Latest news with #UniversityOfCalgary
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Calgary archeology program sheds light on province's pre-contact history
With a history spanning well over 10,000 years, Alberta is a prime location for those looking to uncover ancient ways of living. A Calgary archeology program is shedding some more light on that history while giving aspiring archeologists hands-on experience in the field. Running from May 15 to June 4, the program is a partnership between the university and the City of Calgary. Last year's field school took place in Nose Hill Park, while this year brought students to Edworthy Park in southwest Calgary. It's a great opportunity to both train students and educate the public about the long-term history of Calgary and Alberta, said Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer, assistant professor with the University of Calgary anthropology and archeology department. "This site actually has been known since the '70s. It's just never been excavated," she said of the Edworthy Park dig. "A big part of why we're doing it in park spaces is so we get the random dog walkers coming by, and we can talk to them about the history that's here," said Amundsen-Meyer. The findings have yet to be radiocarbon dated for a precise age, but according to Amundsen-Meyer, it's an Indigenous pre-contact site. "Right now we don't know how old this site is, but we do know that within the city of Calgary, there are sites that stretch back from the contact. Fort Calgary, all the way back eight, even nine thousand years … if we look at the province as a whole, we're talking 13,000 years or more." Many people going for walks in Edworthy Park might not realize the archeological significance of sites like this, or other sites across the province, which makes outreach a central part of the program. "That's older than Stonehenge, older than the pyramids, right? So there is a time depth here that I think is really important to understand," said Amundsen-Meyer. Findings at the site include bifaces (used as knives), choppers (designed to disarticulate carcasses), scrapers (meant to remove meat from hides) and other stone tools. They're fascinating, but nothing out of the ordinary for a site like this, she said. "Most of what we're finding is what we call lithics. And lithics are basically both stone tools and the garbage from making stone tools," she said. By giving students hand-on experience, they're joining the work force with a significant head start. "There's actually a labour market shortage in archeology and cultural resource management right now," said Amundsen-Meyer. "So we're feeding a lot of students straight into industry and straight into jobs. If we can train them better here, they're better prepared." Working with Indigenous partners is a central aspect of the program, with every dig being preceded by a ceremony and guidance from elders representing multiple First Nations communities playing a key role in shaping participants' understanding of Indigenous culture. "All of those pieces are showing how those descendant communities still have connections to this land, to this place and to sites like this," said Amundsen-Meyer. "I've had elders tell me more than once: you have to have truth before reconciliation," she said. "Part of that is definitely about residential schools, but I think part of it is also about educating people about the long term history of this place." Joining the University of Calgary archeology students at the Edworthy Park site are three Indigenous youth hired to work alongside the team and train as archeologists. "In my opinion, we shouldn't be doing archeology without connecting to those descendant communities," said Amundsen-Meyer. One of those young archeologists, Taren Crowchief of the Siksika Nation, is now in his fourth year with the program. "It helped me see my history and the past, and just everything about Alberta a lot differently ever since I started doing this," he said. His work with the program has helped him look at his people and ancestors in a new light. "I'd always be going through fields back at home on the reserve, and I wouldn't really think much of it. But now when I do go through it, I can't help but just look at every little thing, every little detail," he said. "It's honestly so amazing just to see things so differently."
CBC
a day ago
- General
- CBC
Calgary archeology program sheds light on province's pre-contact history
With a history spanning well over 10,000 years, Alberta is a prime location for those looking to uncover ancient ways of living. A Calgary archeology program is shedding some more light on that history while giving aspiring archeologists hands-on experience in the field. Running from May 15 to June 4, the program is a partnership between the university and the City of Calgary. Last year's field school took place in Nose Hill Park, while this year brought students to Edworthy Park in southwest Calgary. It's a great opportunity to both train students and educate the public about the long-term history of Calgary and Alberta, said Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer, assistant professor with the University of Calgary anthropology and archeology department. "This site actually has been known since the '70s. It's just never been excavated," she said of the Edworthy Park dig. "A big part of why we're doing it in park spaces is so we get the random dog walkers coming by, and we can talk to them about the history that's here," said Amundsen-Meyer. The findings have yet to be radiocarbon dated for a precise age, but according to Amundsen-Meyer, it's an Indigenous pre-contact site. "Right now we don't know how old this site is, but we do know that within the city of Calgary, there are sites that stretch back from the contact. Fort Calgary, all the way back eight, even nine thousand years … if we look at the province as a whole, we're talking 13,000 years or more." Many people going for walks in Edworthy Park might not realize the archeological significance of sites like this, or other sites across the province, which makes outreach a central part of the program. "That's older than Stonehenge, older than the pyramids, right? So there is a time depth here that I think is really important to understand," said Amundsen-Meyer. Findings at the site include bifaces (used as knives), choppers (designed to disarticulate carcasses), scrapers (meant to remove meat from hides) and other stone tools. They're fascinating, but nothing out of the ordinary for a site like this, she said. "Most of what we're finding is what we call lithics. And lithics are basically both stone tools and the garbage from making stone tools," she said. By giving students hand-on experience, they're joining the work force with a significant head start. "There's actually a labour market shortage in archeology and cultural resource management right now," said Amundsen-Meyer. "So we're feeding a lot of students straight into industry and straight into jobs. If we can train them better here, they're better prepared." Indigenous engagement is key focus Working with Indigenous partners is a central aspect of the program, with every dig being preceded by a ceremony and guidance from elders representing multiple First Nations communities playing a key role in shaping participants' understanding of Indigenous culture. "All of those pieces are showing how those descendant communities still have connections to this land, to this place and to sites like this," said Amundsen-Meyer. "I've had elders tell me more than once: you have to have truth before reconciliation," she said. "Part of that is definitely about residential schools, but I think part of it is also about educating people about the long term history of this place." Joining the University of Calgary archeology students at the Edworthy Park site are three Indigenous youth hired to work alongside the team and train as archeologists. "In my opinion, we shouldn't be doing archeology without connecting to those descendant communities," said Amundsen-Meyer. One of those young archeologists, Taren Crowchief of the Siksika Nation, is now in his fourth year with the program. "It helped me see my history and the past, and just everything about Alberta a lot differently ever since I started doing this," he said. His work with the program has helped him look at his people and ancestors in a new light. "I'd always be going through fields back at home on the reserve, and I wouldn't really think much of it. But now when I do go through it, I can't help but just look at every little thing, every little detail," he said. "It's honestly so amazing just to see things so differently."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Weekend warriors can see benefits from fewer, longer workouts: study
New research from the University of Calgary suggests you don't have to hit the gym five times a week to meet your fitness goals. As Kyle Benning reports, a few longer weekend workouts can be just as effective.
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
UCalgary students turn Edworthy Park into archaeological dig site
University of Calgary students are learning out at one of the city's parks, and hope to give Calgarians a glimpse into a past right under their feet. University of Calgary students are learning out at one of the city's parks, and hope to give Calgarians a glimpse into a past right under their feet. A partnership between the city and students from the University of Calgary is digging up a piece of the city's past. For two weeks, the students have been digging, sifting and sweeping an area of Edworthy Park in the southwest. Bit by bit, layer by layer, they're looking to uncover pieces of history. 'Archeological resources are part of a cultural landscape, and they tell a story that most citizens and visitors are unaware of,' said Laureen Bryant, the city's cultural landscape planner. In what is now a dog park, the team is mapping out a stone circle of what is potentially a ceremonial or homestead site. So far, they've uncovered what's believed to be a bison bone and several pieces of old stone tools. 'I've grown up here, and just knowing that my roots come directly from the past and just... it's really intriguing and cool,' said Taren Crowchief, an archaeological research assistant. University of Calgary students are learning out at one of the city's parks, and hope to give Calgarians a glimpse into a past right under their feet. University of Calgary students are learning out at one of the city's parks, and hope to give Calgarians a glimpse into a past right under their feet. Crowchief is a member of Siksika Nation and says he was drawn to the work to gain a better understanding of where he comes from. 'I have a really big love for archeology, and just everything that this does is just intriguing. It has helped me see my history and the past and just everything about Alberta a lot differently,' he said. Edworthy Park was settled in the 1880s, and markets, quarries and farming covered the area. But its history goes far beyond that, with Indigenous peoples using the land for hunting and camping. 'That stone circle has been known since the 1970s, but there's never been any additional work here or additional subsurface testing,' explained Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer, a University of Calgary archaeology professor. 'We don't know how old this site is, but we do know that within the city of Calgary, there are sites that stretch back from the contact period, Fort Calgary, all the way back (8,000 or) 9,000 years,' she said. University of Calgary students are learning out at one of the city's parks, and hope to give Calgarians a glimpse into a past right under their feet. University of Calgary students are learning out at one of the city's parks, and hope to give Calgarians a glimpse into a past right under their feet. This is the second year of the partnership, and last year's dig was at Nose Hill Park. The work at Edworthy Park will continue into the first week of June, and Calgarians are encouraged to observe the dig and ask the students questions.
CBC
4 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Fluoride to be reintroduced in Calgary water starting next month
Social Sharing Fluoride will be reintroduced in Calgary's drinking water starting June 30, about 3½ years after Calgarians voted in favour of fluoridation in the October 2021 municipal election. The fluoridation process will supplement the natural fluoride in the Bow and Elbow Rivers, bringing it to "the optimal level of 0.7 milligrams per litre," the city said in a release. That's the fluoride level recommended by Health Canada's guidance for community water fluoridation. Health Canada is one of over 90 national and international governments and health organizations that endorse the fluoridation of drinking water. Fluoride supports oral health by replenishing minerals like calcium and phosphate on the surface of teeth, making enamel stronger and more resistant to acid, bacteria and tooth decay. The University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine conducted research on the subject in 2021. It found that among Grade 2 students in Calgary and Edmonton, children in Calgary were more likely to have cavities than those living in Edmonton, where water has been fluoridated since 1967. "Fluoridation benefits the community, especially those most vulnerable and without access to dental care," said the city. Fluoride has no effect on the taste, smell or appearance of drinking water. Plan years in the making The 2021 civic election included a referendum on fluoridation, and 62 per cent of those who voted expressed support for fluoride to be reintroduced to the city's drinking water. The city's newly elected council voted in favour of it the month after the election. Calgary's water supply was first fluoridated in 1991, with fluoride being added to the city's drinking water for three decades before council voted to end the process in 2011, the year the city's existing fluoridation infrastructure reached the end of its lifecycle. The 2021 decision resulted in upgrades to the city's infrastructure beginning in 2023, nearly two years after the motion was passed, before being postponed to 2024 and then postponed to this year. Those upgrades, including installation of new fluoride equipment at the Glenmore and Bearspaw water treatment plants, came with a $28.1-million price tag — and annual costs of $1 million. "This translates into less than 10 cents per person, per month. This is already funded through council-approved water rates. There is no support from property taxes," said the city. According to Alberta Health Services, "every $1 spent on community water fluoridation can save up to $93 per person in dental treatment costs." AHS endorses water fluoridation "as a foundational public health measure to prevent tooth decay and improve oral health." Calgary joins other Alberta municipalities such as Edmonton, Red Deer and Lethbridge that have water fluoridation. "The City of Calgary's highest priority is in delivering safe and reliable drinking water to citizens where we continue to meet or perform better than all drinking water regulations," said the city.
