One year after flood waters devastated much of the city of Calgary, a commemoration ceremony was held at the Municipal Building to reflect upon the impact of the event.

On hand were dignitaries such as Leonard Basteen, Elder from the Piikani Nation and Blackfoot Confederation; Dave Hancock, Premier of Alberta; Mayor Naheed Nenshi, MLA Kent Hehr and even a video message from Prime Minister and Laureen Harper.

This morning Heritage Park officially opened the Famous 5 Centre for Women - housed in a replica of the Calgary home of Nellie McClung.

The Famous 5 are McClung, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney, Henrietta Muir Edwards and Emily Murphy who petitioned and won the right for women to be considered "Persons" under the British North America Act in 1929. Calgarians may recognize them as the five bronze statues who call the southwest corner of Olympic Plaza home.

Making yards beautiful while making space for the birds and the bees

* Part one of a three part YYC Grows series

Rob Avis is used to building things that last. With a background in mechanical engineering, the Calgary resident has always had a focus on what makes things tic.

These days, however, he's focused on building a sustainable future. Rob and wife Michelle are cofounders of Verge Permaculture, a Calgary-based company that incorporates the principals of permaculture into landscape design – a trend that`s becoming increasingly prominent throughout Calgary in recent years.

A lesson for all gardeners following the flooding of June 2013

Caenie's new plant floated away, Laurie lost her large wooden planter and at least one golf course lost all the sand from the bunkers and never got it back. For gardeners and golf courses in the affected areas, the aftermath of the last year's floods is still being dealt with.

When I asked my daughter Chelsie Anderson, who is also a gardener, if there was anything different in her client's yards after last year's floods, she told me about Caenie and Laurie, and was quick to add: "(There are also) lots of dead lawns. The silt was too thick for it to benefit the lawns, so there are lots of dead patches in people's gardens.

Mandatory agreements coming to real estate transactions in Alberta

The process of buying or selling a home in Alberta will soon change as a result of new rules instituting mandatory written service agreements between consumers and real estate professionals.

The agreements, which take effect July 1, have long been a standard in the industry. The move by Alberta
real estate's governing body to make them mandatory comes from the desire to increase clarity and protection
for consumers, said Kevin Clark, chair of the Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA).

Airport expansions seen as catalyst for growth

Along with giving the city a transportation hub that rivals the very best in Canada, Calgary's airport expansion is expected to lure even more development to the area.

The $2-billion expansion – the largest project's in the airport's history – and its role in driving future development in the area were among the topics discussed as part of a recent lunchtime talk with Calgary Airport Authority's communications & marketing director Jody Moseley.