Calgary teen recognized nationally for youth civic engagement

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With Christmas décor and gift guides popping up already, we heard you on Tuesday: hold off until after Remembrance Day. Many of you felt it's important to honour fallen soldiers without Christmas competing for attention, and others said two months of festivities takes away from what makes the season special. We'll have Remembrance Day content for you next week. In the meantime, here's what's happening in Calgary over the next few days.

👀 In today's edition:

• Alberta whisky gets official recognition

• Domestic violence reaches troubling new heights

• An iconic Calgary landmark goes up in flames

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Calgary teen recognized nationally for youth civic engagement

An 18-year-old Calgarian is being honoured as one of Canada's top young changemakers for his work encouraging youth to get involved in civic life.

Kamran Shukoor received the Civic Spark Award from Children First Canada on Wednesday, recognizing his advocacy for youth leadership and government transparency. After graduating high school with three diplomas, Shukoor was named honorary Mayor of Calgary earlier this year and has since begun studying medicine in the Caribbean while continuing his political work.

Shukoor leads multiple student organizations including the STS Student Council and MediUnite Journal, and has contributed to Canadian Blood Services and MP George Chahal's Youth Council. He's also a recipient of the Alberta Premier's Citizenship Award.

The national recognition comes as part of The Future is NOW! Awards, which celebrates 10 young Canadians under 18 making significant impacts in their communities. Each recipient receives a financial award along with year-long mentorship and funding to expand their social impact.

Winners were celebrated at a gala in Toronto following a Youth Changemaker Forum that brought together 50 young leaders from across Canada.

Need to know

🥃 Alberta plans to legally define "Alberta whisky" and build a tourism trail like Kentucky's bourbon route, though some question whether legislation is needed for the struggling industry.

📚 Mandatory reading and math tests for kindergarten to Grade 3 start in 2026-27, though teachers argue they need support resources rather than more assessments.

🪧 Alberta's labour movement is considering a general strike after the notwithstanding clause was invoked, but leaders say they need more time to organize something substantial enough to succeed.

🛢️ Ottawa signalled it will scrap the oil and gas emissions cap if conditions like carbon pricing and capture technology are met, though Premier Smith remains cautious about the announcement.

🚨Domestic violence cases in Calgary are heading toward a five-year high with 3,592 incidents reported through September, with police noting more are occurring after relationships end.

❤️‍🩹 Two pedestrians were injured Tuesday when a vehicle struck them at Shannon Avenue and James McKevitt Road SW before fleeing, prompting road closures and an investigation.

🔥 Calgary's upside-down church sculpture in East Village was vandalized and burned on October 29th, leaving the landmark charred despite no official police complaint filed yet.

🎬 CUFF.Docs runs November 19-23 with documentaries from the Butthole Surfers to python hunting, including a world premiere about Indigenous-Calgarian Olympic snowboarder Liam Gill.

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When Men Mentor, Communities Grow

MJ didn’t expect to find a community—he just wanted to make a difference.

Matched with Kingston nearly a year ago through Big Brothers Big Sisters, the two quickly bonded over shared curiosity, goal setting, and an excursion to Tim Hortons camp. But what surprised MJ most was how mentoring opened up a network of men doing the same as him; showing up, connecting, growing.

“It can be hard for men to connect with other men,” he shared. “But we have so much to learn from each other.”

Kingston sees MJ as a role model and someone who encourages him to try new things. And MJ sees Kingston as a future leader.

“I might get more out of this than he does,” MJ says, smiling. “That’s the power of showing up.”

MJ made a difference, just a few hours at a time. Learn how you can too!

Free admission at TELUS Spark on Nov. 10 for Amazon Future Engineer Day

Telus Spark is offering free admission for Amazon Future Engineer Day on November 10th, giving Calgary families a chance to explore science and technology without worrying about the cost.

The day includes hands-on activities like remixing music from Indigenous artists such as Aysanabee and Jayli Wolf using coding software that's available in English, French, Ojibwe and Inuktitut. There's also a robotics display featuring Amazon's Hercules Robot, which can hoist over 1,000 pounds, along with live science demonstrations and combat robotics battles throughout the day.

More than 2,000 people showed up last year. Amazon Future Engineer aims to get more kids from underserved communities interested in computer science, which fits with Telus Spark's goal of making science accessible to everyone in Calgary. Free admission runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis.

Where to eat and drink

🍴 Crave Cupcakes: Celebrating 20 years of fresh-baked treats, this Calgary bakery offers cupcakes and desserts in-store and online, plus bake-at-home bundles that ship across Canada for those who want to recreate Crave's recipes in their own kitchens.

🍴 Fenoma Kitchen: Specialty Italian sandwiches on schiacciata bread are the focus at this new lunch spot, where you can order creations like porchetta with gorgonzola for weekday pickup or delivery until 4 p.m.

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

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Things to do

🎟️ JazzYYC Festival Finale: JUNO Award-winning trio Andy Milne & Unison teams up with Calgary Poet Laureate Wakefield Brewster's PoëThree for an explosive blend of jazz, funk and spoken word on November 9th at 7 p.m.

🎟️ DADS! The Musical: This witty comedy about three first-time stay-at-home dads wraps up its run at MisFit Theatre on November 8th, offering your last chance to catch this funny and poignant look at modern fatherhood and changing family roles.Have an event suggestion? Message us and we might share it!

That’s it!

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