Green Cities Prepare for Copenhagen: ICLEI in Edmonton

Big change starts small. That’s the idea, at least, behind the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), an organization made up of representatives from over one thousand municipalities around the world. Six hundred of them arrived in Edmonton recently for a multi-day conference on topics ranging from wastewater treatment to public engagement. Their mandate stems from a United Nations program called Agenda 21, adopted in Brazil at the 1992 Earth Summit and designed to allow participation by non-state actors in policies affecting the global environment.

In Edmonton, the purpose was clear: radical and rapid change is needed, they said, and local governments must push for it at December’s UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Yet creating and presenting a unified voice for local governments is not really what ICLEI does. Their mission is twofold: it acts as an association to share best practices, research, and support networks among sustainably-minded cities, and it organizes local programs and policies which feed into global climate goals.

So what can be achieved at a local level that will affect the big picture? For ICLEI president David Cadman, also the Deputy Mayor of Vancouver, the answer is varied. He points to Ontario’s recently adopted feed-in tariff which he claims will “stimulate you as the individual to put in solar panels, or a wind generator if you have a farm somewhere.” And the top-down incentives and responsibilities don’t stop there.

“We need to steward our fossil fuels - our oil, our gas, our coal - for a much longer time, because much of those resources are going to be key to this transformation,” he says, “The absolute key, though, is moving toward energy efficiency.”

ICLEI has a vociferous advocate for local governments in Mr. Cadman. Major emissions come from cities, he reasons, and cities are growing rapidly. This is where the big changes will occur; must occur.

Cadman will be roaming the hallways at the Copenhagen conference, just as he has done at the previous climate change summits in Bali and Poland. Their presence represents millions of citizens worldwide, he says, naming the organizations with which ICLEI is working, including United Cities and Local Governments, Canadian Federation of Municipalities, C-40 (an association of the world’s largest cities chaired by Mayor David Miller of Toronto), and the World Mayors Council. The top-down policies Cadman advocates on a local level will be the same he proposes from the ground up in Copenhagen, where ICLEI will mingle with global heads of state and federal ministers.

“ICELI has been following the negotiations on a post-Kyoto agreement,” Cadman says, “What we’re trying to do is have local governments working closely with national governments. We’re all on the same page. We know what we want - a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas by 2020 and an 80% reduction by 2050”

The conference began at 9:00 am each day with keynote speakers (including Toronto’s Adam Fenech of Environment Canada, Mathis Wackernagel of California’s Global Footprint Network, and Alex Wong of the Davos World Economic Forum global industries sector) and wrapped up around 7:00 pm in break-away sessions for mayors, CEOs, and city staffers. There were multiple social functions as well, including a reception at city hall hosted by Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel, and a dinner and dance at Fort Edmonton. A concurrent conference for academic researchers took place, also in the Shaw Convention Centre, and attracted well-known authors Dr. Mark Roseland of Vancouver, Dr. Peter Newman of Perth, Australia, and Dr. Yvonne Rydin of London, England, among others.
Published in National Post, August 8 2009

Calgary Folk Music Festival

The quiet, urban, tree-lined oasis known as Prince’s Island Park was transformed last weekend for the 30th Calgary Folk Music Festival. As dozens of happy sun-soakers floated by in rafts on the Bow River, thousands of people lined up for hours in the early morning heat to secure a spot for their tarp or camping chair on the island’s largest field. Space secured, the tarps and blankets before the main stage were abandoned in a cheerful mosaic while their owners wandered around the island. Main stage shows began at 6:00 pm every night of the four-day festival, and there was a lot to see otherwise.

There was a large grassy area with picnic tables and picnickers. There was a row of small white kiosks manned by everyone from the Green Party to the Grey Cup, and another filled with vendors selling bamboo didgeridoos, handmade clay teapots, leather purses, clothing, and more. And as one strolled through the island, there was music.

Stage one - sponsored by Ship and Anchor Pub - was close to the arts market and one of the free water dispensers, behind which a row of food trucks were positioned. Meals - from pizza to oyster burgers to butter chicken - were served on heavy plastic plates from Enmax, which could be redeemed at various places around the island for two dollars. The forks and cups were biodegradable, and there was composting. Stage two, slightly further down the path, hosted 60 year old legendary Celtic folk signer Dick Gaughan among others.

On all six stages during the weekend afternoons, artists were thrown together for an hour of improv and jamming. Stage 3 - the Field Law stage - featured Ontarians Steven Page (former front man for the Barenaked Ladies), Sarah Harmer, Justin Rutledge and the Good Lovelies together in a set called “The Young and the Restless”, while Stage 6 - the Broken City stage - featured an edgier, electro-acoustic group including Calgary’s own Chad VanGaalen, Montreal’s Kid Koala, Toronto’s Esthero and American Emily Wells. The group met for the first time five minutes prior to stepping on stage. The result was a haunting and unpredictable set that kept a sweltering audience in their grassy seats.

Musical highlights came from both the main stage - Arrested Development and The Decemberists provided consecutive knock-out, jaw-dropping, and thoroughly original sets which brought a lounging crowd quickly to its feet; they were opened by another excellent performance from British rockers Gomez - and the more obscure.

Stage 4 - the Local 510 stage - gave its audience plenty of grass to sit on, even a little hill beside the stage, and a good view of the impressive collection of bicycles housed in a gated depot. Here, too, were some surprising and entertaining performances. The Tom Fun Orchestra Cape Breton, Nova Scotia riled the crowd with their aggressive punk folk songs, underscored with traditional fiddle, brassy trumpet, and teasing accordion, enveloped in lead signer Ian McDougall’s whiskey-Waits-and-Springsteen voice and wildly beautiful back-up vocals from Carmen Townsend.

Published in National Post, August 1 2009

Banff Midsummer Ball

The Banff Centre, a home for working and developing artists in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, hosted its 30th annual signature fundraising event last weekend: the Midsummer Ball Weekend.

It began Friday morning with a friendly golf tournament and reception at the Fairmont Banff Springs. That evening, after checking into the lodge-style residences at the centre, guests were treated to an array of fine food - sushi, bison, seared tuna included - and a wine and scotch bar, before an intimate musical performance. Juno-award winning jazz pianist Hilario Duran played a three song set with bassist Roberto Occhipinti and drummer Mark Kelso, head of percussion at Toronto’s Humber College.

Between songs Occhipinti, who is an alumna of The Banff Centre, remarked on the pleasures of playing in Alberta saying, “The Banff Centre is the crown jewel of Canada … and I would hazard that in this resource-based economy, we can all appreciate that art is the ultimate renewable resource.”

The performance was followed by several pieces from the musical Loulou, a work in progress by Kelly Robinson, theatre arts director at The Banff Centre and director of creative development for Mirvish Productions. Broadway stars Hugh Panaro and Carly Street were joined by the centre’s opera students.

Following the program, The Banff Centre’s board chair Jeff Kovitz asked Alberta Minister of Culture and Community Sprit Lindsay Blackett to do a reverse ribbon-cutting, which would signify the closing of Donald Cameron Hall. The building will soon be replaced by The Kinnear Centre, a structure designed by Diamond & Schmidtt Architects and set to open next summer.

“If there’s a camera and a microphone, I’ll do it,” the Minister quipped before hopping onstage.

Saturday morning brought a fresh-faced and excited crowd to three keynote sessions. In the first, prima ballerina-turned-filmmaker Veronica Tennant, O.C. showed excerpts from her film Shadow Pleasures, a work done in partnership with Michael Ondaatje and filmed in Toronto’s Distillery District. Tennant manages to capture both the intense energy of her subjects - dancers - and the intimacy of the words to which they are performing, poems and paragraphs by Ondaatje. It is a rare and beautiful sight, leaving the viewer’s heart thudding in time to the score. The second session featured well-known pianist and organizational coach Michael Jones, who spoke eloquently about personal leadership and played songs for reflection. Author and Banff Centre alumna Maria Coffey capped off the morning with stories of travel and transcendence. A prolific author and recent guest of the Oprah Winfrey show, she and her husband Dag now lead small paddling trips to Croatia, Antarctica, Vietnam and other places.

After lunch, the group split into the three separate tours; some sneaking behind-the-scenes looks at film engineers, ballet dancers, and opera singers at work, others touring the new building, and still others toured visual artists’ studios with Berlin-based critic Jan Verwoert.

The evening’s gala attracted around three hundred guests, clad in black tie and ball gowns. Guests included former Premier Peter Lougheed, Alberta's Deputy Minister of Aboriginal Relations Maria David-Evans, Former MLA and current chair of the Western Financial Group Jim Dinning, Pat and Sherrold Moore, Margot and David Kitchen, Ian and Judy Griffin, Murray and Heather Edwards, Glen Sather, president of the New York Rangers, Matt Fox, president of ConocoPhillips Canada, John Lau, president of Husky Energy, and Mary Hofstetter, president of The Banff Centre. The master of ceremonies was Angela Knight of CBC Radio. A four course meal was served, including candied salmon salad, duck confit on brioche, veal tenderloin, and blueberry panna cotta. A performance by the Eric Friedenberg Orchestra had guests dancing late into the evening.

Published in National Post, July 25 2009

RCA honours Calgary talent; inducts 27 artists

The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) marked its 129th year last month by hosting a four-day festival in Calgary, honouring top local talent, and inducting twenty-seven new members. President Jeffrey Spalding hosted a gala dinner at Hotel Arts where guest Lindsay Blackett, Alberta Minister of Culture and Community Spirit, made an opening address. Supporting arts and culture does not only enhance our quality of life, Blackett said, but acts as an economic driver and the foundation for a richer educational system.

Creative achievements were then recognized by the awarding of twenty-seven memberships to professionals and practitioners in the field of visual arts, and RCA medals to curator Joan Stebbins and writer Nancy Tousley. Each medal recipient delivered warm, humorous remarks which conveyed nicely their contributions to the developing narrative of contemporary Canadian art.

The affair was an intimate one, despite the hundred-or-so guest list. Audience members cheered, catcalled, and clapped as each of the new academicians were introduced and given their certificates. Among the inductees were painter Garry Kennedy, past president of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (from 1967 until 1990), Sara Diamond, president of the Ontario College of Art and Design, Calgary-born Christian Eckart, whose work stands in the collections of New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Guggenheim Museum, photographer Justin Wonnacott of Ottawa, Quebecois painter Marius Dubois, Calgarians Rita McKeough, John Will, and Mary Scott, and sculptor Faye Heavyshield, originally of Alberta’s Blood Reserve.

La crème of Calgary’s cultural community was also proudly present, including artists Chris Cran and Ron Moppett, Yves Trépanier and Kevin Baer, whose gallery currently displays the work of many RCA inductees, and Karen Ball and Holly Simon of Calgary Arts Development.

Far from a society of mutual appreciation - although it is that, too - the Royal Canadian Academy of Art strives to support emerging talent, and facilitate discussion about and around art for the broadest possible audience. The organization also plays a national advocacy role by debating and presenting community-oriented policy, such as developing retirement funds, voicing a cohesive opinion on legislation, and reclaiming economic control over their work.

Over the course of the four day festival, Stride Gallery hosted the Joseph Plaskett Reception, where the work of seven new artists was celebrated. The emerging talent was chosen by seven distinguished members of the RCA. Among these rising stars were sculptor Robin Murphy, director of public art for Torode, Angela Bedard, and Romy Straathof.

Other events included the granting of the RCA Trust Award to Illingworth Kerr Gallery, a gallery hop including Art Gallery of Calgary, Weiss Gallery, Masters Gallery, Loch Gallery, and Triangle Gallery, and the world premier of a classical music piece for strings and voice by Katherine Govier and Allan Gordon Bell at The Grand Theatre.

Published in National Post July 18, 2009

City Saddles Up for the Stampede

Cowboys, cops, and corporate parties took over much of the city last week for the 98th annual Calgary Stampede. The Rogers Chomp and Stomp party was the first of the large-scale private events, taking place on June 30 at the Girletz Ranch. A few hundred people gathered to raise money for the Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta. There were plenty of host bars available, as well as one donkey carrying buckets of tequila, a hot meal of roast beef and baked potatoes, and of course, rodeo. An enthusiastic round of bull riding was followed by some skillful trick riding, where agile equestrians rode red-spangled ponies with one hand or draped head-first inches above the ground. Corporate bigwigs at the affair included Ken Coffey, president of Micro-Watt Controls, Terry Hughes, CEO of Redwood Technologies, Steve Roberts, vice-president of Rogers Communications for Alberta, Holly Wood of Right Mind Media, and Derek Larsen of London Drugs.

Newly minted US Consul General Laura Lochman welcomed guests to her private residence a few days later for an Independence Day celebration. The US Consulate in Calgary is the only one in the world to celebrate the Fourth of July on the 2nd of July, out of deference to the stampede. Among the guests for the garden party were former Premier Ralph Klein, acting Premier Ed Stelmach, Federal Minister of the Environment Jim Prentice, Alberta Minister of Culture and Community Spirit Lindsay Blackett, Alberta Minister of Sustainable Resource Development Ted Morton, publisher of The Calgary Herald Malcolm Kirk, president of Calgary Economic Development Bruce Graham, president of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Ann Lewis-Luppino, president of the Glenbow Museum Kirsten Evenden, director of WordFest Anne Green, and philanthropists Pat and Sherrold Moore.

The Calgary Stampede officially began the following day with an early morning parade and a city-wide celebration. Between the hay bales and wooden corrals, which appeared with sudden force on every major street in the downtown course, corporate hootenannies were in full force. President of Encorp David Neill played host on the rooftop of the Alberta Hotel Building. Among those in attendance were Olympic gold medalist Mark Tewksbury, owner of Axis Gallery Rob Mabee, Karen Ball of Calgary Arts Development, Kristin Richard of Kaviar South Sea Pearls Inc, and designers Dee Fontans and Charles Lewton-Brain.

The first Saturday of the stampede arrived with a staggering number of complimentary pancake breakfasts. (Those in the know point to www.flapjackfinder.com for a comprehensive list.) Mayor Dave Bronconnier, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, leader of the opposition Michael Ignatieff, and even Jack Layton rolled up their sleeves to dole out the morning staple.

On the stampede grounds, a midway, circus tent, several rodeo events, an agriculture barn, beer gardens, four concert stages, and an Indian Village vied for the attention of close to one million visitors. Events continue until Sunday with the chuckwagon races, barrel racing, cattle penning as the hot tickets. The prize for each rodeo event is $10,000. Musical performances include George Straight, Matt Mays, Joel Plaskett, Aaron Pritchett, Serena Ryder, and Reba McEntire.

Published in National Post, July 11 2009

Temporary Exhibit: Jeff Spalding and the Glenbow Museum

Fight at the Museum:

Painter, curator, educator, historian. The Glenbow had this trove of talent in Jeffrey Spalding, its progressive, plainspoken new CEO and president. And then he practically vanished.
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Collect like drunken sailors, they were told. These orders from Eric Lafferty Harvie, an eccentric millionaire in the early days of Calgary’s oil boom, resulted in the creation of the internationally renowned Glenbow Museum and the philanthropic bedrock on which Calgary’s cultural future would be built. Comic or controversial, it was a legacy Jeffrey Spalding wanted to protect when he became president and CEO of the Glenbow in December 2007. And while “returning to the founder’s vision” was a task he relished, it may have proved to be his undoing as the institution’s new star.

By shaking up the establishment, as Harvie had done, Spalding lost neither friends nor sleep. But within a year, it cost him his job. Until his abrupt exit in January 2009, Spalding’s brief tenure enflamed the passions of artistic and philanthropic circles in Calgary and communities across the country — and left burning questions in its wake.

Kirstin Evenden, a 15-year Glenbow veteran, is now tasked with stoking those embers, a job some say is unenviable, if not impossible. Evenden started as an intern at the Glenbow and knows the ropes well; some have called the new CEO the “cautious, safer approach.” Sound reasoning, it seems, that suggests Spalding’s ouster during a time of economic turbulence was mostly due to circumstance. That’s one take.

Through the abstraction, another perspective sees a much-ballyhooed contemporary, an artist’s artist who jarred and juxtaposed against the Glenbow’s traditionally conservative backdrop.

Eric Harvie was a spirited lawyer from Orillia, Ontario, who was called to the Alberta Bar in 1915 and set up a one-man shop. The Great Depression left corporate coffers dry, where litigation on behalf of mining and oil companies could have been a lucrative business. Instead of hard cash, Harvie accepted mineral rights in exchange for his legal services. By 1944, he procured an estimated 500,000 acres of mineral rights from the British Dominions Land Settlement Co. Three years later, he received a call from the president of Imperial Oil — they had struck black gold under Harvie’s property, and he was suddenly one of the richest men in Canada. And humble. According to Time magazine in its Sept. 24, 1951 story: “Multimillionaire Harvie goes in for no big-rich gestures. He drives a two-year-old Studebaker and lives in a modest house.”

The one passion Harvie recklessly indulged was collecting artifacts. In 1954, he quietly established the Glenbow Foundation (named after his family ranch), and hired staff to travel the world over with the enthusiastic mandate: “Collect like a bunch of drunken sailors.”

Harvie’s acquisitions included Queen Victoria’s underpants, life-sized rubber Indians, New Guinea penis sheaths, an extensive collection of mounted birds, the complete landscape paintings of Carl Rungius, and a 10-foot-tall bronze statue of General James Wolfe, the British captain who led the assault on Quebec in the mid-1750s.

In the mid-1960s, John Hellson of the Royal Alberta Museum said Harvie was “so rich he doesn’t buy things from collections — he buys the whole collection.”

Continued Online Here

Published in Avenue Magazine, June 2009

Calgary loves summer sledding

Calgary has learned to love sledding in the summer thanks to a three-year old festival of film, art and music known as Sled Island. Over four days in June the festival attracted hipsters, artists, and cultural giants (such as British rocker Colin Newman, Sled Island’s guest curator) to the city centre.

Two hundred and fifty bands were on the program, playing in venues as varied as the tiny stage in Plaza Cinema, where the red velvet curtains parted to revel a rarely seen documentary on glitter rock post-set, to the alter of Central United Church, to the basement of The Palomino. Noteworthy acts included a soulful, folksy-pop performance by JJ Shiplett, the aggressive rock band Cripple Creek Fairies, and the utterly captivating electro-acoustic sounds of rising stars Axis of Conversation.

The Sled Island Festival was also about visual art, co-hosting several impressive exhibits throughout the week. Three shows with international flavour opened at Illingworth Kerr Gallery (IKG) on Wednesday.

German architect Florian Koehl toured guests through a multimedia exhibit based around his 2007 hyper-designed Berlin condominium building. Winnipeg professor of architecture Neil Minuk acted as curator for the piece, which allowed the viewer to walk through a narrow pedway lined with blueprints and photos of the development. The building itself is home to ten tenants-cum-designers who worked with Koehl and artist Anne von Gwinner on its conception. It is evident that space limitations were both inspiring and restrictive for them. The result is unique, dynamic, and often fluid living quarters, more interesting in some ways than the exhibiting of them. The bathtubs, for instance, are futuristic pods elevated above the kitchen floor, from which the bather can look into the living room. The most endearing characteristic among the apartments are the handkerchief sized pop-out balconies which give tenants a rare and highly coveted view of Berlin’s cityscape.

IKG also showcased a hauntingly beautiful collection of photographs by Berlin-based Spaniard Ricardo Okaranza called Calgary Nocturnes, Lanes, and the detailed, Escher-like paintings of Montreal’s Numa.

The Market Collective, a bi-monthly cooperative of local artisans, celebrated its first anniversary under the banner of Sled Island. Pedestrians in the busy neighbourhood of Kensington were lured into a high ceilinged, sun-filled space, hopping with live music and locally made fashion, books, and baubles.

The festival also coincided with the Calgary launch of artsScene, a non-profit organization made up of young professionals devoted to enhancing the city’s cultural landscape, and the role for emerging talent within it. The group brought together all the local darlings of arts promotion, including Jeffrey Spalding, Dr. Terry Rock of Calgary Arts Development, blogger DJ Kelly, co-chairs of ArtsScene Alex Middleton and Sarah Blue, Karin Poldaas of 1128 Media, and Calgary Film Commissioner Luke Avezedo, for a reception at Rob Mabee’s Axis Gallery in Art Central.

On the lower level of the building, the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) gathered for their third party that night. A musical performance across the street co-hosted by Sled Island, CBC Radio, and artsScene capped off the evening.
Published in National Post, July 4 2009

Calgary grooves to Big Easy vibe

The 30th Calgary Jazz Festival (aka C-Jazz) opened this week with a New Orleans style gala at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Roxanne Potvin gave a rollicking first act in the hall’s main foyer, where a substantial crowd lined up at the bar and mingled around cocktail tables. Others watched from the upper levels, leaning over the balustrade and shaking in time to the music.

A private reception hosted by TransCanada offered Louisiana style hot snacks and Mardi Gras beads, seen most notably on Alberta Minister of Culture and Community Spirit Lindsay Blackett who delivered a lengthy but enthusiastic introduction to the evening’s main acts.

After a good dose of Potvin’s rockabilly/soul stylings and a few cold Big Rock beers in the lobby, guests made their way into the concert hall. Drinks were permitted inside the theatre for the occasion. Blackett then introduced The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and headliner Allen Toussaint.

“If you look across North America,” Blackett said, in reference to the festival’s thirtieth anniversary, “We have the best jazz festival in all of North America.”

The audience was loud, happy, and lightening quick in their reaction to the band. Straight from New Orleans, the Dirty Dozen had the audience on their feet, dancing and clapping to renditions of When the Saints Come Marching In and My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now.

Toussaint provided a slower groove, incorporating his classic Sweet Touch of Love (made famous again, he said, by a recent commercial for body spray featuring “a chocolate boy … very interesting”) and songs from his new album The Bright Mississippi such as the haunting Egyptian Fantasy, and the Thelonious Monk song from which the album takes its name. The 71 year old composer, pianist, and singer has not lost his touch; audience members marveled over his deft fingering and flourish.

The jazz festival continues until Sunday, June 28 when it finishes with a free outside concert in Olympic Plaza. Performers throughout the week include the renowned saxophonist Branford Marsalis, Calgary’s own Cumako, the legendary Halifax-based percussionist Jerry Granelli, King Sunny Ade and the African Beats, and PianOrquestra, a Brazilian group of five musicians playing one piano.

Guests at the opening gala included: Anne Green, director of WordFest, Ian Menzies, president of Meta4 Music Management, Syd Bosch, president of Nuvo Hotel and Suites, Laura Shewchuk, president of Urban Energy Executive Concierge, Michael Green, co-artistic director of the High Performance Rodeo Festival, Erica Mattson of Calgary Arts Development, and pianist Andrea Petrity.

Published in National Post, June 27 2009

Insider's Guide to Canada: Prairie Power Couple

Flanked by the Rocky Mountains, the corridor between Edmonton and Calgary is known as The Western Tiger, an area lush with ranchlands, dramatic skyscapes, and frequent petroleum tanks symbolic of the region’s booming economic growth. A scenic drive, maybe, but for Ann Lewis-Luppino and husband Tony Luppino it’s the three hour commute they face on a weekly basis. And they know all its secrets.

“But you must go into the mountains,” Ann says breathlessly, “We love to visit Banff and Jasper - there’s no place like it in the world.”

“And Dirt Willy’s,” Tony adds wryly, “About forty kilometers outside Edmonton you drive off the highway onto a dirt road and stay in your car - this is important - stay in your car and honk the horn. I guess it’s because of the dogs. Then Dirt Willy comes out, and the dogs become quite friendly, and you can buy all kinds of fowl right from his farm; pheasants, quails, turkey, whatever you like. He’ll clean and dress it for you, and there you go - you’ve bought your bird right from Dirt Willy!”

Shopping for dinner at Dirt Willy Game Bird Farm and Hatchery is all part of the weekend routine, along with hiking in neighbouring Elk Island National Park where bison, moose and other wildlife roam freely. Closer to home - well, one of their homes - in Edmonton, the couple tred lightly down the stairs of their condominium, across the bridge, and into the River Valley parklands where a vast open space and hundreds of riverside trails allow their pet dog Cara to wander happily off-leash. The area encompasses twenty-two parks along with major attractions like the Muttart Conservatory, four unforgettable glass pyramids housing an impressive range of international plant-life, and Edmonton’s Valley Zoo. It’s a spot to spend 3 hours or an entire Saturday, they say. In the evening, when there is no festival or holiday to keep them from a romantic, firework-gazing rooftop picnic, they head to the Fairmont MacDonald Hotel (Jasper Avenue and 100th Street) for a comfortable but upscale meal on the garden patio.

Both Ann, president of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and Tony, former executive director of the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton, have busy schedules during the week, filled with visiting artists, black tie functions, gallery openings, and concerts, all on top of regular day-to-day office work in their separate cities. Newly married, they were introduced by Edmonton’s Mayor Stephen Mandel years ago when Ann worked for the Alberta Ballet, travelling between the two cities solo. Now, they are each comfortable in either space and their favorite spots in both towns have merged into one giant ball of enthusiasm for the province.

In Calgary, Ann prepares for each season with a trip to Ooh La La clothing boutique (1575 7th Street SW), a hidden gem located close to both the bustling 17th Avenue district and the quiet, tree-lined streets of Mount Royal, the city’s wealthiest neighbourhood. Chris Wells, owner of Ooh La La, is a close friend and trusted advisor.

“Chris is the best person to dress someone,” Ann explains, “Because if something doesn’t look good on you she’ll say ‘Take that off!’” She holds up a Moschino jacket, made of gold silk and a few ruffles, while the woman in question frowns.

“It matches your dress perfectly,” Chris says thoughtfully, “But I’m not sure about the colour for you.” Her expert eyes scan the store, taking in the numerous items she’s freshly picked off the runways of Milan and New York. Many of them have not even been priced for retail sale yet. Chris picks up a cream coloured skirt with a Kandinsky-esque pattern of orange circles and the two confer quietly. They’ve agreed. It’s perfect for the office and a concert, says Ann.

When not shopping, working, or attending concerts and galas, Ann frequently plays hostess to guest musicians from around the world. She eats with them at Teatro Restaurant, Catch Restaurant and Oyster Bar, and Centini Restaurant and Lounge, all located within a block of the CPO’s concert space and on the cusp of Stephen Avenue, a pedestrian-friendly walkway of shops and eateries. She takes them to see the finest in local galleries at Trepanier Baer and Doug Udell. And finally, she advises them to tuck in at the trendy Hotel Arts, the popular Hyatt Regency, or the historic, luxurious Fairmont Palliser Hotel.

One her favorite places to eat in Calgary is The Living Room, where contemporary fusion cuisine is served in a sleek-but-cozy environment. The restaurant is located along 17th Avenue, just a few blocks south of the downtown core, and therefore saved for more intimate occasions with girlfriends, family guests, or rare ‘he and she’ time when Tony is in the city.

Back in Edmonton, Tony also has two routines: one solo and one reserved for couple/weekend time. A collector of rare books and lover of all things literary, he can spend hours alone in the Rutherford and Bruce Peel Special Collections Libraries at the University of Alberta (112th Street NW and 89th Avenue NW, near University Station), reading art magazines and touring the old book collections. Appetite whetted he often strolls to Audrey’s Bookstore (Jasper Avenue and 107th Avenue) where knowledgeable staff can find anything you’re looking for and authors frequently pop in for a public reading. He eats lunch at Zenari’s on First (10117 101 Street NW), where the quick, casual service and perfect paninis and pasta (“I’m fussy about pasta,” he says firmly, “And theirs is good.”) satisfy the lone traveler. Professional and personal interest alike propels him again and again to his favorite galleries: Bear Claw Gallery for contemporary Aboriginal art (10403 124th Street), Peter Robertson Gallery (10183 112 street), and Agnes Bugera Gallery (12310 Jasper Avenue), also home to a collection of Canadian contemporary works. These are just a few of the attractions available to those in Edmonton’s “gallery district” (www.124stbrz.com) along 124th Street in the heart of the downtown core.

In the evenings, Tony seeks out excellent wine lists and comfortable atmosphere. “The one thing that drives me crazy about Edmonton is how early all of the restaurants close,” he says incredulously, “The city still needs to develop those places for grown-ups who want to stay out after 11:00 pm. People over 30, over 40, over 50 do stay out that late, you know.”

There are a couple of restaurants that suffice, he admits. The Hat Resto-Pub offers gourmet burgers and a good selection of scotch, beer, and other libations, and is open from lunch time to late night snack time. Originally a greasy spoon, this chic newly renovated eatery was opened in 1912 as The Silk Hat making it the oldest pub in the city. Other favorites are: The Hardware Grill, Sorrentino’s Restaurant for its extraordinarily friendly staff, extensive wine list and fine Italian cuisine, Wildflower Grill because “they do that high cuisine fusion thing exactly right” and boasts a sommelier who can match any meal with a perfect, inexpensive wine, and Tony’s Pizza Palace - a place “in the middle of nowhere, but with the only truly New York style pizza in Edmonton” he says … and it’s open until midnight on Fridays.

Since resigning from the Art Gallery of Alberta on May 27, Tony is in full-out moving mode, saying goodbye to his favorite haunts and trying to bring as much of them as he can to his new home with Ann in Calgary. Together they are regulars at Tu Gallery (10718 - 124 Street), filled with one-of-a-kind furniture and sculptures, and Dwell Modern Furnishings (10549 124 Street), where much of the Italian high design lighting has become a part of their décor.

Whether in Calgary or Edmonton, the Luppinos like to eat well, often hosting dinner parties that run much later than most restaurants are open. They’ve just discovered a fabulous place for local produce and fine Canadian cheeses at Blush Lane Organic Market, just off 17th Ave and 85th St SW in Calgary. While Mercato Gourmet Foods will usually provide anything else they need, Tony admits he’s going to miss his go-to markets in Edmonton.

The Italian Centre Shop on 95th Street in Edmonton is the only place to buy fresh produce he says. “It doesn’t look perfect, but when you roast those peppers or eat those fresh tomatoes, the taste is incredible.” Loyal to the original location in Little Italy, Tony says the new store on 104a Street is also charming, and is home to a tempting bakery. “Everything is fresh,” he says, “Fresh when it’s in season in Italy, I mean, that’s when they bring it over to Alberta. The fruits, vegetable, salamis … I don’t even know how to say it in English. It’s the Italian way.”

As the warmth of the summer months begin to soothe their hectic schedules, the power couple look forward to more time outside, and together. The Calgary Folk Festival in Prince’s Island Park July 23-26 is high on Ann’s list, along with the Calgary Jazz Festival, which begins this week.

Meanwhile, their careers are always on the radar. A mere month ago Ann and Tony hosted the Mountains, Music & Masterpieces weekend at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Forty of their fellow art and music lovers gathered for seminars on Beethoven and the Group of Seven between indulgent, beautiful meals overlooking the spectacular emerald waters. Their restless minds have already begun planning the next event, perhaps to be held in the autumn, perhaps with a literary theme. Until then, their enthusiasm for arts and culture continue to reign in the heart of the city.

Published in National Post, June 20 2009

International Student Energy Summit

Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico, delivered a rousing keynote address in Calgary last week at the International Student Energy Summit (ISES). He declared a need for “re-energizing” NAFTA and for wholesale fiscal reform in his home country. He encouraged and applauded the leadership of those in the room, and talked about political decision making as an exercise in applying ethics. His remarks were well delivered and engaging, but not surprising.

What was unexpected though, were the hard-nosed questions in response from audience members. Students from Mexico, Columbia, and Alberta, Canada stood at the microphone and asked how can fiscal reform be achieved, what particular strategies can be applied by foreign investors to create business opportunities without sparking the lingering resentments of those accustomed to Western exploitation, how democracy and free markets can become compatible in Latin America, and whether it was fair for carbon emission standards to apply equally in the developing and developed world. Fox immediately became an artful dodger, speaking in eloquent generalizations.

Yet the lunch was still a highlight for many of the 300 plus student and young professional delegates who gathered from around the world for the three day conference. A dinner and social at Ranchman’s Cookhouse had many of them ‘mingling’ late into the evening on day two; a gala dinner with keynote speaker Jeremy Rifkin, president of The Foundation on Economic Trends, gathered everyone together on Friday night.

Among the other speakers were: Dr. David Layzell, executive director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Environment and Economy (ISEEE), Dr. Pierce Riemer, secretary general of the World Petroleum Council, Dr. Michael Klare, author of "Resource Wars" and "Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing Petroleum Dependency", Dr. Gustav Grob, executive secretary of the International Sustainable Energy Organization, and Sabrina Sullivan of Deloitte Consulting LLP.

A panel on the future of the oil sands took place on Friday morning, featuring Bill McFarlane, past president of the Canadian Heavy Oil Association, Matt Fox, senior vice president of Oil Sands at Conoco Philips Canada, author Andrew Nikiforuk, Jennifer Grant, policy analyst for Pembina Institute, Calvin Duane, manager of regulatory and environmental affairs at Canadian Natural Resources Limited, and Wishart Robson, senior advisor for safety and climate change at Nexen Inc.

“This the world’s largest energy project and the world’s largest engineering project,” said Nikiforuk of the oil sands, “We have failed to manage our part of the value chain, and as former Premier Peter Lougheed says, we have failed to capture our fair share.”

Not surprisingly, industry representation disagreed. “Industry sees themselves as on the front lines, providing a highly desirable resource which supports the rest of Canada with billions of dollars,” said Duane, “Yet we are besieged on every side.”

As with the end of each session, a student organizer of the conference provided a summary of the panel discussion. “That was probably the best panel I’ve ever heard,” she said, “I got like fifteen text messages while you were speaking and I was like, this is awesome!”

Published in National Post, June 20 2009

A Well-Oiled Meeting of Minds

Government and business leaders from around the world descended on Calgary last week for the Gas and Oil Exposition, or GO Expo. Approximately twenty thousand delegates attended three days of seminars and networking events, all under the theme of technology suitable for “profitable and sustainable hydrocarbon development.” Among the speakers were: Peter Mansbridge of the CBC, who moderated the opening panel discussion, Dr. Soheil Asgarpour, president of Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada, David Collyer, president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Qubad Talabani, a representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and Matthew McCulloch of the Pembina Institute.

A reception for international delegations was held on Tuesday, hosted by Calgary Economic Development. More than two hundred guests mingled amid artwork and vintage motorcycles at Artevo Art Gallery, a beautiful, three level renovated heritage building featuring exposed brick walls, wood ceilings, and warm lighting. John Hankins, vice president of international trade and development for Calgary Economic Development made the introductory remarks. Mel Knight, Alberta’s Minister of Energy, was the keynote speaker, introduced by Paul Beique, vice president of capital markets for Vermilion Energy Trust.

In a time of high environmental sensitivity, low deal flow, and rapidly fluctuating oil prices, conferences like this can take a gloomy tone. Happily, though, the feeling among guests and speakers alike was positive.

“Alberta has a competitive royalty regime,” Knight stated enthusiastically, noting the other factors that make the province a sound choice for international investment. “We have a stable government,” he said, joking, “It might not always seem like I’m stable, but it’s true.”

His remarks arrive at the same time Premier Ed Stelmach’s office has been rumoured in national media outlets to prefer Ignatieff to their own conservative leader because of his fervent support for oil sands developments.

Attracting investment and promoting the financial sector in general was high on the priority list for many of the evening’s guests, including Michael Mezei, president of Mawer Investment Management Ltd. The difficult economic climate is no reason to shy away from discussions on leadership and partnerships, he said. Saad Bashir, business development manager for energy at Calgary Economic Development, agrees.

“This is not the year when a lot of purchasing is going to happen,” Bashir says, “But this is the year for making relationships. So next year when the economy is running smoothly again, these international companies and Calgary companies are going to be able to do business. The relationships will be in place.”

Relationship building was certainly in effect as guests lingered well into the evening, some returning to the Marriott Hotel bar for further discussions and libations.

Also in attendance were: Lois Mitchell, chair of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, Stephan Wasylko, minister counselor for commercial affairs at the Embassy of the United States of America, Kevin Redmond, president of Entech Energy Group, Alexandre Garcia, consul general of France, Lei Jianzhong of the consul of economic and commercial section for The People’s Republic of China, Bill Boyce, regional director at 3M Canada, and Alireza Rafiee of the Australian Trade Commission.

Published in the National Post June 13, 2009

Canada West Foundation Talks Energy

Canada West Foundation hosted its Board of Directors’ dinner last week at Hotel Arts. The theme - “Western Canada’s Energy Future” - was the topic of discussion for a post-meal panel including Tom Huffaker, vice-president of policy and environment for CAPP and former US Consul-General, Murray Edwards, vice chairman of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd, and Gordon Kerr, president and CEO of EnerPlus Resources Fund. The program was moderated by fiery business columnist Deborah Yedlin of The Calgary Herald. A three course meal was served, including roasted butternut squash soup and a duo of Alberta beef tenderloin and braised short rib.

Yedlin’s opening remarks focused on the increasing demand for low carbon energy, its corresponding market trends, and the need to combat a prevailing “ineffective public policy” in the oil and gas sector, particular in times of economic downturn. The participants, some smiling glumly at the mention of climate change debate and proposed cap-and-trade systems, took questions from the moderator and the audience. All echoed the need for more robust policy and predictable royalty frameworks - the current regime being one subject to frequent review and adjustment.

The first question was on the current feasibility of carbon capture and storage projects in the oil sands. Despite the onslaught of federal and province funding for such technology in recent months, the majority of projects selected to receive it have decline the support. Huffaker noted the fine balance needed between market and governance mechanisms to propel big change. Edwards explained the “long term progress” made in the oil sands developments - “This is a marathon, not a sprint,” he said - and spoke at length about proprietary technologies at work in his own development, which capture the carbon emitted when sand and bitumen are separated and push it back into the ground, “closing the loop” and shrinking the toxic tailings.

“That would have been a good story in the face of all those dead ducks,” quipped Yedlin.

Conversation flowed easily and ranged from the economic and environmental to the political and the financial. AIMCO, the institution by which the provincial government invests its public money, was a “classic example of a good idea with poor execution,” said Kerr. The people - and executives - of Alberta needed a clearer understanding of how, why and when those investments were being made, he explained.

Other guests included Alderman Joe Connolly, Adam Legge of Calgary Economic Development, Judy Hoag of Global Public Affairs, Art Korpach of CIBC, and Dr. David Swann, leader of the Alberta Liberal Caucus.

A few weeks earlier, the Gaining Ground Summit featured more discussions on the future of energy. Peter Tertzakian, an energy analyst and chief economist with Arc Financial, talked about the inevitable shift in consumer behaviour and the rapid technological changes taking place already to increase energy efficiency.

Published in National Post June 6, 2009

Mountains, Music & Masterpieces

The weekend began with a cocktail reception in the Lakeview Lounge. Through the windows, frosty Lake Louise glittered under the sinking sun. Classical guitarist John Goulart played while guests mingled around tables of h’or doeuvres, sipping wine and feasting their eyes on the majestic Rocky Mountains. Lamb, risotto, bococcini salad, and lobster bisque were among the edibles.

Pat and Sherrold Moore, Alison and Elliot Geskin, and Andrea Brussa lounged and laughed, sharing travel stories. The Moores and Brussa recounted their most recent trip to Zimbabwe; the Geskins spoke of Hawaii and Mexico. Across the room, Patricia Johnston and Don Groot shared stories of cycling through France, eating grapes off the vine. Talk of beautiful landscapes shifted easily to the one thing they share above all else - a love of fine arts. Hence their presence at The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise for an intimate experience with The Art Gallery of Alberta and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO).

Ann Lewis-Luppino, president of the CPO, welcomed guests warmly, making introductions and setting a relaxed tone. “This weekend is really meant to encourage dialogue, and make friends,” she explained, “I wanted to keep it small, special.”

Lewis-Luppino and her husband, Tony Luppino, executive director of The Art Gallery of Alberta, were gracious hosts for the weekend, the concept for which came from Fairmont Hotels and Resorts Inc.

“European tourists love the mountains, but they’re also used to culture,” explained Luppino, “A package like this keeps them here a little longer and introduces them to more than our wild outdoors.”

It’s also a community-building exercise, they explain further, both for The Fairmont and their two cities. The Mountains, Music & Masterpieces weekend was the first in a variety of themed packages to come.

Saturday featured a discussion on the Group of Seven and their unique role in shaping Canadian identity. Luppino gave an inspired lecture, inviting the forty guests to examine the Lawren Harris and J.E.H. MacDonald paintings in the room. While utterly respectful of original artwork, Luppino wonders if our society is not overly cautious.

“What’s the point in preserving them if no one ever sees them?” he asked.

After a light lunch, Maestro Roberto Minczuk took the stage for an interactive seminar on music and nature, including a performance by CPO musicians Craig Hutchenreuther, Tom Mirhady, Rob Penner, and Brad Otteson.

A four-course gala dinner in the small, plush Alpine Room capped off the day. Atlantic salmon was presented three ways: tartare, smoked, and ceviche, followed by a tomato bisque, and Alberta beef. Another private performance from the CPO quartet - complete with a heartfelt rendition of “home on the range” - prompted standing ovations.

Guests stayed in the elite 7th floor “gold rooms” and following dinner, some made use of the kitchen, chess board, and armchairs in its comfortable lounge while others braved the grizzly-friendly weather for a glimpse of the stars and lumbering porcupines.

A decadent brunch - champagne and eggs benedict with duck confit - gave time for guests to say goodbye. Most agreed that the end of the weekend marked the beginning of something wonderful.

Published in National Post, May 30 2009

NOTE: My accommodation for this event was generously supported by the CPO and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise - what a treat! My gratitude is only shadowed by my awe for the spectacular views, detailed luxury, and superb service from the valet to the saloon. We will return; thank you!

Business in Calgary, Party in Banff

The Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Festival had the streets of Banff bustling last week. People from across the province strolled down the avenue, hopped on buses, and paraded into the Fairmont Banff Springs for a taste of gourmet fare and fine wine. An entire weekend of decadence was available.

At the Buffalo Mountain Lodge on Friday night, a small group sampled five varieties of Brunello di Montalcino and local fare crafted by Chef Linda Calabrese. While sommelier Roisin Hutchinson shared her passion for wine, coaxing guests into sharing their insights, platters of cheese, jellies, and local game were served. A peppered elk carpaccio and duck terrine, paired with a 2003 Pieri Agostina had guests gushing.

A much larger crowd gathered at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel on Saturday for the first session of the wine and food tasting. Over 2400 people attended the two sessions. Wine, beer and spirits from around the world were featured; guests enjoyed everything from unique coffee rum to organic vodka and vintage wines. Judie and Jim Keall were hunting for new labels on behalf of their son, who owns a wine shop in Calgary. Hellbent Shiraz from Australia did the trick, although New Zealand wines were top among many guests.

Meanwhile, local restaurants and hotels were tempting many with delectable plates. The Bison Restaurant turned out a steady stream of mini herb-rubbed pulled pork sandwiches on freshly made buns with house-made tomato jelly. It was a favorite among many guests, who were served by the restaurant’s owner Ryan Rivard.

Competition for best dish came from young South African chef Morne Burger of Maple Leaf Grill. His wasabi-crusted salmon, cooked to order and perfectly positioned on bite-sized polenta squares, attracted a high number of patrons and a huge amount of praise. Although not on their regular menu, the dish had a number of guests making early plans for dinner.

Among those attending the festival were: Harry Wells, vice president innovation and technology for Newalta (a happy side-trip to his week-long business excursion from Ontario), real estate agent Joe Badin, Alan Beres and Perry Fleming of Foster’s Group, Chef Martin Brenner of Sunshine Village, and Allan and Sonia Cavanagh.

It was back to business in Calgary the following week, at the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame Luncheon. The inductees for 2009 were announced by Arlene Dickinson, president and CEO of Venture Communications, with comments provided by Colin Merrick, associate partner at Deloitte.

The laureates are: Edward (Ed) McNally, the lawyer and rancher who founded Big Rock Breweries, Allan Markin, the engineer and community leader who helped steer Canadian Natural Resources Limited to great success as the board chair, and Senator Patrick Burns, who will be awarded posthumously for his life of public service.

At the luncheon were Karen Chown of Calgary Economic Development, Murray Edwards of CNRL, Heather Douglas of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, Eva Friesen of The Calgary Foundation, 2008 laureate Don Taylor, and Donald Seaman. The awards will be handed out at the Business Hall of Fame gala in November.
Published in National Post, May 23 2009

NOTE: My accommodation for the Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Festival was generously supported by the folks at Banff Tourism and the oh-so-splendid Fox Hotel & Suites. <- (click here to check it out) Many many thanks for their gracious hospitality, outstanding service and pristine, luxurious hot springs pool.

Bateman Offers Brush With Nature in Banff

At the Whyte Museum last week, guests dressed in vintage safari-wear pulled tiny keys out of a tiny treasure chest before striding down a red carpet into the main gallery. The keys were tied with various colours of ribbon, indicating your “team” for the night.

Robert Bateman, famed Canadian artist and environmentalist, stood on a small stage and spoke quietly about his work. A retrospective hung on the walls around him, work from the different decades of his life. The room was crowded. Finally, raising his sketchbook in one hand, he gestured at the crowd and ordered,

“Now go, get drunk, and spend a lot of money at the silent auction.”

Laughter. Before the audience could swarm or disperse, two figures took the stage - this time, dressed in elaborate Jumanji-style dress with head-set microphones. They directed the audience on an elaborate treasure hunt around the museum, where clues were hidden at various bars and food stations. Catering was provided by the Bison Resturant, which offered dripping, indulgent fondue bits, pan-cooked shrimp, crudités, and other assorted goodies.

Among the adventurers were Alberta Minister of Sustainable Resource Development, Ted Morton with his wife Bambi Morton, MLA Dave Rodney, curator at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, Adam Duncan Harris, Under The Sleeping Buffalo (UTSB) researcher Peter Poole, executive director of Heritage Community Foundation Adriana Davies, sommelier Roisin Hutchinson of Bin 905, senior vice-president of BMO Financial Group Ted McCarron and his wife, Jane McCarron, and Olympic gold medalist Mark Tewksbury with his partner, Rob Mabee of Axis Gallery in Calgary.

Proceeds from the evening will go to the Whyte Museum; Bateman is trumpeting another good cause - the “Get to Know” program, which connects children and the wilderness.

The evening closed with a very special connection to nature: two live owls and a giant hawk, brought in to the museum by animal trainers. The remaining guests crowded around the birds in awe, touching their feathers and watching the odd turning of the owl’s head.

Published in National Post, May 16 2009

Woodward Woos Teatro

Another heady season at the salon is over. Last week brought a final gathering of Calgary’s cultural elite and intelligentsia to Teatro Restaurant for the last in speaker series on “The Race to the White House and Beyond.” Infamous investigative journalist Bob Woodward was the guest of honour.

Well known for uncovering the Watergate scandal, and introduced by Rudyard Griffiths as a “chronicler of our time”, Woodward focused his remarks on the role of journalism in a democracy, and his personal recollections of the Bush administration. But he began with a different race to the Oval Office, way back when Al Gore was a contender.

“Having dinner with Al Gore is unpleasant,” Woodward said dryly. There was laughter and the clink of glasses as the audience took another swig of Tegrino Vin Santo. “There is not one pleasant thing about it,” he confirmed, “It is taxing. He is absolutely sure he knows everything about every subject.”

Yet there was some wisdom Woodward did accept at face value: Gore told him that only one percent of what goes on in the White House is public knowledge. Years later, it was clear that little more than that was even executive knowledge, when George W. Bush told him he did not attend many of the early meetings on the Iraq war.

“We’ve seen a staggering increase in the level of violence in Iraq - almost incomprehensible - and George Bush was out there asking if we were winning, not for months but for years!” Woodward charged, “The idea that the commander-in-chief would absent himself from those meetings … I felt sick. Sick for my country. The president had lost control. He didn’t know what was real; he didn’t have a grasp on it.”

And thus began his treatise on the role of the press in a liberal democracy, complete with mea culpa on the coverage of the Iraq war. “Media drives them toward accountability,” he said.

The questions ranged from ironic - Tom Flanagan asking about barriers to accessing Canadian politicians - to the cheeky - Carlo Bellusci asked, “Isn’t it true that if governments weren’t so secretive, you’d be out of a job? And don’t people want to just kind of tune all this out and go to the cottage?”

Woodward took it all in stride, concluding on a truly diplomatic note: “Obama thinks he’s restored moral authority to the White House, just as Bush though he’d restored dignity. I say, we’ll see. You can be so sure of something, then time passes, you do your homework, and things look very different.”

The Salon Speaker Series at Teatro will resume in Autumn 2009.

Guests dined on a mouthwatering preserved lemon risotto, the classic Alberta beef tenderloin, and a dainty selection of mignardises. Among those in attendance were: the camera-shy Murray Edwards, University of Calgary’s Barry Cooper, Greg Forrest, John Cordeau of Bennett Jones, Randy Pettipas of Global Public Affairs, Dina and George Honke, energy analyst Wilf Gobert, and Timothy Hamilton, managing partner of Hamilton Hall Soles/ Ray & Berndtson Inc.

Published in National Post, May 9 2009

New Works and New Workers Welcomed in Calgary

Vincenzo Calli, an Italian painter, has brought a collection of his latest work to the Art Gallery of Calgary, where the work and the artist were celebrated on Wednesday April 22. The paintings depict moments between dreaming and awake, and the suspension between heaven and earth. Some of them portray figures in shadow with placid expressions, while those in the sunlight stare forward anxiously. Others feature tarot cards, clouds, wolves on the hunt, and tiny brushstrokes to simulate watery ripples. The exhibit is on display until Saturday, June 27.

The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada (ICCC) co-hosted the event, attracting a large contingent of guests from the local Italian community. Remarks from the artist, and Marina Mason, vice president of the ICCC, were made in Italian and translated.

Guests included Jean Merriman, executive vice president of White Iron Productions, Omar Channan, founding world president of the World Organization of Building Officials and the president of United Nations Association in Canada-Calgary, Dr. John Lacey, honorary consul-general of Thailand, Jennifer Hames, of CTV Television, Lorenzo Lecce of A Touch of Italy, and Jessica MacLeod of Vendemmia International Wines.

Viable Calgary, a workforce program designed to connect employers and persons with disabilities, launched on Thursday, April 23 with a cocktail reception in Teatro’s Opera Room. A keynote speech was delivered by Elsbeth Mehrer, manager of workforce development at Calgary Economic Development. Other speakers included Lisa Thompson of Bank of Montreal, and Peter Pilarski of the Retail Council of Canada.

“When I went to job interviews,” Thompson recounted, “A lot of people thought I had a cognitive impairment, just because I’m in a wheelchair. I had to fight to show them there’s nothing wrong with my brain. It was very discouraging. Luckily BMO was more than open-minded during the hiring process.”

Viable Calgary offers “integration studies” upon request, showing local business how easy - or how difficult - it would be to welcome an employee with a disability. Other services include staffing support, research, and best practices workshops on hiring disabled workers. Funded by local industry, the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada, these services are provided free of charge.

Guests of the event included Pat and Sherrold Moore, Bryce Roblin of Placement Group, Jim McLaughlin of Alberta Employment and Immigration, Robert Hansen of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Jenny Cruickshank of The Home Depot, and Linna Morgan of Calgary Counselling Centre.

Wallace Galleries welcomed the work of two new artists this week, Camrose Ducote and Rachel Ovadia. At the opening on Saturday, April 25, guests wandered in for a sip of wine and a look at the fresh pieces. Abstract, eggshell-coloured mixed media make up Ducote’s work. Ovadia on the other hand, with bold colours on giant canvas, lights up the room. Ode to Mozart is made up of deep, grandiose swirls of red overlaid with broad strokes of orange, pulsing from the centre of an electric blue and green border.

The joint display lasts until May 10.


Published in National Post, May 2 2009

Iggy Pops Into Calgary Cocktail; Griffiths' Book Launched

As if summoned by a city-wide nerd alert, pundits, politicos, and others interested in weighty discussions of Canada’s ongoing identity crises gathered in Calgary’s downtown core last week. First at Pages bookstore in Kensington where Rudyard Griffiths, host of the Salon Speaker Series and founder of the Dominion Institute, launched his latest book “Who We Are: A Citizens Manifesto”, then a few days later at The Grand where Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff was the guest of honour at a well attended cocktail fundraiser.

Late afternoon sun streamed through the upper-floor windows of a charming old book shop while Griffiths held court last week. A fair sized audience stood in a semi-circle around him, nibbling on fine cheeses and sipping local wine. After briefly introducing his thesis, the author invited questions. “How can we engage young voters?” asked one guest. “How role does new media play in democratic society?” asked another. “What does it mean to be Canadian in a globalized world?” En masse, they tilted forward, eager for a drop of certainty amid the ongoing Canadian identity-crises. And he delivered.

Succinct, poised and enthusiastic, Griffiths answered each question with a smile, leaving a happy crowd to mingle and discuss. Despite his somewhat contentious assessment of Canadian life -and what we need to make it better, such as mandatory voting, re-imagined media, and denying Quebec the rights of nationhood - there was little debate.

“There’s one nation - Canada,” he concluded, “We’re diluting this nation by thinking we can have multiple sub-nations that have all the benefits and power that we associate with the country writ large. I think that devalues Canadian citizenship.”

Guests included: Randy Pettipas and Lorraine Royer of Global Public Affairs, Cathy Cram of ConocoPhillips, Marcus Gurske of Play It By Ear Productions, author Judy Johnson, Frances Wright, founder of the Famous 5 Foundation, Ian Griffin, honourary chairman of Research Capital, and Shannon Palmer.

A grander affair took place on the other side of the river later that week. Michael Ignatieff hosted a few hundred of his closest friends for a cocktail fundraiser. He made pointed comments on Alberta’s energy capital and cultural cache, made fun of his own eyebrows, and basked in the rare melee of Western Liberal revelry. Between sampling delicate h’ors d’oeuvre and a variety of beverages, guests pondered the future of the opposition.

“Jesus Christ could run as a Liberal in Alberta and lose,” said one guest, laughing.

“This is the tipping point,” said another, “We’ve been waiting for a leader we could support, and now we have him.”

Guests included: Senator Joyce Fairbairn, Senator Grant Mitchell, John Cordeau Q.C. of Bennett Jones LLP, Christine Silverberg of Wolch Hursh deWit Silverberg & Watts LLP, Matthew Mitschke of Schofield Law Office, Howard Shikaze of RSM Richter Chartered Accountants, Daryl Fridhandler of Burnet Duckworth & Palmer LLP, George Gosbee of Alberta Investment Management Corporation, Dr. Nallai Nallainayagam of Mount Royal College, and George Hodgson, president of the Liberal Party of Canada-Alberta.

Published in National Post, April 18 2009