family members would gather together to purchase the set as an economical and affordable way to build a present, most starting when the child is a baby and adding to it at each celebration.
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Juergens and Andersen, the main company of pearl jewelry was opened in 1854 in Chicago. According to the Pearl Girls Company, they launched the campaign, Add A Pearl Necklace in 1915 as a way for families to assemble a natural pearl necklace over time.
Contemporary food trends in Calgary have been popping up and continuing to grow over the past few years, encouraging chefs and bakers alike to showcase their creativity.
While new spots are gaining traction, traditional places are holding strong with a new wave of foodies that are exploring the world of baked goods. Here’s four local pastry spots that stood out for their modernization or traditionalism.
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Hidden Gem hitting trends : Butterblock
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Karen Kong, the owner and head baker of Butterblock on 17th Avenue S.W., has a long history of working in restaurants and bakeries, including Teatro, EAT and Alforno.
Kong’s bakery is inside the Devenish building, and off-the-beaten-path spot officially opened in February but has been operating for over a year.
After the devastating floods in 2013 across southern Alberta, many small towns were left with little visitors to the area.
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Jamie Kinghorn, a local pilot, decided (with the help of a few friends) to change that by creating the High River Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival. Serving as the event organizer, Kinghorn’s event ended up drawing over 5,000 people.
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“I called up some buddies of mine and said, ‘Hey, our towns pretty down, pretty quiet around High River. Do you guys mind coming up here and doing a little bit of a balloon glow and some flying for the folks?’” says Kinghorn. “Everybody said, ‘For sure, we will.’”
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The first event was such a success for the town that it’s continued on for six years with most of the same pilots coming back every year. Paul Burros is one of those original pilots, travelling to rural Alberta from Cambridge, England for the festival.
Held on Aug. 11, the Omatsuri, which translates to “festival”, attracted over 5,000 people to Max Bell Centre.
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Maureen Coleman, one of the volunteers and committee members for the festival said the festival began with an idea from a couple of the original committee members.
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“Ted Wada and Rocky Oishi, really came up with this idea that in Japan, once a year, many small towns have a festival and it’s an opportunity for them to come out, do a number of activities to bring the community together and celebrate.”
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Run completely by volunteers from the Calgary-Japanese community, this event has taken place since 2011, starting with 1,000 people attending and growing each year.
Rider on the rise: Saddle bronc champion wants more recognition for rodeo
Zeke Thurston was raised in Big Valley, Alberta, and has been competing in rodeos since childhood.
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Thurston is the three-time Calgary Stampede saddle bronc riding champion and the 2016 National Finals Rodeo (NFR) champion who grew up breathing the cowboy lifestyle.
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But, with the challenges of competing and going to almost a 100 rodeos a year, he would like to see better recognition for the competitors as professional athletes.
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“Oh shoot, I can’t even remember my first rodeo,” says Thurston. “I was probably three years old and sheep riding or something.”​
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The young cowboy had always planned to participate in rodeos, much like his dad and grandfathers before him.
The Alberta farming industry is trying to interest more young people in pursuing a career in agriculture as the average age of farmers continues to rise. While some of the younger generation have started to head back to the farm, challenges with trade regulations and labour issues are also putting Alberta’s agriculture industry at risk.
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“We’ve been hit with so many things in the past couple years with the minimum wage going up, with WCB (Workers Compensation Board of Alberta), the labour laws changing ... and the carbon tax, just so many things have been dumped on us and there’s a lot of people saying they’re having hard time making a go of it,” said Conny Kappler, the executive director for the Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association (AFFPA).
Ontario has a society dedicated to educating residents about the history of ethnic minorities in that province. Eight other provinces have similar groups, focused on heritage conservation. But Alberta doesn’t, undermining its efforts to celebrate the province’s cultural and religious diversity.
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That society is known as the Multicultural History Society of Ontario.
Its purpose is to “record and preserve the stories on the ethnic and immigrant experience in Ontario,” says Dora Nipp, MHSO’s CEO.
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Nipp describes the society as “a one-stop-shop” for “ethnic and immigration studies” in the province, where primary information, such as ethnic newspapers, are available to the public. The majority of these materials aren’t typically found in the archives of Canada, making MHSO a host for untold history and heritage stories of minority communities.
Calgary’s Mayoral candidates gathered Wednesday to discuss the city’s non-profit sector, sparring over issues including safe injection sites, the city’s proposed charter deal with the province and proper funding for charitable organizations.
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More than 200 people were in attendance at the Decidedly Jazz Danceworks Theatre in the downtown area. The debate was also live streamed and featured questions from the crowd and the online audience.
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Andre Chabot, Emile Gabriel, Larry Heather, David Lapp and Naheed Nenshi were in attendance — while Bill Smith, Curtis Olsen, Jason Achtymichuk, Brent Chisholm, and Stan Waciak were not.
Multiple restaurant closures in downtown Calgary haven't scared brothers Cody and Jesse Willis, as they use their past experience to open new eateries and cocktail bars throughout the city.
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Double Zero, Mabou Cheese + Bar, Divino, and Swine & Sow are all restaurants that have recently shut their doors. Many factors affect each closure, but Calgary’s tough economy is likely playing a role. However, while most people would be hesitant to start anything new, the brothers seem confident their new restaurants will succeed.
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“I couldn't sit around on my hands waiting for the economy to go back up,” said Cody Willis, youngest of the two.
Mulan, the main character from the Disney movie of the same name, walks onto the stage wearing traditional men’s Chinese clothing.
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She begins singing about the delicate qualities of Chinese girls. But she’s not like them. She’s no geisha — because that’s Japanese. She realizes she’s the only Disney princess “without the guy,” and maybe that’s all because she’s a lesbian who wants to do things her own way.
Contradicting the traditional prince-saves-princess storyline, Mulan sings about being the saviour instead. “It simply means those screaming girls get saved by someone in a dress.”
Jose Rodriguez grew up with a strong interest in writing, politics and news while living in Calgary. From there, he entered the journalism program at Mount Royal University (MRU), and accepted an internship at the Calgary Sun. Twenty-four years later, he’s the editor in chief for the Calgary Sun and the Calgary Herald, where he’s having to deal with the challenges of still churning out copy after years of newsroom downsizing.
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Rodriguez moved to Calgary from Uruguay, South America at the age of eight and he hasn’t left the city since.
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“I remember Pope John Paul being shot when I was in grade six and they brought us into the gym. They brought TVs in and I remember that was a news story that I had to pay attention to because somebody made me,” said Rodriguez, recalling the first big news story he saw when he was growing up.