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Calgary Herald
5 days ago
- Calgary Herald
Calgary police investigating suspicious death in Auburn Bay
A Calgary Police Service SUV is shown outside headquarters in northeast Calgary on Feb. 27, 2025. Jim Wells/Postmedia The Calgary Police Service's homicide unit is investigating what they call a suspicious death in the southeast community of Auburn Bay. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Police were called to the 1000 block of Auburn Bay Circle S.E. shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday for reports of a man who was believed to be dead inside a residence. A deceased man was found inside the home, and as of Sunday, police are continuing to investigate the death. 'There is currently no risk to the public,' police said in an earlier statement. An autopsy on the deceased man is to be conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Monday. Police said no further information would be provided until the autopsy was complete.
Calgary Herald
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Conservative MP Damien Kurek calls on colleagues to 'fight for Canada' as he steps down for Poilievre
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Member of Parliament for Battle River—Crowfoot, Damien Kurek, right, with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. OTTAWA — With a wave of his black cowboy hat and a call for all Parliamentarians to 'fight for Canada,' Alberta Conservative MP Damien Kurek made a heartfelt final address in the House of Commons Thursday before stepping aside for leader Pierre Poilievre. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Flanked by a few dozen of his Conservative colleagues after question period, the MP for Battle River—Crowfoot said that politics had been a 'wild, wild ride' for him and his family as he called on his constituents to support Poilievre in the upcoming byelection. During his 10-minute speech, he called on MPs to fight together for Canada, argued that Alberta deserves a 'fair voice' within the federation, threw the occasional barb at the Liberals and joked that stepping down was a more complicated process than expected. Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again 'I didn't know it would be quite so much work to resign,' the hulking Kurek said with his emblematic booming voice, earning laughs from MPs in the chamber. Kurek was first elected in the rural Alberta riding in 2019 and was handily re-elected in April with over 80 per cent of the vote. But when Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre lost his longtime Ottawa riding of Carleton, Kurek announced he would step aside to allow the party head to run in his stead. Kurek said he will resign as soon as House of Commons rules allow it, likely meaning in late June. He's also promised to run again in Battle River—Crowfoot in the next federal election. 'I don't plan to retire from politics, but I am stepping aside to ensure that this byelection is triggered,' he said. The reason why Kurek is the Conservative MP stepping aside for Poilievre appeared to come from NDP MP Gord Johns, who expressed his condolences to Kurek for his father's passing in the last year and wishing him well in taking over the family farm. 'He's going to do well with it, and we wish him well as a farmer, supporting Canadians so we get our food, and the work that he does around his farm,' Johns said. 'I thank the member for the very kind words,' Kurek replied. 'And I think it emphasizes that in this place, we can trade passionate partisan barbs, we can passionately disagree, but that doesn't mean that there's hatred toward each other.' This advertisement has not loaded yet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. His farewell speech was briefly heckled by Liberal MPs, one of which loudly booed his announcement that he was resigning to allow Poilievre to run and another who loudly lamented the cost of a byelection (estimates vary from $1.7 million to $2 million). The comments pushed Conservative MP Michael Barrett to cross the aisle and apparently scold them before Johns and some Liberal MPs jumped in to lower the temperature. While responding to later well-wishes from the Liberals, NDP, Bloc Québécois and Greens, Kurek acknowledged that he was excited to be back on the family farm — and far from opposing party benches. 'I look forward to being able to spend a little bit more time in a tractor cab. The good thing about being in a tractor cab, Mr. Speaker, is that it doesn't heckle you,' he said. Kurek also repeatedly thanked his wife Danielle, who was watching from the visitors' gallery, for supporting his time in politics and noted that he looked forward to spending more time with his three sons. He then finished with a call to action for all MPs. 'As Danielle and I move on to what is a bit of an unexpected chapter of our lives, I would ask each and every person in this House: fight for Canada, fight for what's right, and do so boldly and strongly, because that's the least we can do for the people that send us here.' 'I plan to be back, God willing, but in the meantime, I look forward to being the best husband, the best dad and the best rural farmer that I can possibly be,' he added. He then stood up, waved his trademark black cowboy hat in the air, and walked out of the House of Commons. Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here.
Calgary Herald
29-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
The 50-year nest: How Calgary's oldest, independent bookstore has weathered a half-century of changes
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The new co-owners of Owl's Nest Books are young and savvy about social media, but still follow a half-century of traditions Ryan Smith, co-owner of Owl's Nest Books, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in Calgary. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. When Ryan Smith walked into Owl's Nest Books in 2020 and asked for a job, Susan Hare made a surprising prediction to her husband, Michael. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Michael Hare had co-owned Calgary's oldest independent bookstore since the mid-1990s, having taken it over from legendary bookseller Evelyn de Mille 20 years after it opened. After chatting with Smith, Susan told her husband that the bookish young man would likely own the store one day. To be clear, this was not an ambition that Smith had shared with Susan, nor was it one that he thought was particularly realistic at the time. But Susan had a feeling about him. Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again 'I think some time last year they finally told me that,' says Smith, who has co-owned the store since 2022. 'It was that first interview. They had a pretty good inkling of me, which was super wonderful to learn about.' Certainly, Smith's passion for books and literature was unquestionable. While studying at the University of Lethbridge, he served as editor-in-chief of the school's biannual, 53-year-old literary arts publication, Whetstone Magazine. While he initially planned to be a teacher, after graduating from the U of L, he studied publishing at Ryerson University and wrote his honours thesis on young adult dystopian and utopian literature. He returned to Calgary and spent two years working at Calgary-based Weigl Educational Publishers Limited. Michael and Susan Hare in their Britannia bookstore, Owl's Nest Books, in 2015. Postmedia file photo But when he first met the Hares, he was in his mid-20s and knew nothing about running a business. It wasn't until Michael sat him down one day in 2021 and floated the idea that he take over as co-owner of the bookstore that it seemed like a reachable goal. 'I tell people owning a bookstore wasn't a dream, it was a fantasy,' says Smith, who turned 30 in February. 'It was one of those things where you're like, 'Oh, wouldn't it be great. A little cat on the shelf like it is in the movies.' And then for the opportunity to actually show up, it was 'Wow, everybody talks about it, but I can actually do it.' I couldn't say no, and it's been a dream come true every day since.' Smith bought out Michael's shares. Susan still works at the store, but her shares were eventually bought by Judith Duthie, who had served as general manager of Owl's Nest from 2008 to 2019. Duthie and Smith are among a small group of owners who have overseen the bookstore since it first opened in 1975, part of a continuum that has ensured Owl's Nest maintains its community-minded approach and passion for books and book lovers that de Mille established when she opened it with James Highborough-Ross as a 450-square foot shop on Bow Trail. This advertisement has not loaded yet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. From June 6 to 8, Smith and Duthie and their staff will hold various events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Owl's Nest. One of them will be called Michael Hare: It's Been A Hoot, a June 7 chat between Smith and his predecessor about the colourful history of the store that Hare has written as a memoir. Hare took over from de Mille in 1996 with then partner Brenda Mackie. It was moved to its current location at Britannia Plaza early on in its tenure. Susan, who married Hare not long after he took over from de Mille, eventually bought out Mackie's shares and the couple ran the bookstore together as both a labour of love and a tribute to de Mille's initial vision. De Mille, who died in 2013 at the age of 94, was a towering figure and pioneer in Canadian bookselling. She opened her first bookstore in Calgary in 1956 and became the first woman in Canada to create a bookstore chain. It eventually grew to five locations, which included Vancouver. She sold the stores in 1973 and helped open Owl's Nest a few years later as a silent partner due to a non-compete clause in the sale. Hare was groomed to run the business by de Mille, who showed him the ropes for a few years before agreeing to let him take over the reins. Still, it's doubtful either of them foresaw the changes that were coming for booksellers. Susan Hare, school and corporate order specialist and Ryan Smith, co-owner of Owl's Nest Books, are celebrating its 50th anniversary in Calgary. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia As co-owners, the Hares and Mackie weathered the arrival of big-box book retailers, Amazon and eReaders such as Kobo and Kindle. Their history involves an expansion in 2002 to include Owlets, which was focused on children's literature and gifts, and then a reduction in 2019 to remove it when running a store of that size was no longer economically feasible. Owl's Nest has weathered Calgary's 2013 flood, which greatly impacted business at the store, as did the economic woes that came when oil prices crashed in 2014. The most recent threat to the store's new owners has been the impact of a potential trade war with the U.S. under President Donald Trump, which could have a devastating effect on independent booksellers since many books are printed or stored in the United States. It has led to a campaign spearheaded by the Canadian Independent Booksellers Association to keep books exempt from tariffs. It's all a reminder that selling books can be a precarious business and a bit of a rollercoaster ride. While Owl's Nest has not been immune, it seems to have been better equipped than some to weather the storms. In 1997, just a year after Hare took over Owl's Nest, Chapters and Indigo began opening in Calgary. According to a 2002 Postmedia column by David Parker that quoted Hare, Calgary lost 11 independent bookstores after these juggernauts arrived in the city. But Hare says he never feared the big box stores because of the community and type of service Owl's Nest had established under de Mille. There was just no comparison. 'I said, I don't care if Chapter's opens 10 or 12 bookstores, it doesn't matter, we're OK,' says Hare in a recent interview. 'We're going to be OK always because we provide a different type of experience, a different kind of customer service.' Hare, who sold his shares to Smith in 2022 but had stepped away from day-to-day operations in 2017, credits the loyal customer base for taking the lead in establishing Owl's Nest as a hub for book lovers. The local author readings? The book clubs? Those midnight openings in the early aughts to celebrate new Harry Potter titles? They were all driven by patrons who had built up a lengthy relationship with the store. 'Brenda and I had no concept of running an author event or book readings or signings or book clubs, we just wanted a frigging book store,' Hare says. 'All that stuff came from customers. I was just the face of the store out there, talking to people all the time. I would just pick up on all this stuff. One thing leads to another. It was never 'Michael's brilliant idea.' ' These days, the community is strong and growing. Some of that is thanks to the new owners and staff bolstering the store's social media presence in the past few years. Owl's Nest has a particularly lively Instagram account with thousands of followers. Posts cover everything from staff picks to new releases, information about book clubs and goofy videos starring the staff. It's all overseen by social media co-ordinator Jen Fedorowich, who was hired three years ago to help capture a new digital community of book lovers. A few years back, they started flocking to BookTok, a subset of TikTok that has users posting videos about their passion for books, and Bookstagram, a community with the same focus on Instagram. 'We wanted to be sure we were better participating in that side of things, reaching a younger audience and that BookTok, Bookstagram audience,' Smith says. 'She handles all that. She is interacting with people on there. That was the big thing for us to be able to more actively engage, responding to people's questions and comments and the fun trends. She does a really good job of getting us involved in the goofier trends that are going on out there and shooting some videos. We now see some very dedicated customers that we have found through social media.' That said, there is still an emphasis on community-building within the walls of Owl's Nest. The store holds three Book Club Discussion Nights in May, where each staff member makes multiple recommendations of books they have discovered that year and invites customers into the store to hear them pontificate about them 'for hours,' Smith says. There is a book club dedicated to mysteries called Hootdunnit, which began in 1997, and QUEEReads YYC – a monthly meeting that focuses on books connected to the LGBTQQIP2SAA community. Meanwhile, the store offers book fairs that they bring into Calgary schools on massive rolling shelves. It's all about securing its future by reaching out to younger, more diverse communities. As for the near future, Smith admits the threat of tariffs and counter-tariffs became a major concern in April. The majority of books sold in Canadian bookstores, even those by Canadian authors, often rely on U.S. printers and warehouses for distribution. Smith says he is satisfied that books are 'out of the line of fire at the moment.' One of the specific upsides of the 'elbows up' movement against Trump's bumbling attempts at a trade war has been an increased interest in Canadian and local authors, Smith says. Not that this is new. Loyalty, whether to local or Canadian authors or the store itself, has been a 40-year hallmark of the Owl's Nest community. Understanding that community has always been a prerequisite for owning the store that hosts it. 'It was great to see the parallels to how Michael took over the store, in that it wasn't just show up and sign on the dotted line, and Mrs. de Mille called it a day,' Smith says. 'Mrs. de Mille worked with Michael to make sure he was comfortable with the store, knew what was going on and the clientele. Michael did the same for me in that I spent those first two years getting to know the store and how it works and the clientele and the community of the store before we were all comfortable with me starting to take on the reins.'
Canada Standard
29-05-2025
- Business
- Canada Standard
Most Canadians Don't See Pipelines as 'Be All-End All', Carney Declares
Canada's energy future need not begin and end with pipelines, Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a major media interview Tuesday, just hours after King Charles III read a Speech from the Throne that envisioned the country as the "world's leading energy superpower in both clean and conventional energy." In conversation with CBC's Power & Politics host David Cochrane, the PM "reiterated he believes the industry should not revolve solely around the conventional oil and gas pipelines that have long fuelled political debate out West," CBC reports. "Carney said his new government will be focused on diversifying the energy sector beyond its roots in Alberta's oilpatch to include other, clean energy resources from across the country," the national broadcaster writes. "He did not rule out pipelines as part of the discussion, but said he doesn't believe most Canadians see those projects as the be all-end all option." "It's remarkable. In some circles, this conversation starts and ends with pipelines," Carney told Cochrane. "But that's what it has become politically," Cochrane replied. View our latest digests "No, that is not what it's become politically," Carney retorted. "That is not what it's become for Canada. Canada as a nation." "Canadians, yes, they want energy pipelines that make sense," the PM added. "They also want connections between our clean grids. They want actually less carbon, so they want carbon capture and storage... they want broader [mineral exporting] corridors, for example... that open up whole swaths of the country to new trade so that we are sovereign in the most important components of the future." Last Friday, in what CBC described as a "boisterous speech" to a sold-out business audience in Calgary, newly-appointed Energy Minister Tim Hodgson stoked fears that climate impacts, environmental assessment, and Indigenous consent might be shunted aside in the major "nation-building" projects the government has pledged to pursue. "Energy is power," Hodgson told participants. "Energy is Canada's power. It gives us an opportunity to build the strongest economy in the G7, guide the world in the right direction, and be strong when we show up at a negotiation table." Hodgson pledged a two-year approval window for major projects, rather than five, declaring that "I want to be very clear. In the new economy we are building, Canada will no longer be defined by delay. We will be defined by delivery." But while Calgary Herald columnist Chris Varcoe followed up Hodgson's remarks with a list of oil and gas projects that should be on Ottawa's priority list, two lawyers at Torys LLP see a different set of priorities taking shape. "With Prime Minister Carney and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre offering contrasting climate strategies, the election outcome sets the course for how Canada navigates its climate transition," write Torys associate Caroline Marful and partner Tyson Dyck, in a post originally published by the Institute of Corporate Directors. "Carney's win signals continuity, but also renewal-and a sharpened focus on investment-driven climate action." Marful and Dyck foresee the new government operating through executive and regulatory power if a minority parliament makes it more difficult to pass legislation, and list three "policy anchors and priorities" that Team Carney will likely pursue-stronger carbon markets through an enhanced industrial carbon pricing regime, advancing carbon dioxide removal technologies, and introducing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAMs) as a tariff on carbon-intensive imports. "Carney's platform promised the development of CBAMs as a protective measure for Canada's energy-intensive and trade-exposed sectors," they write. "However, CBAMs are diplomatically delicate. Without coordination among major trading partners, they risk sparking protectionist backlash." Climate analysts also caution that CBAMs risk perpetuating historical inequities to Global South nations by shutting them out of trade deals among wealthier countries. While a Canadian carbon border adjustment isn't likely to materialize in the near term, the Torys lawyers say, "the inclusion of CBAMs in the [Liberals' election] platform signals a maturing climate-trade agenda." The post cites clean investment tax credits (ITCs) and the former Trudeau government's long-delayed cap on oil and gas sector emissions as "two additional flashpoints" to watch. In a blog post Wednesday, the Canadian Climate Institute identified industrial carbon pricing and the clean electricity ITCs as two of four quick wins the government should pursue in its first 100 days, along with methane regulations and a made-in-Canada climate taxonomy for the financial sector. Source: The Energy Mix
Calgary Herald
27-05-2025
- Calgary Herald
One person dead after domestic shooting in southwest Calgary
A Calgary Police Service SUV is shown outside headquarters in northeast Calgary on Feb. 27, 2025. Jim Wells/Postmedia One person is dead and another injured in what city police are calling a domestic incident in the city's southwest. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors At 8:40 a.m. police reported they'd responded to a shooting in a home on the 0-100 block of Patterson Cl. S.W. 'One individual was transported to hospital in non-life threatening condition. A second individual is deceased,' police said in a statement. There's no risk to the public and police will continue to invesitagte.
