This is Calgary

How much do you know about the history of the Stampede Grounds? It's a trip! This week, Jenny talks to Calgary Stampede CEO Joel Cowley about how the grounds first took shape (hint: farming!) and evolved into a 200-plus-acre extravaganza of Western culture (and a lot more). Joel talks about some of his favourite historic spots on the site, the challenges of running such a major event in the middle...

It's Canada Day - a celebration of our nationhood. But as parades, barbecues, and concerts take place in provinces and territories across the country... there's talk out west about separation - and that feeling is spreading. As Alberta gears up for a referendum on separation this fall, we head to Saskatchewan, where a similar, though much smaller movement is afloat. The Saskatchewan Prosperity Pro...

Call it a decibel showdown. Things came to a head this week over late-night concert noise during the upcoming Calgary Stampede . An urgent debate was held at City Hall, and even Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre weighed in. In this episode, Loren takes you through the twists and turns of this fast-moving story, and what downtown Calgary residents -- an...

Guess what Calgary finds itself right plunk in the middle of? Hail Alley - an area of central and southern Alberta that’s well known for producing hail storms. And some parts of the city are more prone to hail than others. This week, Loren talks to Calgarians who’ve experienced the damaging effects of hail on their homes and community, as well as an insurance expert on the financial impacts of hai...

Corner stores have been slowly disappearing from Calgary neighbourhoods... but, thanks to changing community expectations, and an update to YYC development rules, there's potential for a comeback. This week, Loren chats with CBC Calgary journalist Helen Pike, who's been talking to retailers, developers, and the City of Calgary on what's happening. For more on the history and the future of corner s...

Calgary mayor Jeromy Farkas wants a police station downtown, citing concerns around public safety, and an absence of adequate public policing in the core. But it was less than nine years ago that the Calgary Police Service closed its downtown location: the Victoria Park police station on 11th Avenue Southeast. What happened? This week, Loren gets into some of the history with Evan Woolley, who was...

Calgary has more than 40 kilometres of missing sidewalks! How did that happen? And what's the city doing to fix it? This week, Loren talks to Jen Malzer, City of Calgary Leader of Community Projects, about how they're working to add those missing links, and the challenges of retrofitting streets with sidewalks decades later. Plus, we visit spots with new sidewalks, to see what pedestrians think.

For Sale signs are popping up like tulips on residential properties all over the city. But – is it a buyer’s market? Or a seller’s market? Actually, BOTH. And talk of Alberta separating factors into the equation. This week, Loren talks to real estate agent Nadine Faule about what’s happening with Calgary's housing market – especially given the glut of condos up for grabs – and whether spring is st...

For decades, Calgarians have been able to ride the C-Train free along a 10-block stretch of 7th Avenue downtown. That might be about to change. The city's infrastructure and planning committee just voted to eliminate the FFZ... and city council will debate and decide what to do later this month. Catch up with Loren on what's been happening, and hear some of the voices for and against eliminating t...

Calgary has longed for a large multisport fieldhouse for nearly 20 years -- and the city has $109 million dollars earmarked for the project. So, what’s the hold up? In this week’s episode, host Loren McGinnis talks to Jason Zaran, chair of the Calgary Multisport Fieldhouse Society, about why Calgary needs the facility, and why they need the province to commit funding asap.

Yes, it really IS almost done! The Glenbow, Calgary's flagship art and history museum, has been undergoing a major transformation, and is set to reopen sometime in 2027. So - how's it looking? Jenny got to poke around inside with some curatorial staff.

The Calgary Drop-In Centre provides a place to sleep for hundreds of unhoused Calgarians every night. But the D.I. is now being pressured to leave the East Village, in part because of concerns about crime and social disorder in the downtown. This is Calgary producer Liz Withey joins Jenny to talk about what's happening with YYC's biggest emergency shelter.

Calgary city council just passed a motion 12-3 to repeal blanket rezoning. City councillors Andrew Yule (Ward 3) and Nathaniel Schmidt (Ward 8) were two of the councillors who voted against it. This is Calgary host Jenny finds out why they weren't in favour of the repeal, and hears some of their thoughts on what this means for housing in our growing city.

What makes Chicken on the Way such an institution in Calgary? This is Calgary host Jenny Howe wanted to find out more about the restaurant, which has been part of Calgary's food scene since 1958, and is still owned by the same family! In this episode, Jenny talks history with owner Russ Dunn, makes legendary corn fritters with manager Haley Andela, and hears why some customers have been eating her...

Come "Inside The Classroom" with This is Calgary host Jenny Howe and CBC producer Elise Stolte. In January, Elise reached out to thousands of Alberta teachers to find out more about classroom complexity across the province, including here in Calgary. Through survey responses from 6,000 educators, she learned a lot about the challenges of being a teacher -- and a school kid. Listen to the takeaways...

The Alberta government has announced a date for closure of Calgary's only supervised drug consumption site in the Beltline. This week on This is Calgary, we'll hear from Alberta's Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, Rick Wilson, and Dr. Monty Ghosh, a Calgary physician who specializes in addiction medicine.

For the first time in decades, Calgary has municipal political parties represented at city hall. There are coucillors from three parties: The Calgary Party, A Better Calgary, and Communities First. And so far - they aren’t always voting on party lines. This week, host Jenny Howe talks to CBC Calgary municipal affairs reporter Brendan Coulter about why that is - and how Calgary compares to some oth...

Calgary Transit has had a Free Fare Zone along 7th Avenue for decades. It started as an experiment in the late 70s, before we even had an LRT, and has become part of the city's downtown identity. But - should we keep it? The FFZ is currently being reviewed. This week, host Jenny Howe speaks with Sprawl founder Jeremy Klaszus about the history, benefits, and prospects of the Free Fare Zone.

The Alberta government just tabled the 2026 budget, with an anticipated deficit of $9.4 billion dollars. This Is Calgary host Jenny Howe sits down with Darren Krause, founder and editor of LiveWire Calgary, to hear all about what is (and isn’t!) in the budget for our city, and what city council has to say about it so far.

Two Ukrainians who immigrated to Calgary after the 2022 Russian invasion talk about their lives in our city, what they think about the ongoing war in Ukraine, and what it's like to feel torn between two homes. Captain Mykhailo Lomov is the senior ship captain of the S.S. Moyie paddlewheel boat at Heritage Park, and Snizhana Bora is the co-founder and director of ARTis Theatre, a Ukrainian theatre...

Plus, the struggles of the Northern Hills Community Association. In Calgary, some community associations are making a play to revive their numbers, after volunteers and memberships have dwindled.

Most Calgarians remember the 1988 Olympics as a success for the city — and for what they got built. Hello new CTrain line, Saddledome and Olympic Oval! But when the city had the chance to host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Calgarians said no. In this episode, we explore why the No Calgary Olympics campaign prevailed and what it might take to become an Olympic city for a second time.

Tariffs, separatism and federal election speculation — this episode has it all! West of Centre podcast host Kathleen Petty joins This is Calgary to break down some of the big stories from the weekend's Conservative Party convention held right here in cowtown. Listen to our past episode on this city's tendency to vote blue, here .

The biggest night in Calgary varsity sports is here — the Crowchild Classic. This week, we set the stage for the matchup, look at how the event has evolved over the years, and hear from standout players on both the University of Calgary Dinos and the Mount Royal University Cougars hockey teams.

When it comes to Calgary's infrastructure, there’s a big gap between what needs to be done and the money needed to do it. In the wake of a second major water main break, we look at why municipalities across the country face similar issues, and we hear from former Ward 12 councillor Evan Spencer, who tried to raise alarms about this very issue while on council.