After hearing from you, I'm sponsoring a motion from Councillor Wyness to restrict and regulate large AI data centres in Calgary. That includes stopping new applications while we get those rules in place.

More than 80% of Canada's proposed data centre capacity is planned for Alberta.

That means billions of dollars in potential investment and new jobs. But these massive facilities also use huge amounts of electricity and water.

There are concerns about pollution and noise. Some estimates suggest that even one large data centre could increase Albertans' utility bills by hundreds of dollars a year.

We cannot keep adding new demands to our infrastructure without making sure we have the capacity to handle them. Our water crisis made that painfully clear. 

That's why I'm working with Councillors Wyness, Dhaliwal, Yule and Pantazopoulos to bring forward this motion.

We want to protect our water supply and limit pollution. We also want to make sure these facilities are built in the right places, away from neighbourhoods where they would cause problems.

Most importantly, companies need to pay for the infrastructure they use. Calgary families should not be stuck paying higher bills to support billion-dollar developments.

If the owners of these facilities can solve these problems, I am more than happy to work with them.

I want Calgary to lead in new technology. I want us to attract investment and create good jobs.

But if companies are going to reap massive profits in our city, we expect them to pay their way. We expect them to protect our water supply and respect our communities.

Calgary is open for business, but we're not open to being taken advantage of.

A car in the pickup line doesn’t tell you what’s in someone’s bank account. And emergency access to food doesn’t mean there’s no verification process. Here’s what the Calgary Food Bank’s research found:

1. “If they drive a nice car, they don’t need the food bank.”
Researchers observed 308 vehicles across six sessions. The average vehicle was 12 years old, 93.5% weren’t from premium brands, and just 1.6% were premium-brand vehicles less than five years old.

Someone might also be borrowing a car, getting a ride, or dealing with a job loss after buying their vehicle. In a sprawling city like Calgary, keeping a car can be essential for getting to work and picking up food. A recognizable badge isn’t proof of financial security.

2. “Anyone can keep getting hampers without any screening.”
According to the report, households can receive three hampers per year without providing income documentation, so people facing a short-term crisis can get help quickly. Those needing more than three hampers annually are asked to verify their household’s low-income status with supporting documents.

Of those who pursued verification, only 7.6% did not fall below the poverty threshold. The process balances quick access in an emergency with verification for ongoing support.

Bottom line: You can’t judge someone’s need from the parking lot, and low-barrier emergency help isn’t the same as unlimited, unverified access.

Knowing how to make a healthy meal isn’t the same as being able to afford the ingredients.

In Calgary Food Bank’s Feed to Flourish study:

• 94% of respondents said someone in their household had the skills to cook healthy meals.
• 92% said someone knew how to create healthy meals.
• Among 748 respondents who completed a food literacy questionnaire, scores didn’t differ significantly by food insecurity severity.

Interviewees described cooking as a way to save money, connect with family and enjoy food. The barrier they kept raising? Affordability.

Food skills matter. But a recipe can’t fix a grocery budget that doesn’t stretch far enough.

These findings describe participating food bank clients, not all Calgarians.

I've noticed a lot of posts in this subreddit about potholes, overgrown grass, broken sidewalks, transit issues, graffiti, missed garbage pickup, and similar problems.

I'm genuinely curious: if you've posted about one of these issues without also reporting it to 311 or the appropriate City department, what led you to do that?

My understanding is that reporting an issue through 311 gives the City a direct opportunity to address it. Posting on Reddit can raise awareness from your neighbours or generate discussion, but it doesn't necessarily get the problem in front of the people who can fix it.

I'm not criticizing anyone for posting. I'm interested in understanding why people choose one approach over the other, or why they might choose Reddit instead of reporting the issue directly.

Calgary has seen the Extinction of family owned grocery stores, once the hub to the specific community. Even the 7-11’s are closing down….Now days with Dollarama and Dollerstores, this should be a continuing trend to extinction….thoughts? Also rent and staff is to run these stores and dangers does not outweigh the ROI

Missing from Westgate SW. Please keep your eyes open and spread the word. Bring MURPHY home !!!!

In Calgary Food Bank’s Feed to Flourish study, interviewees described red meat and fresh produce as luxuries they couldn’t afford.

That stood out. Not fancy meals. Ingredients for dinner.

The survey adds some context:

• 69% of respondents used savings or borrowed money to buy food in the past year.
• 40% had to choose between food and other necessities every month.
• 94% said someone in their household had the skills to cook healthy meals.

Knowing how to cook doesn’t help much when the ingredients are out of reach.

These findings describe participating food bank clients, not all Calgarians.

What used to be a normal grocery purchase for you but is now an “only if it’s on sale” item—or something you’ve stopped buying altogether? How has that changed what you eat?

Food or rent. Groceries or transportation. For 40% of respondents in a Calgary Food Bank study, choosing between food and other necessities happens every month.

The October 2026 report, Feed to Flourish, draws on interviews with 31 clients and survey responses from 1,878 clients. Here are some key findings:

• 55% of respondents’ households experienced severe food insecurity over the past year. That can mean cutting meal sizes, skipping meals or going whole days without eating.
• 98% were concerned about meeting day-to-day expenses. And 69% had used savings or borrowed money to buy food in the past year.
• More severe food insecurity was associated with poorer wellbeing. Respondents in severely food insecure households reported lower physical, mental, social and food-related wellbeing. Financial wellbeing was similarly strained across food security categories.
• Knowing how to cook wasn’t the main issue. Most respondents said someone in their household had the skills to cook healthy meals (94%) and the knowledge to create them (92%). Interview participants repeatedly pointed to affordability as the barrier.
• Food support offered breathing room, but gaps remained. Interviewees described relief from stress and more room in their budgets for other essentials. Yet some households still reported skipping meals or going without food despite receiving support.

The takeaway: These findings point to a problem that goes well beyond an empty fridge. People described knowing what they wanted to cook, but not having the money to buy it—and juggling other basic needs at the same time.

Important context: These results describe participating Calgary Food Bank clients, not all Calgarians. The is also an observational study, and identifies associations, not causation

Looking for ideas that are simple and not a whole production.

Could be a walk, coffee spot, view, casual activity, or anything that feels worth doing without turning it into a full-day plan. I’m trying to find more easy weekend options that don’t involve spending a ton.

I keep seeing people on here stressing about lease renewals, and I don't think everyone's caught up on how much things have changed.

Remember 2023? Vacancy was 1.4% based on CHMC data. People were showing up to viewings with cover letters and offering over asking for basement suites. It was brutal. Can't beleive , it was just few years ago

Now it's around 5%. That's a lot of empty units, and CMHC says asking rents in Calgary have actually been dropping this year. Your landlord knows this, even if they're hoping you don't.

So if your lease is coming up, don't just sign whatever they send you. Look up what similar places in your area are listing for, screenshot a few, and ask for a lower rate. Worst case they say no and you're where you started. If they won't budge on rent, ask for a free month, parking, or storage. A lot of the newer buildings are throwing these in just to fill units. And. If you are in basement there are too many empty basements, you can probably get same price condo now for rental

And keep in mind, if you leave, they're stuck cleaning, listing, and maybe sitting empty for a month or two. Keeping you at a slightly lower rent is often the cheaper option for them.

Has anyone here actually negotiated recently? Curious what people are getting

The Calgary Food Bank will be hosting an AMA, covering their recent research reports including Feed to Flourish: Wellbeing in Food Insecure Households, Serving up Facts, and Food Insecurity Doesn't Retire.

It is estimated that in 2026, over 420,000 Calgarians are living with food insecurity.

You can find all of our reports here: https://www.calgaryfoodbank.com/resources/#:~:text=Feed%20To%20Flourish

Random pet peeve: I HATE FULL WRAP ADS ON THE TRAIN

I take the train to and from work everyday, as well as on my days off.

Why do some train cars have a full wrap that includes windows? I know this isn’t unique to Calgary, but it makes no sense to me

1. The train experience worse because I can’t see clearly out of the window. Let me see the views!

2. I can’t see INTO the train car. (The bigger problem) I would like to be able to see into the train car to choose one that has space during peak hours AND avoid one that might feel uncomfortable while travelling alone. If there is a person/group that might seem sketchy to a rider, they should see that BEFORE they get into the train, so they can choose another car if needed. Nobody should walk onto a train car and be surprised at their surroundings.

What do yall think? Does anyone else feel the same?

Took this video of the moon last night and it honestly looked massive. Not sure if the video does it justice, but it was pretty crazy to see in person.

Apparently it was the Hunter’s Moon, October’s full moon. Did anyone else notice how big it looked last night?

I've seen this posted in other cycling threads. Now here?

At 5:00 this morning, south bound on the pathway along the Elbow at the end of Rideau Road, I came around the corner to find this. Just glad I had a good light. I did clear it all, but stay vigilant.

Why is there such a hate on for bikes these days?

Edit: I did report it to 311 today. Over the decades, I've spent a lot of dark early mornings on the cities paved and non paved paths. In some ways I've become desensitized to this, given what I've seen - mostly in the last few years. That said, I've not seen it this blatant on a paved path that gets very busy with commuters.

I'm 9 weeks pregnant (first pregnancy), and thinking about doing pelvic floor physical therapy to help with pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. If any pregnant ladies or recent moms have recommendations for pelvic floor physiotherapists in the NW I would love to know.

Also going to register for prenatal yoga, and considering the city's prenatal aquafit classes. Also curious how other women prep and the types of things people found helpful?

Will also be doing the AB health birth and babies class.

Thanks in advance!

So it started with finding discarded peanut shells when raking or digging in my backyard. I assumed it was just mess from the previous owners; we find endless bottle caps and other trash loosely buried in the yard. Then I started finding them in the front yard. I assumed it was the squirrels picking them up and moving them. Now on a walk this morning I found peanut shells littered on the sidewalk.

Where are the peanut shells coming from?!?

Does any other community have random peanut shells everywhere or is this a uniquely Bowness problem? 🙃

Tonight, I'm heading out to two budget town halls with Councillor John Pantazopoulos in Ward 6 and Councillor Harrison Clark in Ward 9.

For years, Calgary has been growing faster than we've been investing in the infrastructure that keeps our city running.

And now we're paying the price. Think about our water system. We held water bills flat for nearly ten years while the pipes underneath our feet kept getting older. Meanwhile, our city kept growing. Then the Bearspaw South Feeder Main failed catastrophically. Twice.

We saved money in the short term. And now we're facing a much bigger bill.

Here's the problem. When everything is a priority, nothing is. We can't keep promising everything to everyone while falling behind on the things our city depends on. That's why I want our next four-year budget to be different. We're going to focus on the basics. And we're going to do them well. Better roads. Reliable water. Safer streets. Transit safety.

Your tax dollars need to go toward things you see and use every day. Things that deliver a real return on investment. That means saying no to spending that doesn't deliver results. It means making tough choices and being willing to defend them.

Both town halls run from 6 to 8 tonight. I'll be visiting both. I hope you'll come out and tell us where City Hall needs to do better.

Because here's the choice we face. We invest in our infrastructure now and manage the costs responsibly. Or we keep putting things off until they break and we're forced to spend massively more to fix them.

Those are the choices. Pay a manageable amount now or pay an enormous amount later. And let's be clear. The second option isn't cheaper. It only looks cheaper until the bill comes due. I refuse to leave the next generation of Calgarians paying for problems we had the chance to fix today. It's time to make the tough decisions and get our city back on solid ground.

I'm looking to buy a townhouse and would love some local recommendations on neighborhoods. I was initially considering downtown condos but shifted my search toward townhouses outside of downtown.

My two must-haves are:

• Within a 10-minute walk of a CTrain station.
• Within a 10-minute walk of a decent-sized grocery store.
• Generally a desirable neighborhood

I'd ideally like to be outside downtown but close enough to easily head into the city for socializing, events, and weekends without relying on a car, whilst not being way too far out.

Which of these areas/stops I've circled in pink on this c-train map would be considered more desirable?

I work online, so proximity to work doesn't matter.

Big thank you in advance

For those living or who lived in Valley Ridge neighbourhood, what’s the highway noise feel like? Is it noticeable and are there parts of Valley Ridge considered more quieter? Property prices are decent in this area as compared to some other mature SW neighbourhoods, so I’m just wondering if there’s a catch we are missing out on here before making the big step to buy and move in.

Full disclaimer I'm not a city manager and maybe it'll be obvious why.

I see the city has their green cart schedule change slated to begin Nov 2. Maybe I'm missing the bigger picture but why does this change happen right after Halloween? It was the same last year and we had to hold rotting pumpkins in the bin for two weeks. Sure not everyone in the city is carving and tossing pumpkins, but I would think there's a decent amount of pumpkins going in the bin shortly after Oct 31.

Wouldn't it make sense to start this one week later and get all those bins picked up the first week after Halloween before changing to the biweekly schedule?

The city's schedule website even currently says they have high volume of compost pickups so extra bags currently can't be guaranteed. So Halloween aside, it seems the demand is there for compost pickups later into fall.