ROSS
EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE AND LIFESTYLE ISSUE # 3 | NOVEMBER 2021
GARRETT CAMP
FUTURE OF WHAT IS UBI? TRANSPORT
A winner is a dreamer who never gives up
- Nelson Mandela
EDITOR'S NOTE
It’s official. This is the 3rd issue of the ROSS Magazine. November is here and snow is on its way. Our world continues to change. I hope you enjoy these selection of articles as the year begins to wind down.
I am greatly appreciative of each and every contributor of this issue. From learning more about the transportation options of the future, to finding out how a successful Calgary born self made billionaire is offering a hand to start ups across the globe, to an overview on the concept and trials of UBI, I hope you learn. I truly hope there is something within the digital pages of ROSS Magazine that will inspire you, move you, and maybe even bloom you. Maybe you will feel a call that will lead you onto a new path, a new idea, a new place, or a new state of mind.
Lofty goals and not giving up is what we are about. Each issue of this magazine is an opportunity to strive a little higher, stretch the imagination a little further, and to connect and reach out into the unfamiliar. With practice, as they say, we will get better at it.
DANIELLE ROURKE Editor-In-Chief
ROSS MAGAZINE EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR CONTRIBUTORS
Danielle Rourke Brigit Lister Danielle Rourke James Clarke-Lister Carla Grundison Melissa Mackey Monique Shaw Teatro Group Simon Rose Danielle Rourke
ROSSMAGAZINE.COM
Editorial Inquiries Contact: danielle@rosspavl.com
03 Editor's Note 07 Transportation as a Service 11 Innovations Health Clinics 16 What is UBI? 23 The Art of Growing an Art Show 28 Garret Camp 38 Electric Cars - Ready to Roll 54 Interior Design in the 21st Century 61 New Normal for Travel 67 The Future of the Downtown Core 74 The New Kid on the Block
TaaS
TRANSPORTATION AS A SERVICE by Simon Rose
The pandemic has brought many changes to our daily lives, some of which may be temporary and others permanent. I drove my car considerably less in the last eighteen months, restricting myself to essential trips and so on, but of course still had to register the car, have insurance, maintain the vehicle, and buy fuel, even when the vast majority of the time the car wasn’t being used. Like you, I’ve always assumed that car ownership is an integral part of my life. However, what if that wasn’t the case? What if car ownership, at least in the way that people all over the world have become so accustomed to, became a thing of the past? Hard to imagine, isn’t it? And yet this is the concept behind Transportation as a Service, also known as TaaS. So what exactly is this idea? An idea that would have revolutionary implications for the automobile industry, but also for car repair shops, oil change specialists, insurance companies, and of course just about every adult on the planet that drives their own car around.
With TaaS, people rent vehicles or
In a year, a person spends
buy trips when they need to make
thousands of dollars on a car for
them, instead of owning a car.
fuel, maintenance, repairs,
Companies like Uber and Lyft are
insurance, registration fees, and
already providing these kinds of
possibly car payments if it’s a brand
services, where another person
new vehicle. People could save
drives us around. However, even this
hundreds or even thousands of
will change in the future, once self-
dollars by moving to TaaS, rather
driving vehicles become more
than owning their means of
widely available.
transportation.
Most cars sit idle the vast majority
The concept provides more free
of the time, whether parked at a
time if you’re not doing the driving
person’s home or at their workplace.
on your commute. On the journey,
Four-seat vehicles also only have
you have the opportunity to read,
one person in them most of the time,
study, engage in one of your
which is hardly efficient. TaaS cars
favourite pastimes, take classes, or
and other vehicles operate twenty-
whatever you’d like to do if you’re
four hours a day and are used far
not focusing on the road.
more often than a person currently uses their own car.
This revolutionary concept can
It will be interesting to see what
reduce the number of people
happens to these spaces and
actually owning cars. More people
structures, especially in city
will have access to transport without
centres, once they’re no longer
having to own and maintain a
needed as parking areas.
vehicle. A lot less people will be buying car insurance, which will
In the long term this may be part of
have a major impact on the
how governments change their
insurance industry. This will intensify
concept of the downtown core, as
if self-driving vehicles become more
companies downsize, move to
common in the coming decades.
smaller premises, or have no downtown office at all.
With fewer cars on the road there will be a lot less demand for parking
Whatever happens next in our
lots and garages. If people stop
constantly changing world, it
owning cars and simply use a
seems clear that TaaS is likely to
vehicle for a trip, then use another
be one of our transportation
one when they next need to travel
options in the years ahead.
somewhere, there won’t be any need for parking spaces at all, or at least there’ll be a lot less of them.
18
INNOVATIONS HEALTH CLINICS: WHERE HEALING IS ABOUT THE WHOLE PERSON BY CARLA GRUNDISON
Being entrepreneurs in health and wellness is natural for Dr. Neville Reddy, MD and Sureshini Reddy, MBA - the husband-and-wife team behind Calgary’s two Innovations Health Clinics.
Their philosophy is that healing the whole person – body, mind, spirit, and emotions – is essential to overall wellness, and that to achieve this requires a combination of cutting edge medicine and ancient healing practices.
18
With mind-body healing as the guiding principle, Innovations Health Clinics offer services in three main areas: conventional medicine (family practice, podiatry, internal medicine, pain management), rehabilitation medicine (physiotherapy, chiropractic, massage, osteopathic medicine, concussion rehab), and wellness (naturopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, psychology, EMDR, esthetics, yoga, meditation).
With Sureshini as CEO managing the overall operations of the clinics, Neville’s focus is on the medical side, zeroing-in on his chosen specialty: pain management. When asked what drew him to this field, he shares: ‘Physical pain is only the tip of the iceberg. There is a high correlation between physical pain and emotional pain and trauma, between chronic pain and mental health disorders, which include insomnia, anxiety, depression and poor emotional reserve. Hence the unique approach we have taken by managing these issues in a multi-disciplinary way.’
Having conventional, rehab, and wellness practitioners on-site allows for ease in getting patients connected with the practitioner they require. From a family doctor to a chiropractor to a podiatrist to a psychologist (the list goes on) - they’re all just steps away.
They both find the most satisfaction ‘comes from seeing a patient who was in pain and distress the week before, come in to say 'I feel good Dr. Reddy. Thank you!’’ They measure success by both pain and function: ‘Our goal is to see improvement in both.’
During the pandemic they’ve
My role as a pain management
seen more fear, anxiety, and
specialist and as a person is
uncertainty in their patients.
simply to approach life as doing
They’ve strived to ensure the
the best you can to help others
clinics offer a supportive and
in the best way possible, using
nurturing environment – a refuge
your insight and training to help
amidst the chaos; and they’re
those in need the best way you
quick to commend their
can, using all the tools at your
colleagues and staff as being
disposal,’ says Neville‘
‘committed and unwavering in their care of our patients. It’s a team effort!’
‘
How do they do it so successfully – working together as a couple? They say they just ‘get’ each other, celebrate each other, and leverage each other’s strengths; and in their downtime, Sureshini gladly leverages Neville’s love of cooking to allow her to spend more time working on their rose garden.
With one clinic in each of the southwest and southeast quadrants of Calgary, find all the relevant information about Innovations Health Clinics at: www.innovationshealth.ca
WHAT IS UBI? BY JAMES CLARKE-LISTER
What exactly is UBI and why is it such a controversial subject? In its simplest form, according to Investopedia, UBI is an unconditional periodic cash payment. This payment is one the government distributes to all individual adult citizens, not just households. Payments are made to all citizens regardless of their situation or requirement to work. Typically, the payment comes in the form of a bi-weekly or monthly deposit/cheque. The universal amount is the same for everyone. There is no social hierarchy to deem this measure of pay. For example, a doctor and a student will receive the same amount.
This idea of a Universal Basic Income (UBI), or 'mincome,' dates back roughly B Y J A M E S to C Lbe A RaKhot E - L Itopic S T E Rfor a fair reason - it is half a century ago. It continues
complex. Scholars stretching across fields including sociology, psychology, economics, political science, development studies etc., have all consistently been researching UBI, publishing new information each month. Significant advocates of a guaranteed wage can be seen throughout history, from Martin Luther King Jr. to the leader of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte. To this day, the notion of UBI is often considered a 'radical policy.’ Presently, ideas surrounding a guaranteed income have become increasingly recognized, especially here in Canada, and primarily due to the consequences of job loss resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The month of March 2020 faced reports of the largest job losses in a single month since 1976. During March 15th – 21st, an estimated 1.3m people suddenly could not work due to COVID-19. Those who remained working, worked half the hours they normally would.
The results of this practice have led to
Thus, Bill C-13 was
parliamentary discussion concerning the
established in the House of
establishment of a national guaranteed
Commons. Bill C-13 provided
income for all Canadians.
the federal government with economic firepower to
More specifically, in the form of Bill C-
address this crisis. Within it
273 – “an act to establish a national
was the Canadian Emergency
strategy for a guaranteed basic income”.
Response Benefit (CERB),
Naturally, many questions arise.
established to be a simple and accessible monetary aid
How will it affect jobs? Will people not
for all individuals impacted
want to work? How will it be paid for?
by COVID-19. The CERB
Is it fair? Such a hot topic requires
provided Canadians with a
thoughtful dialogue. Opponents of UBI
taxable 'benefit' of $2000 a
argue that the model will raise taxes for
month for the entirety of the
everyone, and that it may disincentivize
operating period. Quite
people to work.
literally, this was UBI in practice on a mass scale.
An argument commonly seen is that the implementation of a national or universal guaranteed wage may also trigger higher levels of inflation (inflation already occurs but it can potentially increase the rate.) Despite differing evaluations, facts remain apparent - Canada is not the only one to discuss such a topic, let alone practice it.
There are many countries where a form of UBI already exists and has been tested, including our southern neighbour, the United States. One striking example is the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED), which took place in California, USA, in February 2019. The experiment was funded by donors and acted to give 125 people living in neighbourhoods below the median income average a no-stringattached $500 monthly cheque. The experiment took place for one year, ending in February 2020.
According to NPR, the results were striking. Full-time employment rose among those who received the guaranteed income. Their financial, physical and emotional health improved. Additionally, those who received the $500 a month went from part-time to fulltime employment at more than double the rate of those who didn't receive the amount. The study further demonstrated that by providing a guaranteed 'allowance,' financial hardships of lower-income individuals reduced significantly, alongside feelings and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Moreover, feelings of dignity reportedly increased in said individuals.
A single experiment does not act to prove or disprove the notion of implementing a UBI; however, understanding the ideas and results behind the concept is worth acknowledging.
Financial hardships are a familiar feeling amongst many. It’s important to acknowledge that the solution for someone to generate more income to meet life's basic needs does not always solely lie in simply working harder. The issue of income inequality is multidimensional and intersectional, with many components including race, gender, environmental circumstances and psychological factors. UBI may not be the silver bullet for all. Its potential long-term effects on a mass scale remain largely unknown. Still, it brings constructive dialogue to the table in the fight against economic inequality and poverty, continuing to affect and grow on a mass scale globally.
What do you think about the future of UBI for Canadians?
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 century home in Connnaught, where the very first “Under $100 Art Show” was launched.
GETTING INSPIRED BY THE UNDER 100 ART SHOW
Living upstairs of this small house for over a decade, Emma began to transform not only the local art scene but quite literally, the entire house. The walls of the living and dining rooms became the gallery space, and the kitchen was the ‘bar’. Sharing this home with other artists, they worked together to dream up and produce ideas for shows, including the first “Under $100 Art Show". The idea, to discount local art during the holiday season, was a way to give back to the community. Its plan was to make art accessible to people who were not be able to afford it otherwise. That was 14 years ago. The idea of the “Under 100 Art Show”caught on quickly,and has been growing and evolving rapidly ever since.
So, for the next several years, the show continued out of the ART SPOT house. Year 5 they experimented with running out of a retail space on 17th ave. It was set up here for an entire month, however this turned out to be too long. The 8th year expanded to another venue and this was the year that sales tripled. The 9th year was the first time the show moved into a warehouse location and the first year nearly 100 artists became participants. Since then, the ‘Under 100 Art Show’ has been growing exponentially with both the participating artists and the sales every year. This 14th consecutive year ahead will be another first. The show will run over the course of 2 weekends, with 2 entirely different groups of artists. The show has grown so much! It can be challenging rotating new artists in. Today, the popularity of the show has increased so substantially, that over 100’s of artist applications must sadly be rejected each year. This new format should allow more artists the chance to participate.
The ART SPOT “house” of the early days would not have nearly enough room to host the sought-after art show today. This expanding event now needs much more space to accommodate the tens of thousands of pieces of artwork and a guest count in the thousands. You can find a wide range of unique, local art in almost every medium, design and style. Every art item sold at this December show is under $100. In 2014, ART SPOT merged with Market YYCAssociation to form “Marketspot,” an organization to promote local artists and makers through a variety of environments including markets, pop up shops, and community programming. Currently Marketspot has a shop in Market Mall, and will be popping up another location at the venue for the Under $100 Art Show, in the warehouse “showroom.” Learn more about this year’s show and these organizations :
www.artspotcalgary.com www.Marketspotyyc.com www.under100artshow.com
- Garrett Camp
GARRETT CAMP
OFFERING A HAND UP TO THOSE JUST STARTING UP – T H E W O R L D O V E R 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, 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 Garrett shifted his attention, at least in part, toward philanthropy and global initiatives as well.
In 2009, he co-founded Uber, the ondemand car service in which clients use a mobile app to request pick-up at their exact location and check the estimated time of arrival. When visiting the U of C in November 2015 for Global Entrepreneurship Camp, along with several fellow Week, Camp shared that the initial grad students, created idea for Uber came out of his own StumbleUpon (now Mix) in 2002 – frustration when trying to hail a cab, a discovery engine which uses a as so many were simply passing him by. combination of algorithms and He saw the opportunity to capitalize users preferences to curate the on the capabilities of the cell phone to websites they end up ‘stumbling improve coordination in this area and upon’ and the sites become moved into action from there. At the increasingly tailored to their same U of C event in 2015, Garrett interests. After its inception and said that when it comes to business, having gained some initial success, he aims to create products that he StumbleUpon caught the attention wants to use himself – the ones he can of investors in Silicon Valley which really get excited about. prompted Camp to move south of the border.
But Garrett's work doesn’t end with developing his own ideas and companies. He continues to foster collaboration and mentorship with the start-up studio he created in 2013, Expa.
This start-up studio builds companies, offering the guidance and mentorship of experienced businesspeople and technical experts, as well as funding and resources - all of which increase the likelihood of the company’s success. Per Camp’s website garrettcamp.com, ‘Expa has raised $150M to build new start-ups and has created more than a dozen new companies.’ With locations in San Francisco, LA, NY and London - Expa’s first Canadian location was opened in Vancouver in 2017.
The year 2017 also saw him committing to the Giving Pledge which, per its website, is ‘a movement of philanthropists who commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy or charitable causes, either during their lifetimes or in their wills.’ After an impactful trip to Kenya where he saw first-hand a few of the challenges faced by those in the developing world, Camp decided to find a way to make meaningful change and positive impact around the world where it’s so desperately needed.
‘Philanthropy isn’t just about donating money, but also sharing your advice or spending time solving important problems,’ Camp says, on his Giving Pledge bio, adding to that his strong desire to ‘create more efficient solutions, and help people who need it most.’ He is in good company with The Giving Pledge, sharing this commitment with the likes of Elon Musk, Bill Gates and George Lucas, just to name a few.
To follow through on his philanthropic commitment and satisfy his desire to make a positive impact and lasting change globally, in 2018 Camp created The Camp Foundation. The focus of the foundation is, per its website camp.org, ‘to support research into infrastructure, sustainability and conservation projects that will have a significant global impact.’ Another example of how he’s making a difference is through every.org which connects donors with charities, making the process of helping others easier by offering one central location to search for and donate to meaningful causes. Camp sits on the advisory board and it’s supported by his foundation.
As if all of the above weren’t enough to keep anyone busy, Garrett created a luxury airline in 2019 called Aero, which offers private-jet type concierge service without the private-jet prices. Garrett Camp has also made several lists of innovators and young entrepreneurs celebrated as one of the top in the world.
Camp’s list of ventures and achievements just continues to grow and he’s only in his early forties. It’s likely that years down the road we’ll see that all he’s done so far was just the beginning.
ELECTRIC CARS READY TO ROLL By SIMON ROSE
19
Electric cars have been a
There is talk about how much
topic of discussion for quite a
power these types of vehicles
while now, but they always
can store in their batteries.
seemed to be one of those
How can we ensure we will be
things that were on the
able to travel the same distances
horizon, something we’d see
as cars we currently drive?
in the future, without ever
People also comment on how
having a firm date. As target
infrastructure needs to be built
dates for cutting emissions
for chargers in countries around
that pollute the planet come
the world, some of which have
ever closer, as real
better developed electrical
commitments are promised to
power networks than others.
eliminate fossil fuel use in the coming decades, batterypowered cars seem no closer to becoming the norm.
19
Many prominent inventions of the
With the effects of climate
past seemed as if they would
change becoming ever more
have too many issues, or that
apparent and governments
they’d never catch on. But then
around the world beginning to
they did. Think of those early
set emissions targets and dates
portable phones and how bulky
for banning the sale of gasoline
they were, yet now we have the
and diesel vehicles, investors
seemingly indispensible cell
are carefully looking at the
phone that is carried everywhere
prospect of electric car sales.
by almost everyone.
Companies have been involved
Power issues for mobile electric
in electric car development for
devices, including vehicles, have
quite some time, but this has
often been the primary factor as
still never provided a clear
new technology emerges.
indication that these types of
Serious problems have usually
vehicles will replace the ones
been solved over time.
we currently use to get around.
However, a bold new era in transportation may finally be about to embark. One company in particular could be deemed as the primary electric car pioneer. Tesla. Tesla’s Model 3 recently became the first battery-powered electric car to be a top seller in Europe. Tesla saw its market value exceed one trillion dollars in October 2021. Only a few companies have reached this milestone, including Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, and Alphabet, the parent company of Google. Tesla reported record sales in the third quarter of 2021, despite the shortage of computer chips worldwide, a negative effect on the automotive industry as a whole.
Hertz recently ordered 100,000 electric vehicles from Tesla for its rental fleet, which should all be delivered by late 2022, and Hertz already has the Tesla Model 3 available for rent in key US and European markets. If you rent a Tesla vehicle from Hertz, you’ll have access to Tesla’s extensive network of chargers located across North America and Europe. Hertz also plans to add thousands of chargers of its own at rental vehicle locations. More and more people now say that they’d consider purchasing an electric vehicle. The trend is likely to continue, electric vehicles are quickly becoming more widely available.
After all, the basic idea behind the car, such as the vehicle body, seats, wheels, suspension, brakes, and other features remain the same. It’s the means of moving the car around that is different, and many could agree that electric-powered vehicles are much better for the health of our planet. Maybe electric cars are finally ready to roll.
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By MONIQUE SHAW
INTERIOR DESIGN IN THE 21ST CENTURY 2021 Challenges and What You Need to Know
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 and 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 everything from the cost of wood for building a home, designing yard projects such as decks, pergolas and fences, and the cost of building furniture. According to Statistics Canada, softwood lumber prices jumped by an eye-watering 118.9 percent in Canada between March 31, 2020, and March 31, 2021. The agency also reported that during March of 2021, prices for softwood lumber increased by 12 percent, and prices for veneer and plywood rose by more than 20 percent. If you are looking to do a new fence or deck, you may find that re-staining or repainting your existing deck or fence may be an option until prices improve.
2 The Canadian government also imposed imports on furniture from the far east in 2021, where many sofa pieces originate from. On May 5 of this year, the Canadian government placed import tariffs of up to 295 percent on upholstered furniture from Vietnam and China (source: cbc.ca). This caused many furniture prices to in some cases triple or quadruple. Buying local or Canadian-made furniture has never been more important if you are looking to save money. If you are looking for alternatives to replacing your furniture and paying these higher prices, consider ‘repurposing’ your furniture by either repainting, re-staining or, recovering your existing upholstery with new fabric for a fresher look, which is also a greener option. Another suggestion would be to shop at local furniture stores and support Canadian artisanal furniture makers.
3 Shipment or supply-chain issues have also impacted timeframes when it comes to how long your furniture will take to arrive. Times that would have taken weeks are now taking months to arrive, so if you are looking to order furniture anytime soon, do not delay and put your order in as soon as possible. Another way around this would be to consider shopping with local furniture vendors, or look at working with local furniture artisans who take bespoke commissions. Canadian-brand Urban Barn manufactures many ‘Made in Canada’ pieces and have beautiful customizable furnishings with many different types of fabric choices to suit your décor.
Working with an interior designer is always your best option when looking to order new furniture. They may be able to help you find what you are seeking sooner if alternatives are being sought, and they can also navigate the supply-chain process on your behalf. If you are looking to work with a designer, get in touch with me today to book a consultation.
Monique Shaw Lux Interiors – Making Gorgeous Interior Design as Affordable as Possible, for as Many as Possible™, hello@homessoldbeautifully.com, homessoldbeautifully.com
NEW NORMAL FOR TRAVEL BY MELISSA MACKEY
Melissa Mackey is no
There is still hope for
stranger to travel.
future travellers.
With 17 years in the
One thing she stands
industry combined with
behind is booking with a
a wealth of worldwide
travel agent. An agent,
globe trotting, Melissa
especially within these
has seen it all.
uncertain times, saves you so much time, energy
She shares her insights
and often times even the
and advice about travel
pocketbook.
as we now know it. Navigating the travel As borders begin to
landscape can feel
open and restrictions
daunting, overwhelming,
start to lift, this travel
and confusing from a
veteran doesn’t expect
typical consumer’s
the travel & tourism
perspective.
industry to hit all-time highs in Canada until late 2022.
This is one of the main reasons Melissa suggests booking with an agent. An agent helps you prepare for your trip and can certainly provide the most relevant and up-todate information regarding the ever-changing covid protocols and more. The new normal for travel in the short term, is that guests can expect a cleaner, safer experience. Mask wearing is now standard. New travel protocols shouldn’t deter you from booking your much-needed vacation. Travel is and will still be at the top of many people’s to-do lists and travel is encouraged for so many reasons.
Tour operators, hotels, cruise lines; travel companies and groups are protecting travellers with decreased group size limits and enhanced cleaning protocols in destination. Positive changes prior to and while onboard airplanes include a substantial increase in the quality of air circulation. Inside the cabin, the air quality here is now considered almost better than anywhere on earth.
There’s also an increase in the cleaning/sanitizing of seats, table trays and public areas on both the planes and inside the airports.
Some things to keep in mind when travelling nowadays are to make certain you give yourself ample time before your flight. Don’t leave your house without travel insurance or your mask. Expect longer wait times at the airport. Be prepared. Download the ArriveCan app prior to entering back into Canada. ArriveCAN is a user-friendly digital tool to help travellers comply with Canada’s border measures quickly and securely. Within the 72 hours before your arrival in Canada, ArriveCAN can be used to submit: • your contact and travel details, including where you’ve been and where you’re going • your COVID-19 vaccination information • your pre-entry COVID-19 test results • your quarantine plan; and • your COVID-19 symptom self-assessment
Beginning November 30, as the government stated, all travellers leaving Canadian airports will need to provide proof of full vaccination from approved lists. As of now, we don’t know the protocols beyond November 30. This program begins October 30 and there is a 30 day grace period whereby, those who do not qualify as fully vaccinated can provide a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of flight in order to board a plane.
Melissa encourages people to book now if they want to travel because supply is limited. Many trips that have been cancelled in 2020 have been rebooked for 2022 and beyond, which also leaves less availability for future travellers. The world is changing rapidly. Yet for some, travel is everything and travel is life. So, as long as you are prepared, flexible, patient and educated as required, you should still be able to live out your travel dreams.
As the quote by Anthony Bourdain states, “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”
Melissa Mackey (Herweier) is a CEO, published author, motivational speaker and specializes in all things travel including female group retreats and solo female travel. You can reach her at travelchicks.ca
Everything you can imagine is real - Pablo Picasso
THE FUTURE OF THE DOWNTOWN CORE BY SIMON ROSE
As the pandemic has progressed
In many larger cities, especially in
over the last eighteen months or
North America, the downtown core
more, there’s often been talk of
has usually been the centre of
what society and local
economic activity. Yes, there have
economies will look like in the
always been workplaces in many
post-COVID world. Within
different parts of the geographic
these discussions has been talk
region that a city occupies, and in
of how people will return to the
recent years industrial parks and
office and other workplaces.
corporate offices have been built in
How exactly will companies plan
others areas of the city. However,
to persuade people to return to
the picture postcard view of a city
the office, after they’ve become
has invariably featured the high-rise
accustomed to being at home
buildings of the downtown core,
and adjusting their daily
showcasing the dynamic go-getter
schedules accordingly, hasn’t
nature of the city and its people.
really been explained.
19
As we’ve seen here in Calgary,
Bigger corporations may not have
downtown cores have become akin to
made these kinds of decisions yet,
ghost towns during the pandemic era.
but hundreds of medium or smaller
Admittedly, people do actually live in
companies and organizations
the downtown area, but city centres
considered the space in their office
have traditionally primarily been the
building. These spaces that they
home of major office premises and
were paying a great deal of money to
corporate headquarters.
rent, were spaces where some members of staff might be present
Once companies became accustomed
once a week or even less frequently.
to their employees working from
Smaller organizations wondered
home, and recognized that there was
how they could save money.
no way to predict how long this situation might continue, they started to look at the spaces they were occupying in downtown office towers, where workers were largely absent.
After experiencing six months of a
Even if we all go back to the way
mostly empty office and with no end in
things used to be, the era dominated
sight to the situation, it made financial
by lockdowns, restrictions, and
sense for many to move to a smaller
remote working has shown
space, perhaps in the same building, an
employers what they can and can’t
office space maybe half or even a
do to still operate successfully.
quarter of the size they occupied
It seems logical to assume that this
previously, usually depending on the
trend will continue in the years
number of employees they had.
ahead and implies for the
Businesses have to incorporate the
regeneration of downtown cores
renting of office space into their
across the globe.
operating costs and it makes sense to downsize premises in office towers, as people continue to work from home or an organization’s business is now increasingly conducted online.
The demise of the downtown core
In many ways we shouldn't be surprised.
has much wider implications, and
Centuries ago, the Greek philosopher
not just for the stores, coffee shops,
Heraclitus said that the only thing that’s
restaurants, and other businesses
constant is change. Earlier generations
that rely on office workers for their
went through changes, sometimes quite
income, at least from Monday to
significant ones too in the way they lived.
Friday. It also has implications for the commercial real estate industry
The lifestyles and routines they based
and even for the entire way that
their lives around were no longer part of
cities are planned and operate.
their daily lives. Change is inevitable and
People, a significantly less number
perhaps we just have to accept that
of people, are traveling into the
dramatic ones are coming our way.
core each day by vehicles, trains,
For some companies, there’s obviously an
and buses.
upside to downsizing, but it could lead to a very different future for the entire concept of the downtown core.
18
Downsizing budgets may be necessary, but downsizing dreams is a decision to be disappointed
WILLIAM J CLINTON
Alforno First Street is the new kid on the block in Calgary’s bustling
THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
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,
ALFORNO FIRST STREET By Teatro Group
Pure Street Food and Saffron Street. Alforno’s second location brings an elevated experience to the new locale in a beautifully designed space.
COMMUNITY SPIRIT Their gleaming custom-made gold bar designed by McKinley Studios draws in the eye, which then focuses on intricate interior details like sections of exposed brick and lively greenery.
Alforno First Street boasts a menu that reflects that of the original Alforno location and is filled with small bites, sandwiches, soups, baked goods and of course, incredible coffee and beverages.
This new opening brings a sustainable coffee program to an area that was previously lacking in local coffee options. Due to this, the space has been drawing in professionals and residents from the surrounding area who are excited about this unique culinary one-stop shop.
Sentiments have been overwhelmingly positive, with many businesses and individuals reporting that First Street Market is just what the neighbourhood needed.
In the spirit of community, Alforno gifted its Victoria Park neighbours with mixed baked goods boxes to celebrate its new opening. These deliveries have been occurring on an ongoing basis for the past couple of weeks, as it takes time and care to complete this kind of task.
The establishment is happy to be contributing to the city’s vibrant downtown culinary scene, something that the Teatro Group has been dedicated to since its flagship opening in 1993. The dedication to this cause is evident by the team’s enthusiastic and helpful demeanor. Alforno First Street came a year after their Holy Cow YYC launch, the group’s gelato and donut shop concept in the city’s Sunnyside neighbourhood.
As one can see, the restaurant group that has elevated the Calgary food scene since the early 1990s continues to expand its influence and enhance restaurant experiences across town.
LOVE AND COMPASSION ARE NECESSITIES, NOT LUXURIES. WITHOUT THEM, HUMANITY CANNOT SURVIVE. - DALAI LAMA
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