Calgary Citizen Newsletter Tuesday Jan. 28

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Good morning !

The 2025 Academy Awards Oscar-nominated films have been announced and several Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) selections from the 2024 festival have earned 41 nominations in total. In celebration, CIFF will be screening three Oscar-nominated shorts packages over two weekends on Feb. 14-16 and Feb. 21-23 at Globe Cinema. The packages are the Animated Shorts package, the Live Action shorts package, and the Documentary Shorts package. Here are all of the details!

👀 In today's edition:

• Sisters join pro hometown soccer team

• Fluoride coming back to city water

• Former councillor found guilty for fraud

• Local refillery shop still going strong

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WORTH KNOWING

☁️ Today: High 7C, Low -3C. See the 7-day forecast.

🚗 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation, and find the city’s traffic report and road closures.

QUICK POLL

Pair of Calgary twins get to play professional soccer together in their hometown

It’s a dream come true for 17-year-old Calgary twins Keelyn and Taegan Stewart as they officially join a pro soccer league. The Grade 12 students are the first teenagers confirmed to take the pitch in the newly-formed Northern Super League that launches this spring across Canada, including right here in Calgary where the sisters signed a contract to play the midfield for the Calgary Wild FC.

The Stewart sisters started playing soccer when they were three years old, kicking the ball in their backyard together with their parents. They developed their game in Calgary and Vancouver, winning a silver medal with the Canadian Under-15 National Team in 2022. The Stewarts gained their first international experience as 10-year-olds, when they were selected to train with the boys Barca Academy in Barcelona.

They are being hailed as a dynamic duo who will make a great addition to the team, according to Alix Bruch, sporting director, Calgary Wild FC. “Keelyn and Taegan came into this world as a package, they took their first kicks in the sport together, they developed through Calgary’s soccer system together, and we are excited to be able to welcome them both as they embark on their professional careers together with their hometown club,” Bruch says.

The sisters say it’s always been their dream to play professionally and even better together. “Everyone’s soccer path is different, but I hope to inspire every young girl to never give up on their dream and show that managing school and soccer is possible even at the highest level if you put your head down and work hard,” Keelyn says.

Taegan says the sisters are excited to play for head coach and football trailblazer, Lydia Bedford and are excited to join the hometown team. “As a young player, I want to be in an environment with players and coaches that can help me continue to develop and grow,” said Taegan. “After meeting with [coach] Lydia, I was impressed by her playing philosophy, attacking approach and coaching style. I can’t wait to get onto the field in my hometown to work with her and my new teammates.”

The twins, along with the four other Calgarians on the hometown roster, will begin welcoming their teammates to the Stampede City over the next week for training camp, which starts Feb. 3. Calgary Wild FC is one of six teams in the newly created Northern Super League which will begin its inaugural season in 2025, featuring some of the best women’s soccer players in the world.

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Need to know

🚿 The city expects to start adding fluoride back into its water supply within a few weeks.

📻️ Calgary police ending news media access to police radio channels, citing privacy concerns.

⚖️ Former city councillor Joe Magliocca guilty of fraud for falsifying expense claims.

🚗 A couple is fighting with their insurance company to fix damage their mechanic says was caused two years ago during a collision with an Amazon delivery vehicle.

🐕️ Some dogs are taking to indoor swimming to get the exercise they need over the winter months when it's too cold to go for a walk.

🔥 Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of a two-alarm fire that ripped through a southwest condo building that has left dozens without a home.

🚆 Supporting the elevated Green Line would be ‘reckless’: Calgary downtown, construction groups.

🪧 Lawyers for a group of Calgarians challenging the city’s rezoning changes are planning an appeal.

🚲️ A local community group aims to provide 500 bikes to disadvantaged kids.

Greenbriar Market is set to celebrate its third anniversary this year making a sustainability impact

Greenbriar Market + Refillery founders Mathew Beaudoin and Shawn Kearns were inspired to open their store during the pandemic when the world was thrown into chaos. With a passion for sustainability and reducing their environmental impact, they launched an online store in 2021 and then opened a full-service market and refillery a year later where customers can bring their own containers and have them filled with non-toxic and sustainable products. The store aims to support small Canadian businesses, reduce waste, and encourage customers to make changes gradually. We spoke with Shawn Kearns, co-founder of Greenbriar Market + Refillery, about how the store is faring.

Can you describe your Refillery service and how it works for customers?

When we opened, we were the only full-service refillery in the city. Customers can bring in their own clean containers, bottles or jars and we weigh them, fill them, and deduct the weight of the container from their purchase. We do all the work which our customers like. There's no mess for them, refills are done behind the counter by our team while customers have time to check out the rest of the store. If you don't have a container you'd like to use, we offer a number of options in-store for purchase! Because we are full service, we can eliminate waste which helps keep our prices lower!

What are some of the challenges you have faced in starting and running a business that focuses on sustainability?

Our main challenge is simply people knowing what a refillery is and feeling comfortable to come in the store and ask or even just come and see all of the different categories we carry. A comment we often get is that they can't believe the range of products we have in store once people do make their way in. We have approximately 60 vendors from across the country with a third of them based out of Alberta! There's lots to see and experience.

What message would you like to send to customers who are interested in shopping sustainably and supporting local businesses?

I would love customers to know they are welcome to come in and ask questions and just say hello. We love sharing the stories behind the products and the brands we carry. Any one of us is happy to 'take you on a tour' of the store. We always tell people the best way to shop sustainably is to use what you have already (unless you've found out it's really quite toxic or isn't working) and start small! Start with things you are running out of and make a swap. Also, don't be discouraged if the first product you try isn't exactly the right fit for you. We are constantly researching and testing new brands and products to find the ones we love the most. Not everything makes the cut and that's ok.

Where to eat and drink

🍴 Bridgeland Distillery: Calgary’s Bridgeland Distillery earned a Triple Crown at the Canadian Whisky Awards with the Glenbow Single Malt Port Finish, bringing home 3 Best in Canada category wins plus a Gold Medal. Check it out!

🍴 Bussin Burgers: Sure this spot is known for its burgers, but there’s quite the waffle selection, too. We would be amiss to not mention the delicious shakes menu, so what are you waiting for?

Have a food or drink suggestion? Message us and we might share it!

Things to do

🎟️ Le Petit Chef: Le Petit Chef at Bistro Novelle Restaurant at the Dorian returns with the third contest for the golden chef's hat. The world's smallest chefs from Spain, Italy, Japan and of course, Le Petit Chef from France will compete in this immersive four-course meal.

🎟️ Blue Jay Sessions: Winter Edition: It’s back for the first time of 2025 with an amazing lineup of Canadian singer-songwriters from Alberta and BC. Tickets are on sale for the Feb. 14 and 15 events at The Prairie Emporium.

Have an event suggestion? Message us and we might share it!

That’s it!

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