SOCIAL CONNECTION & OUR MENTAL HEALTH: QUALITY NOT QUANTITY

By Carla Grundison

I asked family therapist, Stacey Nealon, and Distress Centre’s Mike Velthuis Kroeze to share their observations around our lack of social interaction in the past 18 months, and for ideas on how to stay connected as we move forward.

CONNECTION IS A PILLAR OF WELLNESS Socializing and connection is an imperative pillar to our physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing,’ Stacey shares. While diet and exercise often hog the limelight, ‘a good support system with deep meaningful connections is just as – if not more – important for good health.’ Mike adds that it’s not about how many people someone can interact with over the course of a day or week, but rather the quality…

377 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

ALBERTA’S ECONOMY: Hope on the Horizon

By Mario Toneguzzi

Everyone knows Alberta’s economy has gone through some tough and challenging times in recent years beginning with the collapse in oil prices in late 2014 and continuing on to the current ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But there is hope on the horizon – a light at the end of the tunnel – as the province is currently experiencing a firm, but still slow, economic recovery. According to the Alberta government’s mid-year fiscal update, the province’s real gross domestic product (GDP) is forecast to grow 6.1 per cent this year after contracting 7.9 per cent last year. “Next year, real GDP is forecast to expand 5.1 per cent and return to 2014 levels as the pandemic subsides further and the recovery…

385 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

The Boom in Alberta’s Film Industry: A Family Affair

By Danielle Rourke

The lights. The cameras. The action. These are the hallmarks of the film and television industry. Some of you might not realize just how massive the film industry currently is here in Alberta. Many of you may not guess that Covid actually improved the industry here, or that Alberta had its best year ever in 2020. Did you know that film and TV projects brought $482M to Alberta’s economy in 2021? And it’s not slowing down.

It makes sense when you consider that the biggest TV series ever to be shot in Canada, ‘The Last of Us’, is being filmed right here in Alberta. Other examples include films like Ghostbusters 3, Billy the Kid, Left Behind, and Let Him Go. There are tons of…

336 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Use It or Lose It – How are you shopping this season?

By Simon Rose

Ever since large chain stores began to appear decades ago, there’s always been talk of how these locations harm and eventually destroy small local businesses. We first saw this with the launch of department stores. Then came the advent of large grocery stores or supermarkets. People used to have to visit the butcher, the bakery, the greengrocer, and other individual stores that sold specific goods, but then things changed. Suddenly, people could buy most items all in one place, and all at the same time.

At first, the big grocery stores only sold food and a selection of things for the home, such as cleaning supplies or personal care products, but in recent decades they’ve…

388 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

THE NEW NORMAL FOR TRAVEL

BY MELISSA MACKEY

Melissa Mackey is no stranger to travel. With 17 years in the industry combined with a wealth  of worldwide globe trotting, Melissa has seen it all. She shares her insights and advice about travel as we now know it. As borders begin to open and restrictions start to lift, this travel veteran doesn’t expect the travel & tourism industry to hit all-time highs in Canada until late 2022. 

There is still hope for future travelers. One thing she stands behind is booking with a travel agent. An agent, especially within these uncertain times, saves you so much time, energy and often times even the pocketbook. Navigating the travel landscape can feel daunting, overwhelming, and confusing from a typical…

324 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Interior Design in the 21st Century – 2021 Challenges and What You Need to Know

By Monique Shaw


2021 has had its challenges for many obvious reasons due to the global pandemic,
but for those of us in the interior design world, those challenges have hit our
industry hard in several different ways. The pandemic has created a flurry of home
selling, home buying, home building, but for those of us not moving who are
redecorating, there have been significant obstacles along our way.
2021 saw the rise of three key factors that are affecting homeowners, builders,
designers and furniture retailers alike.

These are my recommendations on how to improve these situations:


1. There has been a significant spike in the price of lumber, affecting…

334 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Electric Cars – Ready to Roll?

By Simon Rose

Electric cars have been a topic of discussion for quite a while now, but they always seemed to be one of those things that were on the horizon, something we’d see in the future, without ever having a firm date. As target dates for cutting emissions that pollute the planet come ever closer, as real commitments are promised to eliminate fossil fuel use in the coming decades, battery-powered cars seem no closer to becoming the norm. There is talk about how much power these types of vehicles can store in their batteries. How can we ensure we will be able to travel the same distances as cars we currently drive?

People also comment on how infrastructure needs to be built for chargers in countries around…

360 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

GARRETT CAMP - Offering a Hand Up to Those Just Starting up – the World Over

BY CARLA GRUNDISON

Perhaps best known as the co-founder of Uber, Canadian Garrett Camp’s
achievements run far deeper than one company. Hailing from Calgary where he
attended University of Calgary for his undergrad electrical engineering degree and
master’s in software engineering, it was during his graduate studies that his
entrepreneurial ventures began to take shape. Since then he’s shifted his attention,
at least in part, toward philanthropy and global initiatives as well.

Camp, along with several fellow grad students, created StumbleUpon (now Mix) in
2002 – a discovery engine which uses a combination of algorithms and users
preferences to curate the websites they end up…

421 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

The Art of Growing an Art Show

By Danielle Rourke

Art. It influences and inspires. It’s universal. Language barriers dissolve. Art impacts our emotions. It has been proven to raise serotonin levels and scientifically shown to enhance brain function. We all have examples of art in our homes and other parts of our lives, in one form or another. One thing we can all agree on is that art is impactful. With all of its wondrous shapes, colors, textures, mediums, subjects and sizes, art is ever evolving and art is not going anywhere. Emma Justine Mccaul understands art. She opened a Calgary organization called ART SPOT in 2008, with the goal of supporting local emerging artists.

It was here, at the organization’s first location, a small turn of the…

355 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: Alforno First Street

By Teatro Group

Alforno First Street is the new kid on the block in Calgary’s bustling Victoria Park neighbourhood. The Teatro Group’s newest addition in the First Street Market is part of a nine vendor food hall that puts community and connection at the forefront. Located on the main floor between The Underwood and Union Square towers, the market houses Actually Pretty Good, Raw by Robyn, Friends with Benedicts, Hi 5, La Mano, Moose and Poncho, Pure Street Food and Saffron Street. Alforno’s second location brings an elevated experience to the new locale in a beautifully designed space.

Their gleaming custom-made gold bar designed by McKinley Studios draws in the eye, which then focuses on intricate…

381 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post