Things are warming up in Calgary this Halloween week.
Whether its scaring yourself silly at a haunted house, picking out the perfect pumpkin, or simply exploring some of the city’s newest, coolest spots, we’ve got some suggestions to jumpstart your weekend plans.
While it may have meant an early end to fall, the snowfall Alberta has been seeing over the past week hasn’t been all bad.
The early arrival of winter has also meant that Alberta’s local ski hills have been seeing plenty of the white stuff, so much so that Mount Norquay has opened early this season.
Touted as the World’s Largest Dinosaur, the enterable attraction that is a must-visit for anyone hitting up the Royal Tyrell Museum officially turned 20 on October 13.
As part of the celebrations, town organizers decided it was high time to give the 82-foot-tall sculpture a name, and they reached out to the public to decide.
After counting 568 votes, it was determined that the World’s Largest Dinosaur would be deemed “Tyra.”
Where: 60 1st Avenue W, Drumheller Time: Daily from 10 am to 5:30 pm Tickets: $4 per person
They may not officially be haunted, but the eerie silence of Alberta’s ghost towns is still enough to make the skin crawl.
Alberta has dozens of ghost towns stretching throughout the province, most the result of a booming coal industry that were abandoned when operations failed, resources were depleted, or the world simply moved on to other forms of energy.
Check out our list of spooky places to visit this October.
Winter is still a few months away, but someone must have forgotten to tell Mother Nature because Calgary has already seen quite a bit of snow over the past week.
While YYC may be going through its usual freeze, snow, thaw routine at the moment, it’s only a matter of time before the white stuff is here to stay for good.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, as the snow covering actually lends opportunity for anyone looking to slip and slide down some hills.
Calgary actually has a bylaw in effect stopping would-be tobogganers from sliding down any hills that haven’t been officially given the green light, but lucky for us there are quite a few on that list.
94 Take the Cake might just be the cutest thing outside of Calgary we’ve ever seen.
The 94 Elma Street W cafe is located in Okotoks, just a short 30-ish-minute drive from YYC, and it’s definitely worth the drive if you ask us.
In addition to sweet treats and caffeinated beverages, 94 offers patrons the ultimate photo-op, as it’s decked out in an awesome 2D colouring-book style design done by local artists.
Alberta Health Services has announced that the annual flu shot is now available throughout the province, with Albertans being encouraged to get immunized to protect both themselves and their at-risk neighbours.
According to the Alberta Health Services website, influenza immunization will be offered through AHS to children under five and their family or household members, though the vaccine will need to be booked through an online tool that will become available as of October 13.
All other Albertans should contact their pharmacist or physician to arrange for their own free vaccinations.
High Park parkade/Beltline Neighbourhood Association
Talk about a picnic with a view.
Calgary’s newest park may not have the grass, trees, or ponds you’d come to expect from an outdoor public space, but what it lacks in nature it makes up for in colour, views, and originality.
High Park opened to the public this week, offering a space for Calgarians to check out (while safely physically distancing) at the tip top of a six-storey parking garage.
This year’s BUMP Festival was a little different than usual due to pandemic restrictions, but that didn’t stop over a dozen artists from turning some of downtown Calgary’s exposed walls into works of art.
A total of 20 murals were completed this past September as part of the project, bringing BUMP’s lifetime total to over 50 since it began back in 2017.
The organization also noted in a release that over 5,000 people had downloaded their self-guided walking tours showcasing murals new and old, a significant increase over the 500 or so guided mural tour participants from 2019.
There are plenty of great pumpkin patches in or around Calgary where you’ll be able to find that perfect pre-Jack-o’-lantern! The Calgary Corn Maze and Fun Farm is open this weekend, and admission is just $18.
When: Open Thursdays through Sundays Time: 10 am to 5 pm Where: Calgary Corn Maze & Fun Farm — 284022 Township Road 224 Tickets: Free for kids two and under, $18 for adults, youth and senior discounts available online
VANCOUVER – Mayors and other leaders from several British Columbia communities say the provincial and federal governments need to take “immediate action” to tackle mental health and public safety issues that have reached crisis levels.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says it’s become “abundantly clear” that mental health and addiction issues and public safety have caused crises that are “gripping” Vancouver, and he and other politicians, First Nations leaders and law enforcement officials are pleading for federal and provincial help.
In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier David Eby, mayors say there are “three critical fronts” that require action including “mandatory care” for people with severe mental health and addiction issues.
The letter says senior governments also need to bring in “meaningful bail reform” for repeat offenders, and the federal government must improve policing at Metro Vancouver ports to stop illicit drugs from coming in and stolen vehicles from being exported.
Sim says the “current system” has failed British Columbians, and the number of people dealing with severe mental health and addiction issues due to lack of proper care has “reached a critical point.”
Vancouver Police Chief Adam Palmer says repeat violent offenders are too often released on bail due to a “revolving door of justice,” and a new approach is needed to deal with mentally ill people who “pose a serious and immediate danger to themselves and others.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
