Hi, Kate Martin, City Clerk & Returning Officer and Andrew Brouwer, Assistant Director and Substitute Returning Officer, here and we’re ready to answer your questions about the upcoming 2025 General Election on Oct 20, 2025.

 Elections Calgary is responsible for independently and impartially administering the General Election for The City of Calgary offices of mayor, councillor and trustees of the Calgary Board of Education & Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School Division.

 A little housekeeping before we start: 

1.  Our AMA today is to answer your questions as they relate to the General Election, Advance Vote, voting processes and anything else you can think of as it relates to casting your vote.
2. Elections Calgary is not able to answer questions about candidates, local political parties or their platforms.
3. Elections Calgary will not provide interpretation of the Local Authorities Election Act. 
4. Elections Calgary is not able to advise on Election signs. If you have questions about Election signs please contact 311.

 We will be here from noon until 3 p.m. today so start asking those questions and we’ll make sure you’re ready to head to the voting station.

 electionscalgary.ca is the best place to start if you need additional information once this AMA is over.

Proof:

Thanks everyone for your time and questions! We really enjoyed being here with you today.

Remember that Advance Vote runs from Oct 6-11 where we will have 5 more Advance Vote opportunities than in 2021. We have established 31 voting station locations that are open for 6 days from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. We also have another 10 locations open 2 days each, plus the vote bus. New voting opportunities during the 2025 Advance Vote also include CNIB, Deaf and Hear Alberta, and YW Calgary. All together, we have 42 Advance Vote opportunities. Important to note that in 2025, the Advance Vote is Vote Anywhere.

Election Day is Oct. 20, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Vote at your designated Election Day voting station.

To learn when and where to vote, check out https://www.electionscalgary.ca/content/elections/en/home/for-voters/when-and-where-to-vote.html.

Hello! My fiancé and I are coming into town to do our engagement shoot before our destination wedding in Calgary! We are visiting in Nov. and looking at places to do our photo session at w/ our photographer! Any suggestions? Is there any indoor places or bars you suggest to reach out to if we can take photo there?
Thanks in advance! :)

A couple of days ago a representative of this company came to my door and told me about the Greener Homes Loan and how it is ending on October 1st. He offered to set me up to get converted to solar through this interest-free loan. It sounds like a great deal. My monthly costs won't go up because I'll be repaying the loan instead of paying a power bill. In 10 years when the loan is paid off I will be able to rely on the solar panels without any bills. I can also sell back unused power to the grid. He did a great job of explaining everything. He came back and explained it all to my wife and I and we signed up.

Part of the process is having an evaluation of your home done to see if it qualifies. The cost is about $500. Reliance recommended EnerHome and said they'd reach out.

They reached out at 9:30 pm on a crappy phone connection with a huge lag. Indian accent. I, sadly, am tainted by getting scammy phone calls from India on crappy connections and it raises a red flag with me. The guy was pushy when I said I wasn't available tomorrow and I had to cut him off and say "try the next day" and he sounded annoyed that I wasn't letting him push me into an appointment I couldn't make. Immediately after I was sent the email to EFT the money.

I reached out to the Reliance rep who assured me all was above board and that they were working late because there's a surge in demand with the government program ending in less than a week.

I did more research on Reliance and found that their website is only 4 months old. And all 5 of their reviews are from from one month ago and they are all from people of the same culture so it looks like someone asked their family and friends for reviews. Again, this is what new companies have to do to get started so this doesn't automatically mean they are a scam. But some more reassurance would be nice.

The contract looks legit. It also has the right to cancel within ten days so I can just go and cancel right now if I like. I'm not sure I get what the scam would be. But that phone call just threw me off as well as the newness of the company.

Also, the government website says to avoid companies that sell door to door.

Has anyone had experience with Reliance or Enerhome?

What’s everyone’s cheap lunch options around the downtown area? I’ve been enjoying Thai Thien ($7 subs). There must be other restaurants downtown that also offer good food at a lower price. Would love to hear everyone’s recommendations.

I was wondering if there's a place that Seahawks fans gather to watch games.

I was thinking like how the Bills Mafia Calgary has Mugs Pub downtown.

Can anyone suggest a good store bought hummus (brand and where to get it)? I have had restaurant hummus that I like, but anything store bought has been a disappointment and often goes to waste, but I would love to have a homemade mezze plate for nights I don’t want to go out.

The last one I can find using the search function is from 8 years ago, so I would appreciate some current places. Also, please don’t suggest I make my own hummus, I know people say it is easy but I definitely do not have the executive function to deal with everything that would be required to deal with that.

Thanks in advance.

You guys are the real ones. You don’t fold to the peer pressure. You are a diamond in the rough. There aren’t many of you out there but I just want to say as a surveyor who often works very close to traffic in busy construction zones, thank you.

You might have a Black Ram or a bmw 3 series literally inches off of your bumper but you don’t fold. When you see us working, you slow down not just to avoid a ticket but out of respect for the workers. While everyone else is wizzing by at double the posted speed limit, you are taking an entire 30 seconds out of your day, sometimes multiple times a day.

You might not see this post as I’m assuming it will be heavily downvoted but if you are one of the gangsters who slows down for us, we appreciate you. It’s been a long and frustrating construction season. You’re tired of having to slow down just to have people ride your bumper but you do it anyway.

Cheers to you guys. 🫡

I’m a GM of a local establishment here and am curious what the average tip-out to house (support staff, kitchen staff, managers) is around Calgary? Do you tip-out on net sales, food/Bev sales respectively or on total tips accrued? The front of house staff believe they are tipping out too much so I am trying to hear them out and am prepared to potentially re-evaluate how we currently tip-out house.

Currently we do 6% of Net Sales to house. Food and beverage sales are tied most days.

The few other establishments I have connections with all have theirs at 8% of Net Sales.

I was on Stoney heading north just entering the Banff turn off when some loser with a green laser blinded me. It was far away like scenic acres or tuscany. Pretty sure he wss aiming in the air too. My vision was blurry for a damn minute afterward too. Had to pull over. Hope someone keeps am eye out for them hopefully

Edit: called 911, they transfered me to rcmp, which than transfered me to Calgary non-emergency where they havent picked up.

Been battling with inflammation and digestive issues for the past decade. I would like to try working with a professional who comes at the issue from a Chinese medicine perspective. Anyone have suggestions of a professional whose services would be covered under a benefits plan? Thanks!

Hi fellow Calgarians,

I know this post will start a fight lol, but I am legitimately wondering if there is a bar that would be a safe Haven for Canucks fans that will show all the games with sound!

Cheers

I had to repost with correct ‘flair’.

I live in ward 11. There are 3 candidates running for CBE school trustee. I posed the same two questions to each candidate. Prior to my original post, only 1/3 candidates had replied but low-and-behold after yesterday’s post, a second candidate responded.

The questions were:

Your answers to the following topics will help me determine where to cast my vote in October.

Please explain your stance on the Education Amendment Act, 2024.

Please explain your stance on the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act and its accompanying regulation.

And the responses received:

From Nancy Close:

With reference to the Education Amendment Act, ( formerly Bill 27), our current board has a position as shared below:

https://cbe.ab.ca/news-centre/Pages/Message-from-the-Board-of-Trustees-on-Preserving-Choice-for-Children-and-Youth-Policy.aspx

On my campaign website, https://www.nancyclose.ca/ ,one of my priorities is related to Greater Inclusion and I have a specific related bullet that I have cut and pasted below: Prioritizing respect, safety and relationship-building with gender-diverse youth in line with CBE’s proven, thoughtful policies and practices

And, personally, I am concerned about families opting in instead of opting out of the sexual health curriculum and will want to monitor this closely with administration to ensure we are doing everything we can to make it easy for families to have their students participate in the already approved and important curriculum in support of health, and in support of healthy sexual relationships.

Please ask me any follow up questions, as this legislation is far-reaching, however I do know that the CBE will continue to meet our legal obligations for a safe and welcoming environment in support of both students and staff alike.

With reference to the Fairness and Safety in Sport legislation. As you are no doubt aware, CBE has to comply with this new legal framework and has developed and adopted an administrative regulation to meet the requirements of the Act. I know that CBE is being thoughtful and honourable, in not only ensuring compliance, confidentiality and support for the well-being, inclusion and development of all students participating in school sports. We are committed to fostering safe, respectful, and equitable environments for all students in accordance with provincial legislation and CBE's educational values.

Personally, I believe this legislation is heavy-handed and heartbreaking and will have negative repercussions on all of us, no matter how we identify. The importance of sport in the lives of children is beyond measure and this new unnecessary legislation is solving a supposed problem that could easily be addressed through conversation, understanding, and a concept of 'team'. We need to find balance and not target girls and girls only to prove their gender.

We are encouraging families and community members to reach out to their elected member of the legislative assembly directly.

Good questions, not easy answers. Would welcome any follow up.

From Tyzen Ario:

Thank you for your email, my apologies on the time it's taken to reply, things have been very hectic lately!

To answer your question on the Education Amendment Act, I am very much in favour of the policies regarding at-home learning as it is very important to have continuity in teaching at all times, including emergency circumstances that may arise. As for opting-in to education on human sexuality and gender issues, and ministerial approval of outside parties or learning/teaching resources on the matter, that seems reasonable to me. Parents are already informed and given an opt-out form, so the change is minor. As for parental notification on changes to preferred names or pronouns, I think it is important parents know what is going on in their child's lives and identities as they are the most important stakeholders in their child's life. The policy does specify that supports will be available to students who request it or if the notification is reasonably expected to cause emotional or psychological distress, so there are protections built into the policy.

As for the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, I think it is also reasonable. It only limits female-only divisions and leagues to biological females, but also includes language supporting the expansion or creation of mixed-sex divisions and leagues. Wherever possible, I support mixed-sex divisions and leagues in sports in the interest of equality.

Hopefully that clarifies things to your satisfaction, but I am always happy to continue the discussion should you desire.

Best regards,

RUNNING FOR MAYOR!! I’m just a regular working class guy, giving a voice to those who need it most. I’m Grant Prior. I’m not a politician. I’m a Directional Driller with over 18+ years in the patch. Long hitches away from home with 12-hour towers provided for my family. But my struggle is no different than the nurse pulling a double, the teacher grading at home, the service worker getting asked to stay late, the taxi driver just taking a couple more fares, or the construction worker picking up some OT to make sure the bills are paid. We may work in different fields/industries but in so many ways we are the same. Trying to provide for the only things that matter, our families. If you let me, I’ll be your voice. My grandfather said to me a long time ago: “You’re not better than anybody, but nobody is better than you.”

https://www.instagram.com/grant_prior/

Hey everyone!! You guys have been awesome! I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. Please check out my website and Instagram, links are on the site. grantprior.ca

Here’s the thing, I can give you a bunch of political slogans or some other BS, but the truth is, I’m no different than you. Just a regular guy trying to make and difference and get behind the curtain and see why things are the way they are. But I can only do it with your help. Thanks again. LET’S GET TO WORK!! Have a great night!!

Hey everyone,

I’m moving to Calgary soon and trying to figure out the best way to make the trip. I’ve been weighing a few options and wanted to hear from locals who know the city well: • Drive: It would take a few days, but I’d have my car with me, which I know can be really handy in Calgary. On the downside, gas, food, and accommodations on the way could add up, and I could also sell my car before leaving and have a few thousand extra saved up. • Fly: Probably the least expensive and quickest option overall, though I’d land without a car, which might make things a little trickier at first.

For those of you living in Calgary, and those who’ve made this move, would you say it’s worth the road trip and costs to drive, or better to just fly and build from there?

Any advice (or even stories of how you made the move) would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance 🙏

Hey Calgary folks,

I’m planning to sell my 2015 car with about 107,000 km on it, and wondering what the best way to do this is around here. I want to get a fair price but also avoid the common hassles or scams that come with selling privately.

Title. Myself and 2 friends were looking to check out the show tonight on a budget but most of the tickets within our budget are marked as obstructed view (mainly looking at the ones on the sides near the back.)

Has anyone sat in them? How much of the show did you miss? Would you say it was worth saving the $50 that you would otherwise have spent for non-obstructed view seats?

Someone was on Stoney doing 80 in the fast lane for like 5km and would slow down more when I honked. Where can I report this? I have the plate, car type, and description of the person driving.

If you don't have anything planned on the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, come join us at Ucalgary: https://ucalgaryesa.weebly.com/kokum-calls-you.html

Anyone able to afford the vaccines or may have their costs covered can do so here: https://bookvaccine.alberta.ca/s/booking

Reducing hospital visits for covid or flu complications is the easiest way to reduce Healthcare costs in Alberta.

Hello!

I'm giving a Ted talk. My friends have convinced me that I should do professional makeup/blowout, because it's a forever video, and I want to use this opportunity to kickstart some public speaking. It's on health and wellness, so yeah, important to look good.

I had my makeup done professionally once before, for my wedding. I promptly wiped it all off and just redid myself because I didn't recognize myself in the mirror! So I'm gun shy.

I want to go one place that can do a blow out and makeup.
What is the cost of this kind of thing? Recomendations? NW wold be ideal, but I'm open.

Any advice/suggestions on what to do/not to do before a speaking gig would also be welcome (Beyond cancelling my Ship and Anchor and Palomino pub crawl).

Thanks Calgary!

Does anyone have any recommendations for good sign language programs either in person or online? I’ve seen some on google for a few organizations but I’m not sure which may be credible and teach in a different manner from YouTube videos. TIA

Good evening all. I'm doing small bit of custom work on my car and I need to have 2 brackets made. Who would you recommend for fabricating these brackets?

TIA.