I have a strong attachment to Calgary’s Downtown, and my recent walk through my old stomping grounds left me feeling a bit down, but I am hopeful for its future… this is why.

I have spent a lot of time downtown Calgary; at one point I was a resident, I worked in numerous restaurants while I was in school. During my professional career in oil and gas I spent many years working in the office towers that define our downtown. I had the pleasure to watch some of those amazing buildings come up over the years and change our landscape to something amazing.

When The Bow was coming up it seemed like an architectural marvel and the recently completion Telus Sky…. well, its just so neat!!! Aside from new office towers we have seen the new Central Library and the Bell Centre being recently added to Calgary Downtown…. And that is just to name a few.

Our city council is not done, and our downtown will continue to grow. Calgary City Council recently approved an investment of $200 million to address vacancy, along with improving the neighbourhoods and making it a greener network for a healthier environment.

I am excited to watch this plan unfold. If you want more information visit the City of Calgary website, sign up for my Blog, or just call 403.921.5798 to learn more.

What happened on Earth Day 2021

I cannot help myself but to start talking about the weather this year. It was a cold and windy day!!!! The weather definitively was not in our favour, but we still got out and cleaned up the river. Despite the weather we still had a great turn out and lots of people sent their entries to win the $100 gift certificate from Out Fly Fishing. Congratulations to our contest winner, selected by Josh from Out Fly Fishing, Brandy @raising_gingers. Thank you to Out Fly Fishing for donating the prize.

Our little family went out to the Bow River near the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. We spent nearly 2 hrs cleaning up the river and ended up with 7 bags of garbage and a couple of large items. We found 4 shoes, unbelievable number of pens, straws, drink cups and lids. The saddest find was a little stuffed bunny we named Hops. Sorry we could not save him!!!

We hope that next year we will have better weather and perhaps no restrictions so we can do this as a group and have fun getting to know each other. Keep following me on Instagram @mcinnisrealestate and let us make next years clean-up even better. Our planet, our rivers all deserve a little bit of care.

WINNERS!!!

LITTLE HOPS

INSIDE THE BAG - GROSS

OUR LOOT :(

Earth Day

Thursday. April 22, 2021

Location: Any Bow River Shoreline

Get out with your family and/or cohorts, bring garbage bags, gloves, tongs, etc., and let’s clean up the garbage and debris along the banks of the Bow River. The Bow River in Calgary is one of our most precious resources and we must do our part to keep it clean and healthy. The fish, the city, and the environment count on us doing our part.

By participating in the clean up you can enter a contest to win a $100 gift card prize from Out Fly Fishing Outfitters.

Photo Contest judged and sponsored by Out Fly Fishing Outfitters

Submit a photo to @mcinnisrealestate or to km.kate.mcinnis@gmail.com with your collection of garbage from the Bow River Shoreline by 9:00 PM MST April 23rd. The winner will be announced and contacted on April 24th.

Contest details: Photo must have the Bow River in the background. Please have all your garbage bags visible for judging.

Please share our post to Instagram, Facebook, or Messenger to encourage others to join. Use #bowrivercleanup and post your photos!

Important: During these trying times please be safe and use caution and remember to follow the Alberta Covid Gathering Mandatory Restrictions. For most up to date COVID-19 restrictions visit the Government of Alberta website https://www.alberta.ca/enhanced-public-health-measures.aspx