u/JeromyYYC

Welcome to the Calgary Stampede!

There is no place quite like Calgary at this time of year. For ten days, our city opens its doors to the world. We welcome friends, neighbours, visitors, and families from every corner of Canada and around the globe.

The Stampede celebrates our western heritage, but it also tells the story of the Calgary we are today. A city that is growing, ambitious, and full of opportunity. A city built by Indigenous peoples, strengthened by generations of newcomers.

To everyone who makes the Stampede possible, our volunteers, organizers, first responders, city crews, performers, competitors, and thousands of workers behind the scenes, thank you. Your dedication creates an event that is recognized around the world.

As your mayor, I'm proud of this city. Proud of where we've come from, and even more excited about where we're going. Calgary is growing toward two million people and the stampede says no matter who you are, no matter where you came from, no matter who your parents were, no matter how you worship, no matter who you love, you belong here.

So whether this is your first Stampede or your fiftieth, I hope you make memories that last a lifetime.

Have a safe Stampede, enjoy everything our city has to offer, and from my family to yours, welcome to the best city in the best province in the best country in the world. Yahoo!

Property tax bills are due today.

Imagine if Ottawa forced Alberta to collect a big federal tax hike on provincial letterhead. That's how municipalities are treated with the Province's 57% property tax increase over four years. It's time to keep property taxes local, with clear accountability and transparency.

Imagine if Justin Trudeau ordered Danielle Smith to collect a massive federal tax increase through Alberta's tax bill. She'd be furious.

That’s exactly what’s happening today to Alberta’s cities, with today’s deadline to pay your property tax bill. Not many of you may know, but now upwards of half of your property taxes go to the provincial government, and not the town, city, or municipality you live in.

The biggest increase on your property tax bill didn't come from City Hall. It came from the Provincial government.

The Province imposed a 21 percent increase on your property tax bill, the largest property tax increase in Calgary's history. Over the past four years, it has increased the education property tax by 57 percent.

By comparison, our Council held the municipal property tax increase to just 1.8 percent. That funds police, firefighters, roads, transit, parks, snow clearing, recreation centres, and the infrastructure that keeps Calgary moving.

Because of the Province's education property tax equalization formula, Calgary homeowners are paying about twice the increase faced by Edmonton homeowners.

Don't take my word for it. Here's how the Premier herself describes where a large share of your property tax goes.

"If we're going to rail against equalization at the federal level, then we can't keep doing the same thing to our municipalities..."

The Premier is right.

If we're going to oppose equalization at the federal level, we shouldn't be doing the same thing to Alberta's municipalities.

Property taxes are local taxes. They should stay local.

The Province should fund provincial priorities through its other revenue sources, and municipalities should collect property taxes for local services.

Thank you for supporting the City services that keep Calgary safe, moving, and growing.

TLDR: Flood Warning for the Elbow River. The Springbank Reservoir has been activated for the first time, and the City's Water Emergency Operations Centre is now activated to coordinate our response. No significant river flooding is expected in Calgary. Stay away from fast moving rivers and visit calgary.ca/flood for updates.

Overnight, rainfall in the Upper Elbow watershed came in higher than forecast, with about 120 to 130 millimetres falling in some areas. As a result, the Province has issued a Flood Warning for the Elbow River.

The good news is that no significant overbank river flooding is expected in Calgary at this time.

The biggest development is that the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir, or SR1, was activated for the very first time early this morning. It's capturing higher than expected runoff from the Upper Elbow watershed, exactly what it was built to do.

The heaviest rain has moved through Calgary, but runoff from the mountains continues to flow downstream. Both the Bow and Elbow Rivers will remain high through mid-week and into Canada Day.

Our Water Emergency Operations Centre has also been activated so City teams are ready if conditions change. Glenmore Reservoir remains below flood concern levels, and we're continuing to coordinate operations with the Province and TransAlta to manage river flows.

For most Calgarians, impacts should remain limited to pathway closures, some minor flooding in park areas, and the possibility of localized basement seepage in low lying locations.

The biggest risk is the rivers themselves. Water is moving faster, carrying more debris, and riverbanks are less stable.

Please stay well back from the river's edge, keep children and pets away from the water, and stay off the rivers until conditions improve.

A giant thank-you to the City crews who have been helping me to provide these updates.

We'll continue monitoring conditions around the clock and provide updates as they become available. For the latest information, visit calgary.ca/flood.

A Provincial Flood Watch is now in effect for the Elbow River upstream of Calgary, and High Streamflow Advisories are in effect for both the Bow and Elbow Rivers within the city.

The good news is that we are not expecting overbank river flooding in Calgary. Our teams are closely monitoring a significant rainfall system affecting both Calgary and the watersheds upstream.

So far, 20 to 30 millimetres of rain has already fallen in parts of Calgary and the headwaters. Another 40 to 60 millimetres is forecast, with some localized areas seeing up to 100 millimetres.

Unlike the system we saw at the start of June, temperatures are warmer this time, so most of that precipitation is expected to fall as rain instead of snow. As a result, river flows on both the Bow and Elbow are expected to rise through the middle of the week and into Canada Day.

We've been preparing for this. Glenmore Reservoir has been drawn down in advance and has enough capacity to capture the forecast runoff from the Elbow River. We're also coordinating reservoir operations with our provincial partners and TransAlta to help manage flows on both river systems.

What you will notice is higher river levels, faster moving water, more debris, and some localized bank erosion. Safe Boating Advisories will likely be issued soon. Some low-lying river pathways are already closed, and we expect additional pathway closures tomorrow.

At this point, we do not anticipate the need for more significant response measures such as temporary flood barriers, stormwater outfall closures, or pumping operations.

Our emergency teams are reviewing conditions every six hours and are ready to respond if anything changes.

For the latest information, including pathway closures and river conditions, please visit calgary.ca/flood.

We'll continue to keep you updated. Stay safe, and thank you, Calgary.

Calgary has lost a legend.

Tom Glass was one of the greatest chuckwagon drivers our city has ever known. His achievements on the track earned him a place among the icons of the Calgary Stampede, but his impact reached far beyond competition. He was a respected mentor, ambassador, and proud steward of our western heritage.

One of the most enduring images of Tom is on the 1998 Calgary Stampede poster. With both hands gripping the reins, he is urging his team down the track with unmistakable passion. It captured the intensity, heart, and love for the sport that defined his remarkable career.

The Calgary Stampede is built on the people who devote their lives to its traditions, and Tom helped shape those traditions for generations. His passion for chuckwagon racing and his love for this city left a lasting mark on Calgary.

On behalf of all Calgarians, I extend my deepest condolences to Tom's family, friends, and the entire chuckwagon racing community. As we gather for this year's Stampede, we will remember Tom Glass with gratitude and pride. His legacy will live on every time the wagons roll onto the track.

One of my highlights from Neighbour Day was running into Jeremy Klaszus and The Sprawl Calgary's pop-up Press.

Whether you agree with every story or not, independent local reporting helps us understand our city a little better and keeps public conversations grounded in what's happening here.

If you're looking for a Calgary-focused news outlet, check them out and consider supporting their work.

https://www.sprawlcalgary.com

Will be returning to this thread in a few days to compile ideas and improvements in advance of our upcoming four-year budget.

I was really disappointed to see Country Thunder throw the City and music fans under the bus today by falsely blaming our noise rules for cancelling their concert.

They are plainly trying to take advantage of the noise and misinformation around this and bluntly hoping that you wouldn't look at the facts.

Just two days ago, Country Thunder told CityNews that things were going well and that the City’s noise rules would not affect its event.

This and other articles clearly state that the organizers say the changes won't impact their operations. Their own staff are quoted saying, “Our curfew for our festival has always been 11 p.m.”

So blaming a midnight music cutoff for shutting down your concert that ends at 11 p.m. is absolutely bogus. 

Country Thunder was never part of the debate over whether the downtown tents should end at 2am or midnight. In fact, the City actually increased the allowable music volume for Country Thunder this year.

Now, two days after saying things were going great, Country Thunder says sound limits made their event impossible.

Those statements do not line up. Even their statements about construction are easily debunked, because our teams have been working really closely with them for months now.

I am not going to speculate about why they made this decision to so grossly mislead the public. I'm not going to speculate on how the massive rain this weekend was going to impact their sales. And I'm not going to speculate on how the news of their headliner Kane Brown pulling out of concerts was going to impact sales.

But it's crystal clear country thunder made a business decision that can not blamed on the city noise rules. I'm really disappointed for ticket holders, workers, vendors, performers, local businesses, and every music fan who planned to attend.

Calgary supports great events, live music, tourism, and jobs. But the facts matter. And organizers need to be honest with their customers and take responsibility for their decisions.

Thanks, Calgary. This news came as a shock to me and the rest of the folks at the city will share more when I know more.

For background: No, Calgary is not cancelling Stampede. We are standing up for neighbours : r/Calgary

This morning, Council voted to keep the new reasonable rules in place for off-site Stampede tents.

Stampede succeeds because Calgarians welcome millions of people into our city. That goodwill matters. It belongs to all of us. We want visitors, artists, workers, and businesses to have a great Stampede.

This decision strikes the right balance. Calgary will have a vibrant festival scene while respecting the people who live nearby.

On weeknights, concerts end at midnight, followed by wind-down music until 1 a.m. On weekends, music ends at 2 a.m.

Calgary remains the most permissive major city in North America for outdoor music. We run later than Coachella, Lollapalooza, and other major festivals in North America. 

Thousands of Calgarians shared their views. Council listened.

I also really appreciate the outreach from Cowboys management and commit to working with operators who respect Calgarians and their neighbours.

Together, we will put on a safe, successful Stampede that brings people together.

Stampede belongs to all of us. Let’s celebrate it with pride.

It's time to cut through the bullshit about the Cowboys tent.

By now you've seen the coordinated smear campaign from out-of-town politicians. They think you're stupid and want you to believe that we're somehow cancelling Stampede by asking the big tents to use the same rules in place at Coachella, Lollapooloza and all the other world class festivals.

That's the first piece of bullshit. We're not talking about Stampede at all. We're talking about a few off-site tents that have been treating their neighbors like garbage.

Here's the truth. In the last few years, the tents were given a special exemption way above and beyond what was in place up until about 2019. People living near these tents were told to call 311 and wait. Their windows shook and broke. Their shelves rattled. Music ran on weeknights until 2 or 3 a.m. They dealt with property damage, public disorder, and excessive intoxication outside their homes.

Thousands of Calgarians raised their concerns. And just like when we repealed blanket rezoning, the city chose to listen to the people rather than answer to the money.

The second piece of bullshit is that Calgary's rules suck compared to everywhere else. In fact, the changes are modest. There's no change on weekends. But on weeknights, concerts now need to wrap up by 1230am. Even with this change, it means that Calgary still allows outdoor music later than anywhere else in North America.

The third piece of bullshit is that this was done last minute. This wasn't a last minute change. The big tents knew in February that their exemption was under review. Cowboys was told again in May. Their exemption depended on managing noise, safety, and impacts on nearby residents. They did not meet that standard.

But what isn't bullshit is that as your mayor I am fighting for you. I want you to know that a permit is not a licence to bully a neighbourhood. It is not a profit guarantee. I was elected to stand up for Calgarians, not to take orders from wealthy donors, lobbyists, or politicians protecting their friends.

I am more than happy to seek compromise and work with operators who respect Calgarians. But I answer to the nurse on an early shift, the parent getting kids ready for school, and the worker who needs sleep.

So no. We are not cancelling Stampede. We are protecting it. Stampede succeeds because Calgarians welcome millions of people into our city. That goodwill matters. A few operators do not get to damage the reputation of an event that belongs to all of us.

If you want to do business in Calgary, respect the people who live next door.