Neighbour Day celebrations highlight community amid Alberta division
54 community events across Calgary drew residents together Saturday, even as political tensions loom over a potential separation referendum.
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Hundreds of Calgarians came together for Neighbour Day events across the city Saturday, celebrating neighbourhood bonds during a politically charged time in Alberta. Neighbour Day began in 2014 following the 2013 floods, when Calgarians came together to support one another. The annual event has since become a fixture for building community connections through shared food, activities, and conversation.
The Millican Ogden Community Association hosted one of 54 community association events across the city, coinciding with the neighbourhood's 70th anniversary. Denise Boutet Sedor, who has lived in Millican Ogden since age two and now volunteers around 40 hours weekly, reflected on the neighbourhood's tight-knit character. "Everybody knows everybody, and it's just really nice, you know," she said.
"My neighbours on 18th Street are all a close-knit group. We help each other, we look after each other, and it's just really good." Mayor Jeromy Farkas attended the event, emphasizing unity at a time when Alberta faces a divisive fall referendum on separation. "There's a lot of anxiety over the future of the country, the local economy and whatnot, which means that coming together as neighbours, especially at the local level here in the neighbourhood, matters now more than ever," he said.
"we're all Canadians, we're all Albertans, we're all Calgarians. And what brings us together is so much better than what divides us." Opposition leader Naheed Nenshi, who conceived the original Neighbour Day, told 660 NewsRadio that community gatherings like this remind Calgarians that "those loud, angry voices don't represent us." He called on residents to remember that "families get things done together" and will "continue to build the greatest place on Earth." Jeff and Heather Migel, attending with their family, stressed the importance of education and voter participation. "We don't want to be in a situation where, like with Brexit, they are Googling after the decision has been made, 'What does Brexit mean?'" Jeff said.
Heather added: "It's important to ensure that everyone puts their vote in because I think what happened with Brexit is people thought, 'Oh, this won't happen, this won't happen,' and didn't go out and vote."