There’s a lot of cultural stuff going on Calgary — it isn’t all cows and oil — but you would hardly know it walking down the street. When I arrived last Tuesday, I spent a few hours walking around the city in the late afternoon and then later at night. I was struck at how bare the poles are. Many have “Post no bills” written on them. There are only a few places to poster. They have these panels that rise out of bike posts. People in Calgary post neatly. Everybody seems to make uniform posters. And as you can see in the picture, a thick wad of paper develops. This one was located on 17th Avenue SW, in front of the Ship and Anchor pub. It’s the strip that’s roughly comparable to our Queen Street, but like Vancouver’s Commercial Drive, it’s a lot more spread out and car oriented.
With so few areas to poster, I wonder how long each poster stays visible before somebody comes along with a new one. Maybe it all works out, because they’re a smaller city. I like how clean Calgary is, but I do miss the visible signs of cultural life that Toronto has everywhere. Toronto feels lived in. I did see an abundance of advertising in Calgary though. If postering is limited, then other forms of advertising should be too. It’s only fair.
