Sprawlcast

Whose voice matters at Calgary city hall—and whose doesn't? Amid calls for anti-racist action in every segment of society, including urbanism, we take a deeper look at who the Green Line is for.

"The grief that I've experienced in the last week is very familiar." Cheryl Foggo has been writing about racism and Black life in Alberta for more than 30 years—as an author, playwright and filmmaker. Jeremy and Cheryl discuss the history of Black people in Western Canada, and Foggo's upcoming myth-busting documentary on John Ware. Features music by Miranda Martini.

On June 1, the Green Line goes is going before a Calgary city council committee—yet again—amid public debate over whether the LRT project should go ahead or not. We look at what's at stake and the politics behind it.

In Alberta, as elsewhere, people of colour are bearing the brunt of COVID-19. "Why isn't there a voice among community members, among Canadians, defending these workers?" asks Marichu Antonio, executive director of Action Dignity.

Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro has doubled down on his fight with the province's doctors—and misused his power to threaten and intimidate his critics. We look at the fallout.

In 2009, city council approved Plan It—a long-range blueprint to shift growth into established neighbourhoods and introduce more transportation choice. But a decade later, we're falling short on key targets—and moving backwards on transit.

In July 2018, a month after passing a new climate plan, Calgary city council approved 14 new communities on the city's outskirts. But the housing market has slowed, and now city hall is bracing for a shortfall of $57-million—and counting—as developer levies fail to keep up with infrastructure costs.

Adora Nwofor and Shifrah Gadamsetti are organizing the fourth annual Calgary Womxn's March on Saturday, January 18. This year they're rolling out something new: an afternoon of post-march civic conversations at the Central Library. Jeremy speaks with Adora and Shifrah about what's in store—and why it's needed now.

Fariza Thraya and her husband bought Stanley Jones Grocery in 1987. It was a tough business then; it's even harder now. Today a new couple runs the century-old Renfrew store, and Fariza's grandson hopes to make it a busy neighbourhood hub once again.

Before Premier Jason Kenney handed Steve Allan a plum $290,000 gig, Allan pushed for a new Flames arena—while also calling for a halt to the Green Line. We continue our investigation into how city council prioritized an NHL arena over the biggest transit project in the city's history.

The story of how Calgary city council prioritized a new NHL arena over the Green Line, helping the UCP jeopardize the biggest public transit project in the city's history. This is Part 1.

Working as a boilermaker in the oilsands, Lliam Hildebrand started exploring how his skills might fit into the burgeoning renewable sector. Today Hildebrand heads up Iron & Earth, a worker-led non-profit that focuses on renewable energy training and "upskilling" so workers can make the transition. We also hear from Alison Cretney of the Energy Futures Lab, a group trying to depolarize dialogue about energy in Canada.

As Alberta's UCP government reviews supervised consumption sites, we look at what these places mean for the people who live in and around them. Full transcript at www.sprawlcalgary.com.

The Green Line drama continues. Two years after city council approved the final Green Line alignment, Councillor Jyoti Gondek wants to revisit it. Meanwhile Councillor Evan Woolley is calling for a pause on the project. We take a closer look at what was originally decided and why—and how new changes could affect the project, for better and worse.

Is Calgary's Green Line being derailed? City admin is wary of tunnelling under downtown, as planned. Meanwhile, a group of well-connected businessmen are lobbying to halt the project. And Premier Jason Kenney continues to cast doubt on the soundness and scope of the project. We take a closer look at what's going on.

Jeremy speaks with Calgarians who are taking climate action in different ways, pushing for systemic change while also making their own changes on a small scale. In Part 1 Jeremy speaks with Sharon J. Riley, The Narwhal's Alberta reporter, about forest fire smoke and the concept of ecological grief—and how it can be a motivating force. In Part 2, Jeremy goes to city hall to meet the teenagers who lead the Calgary Youth Climate Strike every Friday. In Part 3, local business owner Janine Vangool decides to add to her monthly bill by phasing out plastics.

Calgary has become the most income-unequal city in Canada, with Calgarians increasingly being sorted into different parts of the city by income. We take a closer look at what's changed since the 1970s, when most neighbourhoods were middle-income—and take a tour of the 3 distinct cities that have emerged within the larger city of Calgary.

UCP leader Jason Kenney set off a culture war in the middle of an election campaign. He also says his views on LGBTQ2+ rights have changed. So what does real change look like? Taylor Lambert interviews Laurie Moore, who squared off against Kenney when they were both students at the University of San Francisco. In Part 2, Jeremy interviews activist Pam Rocker, who works to build affirming faith communities in Calgary.

What's beneath the recent craziness of Alberta politics? Melanee Thomas, a political science professor at the University of Calgary, has a hypothesis on that. Jeremy speaks with her after Rachel Notley calls the election.

Part 1: We hand over the mic to Grade 9 students in the pop up newsroom for a special report on racism. Part 2: Jeremy speaks with activist Donna Clarke, an organizer with the Renters Action Movement (RAM).