Calgary Minute: Stampede Kickoff, Mask Debate, and a Pricy Garden Reopens

Calgary Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Calgary politics

This Week In Calgary:

• Despite many having gone on summer break already, Council is actually still working with a Combined Meeting of Council set for today at 9:30 am. Council will debate Climate Resilience, Waste and Recycling, the City's Mask Mandate (see below) 5G Wireless, the Plus 15, the Green Line, Audits, and more.
  
  
• Calgary is now the only major City west of Manitoba that still has a mask mandate, after Edmonton, Lethbridge, and others voted to repeal their laws when the Province moved to Stage 3 last week. Calgary is a holdout after voting 7-7 against (tied votes fail) a Councillor Farkas motion to do the same last week. If you haven't had a chance yet, you can sign our petition to Council to align the City's policies with the Province here. Councillor Colley-Urquhart has said she will switch her vote to support the repeal, so it looks likely it will pass, but we'll see.
  
  
• Stampede kicks off this Friday, though many are wondering how different it will be than normal. There are reduced numbers allowed on the grounds, fewer rides, and many sponsors have dropped out. There are many other activities going ahead, however, including free entry to Studio Bell during Stampede thanks to a sponsor.

Last Week In Calgary:

• We hope you had a great Canada Day. It was hot. Really hot!
  
  
• After years of renovations and with a price tag of $16-million, the new and improved Century Gardens opened on Wednesday. Upgrades were made to numerous structures at the gardens, including the waterfalls, sculptures, park entrances, and access to the C-Train platform.
  
  
• A hyperloop project between Calgary and Edmonton could start testing as early as 2022. Although a mega-project of this magnitude could be both a great technological innovation and a job creation opportunity, the question remains whether it will ever be practical given the expected $30+ billion cost.

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