| The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra has ceased its operations for 45 days while it tries to come up with a financial plan that will save it from bankruptcy.
The drastic step was taken in an effort to keep the cash-strapped orchestra from permanent closure, though its future in the city is far from assured.
The orchestra has conducted a sales push the past few months in an attempt to boost its revenue enough to ward off just such a crisis. Season ticket sales increased under the drive, but not enough have been sold to keep the orchestra in full operation.
The temporary operations shut-down will cancel a number of performances, but the orchestra hopes to make them up at the end of the season, if a rescue plan can be reached.
Such a plan will likely include layoffs of musicians and administration and fewer performances.
An event taking place in Calgary next weekend is aimed at helping immigrant women.
The Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association second annual conference will explore a number of themes related to helping immigrants better integrate into Canadian society. The conference will cover topics including youth, language, employment and family. The event, called Our Future, Our Strength: Exploring Strategies for Successful Integration, takes place October 25 at the Quality Hotel and Conference centre on Macleod Trail.
Some downtown roads will be changing back to two-way streets after years of being limited to one-way traffic.
On October 27, two-way traffic will begin on 2nd Street S.W. Modifications to the traffic signals, curbs and gutters have been made over the past several weeks to accommodate the change.
In the coming weeks, two-way traffic will also resume on 25th Avenue S.W. and 5th Street S.W.
The changes are being made in an effort to improve the traffic flow through downtown, but some people in the community fear changing the existing system will actually hamper the movement of traffic.
The provincial government has issued a consumer alert related to electricity marketers.
The government has posted a set of rules electricity marketers must follow on its Web site, and is warning consumers to be wary of people selling electricity – it urges anyone who has been subjected to marketing that bends the province’s rules to get in touch with the government.
Although the government makes no mention of what prompted the warning, there have been a number of complaints about residential electricity service throughout the province since the market was deregulated two years ago.
Electricity marketers are sellers of fixed-term power contracts to customers who use less than 250,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year.
An oil man, a playwright and a medical doctor have been named to Alberta’s Order of Excellence.
Dr. Steven Aung, a pioneer integrator of Western and traditional Chinese medicine, was awarded the honour for his innovation. Jim Gray, the co-founder of Canadian Hunter, a gas exploration company, was named for his community work, and John Murrell was named for his contribution to the arts.
The Order of Excellence recognizes Albertans who have made positive contributions to the province.
Six new homes for low-income Calgarians have been constructed by a charitable association.
Norfolk Housing Association recently opened the new units in Bowness, marking the sixth building the group operates in Calgary. The organization combines subsidized and market value dwellings in its developments – six units will be subsidized and five will be rented out at market value.
The Alberta government helped pay for the development. |
