UCalgary to expand downtown campus

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Good morning !

On Thursday, we asked about your plans for the Easter long weekend. And while most of you will be relaxing at home, others said they were:

• Heading out on road trips — someone is flying to New York City to visit their daughter!

• Attending church services and ordering food in to celebrate with family

• Having an informal bite to eat with friends

• Entertaining an 11-year-old nephew for the weekend (good luck!)

👀 In today's edition:

• More on measles

• Firefighters save cats

• Aggie Days celebrates 40 years

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WORTH KNOWING

☀️ ⛅️ ⛈️ ❄️ Today: High 17C, Low 1C. 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

University of Calgary to expand downtown campus

Twelve-hundred students from the University of Calgary’s School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape will be relocated downtown as part of the school’s 180,000-square-foot expansion.

Last week, the university and the City of Calgary announced a new partnership to convert an underused office tower into design studios, classrooms, research spaces, a robotic fabrication workshop, an exhibition gallery, and a community-facing design justice lab.

“This relocation and expansion downtown will enrich the educational journey of our students, providing a dynamic urban context for learning within the fabric of the city. Downtown will be a living laboratory where our students can apply their learning in a practical context,” said Dr. John Brown, Dean of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape. “Being immersed in the heart of the city is important because it provides more opportunities for our students and researchers to work with our professional community, the city, and others on collaborative projects.”

The project is supported by up to $9 million in funding from the City of Calgary’s Downtown Post-Secondary Institution Incentive Program and is one of several initiatives targeting the west end of downtown including streetscape improvements and four office-to-residential conversion projects.

Need to know

⛑️ Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Mark Joffe encouraged Albertans to ensure their measles vaccinations were up to date amidst an outbreak of the highly contagious disease. Joffe noted that “measles is more serious than other common childhood illnesses. It can cause pneumonia, brain swelling and even death.”

😸 Two lucky cats were saved from a house fire by firefighters in northeast Renfrew on Sunday.

🚨 A shooting in northeast Calgary has left one man dead and another in hospital, in stable condition. The shooting took place late Thursday night.

✨ The 2025 Calgary Influential Women in Business Awards has named this year’s six winners, who will be honoured in a celebration tomorrow.

🚜 Excavation for Scotia Place, the roughly $900-million project set to replace the Saddledome, is nearly complete.

👨‍🌾 The Calgary Stampede celebrated the 40th anniversary of Aggie Days over the weekend. The annual event brings the farm to the heart of Calgary, offering hands-on activities and interactive exhibits that celebrate the world of agriculture.

🐣 Visitors to the Southcentre Mall will have seen the third annual ‘Pysanky for Peace‘ event, an initiative that pays tribute to the Ukrainian Easter tradition of making pysanky, carefully decorated Easter eggs featuring intricate designs in various styles and colours.

💪 This year’s STARS Critical Care on the Air Radiothon raised a record-breaking $565,631 to support the organization’s mission of providing advanced critical care, wherever it is needed.

🥚 Meet BC’s new generation of farmers: Jared de Dood blends tech, tradition, and tenacity to raise certified organic eggs—and a family—on his thriving poultry farm.*

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The bears are back in town

Unless you’re a morning person, the groggy, slightly grumpy feeling of crawling out of bed might be a familiar one — not unlike Alberta’s grizzly and black bears emerging from hibernation this spring.

The provincial government is reminding the public to be on alert when spending time outdoors near bear habitats, as the furry giants search for food after a long winter sleep and may wander closer to trails, roads, campsites, and residential areas.

“As bears return to the landscape, we ask everyone enjoying Alberta’s trails, parks and great outdoors to be alert and take the necessary steps to avoid conflicts,” said Todd Loewen, Minister of Forestry and Parks. “Bear safety is a shared responsibility, and simple precautions can help prevent serious encounters.”

As if he’d heard the province’s announcement, famous Albertan grizzly ‘the Boss’ was seen in lower Bow Valley last week. Estimates put the massive male bear at approximately 450 pounds.

If you’re looking to avoid an encounter with the Boss or his friends, the province advises travelling in groups and staying on official trails, as well as making noise regularly to avoid surprising a bear.

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Where to eat and drink

🍴 Sweet Rice: Indulge your cravings with a stop at Sweet Rice on 12th Street NE to try a doughnut made with mochi, a traditional Japanese rice cake with a unique chewy texture.

🍴 Higher Ground: If you’re looking for a cozy coffee shop to get together with friends, look no further. With locations in Kensington and Capitol Hill, Higher Ground’s warm and inviting atmosphere is perfect for a midday break.

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

Things to do

🎟️ City Nature Challenge: This competition encourages cities around the world to document urban biodiversity and engage citizens. From April 25-28, head outdoors to document the flora and fauna in your area and share photos through the iNaturalist application.

🎟️ Celebration for the Arts - Hosted by Mayor Gondek: On April 24, enjoy a showcase of performances by Calgary artists and a variety of local performers and community groups, plus help celebrate outstanding achievement in the arts with the presentation of the 2025 Cultural Leaders Legacy Arts Awards.

🎟️ Tasty, Low Salt Cooking April 29 - Learn how to cook delicious food with less salt in this FREE in-person cooking demo with registered dietitians from the South Health Campus Wellness Kitchen. Recipes included.*

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