CALGARY — Telus Corp. marked the opening of its new 60-storey Calgary headquarters on Wednesday.

The new $400-million skyscraper, Telus Sky, has been in development for nine years and is now the third-tallest building in downtown Calgary. It features 750,000 square feet of office and retail space as well as 326 rental homes.

The building’s eye-catching design, by architects Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Dialog, along with developer partner Westbank and Allied, starts with a rectangular floorplate and then gradually twists as it rises.

Integrated into the facade of Telus Sky is Canada’s largest public art display. “Northern Lights” by Canadian author and artist, Douglas Coupland, creates a light show across the building’s exterior.

Telus Sky will be home to more than 1,600 Telus employees. It joins TELUS Garden in Vancouver, TELUS Harbour Toronto, TELUS House Ottawa, and Place TELUS Québec as one of the company’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum-certified buildings.

Among the building’s environmental features is a storm water management system that recycles rainwater for use in washroom toilets, reducing the building’s municipal water demand by 70 per cent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2022.

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Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press

EDMONTON — Thousands of tickets for the Pope’s open-air mass at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium were all booked about 15 minutes after they were made available to the public for free.

The July 26 mass with Pope Francis is part of his six-day Canadian tour, which also includes stops in Quebec City and Iqaluit.

Neil McCarthy, a spokesperson for the papal visit, says organizers were hopeful the first block of 16,000 tickets would be booked immediately because the impact of the event cannot be underestimated.

A total of 65,000 people can attend the mass at the football stadium.

McCarthy says if people haven’t been able to book a seat, they can do so on two other days later this month, when the remaining blocks of free tickets will be made available.

Organizers divided the booking process for the mass over three days, because they say it is easier to manage and want to prioritize some Indigenous people who want to attend.

“We’ve got seating allocations for Indigenous participation, whether it’s residential school survivors, elders, knowledge keepers or those who are supporting them,” McCarthy said Wednesday.

“Today was a very, very positive start to the day. People really want to be with him.”

The Pope is to arrive in Edmonton on July 24. The next day, he is to meet survivors and visit the site of the former Ermineskin Residential School in Maskwacis, about 80 km south of Edmonton.

He is scheduled to arrive in Quebec City on July 27 and stop in Iqaluit on July 29.

The Pope’s visit comes after he apologized in April to Indigenous delegates at the Vatican for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in Canada’s residential schools and the intergenerational trauma it caused.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2022.

The Canadian Press