Calgary Stampede will continue amid water emergency: āThe show will go onā
Calgary officials said Monday that summer festivals and events, including the Stampede, will go ahead despite the ongoing local state of emergency due to a critical water main break.
In an update Monday afternoon, Mayor Jyoti Gondek said visitors are welcome to Calgary and are asked to follow the water restrictions while theyāre here.
āThe show will go on,ā the mayor said. āThe summer will carry forward.ā
Gondek signed paperwork to declare an emergency on Saturday morning following the investigation of a ācatastrophicā water main break first discovered June 5, which uncovered five more areas in need of repairs. The water line repairs mean Calgarians will have to continue to limit their water use for an additional three to five weeks.
She said the declaration grants the city powers it ordinarily wouldnāt have, such as allowing city workers to enter private property to expedite repairs.
Gondek said three sections of the pipe are in Calgary being prepped for install and two more sections are coming from San Diego by truck and set to arrive this week.
The mayor thanked Calgarians for their work reducing water use, saying that the city āexceeded our water reduction target, seeing a decrease of 27 per cent.ā
Monday was Day 12 of Calgaryās water supply crisis.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke to Gondek Sunday night about the cityās state of emergency.
In a message on social media, Trudeau thanked āeveryone whoās working around the clock to get this fixed, and to the people who are stepping up in their community to conserve water and help their friends and neighbours pull through this tough time.ā
During the Monday afternoon update, the mayor was joined by Calgary Stampede CEO Joel Cowley, Tourism Calgary president and CEO Alisha Reynolds, City of Calgary infrastructure manager Michael Thompson and Calgary Emergency Management Agency acting chief Coby Duerr.
Duerr said officials reviewed the five-year daily water demand trend during Stampedes past and didnāt see a āsignificant uptick in demand.ā
He said some Calgarians leave the city during Stampede and early July also tends to produce big storms.
Duerr added that water expert teams will be conducting a finer analysis.
āFun is not cancelled. The summer is not cancelled. Festivals and events are important to our city,ā Duerr said.
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āCalgary is open to visitorsā¦ we just ask that when youāre in our city, youāre one of us. Follow our restrictions, make every drop count. Take three-minute showersā¦ take laundry with you.ā
Calgary Stampede CEO Joel Cowley said the event has its roots in the agriculture industry.
āThere are no greater stewards of natural resources than those in the agricultural community,ā he said.
Cowley said itās very important that the Stampede is held, including its $282 million of economic impact.
Cowley said Stampede officials have identified all areas where water is used in Stampede Park and will conserve wherever possible. The event will also attempt to offset use of Calgary treated water. It can use untreated water for some uses, Cowley said, and will bring in water for livestock. Where needed, Stampede will look at bringing in treated water for guests.
āWeāre confident that we can offset a great amount of this Calgary treated water,ā he said. āI think our guests will understand if we donāt do everything exactly how weāve done it in the past.ā
Itās still early in the planning process, Cowley said, but that could mean not washing the stands as often and finding alternatives to water fountains.
Billed as the āGreatest Outdoor Show on Earth,ā thousands of visitors and many extra animals are expected to show up for theĀ Calgary StampedeĀ from July 5 to 14.
About 138,000 people are expected to come as guests to stay in hotels during Stampede, Reynolds said.
āCalgary is open to visitors and we look forward to welcoming them in a responsible, safe and sustainable way.ā
She said Calgary Tourism is working with its more than 1,000 industry partners to share best practices to welcome visitors while conserving water.
āWe know how great this community is at coming together.ā
Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, was pleased to hear the Stampede is going ahead.
āWe know that about $272 million in economic benefit occurs to the city during the Stampede and to have that compromised would be not great for Calgary businesses or for the Calgary economy.ā
She added that the water restrictions have been challenging for businesses, but the full impact wonāt be clear until the third quarter economic numbers come out.
āThis affects our ability to be productive as an economy. People are adjusting their plans, theyāre trying to figure out how to manage. Theyāre not as efficient because they have to think about what their water use is and how theyāre conducting operations,ā Yedlin said. āWhen you see organizations like Big Rock Brewery having to pull back on how much beer theyāre producing, or the same things with the distilleries, thereās so many knock-on effects in terms of whoās impacted by this.ā
She said businesses, like everybody else, are having to conserve water and get creative about how they run.
āIs it mission critical for their operations or not? But if youāre a restaurant, you also have to comply with the health regulations. And so thereās a fine balance for so many businesses and thatās the challenge. We want everybody to think about how they can make sure their doors can stay open and be mindful of the restrictions.ā
Jennifer Andrews, the president of YYC Food Trucks, said they are operating as normal and gearing up for one of their busiest times of year.
āStampede is a huge week for YYC Food Trucks. Weāre booked out constantly from morning right until night. I think itās the life blood of the city.ā
She said not only is it an important time economically; itās also important emotionally for the city.
āItās a gigantic 10 days.ā
Andrews said the restrictions have businesses concerned.
āI think in general people get really scared. Weāve had enough shutdowns, and I think people just hear āshut down,ā and they think: āWeāre about to get closed.āā
Dr. Michael Yoon is a chiropractor who owns Century Wellness.Ā He said fencing went up around his business on Sunday.
āThe infrastructure, trying to repair this thing, I understand. But the traffic coming into our facility and our clinic is very, very tough, quite difficult ā¦ People are delayed and theyāre frustrated and theyāre just wondering when this is going to be done.ā
Yoon was surprised when the city announced it could be an additional three to five weeks.
āThatās going to cause a huge amount of problems,ā he said. āHopefully they can speed it up.
āAs a business owner and as a clinician, itās very difficult to run a proper clinic when things are functioning at a very slow pace.ā
Yoon said there has been nearly zero communication from the city. He said his area business association sent an email to business owners about the construction.
āLike anything else, good communication is fundamental,ā he said. āWe can at least tell our customers and patients this is whatās happening.ā
The 250 swimmers who are part of the Nose Creek Swimming Association have not had access to Calgary pools since Thursday, June 6.
Director and head coach David Loyloa said some athletes have gone from seven to eight water workouts a week to about two.
āIn the short time frame that will work, but now that were hearing three to five weeks, itās a little bit more of an issue and concern for the swimmers progressing on to summer provincials, national-level meets in the summer,ā he said.
The pandemic experience actually helped them pivot practices when pool access was restricted, Loyloa said.
āOur parents are used to it, our swimmers are used to it. Weāve been trying to book outdoor spaces, spin classes, kickboxing, also giving our members the opportunity to book public lanes at some of the outlying communities that are still openā¦ But the closer it gets to the provincial meets, the more of a crunch it starts to become.ā
He said heās hopeful an aquatic facilities meeting Monday afternoon will see some exceptions made to include elite swimmers. Olympic and carded athletes are already being provided that exception, Loyloa said.
Calgary Stampede, Calgary water, Calgary Water Emergency, Water Main Break, Canada, Politics
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