APES IN A NEW AGE REBOOT OF CLASSIC THRILLING, BUT LOSES CAMP APPEAL {page 23} GRILLED GOODS A SWEET AND SAVOURY ROMAINE SALAD {page 33}
OPRAH’S OSCAR CRITICS SAY HER DOMAIN IS TV, NOT FILM {page 25}
CALGARY
Weekend, August 5-7, 2011 www.metronews.ca News worth sharing.
Coffee. Love
Additional police cuts are wrong, critics argue New committee looking at removing millions from annual budget
Sebastian Sztabzyb of Calgary’s Phil and Sebastian Coffee Roasters shows off his barista skills. KATIE TURNER/METRO
Baristas compete to produce best espresso
This weekend, Calgary will host the Prairie Regional Competition, in which top area baristas will serve up their best espresso for a shot at competing nationally. The competition takes place Saturday at Fratello Coffee Roasters beginning at 9 a.m. Local celebrities will also partake in a barista challenge Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Phil and Sebastian in Marda Loop.
Policing success stories in Calgary could quickly turn to shame if newly planned budget cuts are carried out, critics say. Policing advocates were left scratching their heads Thursday as details came to light of a committee looking at ways to comply with a city hall request to remove millions from the service’s $295-million annual budget. Compounding the matter is a new provincial licence-plate query fee slated to come online in September and drain roughly $4 million from that same money pool each year. “We are just starting to win the war,” said John Dooks, president of the Calgary Police Association. “The city continues to grow. If we were to even stay at a status quo, that would be difficult. Now, when you’re looking at cuts, that is just a disaster waiting to happen.” It is not clear how much the budgeting committee plans to cut, but Dooks said he’s learned it will be at least $5 million annually, creating an overall funding gap of at least $9 million. Ald. John Mar, a former police officer who sits on the Calgary Police Commission board, agreed with Dooks. He worries Calgary
“This could have a tremendous impact. All you have to do is look at what’s happening right now in Edmonton (which has recorded 33 homicides this year) to get a sense of the impact this could potentially have.” ALD. JOHN MAR
could fall back into a situation faced three years ago when ongoing gang feuds threatened public safety. But commission chair Mike Shaikh cautioned Mar might be jumping the gun, so to speak. He noted the budget committee doesn’t plan to cut staff and is instead looking at ways to improve efficiency, such as reducing one-member vehicle trips and combining district offices. “They (the committee) will come back to us, and we will decide if those savings are acceptable or not,” he explained. The committee is expected to provide recommendations at some point next month. JEREMY NOLAIS