Story by Josh Aldrich • Tuesday- Calgary Herald
TRADE IT IN FOR A TOP HAT
A man wearing a cowboy hat walks through a Plus-15 ahead of the Calgary Stampede on July 6, 2022.
The chamber on Tuesday released its final report in a series called Unblocking our Talent Potential that looks at solutions to a worker shortage. This fourth report said the city needs to do a better job of telling its story of diversity, economic diversification, and arts and culture to the world.
Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of the chamber, said it’s about taking control of our own story and not allowing outdated stereotypes to dominate the discussion.
“This is a really, really important part of how we work to increase the talents to the city to support that ongoing diversification, and be able to showcase all the different things that are going on here,” she said.
Despite members of the business community and council members talking at length about how the city has evolved, it’s a separate challenge to get that message to the general population.
According to polling from Maru Public Opinion in 2021 , half of Canadians would not feel comfortable living in Alberta and there is a perception that life in the province runs counter to the common goals of Canadians. For many — even some in Calgary — the city is still dominated by corporate and cowboy culture, and it’s difficult to fit in if you do not identify with either of those segments.
This runs counter to what the city has been preaching and experiencing over the past five years.
Yedlin points to record venture capital investment in tech, millions of dollars being invested into arts and culture, and Calgary being the third most diverse city in Canada.
This message, however, doesn’t appear to be reaching Calgary’s young adults, the demographic the business community is fighting hardest to attract and retain. Eighty-two per cent of those aged 18 to 24 and 68 per cent of those 25 and older believe Calgary needs to address racism and discrimination to attract the workforce it wants.
“Anything that suggests intolerance or racism or discrimination is definitely something we should all be concerned about,” said Yedlin. “And I think, too, as cities grow and demographic composition changes, some people may feel that they’re not as welcome as others. And that really speaks to the importance of making sure we have an open, inclusive city that is really focused on accepting everybody who comes here.”
This is in spite of an influx of people to the city from across Canada, due largely to its affordability. The province’s Alberta is Calling campaign has been selling a lower cost of living and greater opportunity, but Yedlin said a large portion of the country still will not consider the city because of the stereotypes.
Calgary previously went through a rebranding process in 2011 when Calgary Economic Development designed a campaign called “Be Part of the Energy,” discarding the former “Heart of the West” slogan — an unpopular move at the time.
“So much has changed,” said Yedlin. “It was aspirational, we’re changing, everything’s good. And now we can actually say things have changed. And let’s reflect that in our branding, because there’s so much that makes this city what it is today.”
Brad Parry, president and CEO of CED, said the organization has been working on a rebrand for the better part of a year and will be looking to announce new partnerships in the coming weeks with a potential launch in the new year.
For this process, they have engaged fully with the city at large, including underserved demographics and Indigenous communities and have dove in on those coming to Calgary or potentially could be coming to Calgary about how the city is perceived.
He said they are starting to see that narrative change, but it is going to take time to shift what he calls the historical, untruthful conversation about what the city is.
“For me, it’s about getting it right, not rushing it,” said Parry. “I know people are anxious and want it, and so am I. I just want to make sure we do the right thing for our city because this is not a campaign. This is this is the underpinning of how we want people to see our city in the future.”
jaldrich@postmedia.com
Twitter: @JoshAldrich03
The Calgary Chamber of Commerce says the city needs to rebrand and change its reputation to sell itself to the rest of Canada as a place to live and work.
A man wearing a cowboy hat walks through a Plus-15 ahead of the Calgary Stampede on July 6, 2022.
The chamber on Tuesday released its final report in a series called Unblocking our Talent Potential that looks at solutions to a worker shortage. This fourth report said the city needs to do a better job of telling its story of diversity, economic diversification, and arts and culture to the world.
Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of the chamber, said it’s about taking control of our own story and not allowing outdated stereotypes to dominate the discussion.
“This is a really, really important part of how we work to increase the talents to the city to support that ongoing diversification, and be able to showcase all the different things that are going on here,” she said.
Despite members of the business community and council members talking at length about how the city has evolved, it’s a separate challenge to get that message to the general population.
According to polling from Maru Public Opinion in 2021 , half of Canadians would not feel comfortable living in Alberta and there is a perception that life in the province runs counter to the common goals of Canadians. For many — even some in Calgary — the city is still dominated by corporate and cowboy culture, and it’s difficult to fit in if you do not identify with either of those segments.
This runs counter to what the city has been preaching and experiencing over the past five years.
Yedlin points to record venture capital investment in tech, millions of dollars being invested into arts and culture, and Calgary being the third most diverse city in Canada.
This message, however, doesn’t appear to be reaching Calgary’s young adults, the demographic the business community is fighting hardest to attract and retain. Eighty-two per cent of those aged 18 to 24 and 68 per cent of those 25 and older believe Calgary needs to address racism and discrimination to attract the workforce it wants.
“Anything that suggests intolerance or racism or discrimination is definitely something we should all be concerned about,” said Yedlin. “And I think, too, as cities grow and demographic composition changes, some people may feel that they’re not as welcome as others. And that really speaks to the importance of making sure we have an open, inclusive city that is really focused on accepting everybody who comes here.”
This is in spite of an influx of people to the city from across Canada, due largely to its affordability. The province’s Alberta is Calling campaign has been selling a lower cost of living and greater opportunity, but Yedlin said a large portion of the country still will not consider the city because of the stereotypes.
Calgary previously went through a rebranding process in 2011 when Calgary Economic Development designed a campaign called “Be Part of the Energy,” discarding the former “Heart of the West” slogan — an unpopular move at the time.
“So much has changed,” said Yedlin. “It was aspirational, we’re changing, everything’s good. And now we can actually say things have changed. And let’s reflect that in our branding, because there’s so much that makes this city what it is today.”
Brad Parry, president and CEO of CED, said the organization has been working on a rebrand for the better part of a year and will be looking to announce new partnerships in the coming weeks with a potential launch in the new year.
For this process, they have engaged fully with the city at large, including underserved demographics and Indigenous communities and have dove in on those coming to Calgary or potentially could be coming to Calgary about how the city is perceived.
He said they are starting to see that narrative change, but it is going to take time to shift what he calls the historical, untruthful conversation about what the city is.
“For me, it’s about getting it right, not rushing it,” said Parry. “I know people are anxious and want it, and so am I. I just want to make sure we do the right thing for our city because this is not a campaign. This is this is the underpinning of how we want people to see our city in the future.”
jaldrich@postmedia.com
Twitter: @JoshAldrich03
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