Sandstone City: A series looking at the people, architecture and culture of Calgary's sandstone glory days

Sandstone schools thriving as educators and more in Calgary

Constructed after a fire in 1886 wiped out more than a dozen wooden buildings in downtown, today's inner-city sandstone schools stand out as daily reminders of Calgary's storied past.

According to the Chinook Country Historical Society, 19 sandstone schools were built in the city between 1894 and 1914, helping earn Calgary the moniker "Sandstone City."

Here's a breakdown of how some fit into Calgary's landscape today.

Council votes 8-7 against secondary suite reform

''If this fails today, we're done ... I'm done, frankly."

So was the sentiment of Mayor Naheed Nenshi earlier this week prior to council voting 8-7 against a reform plan for secondary suites in the city.

The mayor, expressing frustration at the tedious talks, followed up by saying if secondary suites showed up in council again, he'd leave the room until it came time to vote.

Ward 7 Coun. Druh Farrell, meanwhile, likened the entire process to "giving birth to a chair."

On Dec. 15, city council voted 8-7 against secondary suite reform in Calgary. Here's some of what was said throughout the debate.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi:

"How can we continue to have discretion in this debate while removing the approval of each secondary suite from council ... a lot of folks think today's vote, if it were to pass, [suites would] be legal immediately."

"If this fails today, we're done ... I'm done frankly because we have tried very hard to try different compromises."

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi made his annual address at the Calgary Chamber's The State of Business in Calgary event today.

Here's some of what the mayor had to say:

On the drop in oil prices

"Yes, we're a little bit nervous about what's going forward, about what will happen but I'll remind all of you, we were also nervous at the end of 2008 and this city and this region, although we certainly had some pain, got through that better than just about everybody else in the world. And I think that that has a lot to do with the confidence and optimism of the people that live here."

While the recent drop in oil prices has caused speculation about implications for the housing sector, stable conditions are expected given current forecasts for employment and migration.

"While employment and migration are expected to support housing demand, estimates could change depending on the extent and duration of oil price declines," said Ann-Marie Lurie, CREB®'s chief economist. "However, concerns over the potential impact will influence consumer confidence. This is expected to cause supply and demand to ease in 2015, maintaining resale market balance and keeping prices relatively stable."