Officials with Sunshine Village are assuring skiers and snowboarders the resort will be fully operational tommorrow after nine of its ski patrollers called in sick protest of working conditions — forcing management to close five of its nine chairlifts.

According to the CBC, several staff members say the mass sick day call-in is a protest to draw attention to safety issues at the resort and to the recent firing of senior staff members.

Doug Firby, a spokesperson for Sunshine Village, questioned the authenticity of the calls to the media, telling Fast Forward Weekly, "We actually don't know whether these people are actually Sunshine staff or not."

Management, he added, has not heard of any of the allegations firsthand, nor can … Read More

This Sunday, January 9, marks the Global No Pants Subway Ride. The brainchild of New York City's prank collective Improv Everywhere, the event's origins date back to 2002. Since then, it has become a bit of a global phenomenon, and in 2009, over 1200 people participated in New York with another 1000 people participating in 21 cities around the world. This year, 49 cities in 23 countries are participating in the event.

Where's Calgary in all this? Well, the Calgary Cacophony Society is organizing this year's event, and participants are encouraged to ride the C-Train sans pants. The only problem is that as of Friday afternoon, only one person, Cacophonists, has signed up for the event (well, online at least). From the bottom of our heart, we beg … Read More

They apprehended her child, tossed him into a state foster-care system, forced her to undergo several psychiatric evaluations, assessments, court appearances and then, after handing him back earlier this year, threatened to sue her for the cost of 'caring' for her now 12-year-old son for two years.

Now the State of Oregon, which was seeking $7,500 against Lisa Kirkman, has tucked its tail between its legs and withdrawn its lawsuit. "My instructions moving forward is to withdraw the application by the State of Oregon," an Alberta government lawyer said in family court this week on behalf of Oregon's state attorney general. "The State of Oregon has reconsidered their position."

In 2008, Oregon police picked up Kirkman's son for riding … Read More

Sixteen years after taking the reins of the Calgary Drop-In Centre, executive director Dermot Baldwin is ready to call it a day.

Baldwin spearheaded and oversaw the construction of the downtown DI shelter and two other affordable housing projects. It's long been rumoured Baldwin's health has been failing, which was hinted at in a profile piece written by Jeremy Klaszus last year.

The 68-year-old has long been a critic of Calgary's 10-year Plan to End Homelessness, the city's redevelopment plan in the East Village and other homeless shelters.

The official announcement of the retirement is expected to be made Friday. It's reported that assistant executive director Debbie Newman is tapped to takeover when Baldwin steps … Read More

These days commercial radio is a tough game. In June Vibe switched over to Virgin Radio Calgary making some modifications to its format. 

This afternoon at 1:01 p.m., Energy 101.5 FM announced that it has switched to KOOL 101.5 with a new “Hits From Today & Back In The Day” format. The station promises to be “fun” and “energetic” with personalities that are “real.” OK, sure. Maybe the formula will work for a mainstream audience, but couldn’t they come up with a better name that KOOL?

Here is a nugget from the station’s formal press release sent out earlier this afternoon:

About KOOL 101.5 

Calgary’s new Kool 101.5 is a mainstream pop hits station, serving a primarily female audience, and playing Hits From Today, & Back In The Day. The station is fun, energetic … Read More