Twenty five years ago, where restaurants, apartments and convenience stores now stand, I was born to a couple who made their way here in the light of 'golden opportunity' in a booming small city.

Mom got a job at a bank, Dad got a job working for the gas company.

All went well for many years.

Calgary prospered, and was home to a great many people who had similar goals, similar aspirations. I grew up knowing Calgary to be a friendly, comfortable place - a growing city with still small town ideals.

But that's been changing a lot lately. Calgary has always been growing, but over the last 5 years or so, even *more* so, to the point where, at any one time, 5-10 cranes can be seen along the skyline, urban sprawl shoots off far in the distance, the housing market itself is extremely tight (and expensive!) and the rent market is terribly crushing to those who cannot (or are not ready) to buy. On the drive in to work today, I heard an interview with an artist who was being evicted not because he hadn't paid his lease, but because the owners sold the building where his studio/home was, and the new owners wouldn't renew the lease he'd signed. I can't claim to know all of the details, but this seems to be getting very common.

For a city that has a 5.0% unemployment rate, we have a noticably high amount of homeless. Rents have ballooned from $500ish to $2500+ for some one bedroom apartments or houses. Little things like the cost of food here are higher - basics like a loaf of bread or a whole chicken for roasting - much more expensive than in other places in Canada. As a result, not only is dwelling here more expensive, so is the cost of living in general.

But it's not the above that bother me - it's the general effect they produce.

Calgary used to be a friendly, positive city. It used to not be a place full of rage every drive to and from work, it used to not be on some vicious, hungry cycle for more and more money.

It used to produce people who were proud to produce quality service and work. It used to produce and serve fine food for reasonable prices (as opposed to mediocre, ridiculously priced food served by pimply untrained teenagers who were obviously only there because they were the only employees who could be found). It used to take niceties like holding open an elevator door a *privelege*(not a right!), and NOT finger people for not holding the door in time.

I used to love Calgary. I used to think I'd spend my whole life here. But the more I see of it, the more I come to understand that it was a dream. And that more and more - I need to move on.