Why these rookie Calgary politicians are calling it quits after one term
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Calgary Herald
12-06-2025
- Calgary Herald
Bear spray, other weapons can't be shown in public in bylaw amendments under consideration by city council
Article content Proposed amendments to Calgary's public behaviour bylaw would prohibit the open display of weapons or noxious substances, such as bear spray. Article content The proposed change, which the city's community development committee unanimously endorsed Thursday, comes after a spike in assaults and robberies involving bear spray. Article content Article content It would also align the public behaviour bylaw with new rules on city transit, which council approved last fall, that forbid weapons such as knives, hatchets, machetes, batons or imitation firearms from being brandished on Calgary Transit property. Article content Article content A city official told the committee the amendment would address situations where a weapon or potentially dangerous item is brandished in a way that causes fear, but does not technically constitute a criminal offence. It would also allow police and bylaw officers to intervene in situations that currently fall outside their enforcement authority. Article content Article content 'This is not about possession — it's about visible display of items in a way that causes fear or intimidation, even if no harm is intended,' said Afshan Nazir, a business strategist for the city's policy and bylaw development team. Article content 'These types of behaviours often trigger public complaints and can create fear or discomfort, even when there's no immediate threat.' Article content Exemptions would be in place for any activities that are approved under the city's business licences, permits or special event requirements, including festivals, parades and organized community events. Article content Article content The bylaw also includes exemptions for religious customs, according to Ward 8 Coun. Courtney Walcott, who chairs the community development committee. As an example, he cited the kirpan, a small sword that Sikhs are required to wear sheathed on their person. Article content 'Having that in there, having it part of the training, is really important,' he said of the exemption. 'We always like to think that people know, 'please don't brandish your knife in public,' but the reality is, if it's not criminal, there was a grey area. This (amendment) is starting to close that so there's no perception of danger.' Article content The proposed penalty for non-compliance with the updated public behaviour bylaw, if approved by council, would be a $250 fine.
CBC
12-05-2025
- CBC
Some Canadian millionaires are lobbying for a tax change: they want to pay more
CBC's Anis Heydari reports on Patriotic Millionaires Canada, an activist group made up of wealthy Canadians who want the government to ramp up taxation on the rich.
CBC
17-04-2025
- CBC
'Pretty devastating': Alberta charities cut language classes after Ottawa slashes funding
Social Sharing Newcomers settling in Calgary face massive wait times to access free English classes, ranging up to a year, according to the Centre for Newcomers. Now, due to federal funding cuts, the non-profit said those wait times could get even longer. Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has cut funding for some organizations offering Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) as Ottawa plans to start reducing immigration levels. LINC classes are fully federally funded classes that help new arrivals learn to read, write, listen and speak in English. Because of the funding change, the Centre for Newcomers has made cuts to its popular LINC classes — even though around 900 people are on a waitlist. "I think it's pretty shocking news," said Charlie Wang, the interim CEO at the Centre for Newcomers. He spoke to CBC host Jenny Howe for this week's episode of This Is Calgary. "Since the Afghan and then Ukrainian [crises], the waiting list for language programs has been fairly long," Wang said. Bow Valley College, Maple Leaf Academy and Lethbridge Polytechnic have also announced they're scrapping their popular LINC classes. Across the city, Immigrant Services Calgary says 6,199 new Calgarians were waiting for LINC classes as of April 2. Language classes critical, say student, English teacher Marite Rojas, who grew up in Bolivia, moved to Calgary just over two years ago. She waited for about a year before she got a spot in a LINC classroom. "I [didn't] have a choice," she told Howe. "I tried to find another school where you had to pay, but if you don't work, [it's] expensive." "If you cannot communicate with people … you are [isolated] for everything," she said. "You cannot go to the doctor and understand what the doctor said, you cannot open a bank account and read the contracts." Rojas has passed some LINC classes but plans to continue studying English with the goal of eventually attending a post-secondary school. Until the start of April, Maple Leaf Academy offered the classes for free, but the loss of government funding forced the school to shut down its LINC program. "It's been pretty devastating. I'm at the school right now, but it's quite empty and there are fewer teachers, way fewer students," said Kevin Simpson, an instructor and e-learning specialist at Maple Leaf Academy in downtown Calgary. Simpson said some former students arrived in Calgary planning to attend these classes, as part of their long-term plan for building a new life in Canada. "You're teaching them, you're with them every day. You form relationships with people and then you give them this news and you can just see how much it affects them," he said. "Language proficiency is pretty necessary for success in this society. And they are faced with a huge challenge that they, a month ago, didn't face." In a statement, an IRCC spokesperson said funding to support newcomer settlement needs is up 4.2 per cent in 2024-25 from the previous fiscal year. The funding available for supports, like LINC classes, depends on how many newcomers are expected to arrive in Canada. "Since, according to the Immigration Levels Plan, fewer newcomers are expected in 2025-2027, available resources have been reduced to match this decrease, which has resulted in a reduction in service providers," the IRCC spokesperson said. Next year, the annual number of newcomers issued permanent resident status will go from 500,000 to 395,000, then to 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027. Calgary's Immigrant Education Society received an additional $450,000 in February to expand its free English classes programming — enough to accommodate five extra classes and an additional 125 students. In an email, the non-profit said the funding is meant to bridge the gap created by the loss of other LINC programs in the city, but it "doesn't really make a dent considering the long wait times." The Immigrant Education Society has around 2,500 new Calgarians on its waitlist. It can take upward of a year to access their classes, the charity said.
