
City Hall hosts students for sustainability showcases at 36th Mayor's Environment Expo
City Hall showcased student-led sustainability initiatives that aim to preserve and maintain Calgary's environmental future with the return of the 36th Mayor's Environment Expo.
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The Mayor's Environment Expo runs from June 2 to 5, and serves as a platform for students to connect with professionals, host exhibits, and attend workshops centred around conserving and protecting Calgary's natural environment.
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This year, more than 38 exhibits, 16 virtual workshops, and 100 in-person sessions were offered to students. For 36 years, the expo served as a way to help promote Calgarian youth to learn and promote sustainable practices for the city's future.
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Mayor Jyoti Gondek said that it is amazing to see the expo grow, adding that remarkable students are always in attendance each year.
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'There's a lot of good work happening here and these kids are super focused on protecting the planet, making sure future generations have an amazing life,' Gondek said.
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Calgary schools play a major role in each year's success, with additional support from collaboration from EcoSchools Canada and the Alberta Council for Environmental Education. Since 2005, their framework has provided independent reporting and recognition to schools and environmental education centres.
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Teacher of Apostles of Jesus School, Kelly Craigue, said the Mayor's Environment Expo provides an incredible opportunity for students to apply their knowledge in an impactful way.
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'It was inspiring to see them connect with like-minded individuals who share a passion for caring about the environment,' Craigue said. 'The diverse selection of presentations ensured there was something to engage every student, making it easy to find programs that matched their interests.'
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A few notable projects included an aquaponics system showcased by Ranchlands School, a pollinator garden with a planting of the '3 sisters' for a fall harvest by Apostles of Jesus School, and Robert Thirsk School teaching 90 students each semester on the importance of sustainable food production.
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'All of these students are very interested in doing what they can to preserve their environment and make an impact on the world,' Gondek said. 'The ideas they have are worth listening to. If I can get out to chat with all or at least some of them, it's a great opportunity for me to connect and understand what they're working on.'
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Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Calgary Herald
City Hall hosts students for sustainability showcases at 36th Mayor's Environment Expo
City Hall showcased student-led sustainability initiatives that aim to preserve and maintain Calgary's environmental future with the return of the 36th Mayor's Environment Expo. Article content The Mayor's Environment Expo runs from June 2 to 5, and serves as a platform for students to connect with professionals, host exhibits, and attend workshops centred around conserving and protecting Calgary's natural environment. Article content Article content Article content This year, more than 38 exhibits, 16 virtual workshops, and 100 in-person sessions were offered to students. For 36 years, the expo served as a way to help promote Calgarian youth to learn and promote sustainable practices for the city's future. Article content Mayor Jyoti Gondek said that it is amazing to see the expo grow, adding that remarkable students are always in attendance each year. Article content 'There's a lot of good work happening here and these kids are super focused on protecting the planet, making sure future generations have an amazing life,' Gondek said. Article content Calgary schools play a major role in each year's success, with additional support from collaboration from EcoSchools Canada and the Alberta Council for Environmental Education. Since 2005, their framework has provided independent reporting and recognition to schools and environmental education centres. Article content Article content Teacher of Apostles of Jesus School, Kelly Craigue, said the Mayor's Environment Expo provides an incredible opportunity for students to apply their knowledge in an impactful way. Article content 'It was inspiring to see them connect with like-minded individuals who share a passion for caring about the environment,' Craigue said. 'The diverse selection of presentations ensured there was something to engage every student, making it easy to find programs that matched their interests.' Article content A few notable projects included an aquaponics system showcased by Ranchlands School, a pollinator garden with a planting of the '3 sisters' for a fall harvest by Apostles of Jesus School, and Robert Thirsk School teaching 90 students each semester on the importance of sustainable food production. Article content 'All of these students are very interested in doing what they can to preserve their environment and make an impact on the world,' Gondek said. 'The ideas they have are worth listening to. If I can get out to chat with all or at least some of them, it's a great opportunity for me to connect and understand what they're working on.' Article content

CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Toronto searching for new Parks and Recreation head
The Toronto sign in Nathan Phillips Square is shown at city hall in Toronto on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Evan Buhler The City of Toronto is searching for a new head for its Parks & Recreation department following a sudden departure. Howie Dayton, who headed up the department since April 2024, is no longer in his role, sources told CTV News Toronto. The city did not comment on the change or provide any reason. Just a couple of weeks ago Dayton helped unveil a program to allow local residents to sign up early for recreation programs in some areas. However, his departure follows a year in which the department faced criticism multiple times. Last year, Toronto's auditor general released a pair of damning reports on the department. One of them revealed some parks staff were allegedly falsifying their time sheets, hanging out plazas, malls and restaurants for hours when they said they were doing maintenance work in city parks. City staff later told the audit committee that they made a 'business decision' not to install GPS trackers in some of the department's vehicles, even though doing so was relatively cheap. Another report found that it took months for some repairs to be made to park benches and playground equipment. In some cases, city staff failed to identify any problems at all at parks where there was rusty playground equipment and holes burned through park benches. The department was also responsible for overseeing procurement for two new electric ferries. It was revealed in July that while the cost of the ferry replacement had been budgeted at $25 million, the estimate for the purchase had ballooned to $92 million. Some city councillors suggested at the time that the department may have been in over its head when it came to handling the large purchase. Nevertheless, Mayor Olivia Chow's latest budget in February handed the department a 13 per cent increase, bringing its total budget to around $599 million. Some councillors slammed the move, but Chow's office defended the increase at the time, saying none of the additional funds would go to the failing parts of the department, but to instead hire 478 new staff to expand existing programs. Dayton was the director of community recreation at the city for nearly nine years before becoming the acting general manager of the Parks, Forestry and Recreation department in September 2023. Last year he made around $268,000 in his role, according to Ontario's public sector salary disclosure, also known as the Sunshine List. As of Tuesday afternoon, the city's website still listed him as head of the Parks and Recreation department. In an email, the city said Tom Azouz will serve as the Acting General Manager of Parks and Recreation 'effective while the recruitment process for the permanent GM of Parks and Recreation is underway.' Mayor Olivia Chow's office did not respond to an email asking if she was involved in discussions to pick a new head for the department. Dayton declined to comment on his departure. With files from CTV Toronto's Natalie Johnson

CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Toronto searching for new Parks and Recreation head
The Toronto sign in Nathan Phillips Square is shown at city hall in Toronto on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Evan Buhler The City of Toronto is searching for a new head for its Parks & Recreation department following a sudden departure. Howie Dayton, who headed up the department since April 2024, is no longer in his role, sources told CTV News Toronto. The city did not comment on the change or provide any reason. Just a couple of weeks ago Dayton helped unveil a program to allow local residents to sign up early for recreation programs in some areas. However, his departure follows a year in which the department faced criticism multiple times. Last year, Toronto's auditor general released a pair of damning reports on the department. One of them revealed some parks staff were allegedly falsifying their time sheets, hanging out plazas, malls and restaurants for hours when they said they were doing maintenance work in city parks. City staff later told the audit committee that they made a 'business decision' not to install GPS trackers in some of the department's vehicles, even though doing so was relatively cheap. Another report found that it took months for some repairs to be made to park benches and playground equipment. In some cases, city staff failed to identify any problems at all at parks where there was rusty playground equipment and holes burned through park benches. The department was also responsible for overseeing procurement for two new electric ferries. It was revealed in July that while the cost of the ferry replacement had been budgeted at $25 million, the estimate for the purchase had ballooned to $92 million. Some city councillors suggested at the time that the department may have been in over its head when it came to handling the large purchase. Nevertheless, Mayor Olivia Chow's latest budget in February handed the department a 13 per cent increase, bringing its total budget to around $599 million. Some councillors slammed the move, but Chow's office defended the increase at the time, saying none of the additional funds would go to the failing parts of the department, but to instead hire 478 new staff to expand existing programs. Dayton was the director of community recreation at the city for nearly nine years before becoming the acting general manager of the Parks, Forestry and Recreation department in September 2023. Last year he made around $268,000 in his role, according to Ontario's public sector salary disclosure, also known as the Sunshine List. As of Tuesday afternoon, the city's website still listed him as head of the Parks and Recreation department. In an email, the city said Tom Azouz will serve as the Acting General Manager of Parks and Recreation 'effective while the recruitment process for the permanent GM of Parks and Recreation is underway.' Mayor Olivia Chow's office did not respond to an email asking if she was involved in discussions to pick a new head for the department. Dayton declined to comment on his departure. With files from CTV Toronto's Natalie Johnson