If you are new to Calgary or even if you lived in the city all your life, you should grab a copy of Shaun Hunter’s book “Calgary: Through The Eyes of Writers” and have a read. Hunter has gathered 160 excerpts by 146 different authors, (I might have miscounted, but it is a lot) who have written about Calgary dating back to Peter Fidler in 1772 and David Thompson in 1787 (published in 1850).

In each case, she provides a short excerpt by the author and then adds her own comments to give a context about the writer and Calgary at the time often suggesting other writers to read. It is mindboggling, the amount of reading she must have done to create this book.

Hunter organized the excerpts in chronological order, so readers can see how the perception of Calgary evolves over time. Also the book’s chapters identify key transition points, which further helps the reader understand the city’s evolution.

Or does it? I found the negativity about Calgary in the late 20th and early 21st century writers quite disconcerting, especially given how Calgary has thrived over that same time period attracting tens of thousands to move here, both nationally and internationally, to create a better life for themselves and their families too. But more on that later.

Chapters

Place: “This Enchanting Spot”
The Railway Era: “The Glory and The Gateway”
The First Boom: “Calgary The Phenomenal”
World Wars and The Depression: “The Children of Change”
Post War: “Story of Oil”
The Price of Oil: “Behold the New Rome”
After the Boom: “City of Illusions”
Onward: “A Fragile Thaw”
New Millennium: “In the Throes of Glorious Tumult”
The Flood of 2013: “Somewhere in the Mud and Gloom”
CODA

Pioneers to Progressives

I was hoping the book might give me some insights into Calgary’s DNA. Into why for decades Calgary has been a magnet for Canadians from across the country to move to create a new life. FYI: I am one of them, as are most of my friends and colleagues.

Initially I was hopeful, but the more I read, the more frustrated I became as the city that was being described by many of the writers wasn’t at all the city I knew and learned to loved.

The early writers were more flattering, loving the chinooks, the Stampede and yes, those big, bold, blue skies. They loved the city’s “fervent optimism,” “light as clear as cellophane” and “musical weather.” There was a sense of the optimism the pioneers had, despite life in the frontier town being harsh.

But gradually, the writers seemed to focus on things like the city’s, “aggressive materialism, youthful greediness, and renegade individualism.” Others referred to Calgary as a city of drifters, ruffians, hooligans and even as an uncivilized city. Several authors talked about Calgary as a “macho city,” due to the downtown being dominated by males with big egos.

By the middle of the book, I was wondering where the stories about the great parks, the rivers and the strong sense of community were. But the negative comments continued - stories about how drinking plays a key role in the everyday life of Calgarians, how Calgary is a “migrant city,” a “restless city” with “soulless suburbs”, “dirty oil companies” and the debauchery of Stampede. Yikes, I almost stopped reading.

Here are some of the exact quotes:

Mark Abley wrote, “It purports to be a Midas City, and many of its citizens crave the Midas touch. It’s a metropolis on golden wheels; restless, and occasionally reckless.” Beyond Forget (1986)

Anita Rau Badami wrote, “It wasn’t culture shock so much as space and silence shock.” Tamarind Men (1996).
Angie Abdou notes “In Calgary everyone is friendlier during a Chinook.” The Bone Cage (2007). This is one of the few positive comments later in the book. (FYI: I think this very true; everyone loves the winter chinooks.)
Geoff Berner writes “Calgary oddballs have to huddle together against the storm of SUV materialism and shitty New Country Music.” Festival Man (2013)
Calgary’s own Will Ferguson (I love his sense of humour) writes, “A cold city, exhaling steam. A city of CEOs and venture capital, of oil companies hidden behind curtains of glass.” From 419 (2012).
Jaspreet Singh states, “You don’t want to move to Calgary…Calgary is a city without a soul.” Calgaryesque (2007)
Christine Rehder Horne declares, “Calgary’s everything that’s wrong with our way of life, & that’s before you even talk about the tar sands & the corporate mentality. Talk about sprawl.” Tarstopping (2015)

Hunter’s comments and context on Robert Tarry’s prose.

Calgary’s Corporate Charm

These negative sentiments clash with my experience of Calgary. Ever since arriving in the summer of 1981, I have been trying to understand and articulate Calgary’s unique sense of place and what differentiates it from other places I have lived and visited. Why am I so attracted to this city? Why are so many others also attracted to move to Calgary and stay? What kept me here when I could have moved almost anywhere?

Most of my friends are also not from Calgary. I have asked them “what made them stay?” And for the most part, it has been the employment opportunities - they came for a job and didn’t leave. But surely it is more than that.

Could it be cities are self-selective i.e. each city appeals to a certain type of person. Indeed, Calgary is a corporate, conservative city with a strong work ethic and individualism. I remember when I first moved here and heard the term “you gotta give’r.” Growing up in Hamilton, I had never heard the term but soon learned in Alberta/Calgary it meant “if you work hard you will get ahead.” Yes, the pioneer spirit still lives in Calgary, 100+ years after the first pioneers arrived.

In contrast, my Hamilton experience where the workplace was dominated by unions, where the motto was more “do as little as you have to; the union will protect you.”

I can see how those looking for a more bohemian city might find Calgary less to their liking. But I don’t understand the anti-corporate sentiment expressed by some. Yes, the corporations make huge profits, but they also are major donors to the arts, education, recreation and social agencies. Calgary’s corporate community is a huge supporter of Calgary’s United Way, which gets more support on a per capita basis than any city in Canada.

And yes, many of the corporate executives are wealthy. But they too give back to their community. We should remember some of the biggest supporters of the arts, education and healthcare in Calgary are the corporations and the wealthy. In fact, countries with the highest standard of living, the happiest countries and those with the lowest level of poverty all have some form of capitalism.

It is the wealthy who are the season ticket holders for ballet, opera, theatre and symphony. Almost every arts facility in the City was helped by major donations from the wealthy – Max Bell Theatre, Jack Singer Concert Hall, Martha Cohen Theatre, the Bella Theater at Mount Royal University and the Roza Centre at the University of Calgary. The Glenbow’s collection is thanks to Eric Harvie and when it reopens after a major renovation, admission will be FREE thanks to a generous donation by the J.R. Shaw family.

Calgary has been well served by its philanthropists over the past 100+ years.

My Experience

I arrived in Calgary as a struggling visual artist, with no arts degree and no connections, yet I was able to get a dream job as the Director/Curator of the Muttart Public Art Gallery after being here for only 3 years. I was then able to make the leap to become the Executive Director of the Calgary Downtown Association (another dream job and again without a marketing or urban planning degree). Indeed, Calgary is a city of opportunities.

Note: Yes, some might say I am a privileged white male, but I don’t think my experience is restricted to white males. I think Calgary offers opportunities to most newcomers of all ages and backgrounds; that is why they stay and have helped Calgary evolve to become Canada’s third most ethnic diverse city.

I know am not alone. Canadians from across the country have moved to Calgary almost every year for the past 50+ years and most of them have stayed as the city offered them an opportunity to build a better life. Sometimes, I think Calgary has more Winnipeggers than Winnipeg. Attend a Flames game when they are playing the Leafs or the Canadians and you will hear as many fans cheering for the visitors as the home team. Attend a Calgary Stampeders game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders and you will discover the local fans being drowned out by those cheering for the visitors.

One of Calgary’s unique features is that it is home to a large population of Canadians from the Atlantic Provinces, Quebec, Ontario, Prairies and interior BC. One might say Calgary is the most “Canadian City in Canada.” Indeed, Calgary is a fusion of Canada’s different regional cultures, attitudes and beliefs.

In addition, Calgary is Canada’s third most multi-cultural city with 165 different languages spoken in Calgary homes - a surprise to many Canadians. Yes, today The Stampede City has a very cosmopolitan culture. We should be celebrating both our cowboy and cosmopolitan cultures, the past and the present and the corporate and the creatives.

Calgary is a multi-dimensional city.

Calgary’s Superpower

I think Calgary’s superpower is that it is a “welcoming city.” (I wonder if the City’s marketing gurus considered “The Welcoming City” for our new brand?)

The indigenous people initially welcomed the early settlers and helped them adjust to the harsh winters. The early pioneers welcomed the new pioneers who depended on each other to survive. The welcoming spirit of western hospitality has been fostered at the Stampede where each year Calgarians come together to celebrate he city’s past. In what other city do CEOs wearing jeans and cowboy hats enjoy a pancake breakfast and maybe do a little square dancing with their staff. Many cities struggle to help newcomers feel welcome, but that is not the case, as evidenced by the number of people who move here and stay.

I am not alone in this thinking, in January 2024, the statistic website “Insider Monkey “identified Calgary as one of the top 10 most welcoming cities in the world.

In contrast, Vancouver has a long-standing reputation of being unfriendly. In 2023, Vancouver is Awesome (a website) polled 765 readers and asked them on a scale of 1 to 10 how friendly the city was with 1 being “super difficult” and 10 being “super easy.” The poll found 34% said it is “super difficult” to make friends in Vancouver and 58% gave the city a score of 3 or less. Only 7% said “super easy” and just 18% gave it a score above 8.

When it comes to Calgary being a “welcoming” or “friendly” city I always like to point out how drivers routinely stop to let pedestrians and cyclists cross the road. I remember when I first moved here I was shocked when I stood to cross the road and approaching cars immediately stopped. I think perhaps it was then I fell in love with Calgary. It is the little things that make a city a great place to live, work, play and invest.

Second page of Van Herk’s text and Hunter’s comment and context.

My Last Word

I have always believed that cities like Florence, Rome, New York, Paris and London have a cache about them due their romantic depictions in books, paintings and movies by the many artists who have lived or visited them over the past 100+ years. Most of us have an image of these cities even before we visit them.

I used to think Calgary needed more artists to express their perceptions and insights into the city’s unique sense of place, space and grace, but after reading “Calgary Through The Eyes of Writers,” I think that might not be correct; artists seem to have a biased perspective of Calgary. They don’t always appreciate the important role Calgary’s capitalist corporations play in creating one of the most important economic engines of the Canadian economy, nor their roles as one of the biggest supporters of arts, culture, education, health and recreation in our city. Or their role in creating one of North America’s largest performing arts centres (Arts Commons), or one of the world’s best community festivals (The Stampede) and/or one of Canada’s largest museums (The Glenbow).

Some say I see the Calgary with “rose-coloured” glasses. I could argue those same people see Calgary with “jade(d)-coloured glasses.”

Hunter’s Last Word

I recently met with Shaun Hunter over coffee and shared with her my reaction to how the writers in her book saw a different Calgary than I did. I then sent her a draft of this blog to which she responded.

“I reached a different conclusion than you do: bring on the artists to show us the complex layers of this city of 1.6 million people! Listen and respond to, agree or disagree with whatever they bring forth. Literature is a conversation. Some writers may sing Calgary’s corporate/capitalist ethos; others may not. They see with rose-coloured, jaded or crystal-clear lenses. So be it. We can’t corral writers: the minute we start down that path, we’re in big trouble as a society. What writers do is contribute to our understanding of the unique, complicated, changing landscape of this place. I hope the combined voices in my book tell that story of Calgary.“

Give the book a read and then tell me what think. Available at independent bookstores in Calgary and at the Calgary Public Library.

Calgary Through The Eyes Of Writers