Calgary Citizen Tuesday Newsletter Oct. 29

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Good morning !

The dreaded “fall back” time change is this weekend and suddenly everything is going to feel like winter is really here. It’s almost as if it feels colder and darker and drearier, even if it isn’t yet. But we do at least gain an hour of sleep, so there’s that! We know there is a lot of controversy over Daylight Saving Time and that some people can take it and some people hate it, so check out our poll and let us know what you think!

And stay tuned for our survey launch on Thursday and you have two weeks to record your answers to be submitted to our giveaway of two pairs of tickets to the Calgary Flames vs. New York Islanders game on Nov. 19.

👀 In today's edition:

• The devil you know time change

• Heads up: there’s a new zoo resident

• Food bank demand surges

• Hot haunted spots in YYC

Get your story told! Promote your business, event, or restaurant in front of 34,000+ engaged locals! Contact our team today.

WORTH KNOWING

⛅️ Today: High 4C, Low -5C. See the 7-day forecast.

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

⚠️ Here’s the current smoke forecast / check Calgary wildfire and fire restrictions and the Alberta Wildfire Dashboard.

QUICK POLL

A look back at Alberta’s contentious Daylight Saving Time referendum as we are set to fall back this weekend

It was a close call; in fact, in terms of referendums, it doesn’t get much closer than this. in 2021, Alberta’s referendum results narrowly defeated a permanent move to Daylight Saving Time (DST) with 50.2% of Albertans voting against the move. In other words, 536,874 people voted against permanent DST and 531,782 people wanted to ditch the time change altogether. One expert who spent 15 years advocating to get rid of the clock change, but at the time of the referendum he told Calgary Citizen that the alternative is much worse.

University of Calgary Department of Psychology professor Dr. Michael Antle agrees that there are adverse reactions when people lose an hour of sleep, but he said the option that the Alberta Government presented in the referendum would have actually created more problems than it was fixing because the government wanted to stay DST rather than get rid of it altogether. “The springtime change is always the worst one, that’s where we find a significant deficit. In the fall, it’s not always a significant difference,” he explained. “Because of the way our body clock works, it’s the morning light that is really important for us.”

The consequences of moving to DST would have meant the sun wouldn’t rise until 9:30 a.m. in the winter, which would have been tough for people who already struggle with seasonal mood disorders. Antle would know; his research is focused on circadian rhythms, the internal clocks in our brains that help moderate our sleep/wake cycles. That’s why he spent so many years advocating against changing our clocks, and while he is applauding the decision to not move to DST permanently, there are still consequences to staying status quo.

During the springtime change where people lose an hour of sleep, Antle says there is an increased rate of car accidents due to tired drivers and an increase in medical issues like heart attacks and strokes, as well as an increase in workplace accidents. “There’s even a study showing that judges on that first Monday give harsher sentences with the Monday after the time change after because they’re grumpy and tired.”It’s not just about losing our sleep, he added.

“A lot of people talk about how we lose one hour of sleep in the spring, and we gain one hour of sleep in the fall, but it’s actually more insidious than that. And that’s how it sort of fits into my field of circadian rhythms,” he says. “Think back to the last time you had a bad night’s sleep — you feel really bad the next day, but … a bad night’s sleep will affect you for one day.”

If Antle and thousands of other experts had their way, Alberta would adopt Permanent Standard Time (PST), which is what our bodies are designed for. “We’ve been advocating to go with standard time,” he says, adding that most experts around the world feel the same way. Antle thinks the government should have given PST as an option, but, the next best thing was the status quo. “The devil we know.”

This was created from a story that ran in 2021

In case you missed it the first time

Need to know

🦒 There’s a new face - and neck - at the Calgary Zoo Wilder Institute and we can’t wait to introduce you.

🚕 Passenger’s racist remarks to Calgary Uber driver go viral: ‘I am the white blood of the land’.

🚴 Seniors launch petition against bike lane proposal in Calgary’s Beltline.

🥚 Calgary Food Bank demand surges 200% from pre-pandemic levels.

🎸 Country queen Shania Twain is coming to the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth next summer.

💊 Experts and community members debate future of Calgary's supervised consumption site.

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There are some pretty haunted places in Calgary and these gals can tell you all about them

Many Calgarians may not realize just how active the city is when it comes to the spirit world, or that communities such as Inglewood and the Beltline are some of the most energetic. At least that’s what some of the city’s paranormal investigators say. There are a multitude of spooky tours that explore the cracks and crevices of Inglewood year-round, but October is always the busiest—for obvious reasons. Robyn Condon, a medium and paranormal investigator specializing in Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) has been dabbling in the spirit world for years, often able to sense the deaths of people in the netherworld. There are some parts of the city that she feels intense energies from, including Inglewood and Stephen Avenue. Often, she will walk through those communities with her recorder, picking up energy and voices and playing it back later. Condon says the Globe Cinema on 8 Ave. SW downtown is one of her favourite haunts. Sisters Fay Steinberg and Laura Olschewski operate Ghost Gurus tours, which focus on Inglewood because the historic community is riddled with spirits and ghosts. What sets them apart from other various ghost tours in the area is their extensive investigations into the real stories behind the legends. When the sisters dig up obituaries of ghosts they’ve actually met, it makes things a lot more interesting.

Inglewood All three ghost hunters believe Inglewood is one of the most active areas when it comes to the spirit world. “I lived in Inglewood in the ’90s… and I noticed even back then there’s definitely a lot of energy,” explains Steinberg “Not only do you have a lot of buildings that have been wonderfully preserved by the community, but you’ve also the geographical location of Inglewood,” she says, pointing to the nearby Bow and Elbow rivers. The sisters and Condon all say water is an incredible conductor of energy. “When we were doing our research, we discovered a large concentration of deaths in Inglewood,” Steinberg explains, adding there are two main reasons. “There were hundreds of deaths in the Bow River (over the years). When the railway was first built, there was a big chunk of it that was right in Inglewood, and there were hundreds and hundreds of deaths on the railway, according to all three ghost hunters. ”You’ve got all these wonderfully beautiful, beautifully restored, in some cases, historical buildings. And in a concentrated area, you’ve got a lot of death, so it just makes sense that you’re going to have a lot of paranormal activity to tap into.”

The Deane House Steinberg says the Deane House is a perfect example of a place with tragic deaths but stories that have gotten lost in translation over the years. With 147 years of history, it’s loaded with spiritual characters. “There’s definitely a lot of activity,” Steinberg says, adding there are stories she has researched and knows are true that she shares on her tours. “There was a very brutal murder at the Deane House that is actually true. And then we have a number of deaths that were within a very concentrated time.” She says there’s even a spirit that has wandered in from the railway. “There’s definitely a ghost there that has just wandered in and said, ‘Oh, this feels good.’ So even though he died on the railway and his leg is amputated, one of the servers has actually seen him.”

The Hose & Hound This former firehall-turned-Inglewood pub is known for having otherworldly visitors of both human and animal kind. While there are locations in Inglewood with more paranormal activity than the Hose & Hound, there is something unique about the ghosts that haunt the halls, Steinberg says. “There was an old captain that was very into collecting exotic animals,” Steinberg says. “He had a pet monkey and he had tied it up out front in the ’40s and there was a child that was trying to feed it peanuts and the monkey attacked the child, so they felt that they needed to put the monkey down.” Since then, people have reported feeling a tail brush past them or claim they hear horses or feel heavy breathing on their skin. “People can feel animal energy in there,” she adds. There’s also a newer ghost. How does she know that? She can feel him. “There was a gentleman who passed away a few years ago that was kind of like the local legend, he would go there often. And I believe his energy is there.”

Where to eat and drink

🍴 Một Tô: From a small family-run business to a small family-run business ranked 5th in Canada’s Best New Restaurants, this Vietnamese hot spot has a modern twist.

🍴 A&W: Children 12 and under can enjoy a FREE A&W Kids' Pack on Oct. 31 so stop by on your way to trick or treating.

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

Things to do

🎟️WinSport Pumpkins After Dark: There are just a few nights left to enjoy this Halloween time favourite with 6,000 hand-carved pumpkins coming to life during this nighttime family-friendly walk-through experience at Win Sport until Oct. 31.

🎟️ Dia de Muertos: Casa Mexico and their community partners invite you to celebrate Dia de Muertos on Nov. 2 at Southcentre Mall and Nov. 3 at Arts Commons.

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

That’s it!

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And before you go, we’d love to know…

We’ll see you back here on Tuesdays and Thursdays, same time, same place!