Good morning {{first_name|there}}!
We asked about your Thanksgiving long weekend plans, and a big family dinner at home came out on top. Some of you turned it into a full family get-together, and one reader even had the whole meal arriving ready to serve.
Others kept it low-key, with one reader settling in with a charcuterie board and movies with her daughter, and another putting the turkey dinner off until out-of-town guests arrive next week. Hope the weekend was a good one, whichever way you spent it.
👀 In today's edition:
Banff's future if Alberta separates
Few voices backing the “yes to the nine”
Ex-bar owner's sexual assault trial begins
Get your story told! Promote your business, event, or restaurant in front of 30,000+ engaged locals. Contact our team today.
Data shows 17 Avenue got quieter during noise crackdown
Photo: City of Calgary
Loud vehicle activity on 17 Avenue S.W. dropped during the City's August noise enforcement push, according to monitoring data released by the City of Calgary.
The City compared readings from a noise monitor near Tomkins Park for August 2026 with the same period last year. During enforcement hours, loud vehicle events fell 25.2 per cent, from 357 to 267, and average sound levels dropped from 71.18 dBA to 68.80 dBA. Across the full analysis period, loud vehicle events fell 10.7 per cent, from 801 to 715.
SPONSORED BY MRG LIVE
Digable Planets bring Blowout Comb to the Palace Theatre for 30th anniversary tour
Get ready, Calgary: legendary hip-hop pioneers Digable Planets are bringing their 30th Anniversary Blowout Comb Tour to town on October 25th, playing at the Palace Theatre with MAUVEY opening the show.
Breaking onto the scene with their Grammy-winning hit "Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)," the trio, Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Craig “Doodlebug” Irving, and Mary Ann “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira, carved a smooth, jazz-informed sound. Following their gold-certified debut Reachin', their 1994 sophomore album Blowout Comb became a classic meditation on Black liberation that continues to influence generations of artists.
Backed by a full five-piece live band, the group brings these timeless tracks to life with fresh energy and dynamic arrangements. Don't miss your chance to experience one of hip-hop's most visionary acts live in Calgary!
Need to know
🗳️ Advance voting runs through Saturday and referendum day is Monday, Oct. 19. Our voter's guide has the hours, what ID to bring, where to find your voting place and the exact wording of all 10 questions.
🧱 Alberta's largest Lego show is at MacEwan Hall this weekend, with a Lego Scotia Place and a million-piece castle. Our Brick Roundup guide has tickets, hours and what to see first.
💔 Calgary police have charged a 59-year-old woman after a 92-year-old woman was randomly punched in the face while out for a walk downtown. The victim had minor injuries.
⛰️ If Alberta were to separate, Banff's future would be uncertain, since the town sits on leased federal parkland and is covered by Treaty 7. The mayor is urging Albertans to vote to stay.
🗳️ Few groups are publicly campaigning for Premier Danielle Smith's nine immigration and constitutional referendum questions, while opposition to them has grown. UCP officials privately worry voters could reject some or all of them.
⚖️ A four-week trial begins Wednesday for a former Calgary bar owner accused of sexually assaulting five women between 2006 and 2019. It's his second sexual assault trial; an earlier charge was stayed by the Crown in 2024.
🚨 Three Canadian Armed Forces members are among seven people charged in a Toronto kidnapping investigation involving a man allegedly targeted for his cryptocurrency. Police have laid 82 charges and seized firearms and more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition.
🎨 A mother-son artist duo from Tsuut'ina Nation pulled their work from a University of Calgary exhibit after the university's response to a campus debate that questioned whether residential schools were genocide.
PARTNER PICKS · SPONSORED
🎭 Alberta Theatre Projects unleashes outrageous laughs, rockin' music and buckets of blood in Evil Dead The Musical, onstage now at Martha Cohen Theatre.
📋 Seniors and their families are using this readiness organizer to help keep daily life going when someone needs to step in at short notice.
🧑🍳 Cooking When Fatigued (Meals for Low Energy Days), October 28: learn to eat well while living with fatigue. A free online class from registered healthcare providers.
Mind & Body
New on calgarycitizen.com: Mind and Body is our new home for mental health in Calgary. It has a checked list of where to get help in the city, from crisis lines to free walk-in counselling, quick interactive resources to help get through a hard moment, and a new column from Canadian Certified Counsellor Lauren Cowley.
Pass the potatoes, not the family drama
Lauren's first column is about why holiday gatherings pull us back into old family roles, and how to hold a boundary without a blow-up. Her advice: keep it short. One repeated sentence (“I'm not talking about that today”) does more than a speech. Read the column.
🧘 Need a minute right now? Breathe walks you through a four-stage breathing exercise, and the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise takes about 60 seconds.
Sounds of Calgary
This week's shows
🎸 Thu Oct 15 — The Zolas: Swooner Anniversary Tour, Commonwealth Bar
🎸 Fri Oct 16 — MOONTRICKS with The Harpoonist, The Palace Theatre
🎸 Mon Oct 19 — Signed To God World Tour, Scotiabank Saddledome
Artwork of Hudson's Bay building heads to Heritage Awards auction
Hudson's Bay Company Department Store, Stephen Ave. by Lauren Shipton, which will be auctioned at the Heritage Awards. Photo: Heritage Calgary
An original painting of the Hudson's Bay Company Department Store on Stephen Avenue will be auctioned at this year's Heritage Calgary Awards. Calgary artist Lauren Shipton created the one-of-a-kind piece on commission for the event, and it gives bidders a chance to own artwork tied to one of the city's best-known historic buildings. Proceeds will go to a beneficiary that Heritage Calgary will reveal live on the night.
The auction closes out the awards evening on Monday, Nov. 9 in the Crystal Ballroom at the Fairmont Palliser, where the awards recognize people and projects that protect the city's heritage. Doors open at 6 p.m.
SPONSORED BY BRIT FLOYD'S THE MOON, THE WALL AND BEYOND TOUR
Next weekend! Don't miss Brit Floyd LIVE
Performing for one night only at Grey Eagle Resort & Casino's stage on Saturday October 24th, The World's Premier Pink Floyd Experience performs The Dark Side of the Moon + More Hits accompanied by a state-of-the-art light show, video projections, and theatrical staging. Get your tickets HERE before they're gone!
Where to eat & drink
🍴 Jane Bond BBQ: A Calgary barbecue spot that smokes its meats daily over wood, with brisket, St. Louis ribs, coconut cornbread and platters big enough for a crowd of 15. It's known for its house sweet tea, which comes in a boozy version made with bourbon from Two Rivers Distillery.
🍴 Maven: A brunch favourite where the dishes come from the personal stories of its chefs, past and present, with a strong Filipino streak. Try the Still in Manila plate with garlic fried rice, pandesal and candied bacon, or the kaya French toast.
Have a food or drink suggestion? Message us and we might share it.
This Week in Calgary
Sat Oct 17 — Calgary's Largest Baby & Kid's Second-Hand Sale, Genesis Centre, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. · free
Sat Oct 17 — Puptoberfest, Crossroads, East Village, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. · free
Fri–Sat Oct 16–17 — Podsummit 2026, The GRAND, 8 a.m.–8 p.m.
Oct 17–18 — Brick Roundup, MacEwan Hall, University of Calgary
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Reader poll
How are you planning to vote in Monday’s referendum?
Last time you said…
What are your Thanksgiving long weekend plans? (196 votes)
Big family dinner at home — 45%
A quiet weekend, nothing special — 37%
Travelling to see family or friends — 13%
Heading out to enjoy the fall weather — 5%
That's it!
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