The Alberta College of Art and Design has reinstated Gord Ferguson after firing him last week following a controversial performance in the school's cafeteria.

The college released a statement this afternoon that reads: "While the College’s decision to terminate Mr. Ferguson was never intended to be about academic or artistic freedom, the College acknowledges the perception this action may have created. Mr. Ferguson acknowledges that he wishes he could have had a greater opportunity to advise and support his student before he undertook his performance on April 18, 2013. Both Mr. Ferguson and the College regret that the incident happened." (Read the full statement below).

On April 18, an ACAD student slaughtered a chicken … Read More

I was out of town for one day. One day. And what happened in that time? Apparently the Alberta College of Art and Design caught the provincial government's latest illness — the main side-effect of which is a belief that post-secondaries are no longer a place for ideas and experimentation, for freedom of expression or thought. No, our schools are now simply job creation factories where dissent and provocation is actively discouraged or supressed.

For those who don't yet know, ACAD fired the head of its sculpture department, Gord Ferguson. Obviously Ferguson must have done something terrible. Surely he molested a student, or defrauded the institution, or threatened to kill somebody? Oh God, maybe he did kill somebody!

Nope.

 … Read More

I don't know if you know this, but we've got our Best of Calgary poll up and running. You can vote for everything from Best New Trend to Best Local Beer to Best Burger. Of course, you can also vote for Calgary's Sexiest Man. And who have you voted for two years in a row? Nenshi. Yeah, the mayor.

Have a look at this video, giving an inside tour of the mayor's office. At 2:19, he brags about his Fast Forward Weekly plaques prominently displayed on the wall just outside his office, highlighting his wins as sexiest man (last year he also won for Most Beloved Calgarian and Best Twitter Personality).

So, do you think the mayor is Calgary's sexiest man? Maybe it's Stephen Harper that makes you swoon? (C'mon, really?). Well, the only way to have your say is to vote. Results … Read More

Donna Livingstone, interim president and CEO at Glenbow since November of last year, is officially in charge of the downtown museum.

Livingstone left the University of Calgary, where she was working as the director of cultural and community programs and director of the U of C press, and took the interim position during a difficult time for the Glenbow — an exodus of staff, troubling deficits and an aura of mistrust. She replaced Kirstin Evenden.

According to a press release, Livingstone was offered the position after an international search as well as stakeholder and community consultation.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to refresh Glenbow as a place of significance in the arts and culture community,” says Livingstone … Read More

It looks like things are picking up in the local beer scene. We've already talked about the Wildrose expansion, the fact that Big Rock is producing interesting beer again, and Calgary's (still) newest brewer, Village. But there's more coming.

This Friday, May 10, Vagabond Brewery will officially open its doors just in time to grab a lunchtime pint and a bite to eat. The new brewpub is located in the old Olives space just outside Stampede Park. It will open with eight beers on tap, plus a big seletion of bottles. For the moment, only Vagabond's Czech Pilsner will be available, but the pub will eventually be pouring its own IPA, Pale Ale, Irish Red, Hefeweizen and a fruit-tinged brew.

The large space can seat 250, but that number gets up to 330 when … Read More

Seriously though, what part of the chicken is that?

A perfomance by Canadian chicken producer Lilydale on March 27 has left Fast Forward Weekly editor Drew Anderson shaken.

"I was just riding my bike to work and the stench hit me, but that's not the real problem, I'm used to that," says Anderson. "When I got into work, I looked at my rear rack and there was an unidentified chicken part wedged into it."

The company says that the chicken bit was part of a performance meant to tantalize taste buds and raise awareness of its delicious product.

"We were tasked with engaging the public more, but perhaps we should review our policies," the company says in a press release. "In retrospect, leaving parts of chickens on the road in Ramsay maybe isn't the best … Read More

Canadian journalist Linda McQuaig isn't the kind of person to pull punches. This is a woman whose work helped send Ontario lobbyist Patti Starr to jail. Conrad Black said she should be horsewhipped after McQuaig dug into his financial dealings in the U.S. Her regular columns for the Toronto Star are biting, witty and, thanks to the issues, infuriating.

McQuaig will be in Calgary tonight, speaking at the Parkdale United Church at 7 p.m. at the invite of Public Interest Alberta, speaking about inequality, both in terms of economics and influence.

Her latest book, The Trouble With Billionaires, looks at the rise of the ultra rich and what it means for society (spoiler alert: it's not good).

"The States are the most extreme," says McQuaig by … Read More

According to an email circulated to Mount Royal University staff by president David Docherty, and obtained by Fast Forward Weekly, the university was forced to close two centres that evaluated internationally educated nurses in Edmonton and Calgary, despite recent claims by minister of health Fred Horne.

In an interview with the CBC, Horne said the decision to close the program was made by the university. In the email from Docherty, however, he writes: "This statement obscures the true nature and depth of our discussion on this issue with ministry officials dating back as early as July 2012."

Docherty goes on to explain that the provincial government would not commit to long-term funding of the program despite the need … Read More

The Auburn Saloon, the favourite watering hole of Calgary's theatre community, is being evicted, effective immediately. That's according to a notice on the door of the bar today.

The notice, posted by Palliser Square Properties Inc., cites failure to pay $32,598.14 worth of rent and failure to provide adequate proof of insurance.

The Auburn has a long history of quenching the thirsts of theatre artists and audience members, with its perfect location down the hall from Vertigo Theatre and Lunchbox Theatre and just a short hop from the Epcor Centre. It has also been a strong supporter of the arts community, regularly hosting events.

No word from the Auburn just yet, but we'll update if and when more information becomes available.

Got … Read More

According to Bike Calgary, there's good news and there's bad news in the latest count of commuters entering the downtown core, at least in terms of cycling. The good news: the number of cyclists commuting into work is up 20 per cent from last year (1 in 17 vehicles). The bad news: there's not a single bike lane in the entire core.

Bike Calgary has a great blog post breaking down the numbers, complete with an infographic outlining how cyclists are accessing the downtown core. It points out that the numbe of cyclists is up 40 per cent since 2006, when the count began. The fact that the count is in February dispels notions that nobody rides their bike in the winter.

The Peace Bridge is now number two in terms of how many cyclists use to cross into … Read More