CUI X Calgary

Calgary Transforms Inspired Community- Driven Solutions: People, Place and Potential A Canadian Urban Institute Collaboration, June 2021 Introduction The Canadian Urban Institute Our CUI x Local series shines a spotlight on local responses (CUI) is the national platform that to some of the most pressing challenges in Canada’s large urban houses the best in Canadian regions. In collaboration with city leaders, we’re connecting with cities across Canada to seek out the very best ideas that can city building, where policymakers, inform and be adapted by city builders across the country. urban professionals, civic and And what we’re seeing are solutions that demonstrate creative, business leaders, community sometimes risky, yet ever-inspiring approaches that haven’t activists and academics can learn, received enough national attention — yet. share and collaborate from coast Calgary Transforms summarizes what Calgarians told us is to coast. CUI believes that it is by happening in their city today. We heard diverse perspectives growing the connective tissue on what it’s like to live there, what people are concerned about, within and between cities of all how they view the city and its organizations and how many are coping with and driving positive change. People from the sizes that we can together make arts, academia, business and industry, community agencies and urban Canada all that it can be. many other sectors told us what they see as their successes, This report is part of that on where they think needs more work and what their hopes are for the ground sharing, connecting a post-pandemic future. and taking action. Join us on our cross-Canada tour for inspiring stories, actions and innovation, as we learn how Canadian cities are addressing local challenges today and planning for a greater urban future. Calgary 2 Contents Land acknowledgement 4 Calgary map 5 Summary 6 Intro 2 Letter from Mary W. Rowe, Canadian Urban Institute President and CEO 7 Calgary at a glance 8 Inspired solutions: Connecting people, place and potential 9 Paradox of Calgary 11 Reducing child poverty 14 Addressing poverty through an equity lens 15 People 10 Innovating in the mental health and addictions sector 19 Reducing chronic homelessness 23 Entrepreneurial attitudes to get things done 24 Investing in affordable rental and ownership housing 25 Advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples 27 Are Indigenous youth involved in planning or civics in Calgary? 33 Addressing structural barriers to opportunities 34 A culture of volunteerism 39 Philanthropy under strain 41 Changes in the arts and culture sector 42 Place 38 A “spirit of experimentation” 47 A model for civic partnerships 49 Leveraging Calgary’s entrepreneurial nature 51 Reimagining the city 52 Towards an inclusive and equitable Calgary 56 The future Calgary’s equity-deserving communities want 58 Indigenous placemaking 60 Potential 55 Downtown revitalization as a beacon for the rest of Canada 62 Solving problems through social innovation 66 Adapting through “open innovation” 70 Acknowledgements 72 Calgary 3 Land Acknowledgement Welcome to Moh’Kinsstis The Blackfoot name, Moh’Kinsstis, refers to the traditional We need to take gathering place where the Elbow and Bow Rivers meet, and where present-day Calgary was built. The rivers are ancient a lesson from the water courses dating back to pre-glacial times almost two and Wampum Belt a half million years ago. principles of two canoes going down the same river and work We acknowledge that the City of Calgary was built on the land of the together rather than imposing First Peoples. on each other. Each system We recognize that present-day Calgary is on the traditional territory of needs to understand a system the Blackfoot Confederacy (the Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai First Nations), is a way to achieve goals, the Tsuut’ina First Nation and the Stoney Nakoda First Nations (the Chiniki, Bearspaw and Wesley). It is also home to the Métis Nation of whether it’s written or oral. We Alberta, Region III. The City is situated on Treaty 7 land, signed in 1877 need to cross-validate the with Southern Alberta’s Chiefs — notably Chief Crowfoot of the Siksika systems to understand that we First Nation. Moh’kinsstis was a gathering place for the Niitsitapi (the Blackfoot people) since time immemorial. can use either system or both.” Elder Reg Crowchild We thank Indigenous leaders for taking part and for allowing us to listen, learn and reflect on the past, present and future of the city. Calgary 4 Calgary Map Downtown Calgary 5 Summary Calgary Transforms serves to shine a light on the people, places and People Place Potential potential of this city. It showcases Calgarians are communi- Place describes the formal Calgary is investing in a massive ty-minded with a parts of the city, its institutions, transformation to evolve the best guidance Calgary can “get it done” attitude. Calgary built form and wider landscape. its downtown moving forward, offer to city builders who are looking managed to cut its child The culture of volunteerism recognizing that it needs to for inspiration and direction for poverty rate in half, from ten and generosity in Calgary is adapt to the changing needs of more livable and responsive cities. percent to five percent, unmatched. From community a new generation of work and helping to make Alberta’s child and arts organizations, big business and the way people poverty rate the lowest in the events like the Stampede and live, travel and access amenities, Calgary has a population of almost 1.3 million, country. Calgary is committed the Olympics, to philanthropic goods and services. Calgary making it the third largest city in Canada. It to addressing mental health donations, hundreds of has a vibrant social innovation has the highest household income in Canada and addiction — with a ‘made in organizations and thousands landscape with public, and the highest concentration of wealth. It Calgary’ model that focuses on of Calgarians are working to non-profit, academic and private is a young city, where 70% of its population is the individual and breaks down achieve great things in the city. sector actors working to between the working ages of 15 and 64. And silos. Local leaders are focused Calgary is full of people who uncover new solutions to global, it has the highest concentration of high-tech on problem-solving and have work within and outside of the social and environmental workers in Canada. slowed the growth in people formal systems to create problems. Benevity is a perfect experiencing chronic social change. Artists and the example of this — a This report explores Calgary through three homelessness, despite the 2013 arts community are finding a Calgary-based corporate social themes: people, place and potential. catastrophic flood, the role in activating and responsibility platform helping economic downturn, decreased reimagining the downtown and to deliver workplace giving, vacancy rates, shortage of telling the stories of this time. matching, volunteering and affordable housing and Calgary is also creating space grant management solutions for significant population growth. for experimentation, convening companies. One of the first partnerships and using the city certified “B Corps” in Canada, as a living lab to reimagine its Benevity has over 2 million future — a future that is users, and has processed $2 This document resilient. billion in donations and 10 does not need to be read in sequence. million hours of volunteer time at almost 150 thousand charities worldwide. Dip in and out to discover more about Calgary the city of Edmonton. 6 Letter from Mary W. Rowe Canadian Urban Institute President and CEO We started our cross-Canada CUI x Local We heard from people from the downtown the critical importance of Canada’s cities is listening tour in Alberta, where we met with city sector, people from the new economy, clear. Our collective ability to achieve the highest builders in Edmonton and Calgary to learn people from the old economy, people from social environmental, social and economic goals – at about what’s happening in these cities today. services, people from the arts, people who are all levels of government and internationally, depends In Calgary, local leaders helped us organized entrepreneurial, people working on poverty, people on how well our cities can manage local 20 virtual meetings, working group sessions, working on equity, and many others. It was a rich and systemic challenges, create and build on workshops and public meetings with 57 week for CUI, and we hope it was for those who community-driven solutions and take steps to organizations and more than 260 individuals. took the time to meet with us. We need to secure their future well-being. We are focused on remember that this is a remarkable moment in our driving those linkages that accelerate innovation, Over five packed days in late 2020, lifetime — to be afforded the opportunity to really hasten reform and direct investment, and we want Calgarians told us what they love about the examine what we’ve been doing right and what to ensure local realities and experiences are city, what is working well and where work else can be done. As we emerge from this integrated into government policies, plans and is needed, and about the inspiring steps it has extraordinary time, we can reflect; how are we? programs at all levels. taken to make the city what it is today, and How will our lives change? How do we want to what it is quickly becoming. change? And how do we want our cities and our We look forward to hearing and sharing your story. urban environments to change, to be places that Please check in with us at canurb.org/cuixlocal are inclusive of everyone? as we continue our CUI x Local tour of Canada’s cities through 2021.

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