Explore every episode of the podcast This is Calgary

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 still a good time to list.

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 other Canadian cities with local parties.

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 group.

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.

It’s easy to focus on what’s been torn down, but what about what’s been saved? This episode explores Calgary’s approach to preserving historic buildings through adaptive reuse. We also preview a new project that could transform two downtown heritage buildings, the historic Fire Hall No. 1 and the North-West Travellers Building.

Curious what options exist for the downtown Hudson's Bay Building? Listen to that episode here.

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 the free fare zone.

An underground city pipe — that carries about 60 per cent of Calgary's drinking water — has had a second catastrophic break in two years. CBC reporter Brendan Coulter joins us to talk about what fixing it might take, and what that means for accessing water in the meantime.

UPDATE: The highly anticipated report about the 2024 failure of the city's key water feeder main is out now, read CBC's coverage here.

Sixteenth Avenue is a major gateway road in this city, but the way it looks leaves a little something to be desired. We are replaying one of our favourite episodes from this year exploring why this roadway looks the way it does, it's unique history and if there's any hope for a better, more colourful future.

This is Calgary will return with new episodes on January 7th, happy holidays!

In an era of e-books and online shopping, Calgary is embracing something unexpected: genre bookstores. From romance to horror, two new brick-and-mortar shops are proving that a niche can be powerful. Host Jenny Howe explores why these stores are opening now, the 'feral' appetites of their readers and what they tell us about the future of local bookstores.

Calgary is seeing a record rise in pedestrian deaths, raising tough questions about safety in a car-centric, sprawling city. We talk to the City of Calgary about how they’re responding — and to an urban planner with a vision for a more walkable, people-first future.

At city hall, there has been a marathon discussion by council over how it will spend Calgary's more than $8-billion annual budget. Yes, we'll talk about property taxes but also hear why the latest showdown between urban councillors and their suburban counterparts matters. CBC senior producer Josh Pagé joins us to make sense of it all.

At the west end of 17th Avenue SW lies one of Calgary's most notorious intersections — a corner where businesses struggle and vibrancy dulls. We explore the history of 14th Street and 17th Avenue’s persistent challenges, and meet the man who believes he can finally transform this troubled corner for good.

Two recall petitions are underway in Alberta — one targeting Calgary-Bow MLA Demetrios Nicolaides (who is also the minister of education and childcare), and another aimed at Airdrie-East MLA Angela Pitt. In this episode, we speak with organizers behind both efforts.

There's a struggle for stage space for Calgary’s independent theatre companies. Local venues are downsizing, undergoing transformation or closing altogether. In this episode, we talk to the person building a new downtown venue, The Erratics Indie Arts Club, as well as a local actress about why keeping Calgary’s theatre scene alive matters.

Ramsay is a small but distinct southeast Calgary neighbourhood — known for its heritage homes, murals and even a once-roaming turkey. But as the community evolves, some of that history is being lost. We talk to a longtime resident and a local business owner about how they’re keeping Ramsay’s original spirit alive amid all the change.

She broke barriers as Calgary’s first female mayor — and faced backlash in her term including a petition calling for her to step down. After Calgarians voted not to re-elect her, Jyoti Gondek joins This is Calgary host Jenny Howe for a conversation about leadership, loss, and lessons learned from four years at City Hall.

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.

In a special Tuesday edition of the podcast, we’re zeroing in on the (unofficial) results of Calgary’s mayoral race — the winner, the numbers, and what it all means for the city’s future. Political scientist Duane Bratt joins us to break it down.

We’re still zoned in on the municipal election, and on this episode we hear from the front-runner mayoral candidates about what they plan to do about the wedge issue of blanket rezoning: repeal it, tweak it, or double down.

Just before municipal election season, a fiery debate broke out in council chambers over Calgary's Climate Emergency Declaration. We go back in time to explore what that says about Calgary's political future.

Safety is top of mind this election. From hiring more cops to creating more integrated social services, we get into what candidates are saying about the problem, what the stats say and what some solutions may be.

The provincial government has spoken, and so the city must listen. An election law overhaul means candidates can join a party and see how it fits. And already a poster campaign is ruffling feathers. We dive into that in the first of our election episodes.

Calgary has a new professional women's soccer team and a new women's sports bar with a catchy name. We'll hear if seats at McMahon Stadium and Goal Diggers pub are filling up.

Strike on, strike off? Book ban, books back? School sports forms? There’s a lot going on in public schools in Alberta right now. Reporter Janet French brings us the latest.

The building has stood in downtown Calgary for more than a century, but after Hudson’s Bay closed its doors, its future is murky. What options exist for the “grand lady” along Stephen Avenue? We bring in the experts!

On This is Calgary we get into the stories that define this city and break down the big, weird and wild things you need to know. Join us each week for chats with Calgarians at the heart of the stories that matter to you. Find new episodes in your feed with host Jenny Howe every Wednesday.

After Katie Ouriou died of cancer at 16, a book of her letters was published titled "Love Ya Like a Sister.” We’ll learn more about Katie’s life, and hear about a beloved mother who has three bench dedications in Calgary, in our final summer episode.

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.

First up, a chat with a wedding content creator about landing the gig of a lifetime and having her work featured by a global fashion authority. After that, the local tie to the missing person documentary everyone's talking about, Amy Bradley Is Missing.

Extra extra, fresh summer content! If you want to explore Calgary by walking, Lori Beattie is your gal. She has just published the third edition of her book “Calgary’s Best Walks”. Today, she takes Jenny Howe on one of them, through the northeast community of Bridgeland.

We're putting up new episodes every two weeks as we settle into the summer! Today, a curated pick from Saskatchewan that has deep Calgary ties. Every July, more than 20,000 people move into Craven, Saskatchewan for the Country Thunder music festival. The same one that comes here in August. Owner Troy Vollhoffer reveals how he turned the small town event into an international company that brings in millions of dollars every year.

It’s many things to many people. A rodeo, a midway or maybe even a headache... but would you call it a music festival? On this week’s episode we tease out the identity of the Calgary Stampede, and its outsized impact on music in this city.

This city loves to queue up for hype. Take the recent opening of a popular American doughnut chain as an example. Get in line, because we’re getting to the bottom of this phenomenon.

World leaders are in our backyard for a few days this month trying to solve big global problems. But what about the bears? We've got you covered for this year’s G7 summit.

The summer forecast is HOT, the air conditioning frenzy has begun and one tenant advocacy group wants landlords on the hook for keeping their homes from becoming a sauna.

It's almost closing time at the Danish Canadian Club. To help the club stay alive, its members are joining the Austrians in early June. We hear why they're making the change, and how Roots Collective is keeping people grounded in their cultures.

For the first time, the Calgary Marathon is spread out over two days because running is now wildly popular here. Join Jenny Howe as she tests out her shin splints and gets into the buzz behind the boom.

Karla Marx is a fixture on the local drag and comedy scene and a character created by Victoria Bucholtz. She joins host Jenny Howe to talk about her new comedy album Fruity and why she'll defend Alberta until her bedazzled heels come off.

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.

We talk to a professional house flipper about the art of the flip and get a forecast from a local real estate agent about if our hot market for flipping might be cooling.

Where will Calgary plant nearly a million trees? We put that question to the city’s top tree guy, and also ask if communities with historically fewer trees will get finally get spruced up.

It’s federal election season and if we look at past voting trends in Alberta we see a lot of blue. The CBC’s Rob Brown breaks down how our province became known as a conservative stronghold, and political scientist Lisa Young zooms in on Calgary ahead of Monday’s vote.

Newcomers in Calgary count on free language classes provided by the federal government to give them language tools to make the city home. But often they're stuck waiting months for a chance to learn. And with immigration targets being lowered, the funding taps for these classes are turning off.