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Opinion: Is Calgary still an oil and gas town or has it moved on?
Yes, Calgary is an oil town, but this city is not just an oil town – its identity is not binary, nor is it rigid
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Only the most out of touch person actually thought Calgary was still an oil and gas town. I could be wrong but I believe our largest empty or near empty towers belonged to Husky and Nexen (or whatever they were before vacating). If you've been paying attention Calgary hasn't been an oil and gas town in awhile (8+ years?). It also hasn't moved on, nothing is black and white, and searching for answers you can write in stone is a fools game.![]()
Opinion: Is Calgary still an oil and gas town or has it moved on?
Yes, Calgary is an oil town, but this city is not just an oil town – its identity is not binary, nor is it rigidwww.theglobeandmail.com
That's really not true, though. It's true that we're not still an oil and gas town. People who live in Calgary and are involved with industry know that Calgary isn't still an oil and gas town. But people who already live in Calgary and are involved with industry aren't the ones that a national editorial is trying to reach. The point is that people outside Calgary don't necessarily know that.Only the most out of touch person actually thought Calgary was still an oil and gas town. I could be wrong but I believe our largest empty or near empty towers belonged to Husky and Nexen (or whatever they were before vacating). If you've been paying attention Calgary hasn't been an oil and gas town in awhile (8+ years?). It also hasn't moved on, nothing is black and white, and searching for answers you can write in stone is a fools game.
Toronto and Vancouver as poor and blue collar? I don't think so. I also don't see them as crime ridden. Maybe that's just me.identify them as poor, blue collar, expensive and crime ridden.
I'm not personally affected by how people feel about Alberta but as the province moves into its next phase, it needs to attract the best people. If their high-level view of Alberta is a bad one, then they'll pretty quickly look at other places. O&G is here because the product is here. Other industries don't work like that.As I've gotten a bit older I just don't really give a shit about what our "perception" is anymore, it used to really bug me that we were perceived as a redneck cowboy town. Life is to short to worry about what people think of you or where you live. I enjoy my life here and thats what matters.
Our outdoor areas in the rockies and foothills are incredible and still quite accessible, compared to Vancouver where there is rushhour gridlock traffic to get to Whistler and every trailhead and hiking trail is over polulated. My cousin who lives out there used to be big into camping and just gave up because everywhere is just overflowing with people or impossible to get a reservation
I'd almost argue that it's worse here. Banff is a bigger draw than Squamish and Whistler combined!This is happening here too. I've never been to Lake Moraine and will likely never go because I don't want to get up at 4AM. Have you every tried to hike in the fall to see the larches, it's Disney busy out there. And it is impossible to get a reservation at Lake O'Hara or any decent campground, the lottery system sucks.
I don't mind the Albertans thing. Calgarians don't have the Toronto or even Vancouver mentality for that matter where they think, rightly or wrongly, that their province revolves around them. Alberta is not Calgary's and I like that people who live here don't think of it that way. Granted I'm born and raised in Alberta (with a sprinkle of living overseas in there), but the things that make Calgary, Calgary is that it's in Alberta. Foothills and Mountains, Alberta's not Calgary's. Oil and Gas, Alberta's not Calgary's (Calgary was really just the office at the front of the Alberta Warehouse). I credit the Oil and Gas with making this city the urban, diverse, exciting city that it is. Without it, we're Casper Wyoming. Saying all that...My question is, when will Calgarians stop calling themselves "Albertans"? That was one of the biggest culture shocks when I arrived here from Toronto. I never once heard anyone in Toronto refer to themselves as "Ontarians". But Calgarians always refer to themselves as "Albertans". I do think it affects Calgary's image, when people just see it as part of Alberta, which they associate with oil, wheat, and conservatives. The city needs to start standing on its own.