Let's be thoughtful about how we celebrate.
It is important that we as a city have discussions about how and why we celebrate Canada. The City of Calgary’s Arts and Culture team recently made the decision to hold a lower-altitude pyrotechnic show at Fort Calgary on Canada Day in response to several challenges. This news came to the public and Council as a surprise, as neither the public nor Council had been involved in the decision-making process.
Many Calgarians, myself included, travel from across the city to our many beautiful lookouts to celebrate our own hopes and beliefs for what Canada is and can be. Traditionally, Canada Day has not been a day of learning, but rather a day of celebration. As we honour our histories in full, how Canadians commemorate this day is growing and changing, and Calgarians want to be involved in this discussion. There are some great questions that have arisen from this discussion. However, the decision to hold a smaller event has been met with frustration because of a lack of public input.
City Administration has been receiving a great deal of feedback from Calgarians over the last few days, and I support Administration’s decision to add an aerial fireworks display to this year's Canada Day celebrations.
Many have expressed interest in more detail about some of the challenges that were considered. I can offer a few points of reflection:
Last week, I voted against the Green Line proposal that envisions an elevated downtown alignment and saddles the City of Calgary with a greater share of costs and risks.
February is Black History Month. My remarks from the January 28, 2025 meeting of Calgary City Council.
The City has identified $1.3 billion in known costs and risks that were not included in the AECOM proposal.
