Curious Conversations

By Daranne Harris

I’m curious by nature. I appreciate hearing about the experiences and perspectives of others. Such opportunities are like fuel for my mind and help affirm, refine, or rethink my own points of view and how I move in the world. It’s why I like autobiographies and really miss sharing in-person coffee and conversation at a local café.

As we engage in the work of Calgary on Purpose, seeking a renewed civic narrative in which all citizens can see hope and opportunity for an inclusive and prosperous city, we too are interested in the experiences and perspectives. We want to hear from Calgarians, and we also know that there are people in other places whom we might learn from as well.

Recently, some of us shared a conversation about culture as a mechanism for social change and civic engagement with Bob Palmer, former Director of Culture and Cultural and Natural Heritage at Council of Europe. From this scope of practice and his experiences leading the European Capital of Culture projects in Brussels and Glasgow, he shared three key takeaways that might inform our endeavours:

1) A city needs to genuinely embrace difference if it is to go forward. Co-creating with voices that are different from yours takes humility, sensitivity, truthfulness, and honesty. There needs to be room for and inclusion of dissenting voices. 

This resonates with me because I witness the polarity that exists in our city and I wonder about the possibilities if we could bring this energy together. I’m curious how we foster a commitment to the humility, sensitivity, truthfulness, and honesty that would make this possible.

2) Hold multiple stories together. Discover what is common and what holds groups together. Furthermore, it is important how stories are told and the voices in which they are told. 

This has helped me refine some early ideas I had about story. Initially, I had in mind a single, unifying story, one that was big enough to capture the diversity of Calgary’s people and our hopes and dreams. Now, I gravitate toward the imagery suggested by another team member of a braid that wraps together the individual strands of our distinct stories into something more. I’m curious how we will facilitate inclusion and diversity in this crafting of stories.

3) Engage in purposeful action. Too often, we talk and talk about ideas without translating that into action that affects change. 

This action piece is where I get excited. I am the kind of person who wants to do something. I see this as two-fold in our current work. The action of catalyzing more courageous conversations will help us to advance the co-creating across difference and holding together multiple stories. The capacity to have courageous conversations and the ideas uncovered and developed through those will also inform further action and policy work. I’m curious how we motivate action among individuals and communities as well as within the broader community and the world that supports the future Calgarians desire.

Finally, my curiosity does not end here. I’m curious; our whole team is curious about your perspectives too. We want to hear from as many people as we can, the people who make up this city. Share your story here.

Hamilton, New York, Calgary

By Andrew Ng

I’m not big into musicals but I was definitely swept up by the hype surrounding Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. I listened to it start to finish over and over for years. When it was announced a filmed version of the Broadway show was coming to Disney+, I had July 3 circled in my mental calendar. Add to that some awesome luck in finding the book written about the musical during a trip to Value Village (only $6!), and it was one really great weekend.

Chapter IV, in particular, stood out to me and explains why I’m so engaged with Calgary on Purpose. It’s titled “In which the character of New York City is considered in its musical & scenic aspects.” And after reading it, I thought about the character of a city like New York and how it’s so easily defined by the people born and raised and currently living there. They know exactly who they are and what they are. They have no problem declaring in song and dance that they live “in the greatest city in the world.”

That had me thinking about other Canadian cities. Toronto is mocked as the centre of the universe but Torontonians are proud of it as a multicultural metropolis. Ottawa is the nation’s capital. Edmonton is the festival city. Vancouver is Hollywood North in more ways than just its film industry. I have friends who actually prefer to live in a smaller town but if they had to move to any city, it would be Montreal without a doubt.

So, what is Calgary? Can we be confident about our city, and ourselves, like folks in other places?

The Olympic plebiscite in 2018 was a major flashpoint for our city, a time when differing viewpoints were really challenged. There was a time Calgary was proud to be a host city and the mecca of winter sports in Canada, maybe even the whole world. But saying no to hosting again and instead worrying so much about what it would cost made some of us think, “Okay, so what do we want?”

Do we want to be known as the oil and gas city when the energy industry has recently signaled a huge shift away from non-renewables?

Will we still be proud of our western Stampede culture when a lot of people my age joke that you know you’re a Calgarian when you leave the city for those 10 days in July? Or if it no longer reflects the diversity of our city? (Side note: I think that’s a little projection. Someone in one of our recent conversation circles pointed out Stampede is embraced by newcomers as a thing to do to feel like they’re part of the larger community.)

The next year is going to be pivotal for Calgary. The election is potentially the first big step in a new direction. It could also be a stomp in the ground fully affirming this is who and what we are. Either way is fine. We’re just here to get Calgarians thinking and talking about it.

Being political but not partisan

By Brenda Kenny

The guts of living in groups, or cities like Calgary, mean that politics is part of our lives. Unless you prefer anarchy, we need ways to make decisions together, to govern our actions together, and to choose the path forward through the policies that we put in place. We elect people to represent us, and we have long-serving city staff who implement our decisions and choices. All that runs alongside a wonderful mix of community groups and people living “politics” in our city everyday.

Talking about politics is not the same as “partisanship” or fixed positions. Open and meaningful debate, respectful airing of different views, and criticism of ideas with the intention of improved outcomes are important. We only get to the best possible future if we actively test ideas and innovate, and if we take accountability for solutions that work today and into the future.

Many people say they are “done” with politics. Apathy and cynicism run deep if you think politics is about creating division to gain power, demonizing the other side, and focusing on coercive, short-term tactics to win votes now.

We are lucky in Calgary. The voter turnout in the 2017 Calgary Municipal election was 58.1%, the highest turnout in more than four decades. Next year we will be asked to vote again. Regardless of our individual views, will we each be ready? And can we encourage others to feel ready and willing to vote for the city and the community they want for the future?

Through Calgary on Purpose, we are surfacing stories about what is important to Calgarians and we want to encourage a robust political culture in Calgary in which we are excited and proud to be involved in our politics as candidates, workers, and voters. So, we are all for politics.  We believe this is more important than ever. Calgary faces hardship and opportunity at a time of transition and risk of deep divisions.

Before you move to a position or fixed view, pause to think about our city. Think about your community in 10 or 20 years from now. Think about what brings people together, how it feels to be a Calgarian, and what makes us special. We are in this together, so let's have a healthy debate about our future.

Does Calgary Have a Purpose?

By Sarah Hertz

Last week, I was part of a public consultation at the New Central Library, called Calgary On Purpose. The aim of this event was to gauge how Calgarians really feel about our city. Many have lamented that the failed Olympic Bid plebiscite, back in November, reflects not only a lack of consensus in Calgary, but also an absence of trust in government authorities. Since then, a small number of us have been working to identify the source of this disconnect between government policy and citizens’ needs. The work of Calgary On Purpose has been to discover and communicate a shared purpose for our city, built upon a culture of trust and empathy. The library event became our first attempt at breaking from traditional decision-making processes and truly listening to Calgarians.

At this point, I should probably take a leaf from my English lit background, and talk about the importance of terminology, and the power of language in shaping how we think.¹ The reason I didn’t write ‘public conversation’ at the New Central Library, is because this implies that I was having a loud, likely embarrassing, conversation in public; in other words, ‘public conversation’ is not how we refer to polling or canvassing – we say, ‘public consultation’. However, the word consultation implies two things: formality and expertise. The library event was neither of these. The whole idea behind Calgary On Purpose is to shift away from hierarchical modes of governance, towards a more informal and generally-accessible conversation. There are a few other terms that fall into this category: rebranding / narrating; stakeholders / citizens; and project / purpose. As with consultation, rebranding, stakeholders, and project come from the business world of profit maximization and corporate interests. Word-choice might sound trivial, but it’s crucial to acknowledge that the way we talk about policy reflects not only our intended audience, but also what we value. For instance, some might interpret the territorial acknowledgement policy as evidence of this claim.

No matter what words we use, though, I think it’s fair to say that most people, when greeted by doorbells and calls from canvassers, will cower beneath their windowsills until the noise stops. One of the reservations I had about this ‘public conversation’, was that I knew how much people hated being surprised by other people in uniforms with clipboards (and I didn’t want to be that person). After all, uniforms and clipboards are synonymous with policing, and policing generates fear and creates a power dynamic. We wanted to avoid this at all costs, which is why Kris, Colin, and I started drafting a prototype – which Kris, in the style of Arthur Laffer, drew on a napkin at Luke’s. The Forest of Cardboard, which we subsequently painted and planted in the library foyer, is the product of Kris’ “Four Value Frames for Prototyping”:

1. What do people want (to do)?

As it turns out, some people didn’t cower beneath their windowsills. Others preferred to hover, fleetingly, beside the signs, before making eye contact and darting away. As the stickies accumulated, more visitors were drawn to the boards – including one individual, who seemed bent on convincing me that Calgary was a horrible place, full of hypocrites (his responses include “BY ERROR MISTAKE” and “THE LAWS”). Others were more moderate and less defamatory, requesting “more opportunities in the social services; more accessible recreation areas; more accessible housing” and “free parking on Saturday”.

2. What parts of my design are essential?

Prototyping might be about more than duct tape – but, to quote Canadian icon, Red Green, duct tape is essential. The cardboard signposts gave people direction, and provided us with a framework to begin our public conversations. The makeshift feel of the taped-and-sharpied cardboard kept the conversations casual.

3. How does the bigger system react to your prototype?

When you’re downtown, you run the risks and benefits of attracting all types! Some of the library staff interacted with the installation, as well. The signs also became talking point for parents with young children, who submitted requests for an “ice cream ski hill”, “A SPAS SHUTL”, and “a way to connect beyond suburban living”.

4. What mindsets, assumptions and perspectives are we bringing to the problem? Are they sufficient?

This last question is the reason why we wrote ‘kids’ rather than ‘your kids’, and left openings for both positive, ‘what would make you stay’, and negative, ‘what would make you leave’, responses. The scale, which invited people to place a sticker on ‘scared’ and ‘excited’ ends, gave us some indication of how visitors were responding, emotionally, to our questions.

This last question is the reason why we wrote ‘kids’ rather than ‘your kids’, and left openings for both positive, ‘what would make you stay’, and negative, ‘what would make you leave’, responses. The scale, which invited people to place a sticker on ‘scared’ and ‘excited’ ends, gave us some indication of how visitors were responding, emotionally, to our questions.

Considering that it was only a three-hour-long impromptu setup, most of the questions attracted substantial attention – with the exception of our Mad Libs question, “Welcome to Calgary, be part of the __”. Perhaps visitors were reluctant to engage with a narrative written by policymakers, and not by themselves . . . after all, the noun “energy”, with all of its political connotations, is already implied.

This is the real challenge for Calgary On Purpose: how do we remain grounded in our history – in our “Calgarian spirit”, as one sticky-poster put it – without devolving into a retelling of the same old, same old cowboy story? One theory is that storytelling, for Calgary, requires an expression of vulnerability, where we recognize our loss of purpose, and find a common language for hope. Ultimately, none of that has much to do with consultation, rebranding, projects, and stakeholders; rather, it has much more to do with narrating our purpose, and reclaiming our citizenship.

^{1. Please note that I do not subscribe to the theory of linguistic determinism, or the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, which posits that a person’s mother tongue determines their worldview. I am merely pointing out that language is a powerful tool, with both cultural and political connotations.↩}