Latest news with #Calgarian
Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Parker: Warehouse for lease in Highfield has connection to Calgary's business history
Article content The rendering of a freestanding warehouse in the Highfield Industrial area shows a very smart refurbished building that is now available for lease, with many things going for it. But it ought not to hide its fascinating history as the former home to one of Calgary's most exciting stories in the city's business history. Article content The building at 3615 – 9th Street S.E. was the plant that produced the El Molino products — its famous El Molino Tortilla Chips becoming top-selling chips in Canada. Article content Article content The 23,500-square-foot building still belongs to Mike Ciccaglione, a proud Calgarian who came to this city in 1962 and began work as a waiter with Hy's, to perfect his English and learn about the Canadian hospitality industry. Born and raised in Italy, he moved to Switzerland to study business administration along with restaurant and hotel management. Six years later he decided on a permanent move to Calgary and by 1967 was confident enough to make his first investment here in the purchase of the Prairie Dog Inn on 17th Avenue S.W. — a popular restaurant remembered for its specialty Mexican food. Article content Article content In the 1960s, Ciccaglione had to purchase products from the U.S. He made a deal to become the exclusive Canadian distributor for Denver-based El Molino and then after making another business agreement with El Molino, he decided to start making his own chips. He opened his first plant here to supply his two Prairie Dog Inns, 15 Mexican Village food kiosks in shopping malls throughout the province, and other food service outlets that wanted the product. Article content Article content The success of Ciccaglione's El Molino manufacturing venture not only saved importing around 320,000 pounds of chips every week from Denver, but also enabled him to boost his sales across the country. At its peak, the building on 9th Street employed 70 people and operated 24 hours a day, six and sometimes seven days a week. Article content He continued to buy new equipment and was able to make 1,500 pounds of chips per hour and they were very good — no additives or preservatives and blanched in canola oil rather than deep fried. They were good enough, in fact, to not only be named best in Canada but to win an award in Las Vegas over American and Mexican competitors. Article content Soon, Ciccaglione was expanding distribution and product lines from nachos and salsa to a full range of authentic Mexican and Italian dishes, which included offerings such as burritos, tortillas, enchiladas and lasagna, cannelloni, and fettuccine.
CBC
6 days ago
- CBC
Calgary sees big decline in crime severity, now well below the national average
Alberta's crime severity index — a measure used by Statistics Canada to track the seriousness of crime across the country — fell sharply in 2024, while Calgary's index reached a near-historic low. "Crime was nine-per-cent less severe in Alberta in 2024 than it was in 2023," said Warren Silver, an analyst with StatsCan, which released the new figures Tuesday. He attributes the drop to fewer break-and-enters, thefts and sexual assaults across the province. "And additionally there were 19 fewer homicides in Alberta than the previous year," Silver said. The crime severity index for Calgary, specifically, fell by 14 per cent to 62.3. That's now well below the national average of 77.9, which marks a notable turnaround from five years earlier, when the city was well above the national average. Calgary's index is also near its lowest point ever recorded, which was 61.1 in 2014. Insp. Travis Juska with the Calgary Police Service says those numbers are encouraging, but he recognizes not all Calgarians necessarily feel safer. "Just because we've seen a decrease in certain amounts of property crime or violent crime, doesn't mean that a Calgarian might feel safe or unsafe in a setting that they are somewhere in the city," he said. The StatsCan data shows crime rates (measured in terms of incidents per 100,000 people) are generally down across most types of offences in Calgary. But the rate of violent crime, while down from 2023, remains significantly higher than it was at its low point in 2013. Crime severity also dropped significantly in Lethbridge, falling 19 per cent year-over-year to an index score of 105.5. Mayor Blaine Hyggen attributed the downward trend to recent investments in the city's police service, including 26 new police officers and four new peace officers who were sworn in last year. Lethbridge Police Service Deputy Chief Gerald Grobmeier said the city saw reductions in break and enters, mischief, and car theft, in particular. Red Deer also saw a big drop in its crime severity index, which was down 20 per cent year-over-year to 118.7. Edmonton, meanwhile, was down five per cent to 101.1. Despite these decreases, Red Deer, Lethbridge and Edmonton remained on the higher end of crime severity across the 40 cities that Statistics Canada tracks. The overall crime severity index for Alberta remained the third-highest of all the provinces, at 95.6. Only Manitoba, at 141.2, and Saskatchewan, at 153.9, were higher. StatsCan calculates the index by assigning all police-reported crimes a weight based on their seriousness, which is determined by actual sentences handed down by courts. More serious crimes are assigned higher weights, less serious offences are assigned lower weights. The year 2006 is taken as a baseline and assigned a national index score of 100.
Calgary Herald
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
'Totally happy with that one': Calgary para triathlete Stefan Daniel earns first victory of season
Article content MONTREAL — Decorated Canadian para triathlete Stefan Daniel claimed his first victory of the season Saturday in Montreal. Article content The 28-year-old Calgarian raced from the front of the pack in the swim, bike and run sprint distance to win the World Triathlon Para Series event. Article content Article content Daniel, a six-time world champion and two-time Paralympic medallist, covered the 750-kilometre swim, 20k bike and 5k run in a time of 56 minutes 25 seconds at Parc Jean-Drapeau. Article content Article content The Canadian races in the men's PTS5 classification, which is for athletes affected to a low degree on the leg, a moderate level in both forearms, a high degree in one foot and ankle, or have absence of limbs. Daniel was born with club hands. Article content Article content Montreal was the fourth of five international races in the para triathlon world series after stops in Devonport, Australia, Yokohama, Japan and Taranto, Italy. Article content World champions will be determined in October in Wollongong, Australia. Article content Daniel finished second to American Chris Hammer, who was third Saturday, on July 12 in Magog, Que. Article content 'It was good today. I was totally happy with that one,' Daniel said. 'I didn't have my best effort last week in Magog, so I tried to just have fun with it today and enjoy being back in Montreal. Article content 'My fitness isn't where I want it to be right now in the bike and the run, so the goal was to commit to having a really good swim.' Article content Article content Daniel was among the top three men coming out of the water, which put him in good position for the bike around the Gilles Villeneuve Formula One track. Article content ''I'm glad I was able to have a good swim and find the front guys. The three of us quickly pulled away from the field,' the Canadian said. Article content 'Everyone is close on the bike and there are lots of fast runners in the field now so I just wanted to find the feet of the lead pack. I was able to execute the plan.' Article content After earning Paralympic silver in 2016 and bronze in 2021, Daniel was front-running in Paris last year when he crashed out during the bike leg. Article content 'It was a bit of a relief for sure crossing the finish line in first. There has been lots of ups and downs since Paris, and it is normal that you experience a bit of a dip in motivation in the post-Paralympic year,' he said. 'It felt great to know that I was able to battle hard and have a great result heading into this next stretch.'
Hamilton Spectator
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Canada's Daniel claims victory in World Triathlon Para Series race in Montreal
MONTREAL - Decorated Canadian para triathlete Stefan Daniel claimed his first victory of the season Saturday in Montreal. The 28-year-old Calgarian raced from the front of the pack in the swim, bike and run sprint distance to win the World Triathlon Para Series event. Daniel, a six-time world champion and two-time Paralympic medallist, covered the 750-kilometre swim, 20k bike and 5k run in a time of 56 minutes 25 seconds at Parc Jean-Drapeau. The Canadian races in the men's PTS5 classification, which is for athletes affected to a low degree on the leg, a moderate level in both forearms, a high degree in one foot and ankle, or have absence of limbs. Daniel was born with club hands. Montreal was the fourth of five international races in the para triathlon world series after stops in Devonport, Australia, Yokohama, Japan and Taranto, Italy. World champions will be determined in October in Wollongong, Australia. Daniel finished second to American Chris Hammer, who was third Saturday, on July 12 in Magog, Que. 'It was good today. I was totally happy with that one,' Daniel said. 'I didn't have my best effort last week in Magog, so I tried to just have fun with it today and enjoy being back in Montreal. 'My fitness isn't where I want it to be right now in the bike and the run, so the goal was to commit to having a really good swim.' Daniel was among the top three men coming out of the water, which put him in good position for the bike around the Gilles Villeneuve Formula One track. ''I'm glad I was able to have a good swim and find the front guys. The three of us quickly pulled away from the field,' the Canadian said. 'Everyone is close on the bike and there are lots of fast runners in the field now so I just wanted to find the feet of the lead pack. I was able to execute the plan.' After earning Paralympic silver in 2016 and bronze in 2021, Daniel was front-running in Paris last year when he crashed out during the bike leg. 'It was a bit of a relief for sure crossing the finish line in first. There has been lots of ups and downs since Paris, and it is normal that you experience a bit of a dip in motivation in the post-Paralympic year,' he said. 'It felt great to know that I was able to battle hard and have a great result heading into this next stretch.' Also Saturday in Montreal, Desirae Ridenour of Cowichan Bay, B.C., and Quebec City's Mathis Beaulieu were winners in the Americas Triathlon Cup held in conjunction with para triathlon. The 25-year-old Ridenour broke the tape in the sprint distance in a time of 57:12. Beaulieu, 20, won the men's race in 51:30. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canada's Daniel claims victory in World Triathlon Para Series race in Montreal
MONTREAL – Decorated Canadian para triathlete Stefan Daniel claimed his first victory of the season Saturday in Montreal. The 28-year-old Calgarian raced from the front of the pack in the swim, bike and run sprint distance to win the World Triathlon Para Series event. Daniel, a six-time world champion and two-time Paralympic medallist, covered the 750-kilometre swim, 20k bike and 5k run in a time of 56 minutes 25 seconds at Parc Jean-Drapeau. The Canadian races in the men's PTS5 classification, which is for athletes affected to a low degree on the leg, a moderate level in both forearms, a high degree in one foot and ankle, or have absence of limbs. Daniel was born with club hands. Montreal was the fourth of five international races in the para triathlon world series after stops in Devonport, Australia, Yokohama, Japan and Taranto, Italy. World champions will be determined in October in Wollongong, Australia. Daniel finished second to American Chris Hammer, who was third Saturday, on July 12 in Magog, Que. 'It was good today. I was totally happy with that one,' Daniel said. 'I didn't have my best effort last week in Magog, so I tried to just have fun with it today and enjoy being back in Montreal. 'My fitness isn't where I want it to be right now in the bike and the run, so the goal was to commit to having a really good swim.' Daniel was among the top three men coming out of the water, which put him in good position for the bike around the Gilles Villeneuve Formula One track. ''I'm glad I was able to have a good swim and find the front guys. The three of us quickly pulled away from the field,' the Canadian said. 'Everyone is close on the bike and there are lots of fast runners in the field now so I just wanted to find the feet of the lead pack. I was able to execute the plan.' After earning Paralympic silver in 2016 and bronze in 2021, Daniel was front-running in Paris last year when he crashed out during the bike leg. 'It was a bit of a relief for sure crossing the finish line in first. There has been lots of ups and downs since Paris, and it is normal that you experience a bit of a dip in motivation in the post-Paralympic year,' he said. 'It felt great to know that I was able to battle hard and have a great result heading into this next stretch.' Also Saturday in Montreal, Desirae Ridenour of Cowichan Bay, B.C., and Quebec City's Mathis Beaulieu were winners in the Americas Triathlon Cup held in conjunction with para triathlon. The 25-year-old Ridenour broke the tape in the sprint distance in a time of 57:12. Beaulieu, 20, won the men's race in 51:30. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2025.
