Calgary
Keeping Currency Local with Calgary Dollars
Calgary Dollars is a local currency program run and operated by The Arusha Centre, a social justice and environmental non-profit established in Calgary in 1972. Gerald Wheatley launched the Calgary Dollars program, originally known as the Bow Chinook Barter Community, in 1995 as a way to benefit community members and local businesses while building the Calgary economy by “facilitating and encouraging local consumption.”
Each Calgary Dollar (C$) is equivalent to one federal dollar, and can be earned and spent in a number of ways within the city. The Calgary Dollars program operates a free customer loyalty program that allows program participants to earn 10% back in Calgary Dollars when spending federal dollars at participating businesses. These dollars can then be spent at a number local destinations and services, including breweries and restaurants, tattoo parlors, local skincare lines, interior design and home cleaning services, and much more. If you’re not sure where your Calgary Dollars might be eligible, visit the Marketplace to find out.
Businesses can accept anywhere from 10% to 100% Calgary Dollars for a given purchase, with the option to vary rates depending on hours or days. For instance, The Allium, a local vegetarian restaurant located on 12th Ave is now accepting 40% Calgary Dollars on happy hour cocktails between 5:30 and 6:30 Tuesday to Thursday.
Since its establishment in 1995, the Calgary Dollars program has shifted its focus a number of times to best meet the needs of communities across the city. Over the years, this has included aiding seniors, providing food access, assisting new immigrants, and more. Currently, the focus for the Calgary Dollars program is the promotion of local businesses and affordable housing partnerships.
“It’s about building community and supporting the people who need it when they need it,” says Sierra Love, Program Manager for Calgary Dollars, “the currency builds resiliency.”
A major focus of the Calgary Dollars program, according to Love, is the creation of a circular economy, where dollars and services are exchanged within the community to “make things more local and minimize the city’s footprint.”
Currently, Calgary Dollars partners with Calgary Housing, CUPS and The Norfolk Housing Association to provide local residents with the opportunity to earn Calgary Dollars by getting involved in the community, which can then be put towards rent or basic needs.
Calgary Dollars further supports the community in a number of ways. The Calgary Dollars Take Action Grants program offers up to $2000 in funding, made up of equal parts Calgary Dollars and federal dollars, to support Calgarians pursuing eligible social and environmental projects. They also provide a listing platform for businesses and individuals to feature their products and services while building relationships and trust with other members of the community. These include second-hand sales (furniture, housing items, etc), and personal services such as sewing, programming, etc.
The impact of Calgary Dollars in communities across the city has been extensive, and is always growing. As of 2018, there are over 1700 registered users and more than 150 local businesses participating in the Calgary Dollars program. On average, businesses accept between 10% and 40% Calgary Dollars, meaning each transaction represents a greater impact on the local economy when including the circulation of CAD dollars with each Calgary Dollars purchase. In the last 12 months, a total of C$110,403.59 has been exchanged in more than 2300 transactions, with C$10,315.71 in exchanges taking place in the month of September alone. That is all money produced by Calgarians, for Calgarians that has remained in the local economy as a direct result of Calgary Dollars!
To learn more about Calgary Dollars and how to get involved as a business or a consumer, visit http://www.calgarydollars.ca.
For more stories, visit Todayville Calgary.
Alberta
Calgary Ring Road opens 10 months early
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.”
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.”
“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.”
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.”
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.”
“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.”
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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