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Calgary

Hotels Live – History In The Making For Calgary Music Fans

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5 minute read

You read that right. When we talk about ‘disrupting the space’ from an innovation perspective, we think of new-to-market technology, products or software that in some way the consumer would benefit without that person first identifying the challenge or the solution. This is something different.

Hotels and live music have co-existed for decades in various tourist destinations around the world, but never in history have they coincided for Calgarians.

Hotels Live, a welcomed new venture that combines the experience of a hotel stay with the live music industry here in Alberta. Founded by award-winning Canadian music industry veteran Rob Cyrynowski. In collaboration with the Ramada Plaza Calgary, Livestar Entertainment Canada and Canadian ticketing company Showpass, they have combined the experience to be a one-stop shop for music lovers of all genres. 

To offer a brief summary, Hotels Live is hosting live music in the pool deck area of the Ramada Plaza Calgary. These concerts can be viewed from your own hotel room balcony while you stay socially distant and mitigate any risk for entering large crowds. Rightly so, as we make the shift to mandatory mask-wearing inside public spaces.

This gives local artists an opportunity to entertain their fans through a unique new experience, Hotels Live will continue to promote artists and be the winds of change well needed in our community. 

We spoke with Marnie Crowe, Director of Sales and Revenue for the Ramada Plaza Calgary to get her thoughts on this new partnership. 

“There is the opportunity for this to be something in addition to the traditional viewing experience. We are learning that there are a lot of people who have not been able to go to a venue for a long time for a variety of reasons. We want this to be a long term additional experience for those who are looking for something new even when we as a community get back to traditional live shows.” 

 

 

Upcoming Shows

August 7th, 7:00 pm – CCMA nominated festival, Diesel Bird Hotel Music Festival 

“The world’s first hotel music festival featuring some of today’s most exciting Canadian country artists, nominee for the Country Festival, Fair or Exhibition of the Year Award by the CCMA” 

Ticket Information

 

August 15th, 7:00 pm – Rock Double-Bill BC/DC & Brokentoyz

“Double-Bill Rock Concert featuring both BC/DC (High Voltage Rock N’ Roll) & Broken Toyz – (80’s Hair Metal)”

Ticket Information

 

September 5th, 7:00 pm – A Celebration of Love Drag Show

“In celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Calgary Pride and presented by Plain Jane Events, guests will experience the very first Hotel Balcony Drag Show in history.”

Ticket Information

 

As we continue to support local businesses as a community, a major focus has been to promote local tourism in our own community. Marnie offers an additional perspective in line with this focus. 

“We will continue to support local artists and the live music industry here in Calgary. With it being a hotel experience, it does offer the opportunity to extend your stay for an entire weekend rather than just the night of the show, allowing you to explore other parts of the downtown core that you have yet to discover.”  

 

If you would like to learn more about Hotels Live, or to stay updated with the Ramada Plaza Calgary hosting future shows, or to discover the great work being done by all the parties involved, be sure to check out their websites for future updates or follow them on the social media via the links below.

 

Hotels Live

Ramada Plaza Calgary

Showpass

Livestar Entertainment Canada

 

 

For more stories, visit Todayville Calgary

Alberta

Calgary Ring Road opens 10 months early

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Christmas comes early for Calgary drivers

The Calgary Ring Road is now ready to be opened to public traffic, several months ahead of schedule.

Calgary’s ring road is one of the largest infrastructure undertakings in Calgary’s history and includes 197 new bridges and 48 interchanges. The 101-kilometre free-flowing Calgary Ring Road will open to traffic Dec. 19, completing a project decades in the making.

“Calgary’s ring road is a project that has been decades in the making and its completion is a real cause for celebration. This has been an important project and our government got it done. With this final section completed, travelling just got a little easier for families and for workers. This will not only benefit Calgarians and residents in the metro region, it will provide a boost to our economy, as goods can be transported more easily across our province.”

Danielle Smith, Premier

Although construction of the entire ring road project began in 1999 under former premier Ralph Klein, discussions on a ring road around the City of Calgary began as early as the 1950s. In the late 1970s, under former premier Peter Lougheed, high-level planning and land acquisition started and a transportation utility corridor was established to make the Calgary Ring Road a reality.

“The final section of the Calgary Ring Road is now complete, and I’d like to acknowledge the work done by former premiers and transportation ministers and their vision to build Alberta. I’m proud to announce that the final section was completed on budget and months ahead of schedule.”

Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors

“I’m thrilled to see the Calgary Ring Road project completed. It was something I have helped shepherd through the process since 2014. Finally, all the hard work put in by everyone has become a reality. The Calgary Ring Road will provide travellers with over 100 kilometres of free-flow travel, create new travel options for the City of Calgary and surrounding area and provide improved market access across the region.”

Mike Ellis, MLA for Calgary-West

Opening the ring road means new travel options for Calgarians, which will draw traffic away from heavily travelled and congested roads such as the Deerfoot Trail, 16th Avenue, Glenmore Trail and Sarcee Trail. For commercial carriers, the ring road provides an efficient bypass route, saving time and money for the delivery and shipment of goods and services.

“The ring road investment generated thousands of local jobs and will now play an integral role in keeping Calgarians and the economy moving. This important transportation link will ease congestion on city routes and greatly improve connectivity and access for businesses transporting goods.”

Jyoti Gondek, mayor, City of Calgary

The ring road is a critical component to growing economic corridors in Alberta and Western Canada, as it connects the Trans-Canada Highway to the east and west, and the Queen Elizabeth II Highway and Highway 2 to the north and south. It is also part of the CANAMEX corridor, which connects Alberta to the highway network in the United States and Mexico.

The completion of the ring road is a major boost for Calgary, opening new business opportunities and supporting key components of the Calgary economy. It sends a signal to businesses and investors that Calgary has a strong highway infrastructure, providing economic corridor connections through the entire region.

“With one of the smoothest commutes in Canada and the capacity to reach 16 million customers by road within a single day, Calgary offers unmatched quality of life and economic opportunities. The triumphant completion of the Calgary Ring Road further improves our capacity to attract even more companies, capital and talent to our city.”

Brad Parry, president & CEO, Calgary Economic Development and CEO, Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund

“This is an exciting step forward for the Calgary Metropolitan Region. This key artery will not only improve the quality of life for the residents of the region, it is also a key economic enabler and we are thrilled to see its completion.”

Greg Clark, chair, Calgary Metropolitan Region Board

Quick facts

  • Stretched into a single lane, the highway is 1,304 kilometres long, the distance from Calgary to Winnipeg.
  • Other sections opened in 2009, 2013, 2020 and 2023.
  • The West Calgary Ring Road is the final piece of the ring road project.
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Alberta

Canadian pizzeria owner planning civil suit against gov’t officials over tyrannical COVID mandates

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From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

They shut a man’s business down of 20 years, two families that depended on that, 30 people that were employed by the millions of dollars in taxes that I collected every year,’ Jesse Johnson said.

The owner of a popular Canadian pizzeria says he is planning a civil suit against government officials for a “travesty of justice” after enduring a prolonged legal battle on charges — that were just dropped — for defying COVID rules banning the vaccine free from eating at his restaurant.

On Wednesday, a City of Calgary court dropped all COVID-related charges against Jesse Johnson, who owned Without Papers Pizza, and in 2021-2022 refused to ask his customers for their vaccine passports so that he could serve “everyone.”

Johnson said when speaking with independent media reporter Mocha Bezirgan outside Calgary’s main courthouse Wednesday that he will be “pursuing a civil suit” against government officials and institutions that forced his restaurant to close.

“I plan on pursuing a civil suit, yes. It is a bittersweet irony what happened here today. My restaurant was shut unadjudicated,” Johnson said.

“They shut a man’s business down of 20 years, two families that depended on that, 30 people that were employed by the millions of dollars in taxes that I collected every year.”

Johnson said that the reason he got shut down was that he went against a system that discriminated against the vaccine-free, which was something he did not like.

“Because I did what? Because I chose to accept all and to extend my love to all the fine people of Calgary,” he said.

“A travesty of justice is what occurred? Really, truly a shame.”

Johnson said that he “hopes” and “prays” that his “brothers and sisters in the restaurant industry will stand up in the future and refuse to discriminate any of their customers for any reason whatsoever.”

“It’s the most difficult experience of my life. These bastards, they literally tried to break me. They tried to break me financially.”

Johnson praised “millions” of Canadians from coast to coast who came together to fight COVID dictates through various protests.

“Never give up hope. Never give up hope and believe in yourself. One thing I’ve learned across this journey is that the power of the human spirit is indomitable. And if there’s a mountain in front of me, that mountain shall move,” he said.

The Democracy Fund (TDF), which funded lawyers Martin Rejman and Chad Williamson in defense of Johnson, noted in a press release that the once-popular pizzeria was charged in October 2021 with “breaching multiple bylaws after its business license was suspended for not complying with public health orders and after undercover inspectors were permitted to purchase pizza and remain in the restaurant without providing proof of vaccination.”

“Among other things, the allegations against the pizzeria were that it permitted persons to enter and remain on the premises without proof of vaccination and that it did not display prescribed signage, all of which was contrary to bylaws passed by the City of Calgary,” the TDF noted.

Johnson’s charges being dropped came in the wake of a recent court ruling that declared certain public health orders effectively null.

At the end of July, Justice Barbara Romaine from Alberta’s Court of Kings Bench ruled that politicians violated the province’s health act by making decisions regarding COVID mandates without authorization.

The decision put into doubt all cases involving those facing non-criminal COVID-related charges in the province.

As a result of July’s court ruling, Alberta Crown Prosecutions Service (ACPS) said Albertans currently facing COVID-related charges will likely not face conviction but will instead have their charges stayed.

Danielle Smith took over from Jason Kenney as leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) on October 11, 2022, after winning the leadership of the party. Kenney was ousted due to low approval ratings and for reneging on promises not to lock Alberta down, as well as enacting a vaccine passport.

Under Kenney, thousands of nurses, doctors, and other healthcare and government workers lost their jobs for choosing to not get the jabs, leading Smith to say – only minutes after being sworn in – that over the past year the “unvaccinated” were the “most discriminated against” group of people in her lifetime.

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