Krista Sylvester’s 5 favourite Calgary Citizen stories of 2022

As I reflect on the past year, I am so proud of what our little team has accomplished together. When we started the year, it was just myself working on the newsletter. Since then, we were able to add our lovely and talented reporter, Leanne, and we have also been able to bring on an intern every four months, including Ashley, who has been a wonderful addition to the team.

I started working with Calgary Citizen when it launched in May 2021 and since then, I’ve had the privilege of watching us grow and connect with our readers every day as we do so. I love being able to cover the stories about the incredible people, organizations, and businesses that make this city so wonderful.

I appreciate all of the people who have shared their stories with us and all of the people who help make those stories happen. It’s hard to pick just five, but these are the stories I want to share today that won’t be covered in our most read stories of 2022 roundup that is still to come. You’ll want to stay tuned for that one, too, because there were some very popular stories this year!

It’s his sixth birthday party and he will have a limo park crawl if he wants to

This is one of those stories you just happen to stumble across that you know nobody else has and you just need to tell it. It was quite popular with readers and ended up getting covered by some local radio stations, too. Sometimes you just need to share those heartwarming stories, and this was one of them. What’s cuter than a six-year-old who wants a limo park crawl? It was cool to see the community come together to make this happen for the family.

After receiving a potential lifetime ban in 2019, Alberta chuckwagon driver is rejoining Calgary Stampede

I was the first reporter to discover this story, which was a big deal at the time. It was cool to see us beat the “big media” on this story that everyone ended up covering after my story ran. Whether you love or hate the Stampede, you know anything related to the Chuckwagons is always controversial, and we were able to share this story with our readers first.

Andrew Phung is proof you can take the boy out of Calgary but you can’t take the Calgary out of the boy

Calgary-born actor Andrew Phung of Kim’s Convenience and The Burbs fame is probably one of the proudest Calgarians to ever make it big, and he is such a delight to speak with. We actually went to high school at the same time but we didn’t spend much time together as he was one year ahead of me. His love for Calgary’s suburbs is infectious and he’s always a down-to-earth interview.

Pair of bonded Saint Bernard dogs still looking for their fur-ever home

This is just one of those stories that you hope to tell and help find a happy ending. These beautiful bonded Saint Bernards were struggling to find a home together but eventually, due to media attention, they were able to find their fur-ever homes as a duo. You love to see it!

From gang life to a life of creativity: local artist shares his story in hopes of helping others

I truly enjoyed talking to Kale Barr, who shared his story from his past in a gang and how he was able to turn his life around. Now, not only is the talented artist achieving all sorts of success with his creations, but he’s also helping troubled teens turn their lives around through a local mentorship program. He was a pleasure to speak with and I’m glad I got to share his story.