The Reflector • 16th January 2026

Turning the tide, one thread at a time | The Reflector

Bella Coco, News Editor 
 
To the casual passerby, a table scattered with scraps of fabric and donated garment pieces looks unremarkable at first glance. But in the hands of The Aquativity Project (TAP), these once discarded pieces become the starting point for something extraordinary. 
TAP is a non-profit, Calgary-based collective that transforms recycled and donated materials into upcycled fashion pieces while creating space for education, mentorship, and community engagement. 
TAP’s work sits...

Calgary Journal • 9th December 2025

Calgary’s Bow Habitat Station reels in vistors to teach about Alberta aquatic life

Did you know that just 50 feet away from the shore of Calgary’s Bow River live thousands of fish – 20 species to be exact – in a habitat of their own?

Tucked in the historic community of Inglewood, the Bow Habitat Station offers hands-on learning that encourages visitors to get curious and study the aquatic ecosystem in our city’s rivers.
Their hatchery and discovery center offer a unique opportunity to learn from guide-led interactive learning and lively fish feedings. 

VIDEO: The Calgary Jou...

Calgary Journal • 8th December 2025

CAMBA and Canmore’s evolving mountain bike trails

On any given day in Canmore, Alta., the trails are alive with motion. Families wobble along routes on first bikes, seasoned riders carve their favourite descents, and volunteers shape corners by hand. At the centre of that spirit is the Canmore and Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA), a small but mighty non-profit that’s been helping keep the Bow Valley’s trail culture vibrant. 

With Alberta Forestry and Parks releasing the Canmore Area Trails Master Plan on Nov. 28, CAMBA finds itself at th...

Calgary Journal • 25th November 2025

Calgarians protest Bill 9 on Transgender Day of Remembrance

Many Calgarians demonstrated disappointment with the provincial government last Thursday, protesting the potential application of the notwithstanding clause on three bills at McDougall Centre. 

Premier Danielle Smith invoked the notwithstanding clause for the second, third and fourth time in a month, stating in a press conference last week that the “stakes could not be any higher.”

“We’re keeping these decisions in the hands of those who are directly accountable to Albertans and ensuring that...

The Reflector • 10th November 2025

MRU student shares military experience | The Reflector

Bella Coco, News Editor
 
While most post-secondary students tend to opt for a part-time job that can work cohesively with a first-priority school schedule, Daniel Gonzalez has found his path off campus and on base. 
Gonzalez, a third-year business student at MRU, has been serving in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) for a year and a half. He said that after a conversation with a navy recruiter, he decided to join the army and had the enrolment papers signed the next day. 
The workload between sch...

The Reflector • 6th November 2025

Exploring the front lines of war journalism | The Reflector

Bella Coco, News Editor
When Brooks Decillia was in seventh grade, he was asked to write a report on any country of his choice. Little did he know that this country would follow him from elementary school to his career as a CBC war correspondent. 
Decillia put his hand up to report on the conflict in Afghanistan back in 2006, hoping to achieve his goal of becoming a foreign reporter with hot-zone experience. When Canada decided that deployment to Afghanistan was a critical mission, Decillia knew...

The Reflector • 24th October 2025

Two years and counting of destruction in Gaza | The Reflector

Bella Coco, News Editor & Abiola Famakinwa, Contributor 
Two years after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack and the subsequent full-scale Israeli military campaign in Gaza, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians remains among the most consequential and contested of the 21st century.
Allegations of genocide, international legal proceedings, repeated ceasefire failures, and a worsening humanitarian crisis have characterized the past two years.
The following timeline outlines key developments...

Calgary Journal • 20th October 2025

Calgary votes 2025: Live election information

It’s now 8 o’clock and polls have closed. It’s Ava Free and Acacia Carol here. We’ll be posting live updates and keeping you informed about about who’s winning and losing in the race to lead Calgary.

Farkas continues his lead with 11,658 of 41,584 counted votes. Sharp follows closely with 11,280 and 27 per cent. Gondek trails with 8,375 counted votes and 20 per cent.

Farkas continues to lead with 9,291 of 32,266 counted votes. Sonya Sharp is in second place with 8,543 counted votes.

With 23...

Calgary Journal • 12th October 2025

7+ questions for mayoral candidate Jyoti Gondek

Incumbent mayoral candidate Jyoti Gondek wants to see a new council and a new Calgary through a second term. 

Gondek is putting her faith in Calgary’s future and emphasizing the importance of voting and the youth community in shaping future leadership. 

The Calgary politician also thinks showing vulnerability is incredibly important, conceding she’s made mistakes but has learned from them in the city’s top job. 

Gondek’s campaign addresses many issues that face Calgarians, such as affordabili...

Calgary Journal • 7th October 2025

Teachers protest downtown Calgary ahead of largest teachers’ strike in Alberta history

Teachers, students and community members swarmed McDougall Centre in a sea of red on World Teachers’ Day to rally for public education and support for educators. 

Cheers echoed through downtown as protesters waved signs in the air, prompting police to close part of 4 Ave S.W. due to the large number of protesters spilling onto the sidewalks surrounding the centre courtyard. 

High school student Evan Li addressed the crowd following the controversial moment when his mic was cut at the Alberta N...

Calgary Journal • 6th October 2025

Advance voting opens for Calgary municipal election

Advance voting begins for the Calgary municipal election on Monday and Calgarians who are ready to cast their ballot or are unable to vote on Oct. 20 have the opportunity to vote until advance voting ends at 7 p.m. on Oct. 11. 

With 42 voting stations throughout Calgary, Elections Calgary spokesperson Andrew Brouwer is encouraging Calgarians to take advantage of the advance voting period. 

“We know historically that election day can be a very busy day at voting stations. So, taking advantage o...

The Reflector • 2nd October 2025

Draw the Line protest hits Calgary and other Canadian cities | The Reflector

Bella Coco, News Editor 
 
Citizens gathered under the sun at Calgary City Hall last Saturday during the Draw the Line protest to call for climate action, Indigenous rights, justice for Palestine, and more. 
The national protest was organised by 350 Canada, who aimed to send a message to Prime Minister Mark Carney with a demand for “a just and safe future.”
Calgarian organisations such as the Calgary Climate Hub were also present during the march and call to action.

Bella Coco, News Editor

Cit...

Calgary Journal • 1st October 2025

Exploring Alberta’s larch season at the Arethusa Cirque Route in Kananaskis

As summer air cools down with autumn breath, people from Alberta and beyond explore the Canadian Rocky Mountains in their full gleaming glory. 

It’s brief yet beautiful, and a viral environmental sensation: it’s larch season. 

Unique in their golden-yellow needles, alpine larches are deciduous conifers that shed their needles in the winter. The trees put themselves under a spotlight with their gold needles, which tend to go on display within a brief window during the last weeks of September to...

Calgary Journal • 30th September 2025

Tensions high at Danielle Smith’s last Alberta Next panel stop in Calgary

The Alberta Next panel’s Calgary stop finished the town hall tour with a bang, and may have left Calgarians more divided than united. 

The Alberta Next panel reached its last in-person stop in Calgary Monday evening, with some attendees expressing support for discussion points and others sharing frustrations on topics both on the agenda and off. The province-wide town hall meetings have been stopping in and around Alta. since July, and reactions have been mixed. 

The panel, chaired by Premier...

The Reflector • 18th September 2025

Eyes on the Calgary City Council Race | The Reflector

Bella Coco, News Editor
 
Note: Candidate nominations closed at noon on Sept. 22. There are currently 10 City Council candidates.
With the municipal election candidate nominations closing Sept. 22, and the election taking place on Oct. 20, the clock is ticking for the Calgary City Council race. There are currently 70 confirmed candidates for council and eight unofficial intended candidates across the 14 wards of Calgary.  
Wards are “local regions within Calgary” that contain different neighbour...

The Reflector • 18th September 2025

Calgary Climate Hub wraps up Climate Justice summer series | The Reflector

Bella Coco, News Editor & Manveet Kaur Waraich, Contributor
 
The Calgary Climate Hub is changing with the seasons as they wrap up their climate justice summer series, which was held for the first time last June. 
The hub, a volunteer-driven non-profit, launched its climate justice program this year with the University of Calgary (UofC) and Mount Royal University’s (MRU) social work departments. 
Jared Blustein, executive director of the Calgary Climate Hub, explained that by weaving together co...

Calgary Journal • 17th September 2025

Documentary about Blackfoot men and masculinity comes to Calgary International Film Festival

When Sinakson Trevor Solway was a young boy on the sweeping open prairies of Siksika Nation, his grandfather would pause mid-chore to tell stories. 

“He would go into the history of the land that we’re on, or go into these old cowboy stories, with his brothers and his cousins,” explained Solway. “Sometimes the stories that he would tell, they would really engage your imagination, and you believed that they were real because you could see it.” 

Those key moments of stillness and storytelling no...

The Reflector • 7th September 2025

Reading into Edmonton’s book ban | The Reflector

Bella Coco, News Editor | 
The Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) plans to remove more than 200 books from school libraries to comply with a provincial mandate banning materials claimed to contain “inappropriate sexual content.” 
The list includes literary staples such as Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
The EPSB confirmed the li...

The City of Calgary • 28th August 2025

Community Outreach Team Ride Along Internal Story

An internal City story about my ride-along with the Community Outreach Team (COT) and how they help Calgarians stay safe on a 24/7 basis.

The City of Calgary • 28th August 2025

Community Outreach Team Ride Along Story

I had the opportunity to ride along with the Community Outreach Team (COT) and see a typical day for COT Officers and how they help Calgarians stay safe.

The Reflector • 28th August 2025

Calgary Pride highlights growth with ‘Bursting into Bloom’ theme | The Reflector

Here’s what to look out for at this year’s YYC Pride
Bella Coco, News Editor
Calgary Pride returns this August with a slate of celebrations under the 2025 theme “Bursting into Bloom.” The theme provides a nod to resilience, renewal and the community garden created by 2SLGBTQIA+ organisations across the city.
The annual festival will be held at Prince’s Island Park on Aug. 30 and 31, featuring a Pride cabaret soirée, family-friendly programming and the community parade down Ninth Ave. S.E. The fe...

The Reflector • 28th August 2025

D.C. falls into total federal control under Trump administration | The Reflector

Bella Coco, News Editor
In early August 2025, President Trump invoked a crime-emergency declaration under the D.C. Home Rule Act, initiating federal control over the Metropolitan Police Department and activating approximately 800 members of the District of Columbia National Guard—a unique unit under direct presidential authority rather than local command.
Unlike the other 49 U.S. states, D.C. lacks a governor. The president controls the guard, delegating operational oversight to the Secretary of...

The Reflector • 28th August 2025

REFLECTORIAL: Acing your internship | The Reflector

How to secure and succeed in your internship
Bella Coco, News Editor
As university students, we’re constantly told internships are the key to future success. After finishing my own work placement this summer, I can say that advice is more than predictable — it’s true. The challenge, of course, is figuring out how to land this crucial resume booster in Calgary’s competitive job market.
The first step is starting your search early. In the internship race, on time is late and early is essential. By...

The Reflector • 28th August 2025

Budget-friendly summer stops | The Reflector

Bella Coco, News Editor
With summer coming to a close and school and work schedules starting to fill up, it’s now or never to visit exhibits and cross off summer vacation bucketlist items. 
With free and discounted items offered throughout the Calgary area and through the Canada Strong Pass, students wanting to pinch some pennies have a generous helping of choices from museums to national parks. 
Esker Foundation
Located in Inglewood, the Esker Foundation is Calgary’s largest privately funded co...