After hearing from you, I'm sponsoring a motion from Councillor Wyness to restrict and regulate large AI data centres in Calgary. That includes stopping new applications while we get those rules in place.

More than 80% of Canada's proposed data centre capacity is planned for Alberta.

That means billions of dollars in potential investment and new jobs. But these massive facilities also use huge amounts of electricity and water.

There are concerns about pollution and noise. Some estimates suggest that even one large data centre could increase Albertans' utility bills by hundreds of dollars a year.

We cannot keep adding new demands to our infrastructure without making sure we have the capacity to handle them. Our water crisis made that painfully clear. 

That's why I'm working with Councillors Wyness, Dhaliwal, Yule and Pantazopoulos to bring forward this motion.

We want to protect our water supply and limit pollution. We also want to make sure these facilities are built in the right places, away from neighbourhoods where they would cause problems.

Most importantly, companies need to pay for the infrastructure they use. Calgary families should not be stuck paying higher bills to support billion-dollar developments.

If the owners of these facilities can solve these problems, I am more than happy to work with them.

I want Calgary to lead in new technology. I want us to attract investment and create good jobs.

But if companies are going to reap massive profits in our city, we expect them to pay their way. We expect them to protect our water supply and respect our communities.

Calgary is open for business, but we're not open to being taken advantage of.

EDIT: You can also check out our AMA from today https://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/s/dq4Syxee03

A car in the pickup line doesn’t tell you what’s in someone’s bank account. And emergency access to food doesn’t mean there’s no verification process. Here’s what the Calgary Food Bank’s research found:

1. “If they drive a nice car, they don’t need the food bank.”
Researchers observed 308 vehicles across six sessions. The average vehicle was 12 years old, 93.5% weren’t from premium brands, and just 1.6% were premium-brand vehicles less than five years old.

Someone might also be borrowing a car, getting a ride, or dealing with a job loss after buying their vehicle. In a sprawling city like Calgary, keeping a car can be essential for getting to work and picking up food. A recognizable badge isn’t proof of financial security.

2. “Anyone can keep getting hampers without any screening.”
According to the report, households can receive three hampers per year without providing income documentation, so people facing a short-term crisis can get help quickly. Those needing more than three hampers annually are asked to verify their household’s low-income status with supporting documents.

Of those who pursued verification, only 7.6% did not fall below the poverty threshold. The process balances quick access in an emergency with verification for ongoing support.

Bottom line: You can’t judge someone’s need from the parking lot, and low-barrier emergency help isn’t the same as unlimited, unverified access.

Read the full reports here: https://www.calgaryfoodbank.com/resources/#:~:text=Serving%20Up%20Facts,Canning%20Assumptions

This is purely out of curiosity

I've lived in Calgary for a big chunk of my life and have left and come back several times to see more and more sprawl, yet people keep complaining about rising taxes and crumbling infrastructure.

To me it's obvious, build up! I don't know why many North Americans associate density with "a shoebox in the sky" when in reality the most dense cities on earth such as Paris have relatively few skyscrapers. You can have a house sized flat in buildings only 5-6 stories that would greatly increase the profitability of neighbourhoods both for the city in terms of higher transit ridership, less infrastructure to maintain, but also people's taxes would decrease, services would be closer and you'd have more services in a smaller area.

I'm not opposed to sprawl and I understand many people come to Calgary for the suburban house but at the same time the city is beginning to crumble under its own outward growth

TLDR - density doesn't mean shoebox flat and it increases services and their efficiency while lowering taxes.

The water utility changes also recommend increases for residential properties of up to 74 per cent in the next budget cycle.

Rate increases for drinking water, stormwater and wastewater are needed to help cover the $6.5 billion in capital investments to repair or replace Calgary’s aging water infrastructure, the report reads.

…because of all the smooth brained drivers in the middle lane who come to a complete stop hoping to late merge into the Glenmore Trail exit. Like the gray minivan in my video.

Hopefully some of this behaviour simmers down once construction is complete.

EDIT: THANK YOU TO EVERYONE! We really appreciate your amazing questions, and willingness to dig into the research. We are running out of time for today, but will hopefully will be back for our next release! If you have questions in the meantime we will try and monitor this post for a few days and answer as they pop up.

We research food insecurity at the Calgary Food Bank. Our latest studies examine wellbeing, older adults, and common myths about food bank use. Ask us anything!

Hi Reddit! We’re researchers with the Calgary Food Bank, and we’ve recently completed three research projects looking at food insecurity from very different angles: wellbeing, food insecurity among older adults, and common myths about people who use food banks.

Here are a few findings that might surprise you:

• Wellbeing: In our Feed to Flourish study of 1,878 survey respondents, 55% of surveyed households were severely food insecure, 98% were concerned about meeting day-to-day expenses, and 40% had to choose between food and another necessity every month.
• Older adults: Our Food Insecurity Doesn’t Retire research found that 64% of retired respondents experienced food insecurity for the first time after retirement, while 80% of respondents who had not retired said they could not financially afford to do so.
• Myth: “If someone drives a nice car, they shouldn’t need a food bank.” We observed 308 vehicles in the food bank’s hamper distribution line. The average vehicle was 12 years old, and only 1.6% were newer premium vehicles.
• Myth: “Anyone can use the food bank indefinitely without screening.” Our research examined the Calgary Food Bank’s income-verification process and found that among adults who completed verification, only 92.4% fell below the low-income threshold.

Together, these studies help paint a more complete picture of who experiences food insecurity, what it means for people’s lives, and why some common assumptions about food bank use don’t reflect the evidence.

Please keep questions respectful and avoid sharing identifying information about yourself or others. We can discuss the research, but can’t provide individual advice or discuss anyone’s service records.

If you need food support, you can find more information on our website: Need Food? Get Your Food Hamper | Calgary Food Bank

Knowing how to make a healthy meal isn’t the same as being able to afford the ingredients.

In Calgary Food Bank’s Feed to Flourish study:

• 94% of respondents said someone in their household had the skills to cook healthy meals.
• 92% said someone knew how to create healthy meals.
• Among 748 respondents who completed a food literacy questionnaire, scores didn’t differ significantly by food insecurity severity.

Interviewees described cooking as a way to save money, connect with family and enjoy food. The barrier they kept raising? Affordability.

Food skills matter. But a recipe can’t fix a grocery budget that doesn’t stretch far enough.

Read the full report here: https://www.calgaryfoodbank.com/resources/#:~:text=Feed%20To%20Flourish

These findings describe participating food bank clients, not all Calgarians.

EDIT: You can also check out our AMA from today! https://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/s/dq4Syxee03

Food or rent. Groceries or transportation. For 40% of respondents in a Calgary Food Bank study, choosing between food and other necessities happens every month.

The October 2026 report, Feed to Flourish, draws on interviews with 31 clients and survey responses from 1,878 clients. Here are some key findings:

• 55% of respondents’ households experienced severe food insecurity over the past year. That can mean cutting meal sizes, skipping meals or going whole days without eating.
• 98% were concerned about meeting day-to-day expenses. And 69% had used savings or borrowed money to buy food in the past year.
• More severe food insecurity was associated with poorer wellbeing. Respondents in severely food insecure households reported lower physical, mental, social and food-related wellbeing. Financial wellbeing was similarly strained across food security categories.
• Knowing how to cook wasn’t the main issue. Most respondents said someone in their household had the skills to cook healthy meals (94%) and the knowledge to create them (92%). Interview participants repeatedly pointed to affordability as the barrier.
• Food support offered breathing room, but gaps remained. Interviewees described relief from stress and more room in their budgets for other essentials. Yet some households still reported skipping meals or going without food despite receiving support.

The takeaway: These findings point to a problem that goes well beyond an empty fridge. People described knowing what they wanted to cook, but not having the money to buy it—and juggling other basic needs at the same time.

Read the full report here: https://www.calgaryfoodbank.com/resources/#:~:text=Feed%20To%20Flourish

Important context: These results describe participating Calgary Food Bank clients, not all Calgarians. The is also an observational study, and identifies associations, not causation

I've noticed a lot of posts in this subreddit about potholes, overgrown grass, broken sidewalks, transit issues, graffiti, missed garbage pickup, and similar problems.

I'm genuinely curious: if you've posted about one of these issues without also reporting it to 311 or the appropriate City department, what led you to do that?

My understanding is that reporting an issue through 311 gives the City a direct opportunity to address it. Posting on Reddit can raise awareness from your neighbours or generate discussion, but it doesn't necessarily get the problem in front of the people who can fix it.

I'm not criticizing anyone for posting. I'm interested in understanding why people choose one approach over the other, or why they might choose Reddit instead of reporting the issue directly.

Looking for ideas that are simple and not a whole production.

Could be a walk, coffee spot, view, casual activity, or anything that feels worth doing without turning it into a full-day plan. I’m trying to find more easy weekend options that don’t involve spending a ton.

EDIT: You can also check out our AMA from today https://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/s/dq4Syxee03

In our recent Feed to Flourish study, interviewees described meat and fresh produce as luxuries they couldn’t afford.

That stood out. Not fancy meals, just ingredients for dinner.

The survey adds some context:

• 69% of respondents used savings or borrowed money to buy food in the past year.
• 40% had to choose between food and other necessities every month.
• 94% said someone in their household had the skills to cook healthy meals.

Knowing how to cook doesn’t help much when the ingredients are out of reach.

Read the full report here: https://www.calgaryfoodbank.com/resources/#:~:text=Feed%20To%20Flourish

These findings describe participating food bank clients, not all Calgarians.

What used to be a normal grocery purchase for you but is now an “only if it’s on sale” item—or something you’ve stopped buying altogether? How has that changed what you eat?

Do people care if you are a teenager and want to dress up to go trick or treating. Also, why do people care? Halloween is a fun time and something that everyone should be able to enjoy. Basically, my friend group and I are older teenagers and want to go out but don't want to be judged at every house and possibly turned away.

So it started with finding discarded peanut shells when raking or digging in my backyard. I assumed it was just mess from the previous owners; we find endless bottle caps and other trash loosely buried in the yard. Then I started finding them in the front yard. I assumed it was the squirrels picking them up and moving them. Now on a walk this morning I found peanut shells littered on the sidewalk.

Where are the peanut shells coming from?!?

Does any other community have random peanut shells everywhere or is this a uniquely Bowness problem? 🙃

With just a few days left and many of us still getting Halloween treats I encourage my fellow Calgarian's in getting some non-food treats for kids with severe food sensitivities or other sensory issues. Make some kids Halloween extra special by making them feel included.

Don't forget to register your address with The Teal Pumpkin Project so they can find you.

Is anyone else experiencing issues with PC express?? This is the third week in a row where my groceries are coming at any time (if they come) instead of with in (or close to) the window.

I have called the store and they keep saying our groceries are coming next and they are having software issues.

I just wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same or if it is localized to my location.

Hi! I'm looking for opportunities for a youth group of about 20 teens to volunteer, could be either a one off or long term. We already make sandwiches for a shelter once a month. We meet weekly in the evening. We'd love to do something special around Christmas as well. We are already visiting a long term care facility 4 times a year as well.

Does anyone know where medical supplies can be donated - such as syringes, feeding tubes, derm tape and such.

I have tried drop ins and seniors facilities which said they don’t take them.

TIA!

I'm 9 weeks pregnant (first pregnancy), and thinking about doing pelvic floor physical therapy to help with pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. If any pregnant ladies or recent moms have recommendations for pelvic floor physiotherapists in the NW I would love to know.

Also going to register for prenatal yoga, and considering the city's prenatal aquafit classes. Also curious how other women prep and the types of things people found helpful?

Will also be doing the AB health birth and babies class.

Thanks in advance!

Hello! Please drop your recommendations for clubs to go to on Halloween this weekend! I don’t have a budget for tickets and am looking for Halloween themed club nights. Thank you!

I know there's a couple makerspaces in the city which have options for 3d printing, electronics and such, but it costs money to access AFAIK, I have 0 actual skill and I'd like to get some stuff done before christmas, so I'm thinking of commissioning them instead.

(Specifically, one of those plug-in "dummy" batteries for phones so that you don't need to use the actual batteries)

Where can I find people who can do this sort of thing? Or is my best hope to go on facebook instead and ask around there?

Hey y’all was just wondering if anyone had any extra tickets for the CJSW halloween party on saturday, as it’s sold out. Much appreciated!