What's a life hack you may ask?

"For the uniformed, a life hack is a strategy or technique that helps manage one's daily activities in a more efficient way," said a release from the Calgary Home + Design Show running Sept. 18-21 at BMO Centre. "And the ideas out there are endless: from storing holiday decorations in an egg carton to painting keys with nail polish for easy identification."

When it comes to Calgary City Council, a tie on a specific vote equals defeat.

At a Sept. 10 Standing Policy Committee meeting, a proposal by city planners looking to streamline Calgary's secondary suite approval process was voted down 4-4.

"First thing, I want to make a point of is enforcement is not a housing policy," said the City's General Manager Rollin Stanley. "If a person remains homeless, we fail as a city. If a suite is made safe, we succeed."

The big plant sell-offs with drop-dead discounts are on now and every gardener wonders the same thing. Will buying plants in the fall really save money or is it false economy to shop for plants in September?

If I was a meteorologist, I could answer the question of "how late can I plant?" with more accuracy. however, I'm a gardener and can only speak for the plants.

Here are five reasons why late plants don't transplant well, one thing you can do to help the survive and a list of plants waiting for you to buy them right now.

Calgary's multi-family sector continues to surpass single-family growth

It's déjà vu for Calgary's condominium market, which is on pace to outperform the city's single-family homes sector in sales growth for the second consecutive year.

After the first eight months of the year, condominium apartment and townhouse sales have totaled 3,388 and 2,685 units respectively, representing a combined jump of nearly 20 per cent. Single-family sales, meanwhile, have increased by a more modest 6.9 per cent.

More than 350 exhibitors on hand for 2014 Home + Design Show

Born in Calgary, interior designer Heather Draper spent seven years in Victoria before realizing her heart remained in Alberta.

"There's a vibrancy," she said. "Calgary resonates this positive energy that I absolutely love."

Draper will be sharing that positive energy, as well as some ins and outs of interior design, when she presents on the main stage of the Calgary Home + Design Show Sept. 18-21.

City's history lives on in Doors Open YYC site Fort Calgary

When the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) arrived at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers in 1875, they likely didn't know their small fort would eventually evolve into a metropolitan hub for more than one million residents.

Yet 139 years later, Calgary has flourished to become one of the most influential cities in Canada – all thanks to a series of small wooden structures constructed by a federal order to force whiskey traders from the area.