Municipal affairs reporter for CBC Calgary. When not at City Hall it's still all politics, all the time. News tips? scott.dippel@cbc.ca
Calgary, Alberta
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And with that, @nenshi leaves the mayor’s office for the final time. (But he is still mayor until Monday’s swearing-in ceremony for the new council.) Happy trails Your Worship.
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Mayor Nenshi says he's "lost any faith in the ability of the province to do anything" to stem the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Alberta so the City has to act to protect Calgarians. #yyccc will discuss possible actions tomorrow afternoon.
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Mayor Nenshi calls those holding anti-mask protests "these idiots" and says they are scaring people away from downtown.
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The University of Calgary Students Union says it will not engage with Coun. Sean Chu, that working with him would undo work it has done in the area of campus sexual violence. The organization says recent revelations about his past as a police officer are "disturbing." #yyccc
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Did a tour of the City's now former Green Line alignment. Over at Eau Claire, the ex-market & nearby condos are ready for demolition. People lost their homes when their land was bought by the City to make way for the Green Line -- which won't be coming here anytime soon. 1/6
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Mayor Gondek tells #yyccc that she no longer wishes to be referred to as "Your Worship". She says going with Mayor Gondek is best as she'd prefer to shed the office of this colonial vestige. She acknowledges that sometimes, the old practice will be upheld at formal events.
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There's more. City of Calgary has again declared a state of local emergency as of 6 pm tonight because of the surge in COVID cases.
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Mayor Nenshi says 'the whole city' is now a hotspot for COVID-19. The rates in Calgary are now higher than India -- right across the city.
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Calgarians have spoken: after 36,000+ votes, the black-capped chickadee wins and is now Calgary’s official bird.
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It's official: the City's arena deal with the owners of the Calgary Flames has been terminated. The two parties had to agree by late on Dec 31 to proceed to construction and that did not happen. City manager says the deal will not be resurrected. #yyccc
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At a news conference, Mayor Gondek says Calgary will join a legal challenge of Quebec’s Bill 21. She says if #yyccc approves, the City could contribute $100,000 for this effort.
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If you are thinking wildfire smoke is becoming a regular part of Calgary's weather, you are correct.
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#yyccc approves a mask bylaw by a vote of 12-3 for all indoor public spaces in Calgary. Final details will be voted on by council next Monday but expected to take effect Aug 1.
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Speaking on the @CBCEyeopener this morning, fire chief Steve Dongworth says most firefighters are embarrassed and ashamed of some of their colleagues demonstrating against mandatory vaccine mandate for city employees.
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Nenshi says COVID situation in Calgary is now "unbelieveably bad" and asks that people not wait for government to take measures. He says people need to collapse bubble, keep 2 metres apart and wear a mask.
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City council has decided that anyone who has a low income transit pass for March doesn't need to buy one for April. The March one is still going to be valid. #yyccc
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Calgary mayor Jyoti Gondek says the blockade at the Coutts border crossing will hurt many in the province. She says the protest should end. "You had your say. You made your point. Let's go. The world needs to keep moving." #yyccc
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Nenshi says it's time for the Alberta court system and the Crown to be publicly accountable for why tickets for public health orders are being thrown out. He says this is handcuffing the police in trying to enforce the law.
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Coun. Sean Chu was recently removed from a #yyccc committee after the commanding officer of HMCS Calgary expressed concerns to the mayor. cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/s…
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Nenshi says the Stampede didn't know about Premier Kenney's announcement until it happened yesterday.
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"OH MY F*CKING GOD" was just said quite loudly in the council meeting by Coun. Woolley. He apologizes and says he was reacting to something he was reading on his computer.
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#yyccc votes unanimously to approve the bylaw to ban conversion therapy. 15-0.
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Nenshi notes that the provincial govt did not consult with Calgary about its relaunch plan. He says given the COVID-19 numbers in Calgary, do we need to think differently about the re-opening here? He wants to stay in synch with the prov but there are public concerns.
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Gondek says Chu has compromised her personal safety by taking photos of her vehicle, photos that were shared with others.
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The Calgary Police Commission has called a special meeting for Friday afternoon to discuss the CPS response to protests in the Beltline. It says it has received hundreds of emails/phone calls about the protests. #yyccc
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When giving one guitar isn't enough: Randy Bachman donates his whole collection to Calgary's National Music Centre. cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/r…
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40 is the new 50. Today’s the day Calgary’s unposted residential speed limit drops to 40 km/h. #yyccc
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Breaking: #yyccc just voted to sanction Ward 2 Coun Joe Magliocca following an external audit of his expenses. Council also directs admin to report the audit report to the Calgary Police Service.
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If you choose to do a land acknowledgement, take the time to learn how to correctly pronounce the nations you wish to acknowledge.
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The following 11 members of the new city council have said that Coun Sean Chu should resign:
Gondek, Sharp, Wyness, Mian, Dhaliwal, Walcott, Carra, Chabot, Branagan, Spencer and Demong. #yycvote
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Calgary’s new poet laureate Wakefield Brewster is introduced to council. He is the sixth person to be the city’s poet laureate. #yyccc
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City of Calgary announces it will again waive fees and allow restaurants/bars to set up patios on public property this year. More than 100 patios were set up under this program last year. #yyccc
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Coun. Carra -- who's remotely chairing today's committee meeting -- just had a small interruption in the home office. "I'm literally chairing a meeting dude" he said to his son. 😆
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Calgary Board of Education posts open letter to the ministers of education and health, expressing 'grave concern' with the Alta govt's pandemic response. Majority of COVID cases at CBE are in elementary schools. cbe.ab.ca/about-us/board-of-…
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Mayor elect Gondek meets w Mayor Nenshi for a post election chat. No media questions today.
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Calgary is now tied for #3 on The Economist's list of the world's most liveable cities. That's up from #5 a couple of years ago.
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A City of Calgary employee was paid nearly $95,000 of overtime last year. She charged that after firing three employees because there wasn’t enough work for them to do. And the OT was approved by a city councillor. cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/c… #yyccc
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A news conference on the arena project will be held at 3:30 pm this afternoon, featuring city officials, the head of Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corp and Premier Danielle Smith. That sounds like they have a deal. #yyccc
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Just north of 126 Av SE, this field was actually stripped by the City earlier this year in anticipation of construction starting on a maintenance and storage facility for the Green Line's LRT cars. That project has already officially been listed as "cancelled." 6/6
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After listening to @CBCEyeopener interview, still no answer: how does City of Calgary build an $800m arena with less than $600m? Is it taking out a loan? Raising taxes? Even if the money isn’t available on day 1, it will have to find that money during construction period.
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When the City built the new Glenmore overpass at Ogden Rd/irrigation canal, it made sure this extra space was created under the bridge for the Green Line which was to come through the area. The idea was to save money and construction later, easing the LRT's line path. 5/6
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Mayor Nenshi wants to see large scale expansion of vaccination effort, from early morning to late at night. He is concerned province govt emphasis on first dose will leave people with the wrong impression. "We have a ton of work to do to convince people to get their 2nd dose."
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#yyccc has appointed a citizen named Naheed Nenshi (among three citizen members) to the citizen-led selection committee for a new integrity commissioner.
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Reports show roof ring beam of Saddledome is crumbling. #yyccc cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/s…
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Trying to think of another example of a Alta provincial cabinet minister telling voters what to do on election day. Help out tweeps.
This is the sort of petty politics that have devastated Alberta’s biggest city and undermined our province. Calgarians have a responsibility to reject these. This has gone on for far too long and needs to stop. Calgary is too important to be left for these guys. Vote right.
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Nenshi says all of Calgary's firefighters are now eligible under 2C and can now be vaccinated against COVID-19. They are considered medical responders given how many medical calls they respond to in Calgary. #yyccc
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Green Line revised alignment approved 14-1. Only Farkas votes no. #yyccc
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For the record, here is the mayor's response when asked yesterday about Rempel's concern on prop tax issue.
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Coun Walcott has been named to the Calgary Police Commission as a council representative. #yyccc
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In Ramsay, backhoes are being used to finish the demolition of the Artpoint building. It came down this week to make way for the Green Line. 2/6
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Also in Ramsay, this vacant lot is owned by the City which bought the former Shamrock hotel and a former chicken processing plant. Yep, making way for the Green Line. 3/6
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In Highfield, the City had this 100m long tunnel built under an existing CN Rail line. The idea was to make it quicker/easier for construction crews to build the Green Line through the area. The tunnel currently sits empty. 4/6
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Supt Ryan Ayliffe with the Calgary Police Service says the time for education is over with regard to health orders. He says charges were to be laid this morning but he doesn't have accurate numbers at this time. Organizers of anti-mask rally would be targetted first.
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Seems @DruhFarrell is going to make another attempt at bringing a little more plain language to #yyccc. Good luck councillor!
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Calgary Police Commission has decided to end the wearing of the 'thin blue line' patch by Calgary Police officers. While officers/police supporters wear the patch to honour those killed on duty & those who serve, Commission notes it has roots in division, colonialism and racism.
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Calgary mayor Jyoti Gondek says a decision by the Calgary Police to give its unvaccinated employees access to free COVID tests has thrown the City for a loop. Starting today, it was going to be up to unvaccinated City employees to cover the cost of these tests.
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Kenney to Notley: "you're the expert on killing jobs in downtown Calgary". #abdebate
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Former police commission chair Brian Thiessen speaks in favour of the housing strategy. Coun McLean asks what he thinks of a plebiscite on changing zoning rules. Thiessen says that's a cop out, adds that council is elected to make decisions in best interest of their residents.
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Neufeld says there's been more enforcement in Calgary than any other community he knows. However, he says the province has asked CPS to not "fill the courts" with tickets. When tickets are thrown out, Neufeld says that's frustrating for police and the public.
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Oh. Curve ball. Now a motion on the #yyccc floor: to just restore fluoride to the drinking water supply. No plebiscite -- just do it.
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Meanwhile at today's special #yyccc mtg, the police chief himself will advocate that some of the CPS budget be shared with agencies that help people in crisis so police can stick to police work. Interesting times.
Calls to "defund the police" are misguided, and our elected leaders should ensure that our law enforcement have the resources they need to protect communities that are disproportionately affected by crime. #ableg #yyccc calgarysun.com/opinion/colum…
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First look at the design for the BMO Centre expansion. The $500m building will open in 2024 and has been funded equally by the City, province and fed govt.
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The fire chief says demonstrating like this by the fallen firefighters memorial is disgraceful behaviour. Dongworth says he's disgusted by it. He says the memorial will be cordoned off from a planned demo this weekend.
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Coun. McLean has resigned from all council committees and boards; council has appointed other councillors to take the vacated spots on those panels. #yyccc
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Calgary will be the global HQ for the combined company.
Today we have entered into a merger agreement with Kansas City Southern that would join two historic railroads to create the first rail network connecting the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
futureforfreight.com/investo…
ALT Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern agree to create first rail network between the U.S., Mexico and Canada
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On wearing an Edmonton Oilers sweater through the morning of a council meeting, Mayor Gondek says: "this thing is really itchy and gross."
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Coun Farkas says City's mask bylaw should be dropped on July 1 in line with the provincial reopening plan.
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Coun Woolley says he was confronted by anti-mask people today outside city hall. He wants direction from administration to make municipal plaza and city parks safe from these people. "Enough is enough" he says.
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Alberta now borrowing money from ... South Africa. #abvote cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/a…
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Dongworth tells @CBCEyeopener that firefighters who attend a planned protest this weekend at city hall will be subject to investigation for their conduct.
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Mayor @nenshi announces these banners by an Indigenous artist will be added to three pillars in the atrium of the municipal building.
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Mayor @JyotiGondek announcing five new downtown office to residential conversion projects. It will create 530 new residential units. #yyccc
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Now if only there were trains in the west to wear them on....
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City of Calgary will require city employees to be fully vaccinated by this November. Those who do not/can not will have to take regular rapid tests to ensure they are not COVID positive.
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Dongworth says when the demonstrators identify themselves as firefighters, it brings them under the City's disciplinary process relating to off-duty conduct.
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When the impartial agency running elections decides to berate a voter and make other mistakes. These are interesting times.
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It took a few days but federal infrastructure and housing minister Sean Fraser's office has now issued a statement about the Alberta government's decision to pull its Green Line funding. #yyccc
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@nenshi explains why he thinks Calgary could be a good fit for Amazon's new HQ2.
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Nenshi agrees that it's time for the City to find its own vaccinators and supply... and go to train stations and malls and other locations. "I'm tired of being told everything is ok by the province," said Nenshi. #yyccc
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