Reporter: Chris Davis (the regular 1st meeting of the month Rotary reporter… with acknowledgements to co-reporter “Gemini AI”)
Once again Calgary West members and guests were hosted at the Delta Hotel Calgary South on Southland Drive SE.This was our penultimate meeting at the Delta, as we return to our regular surroundings at the Grey Eagle Hotel on Monday July 27th!
Don Beavis introduced our visitors and guests, including today’s speakers Ron Poon and John Mar. Representing donation recipient Canadian Centre for Men and Families (CCMF), Derek Pluchinski would also be properly introduced later in the meeting. We opened once again with a “flagless” rendition of “Oh Canada!”, but unlike a few political meetings I have been at recently where the words in “all thy sons command” were used, we are more current, deploying the now de rigueur “in all of us command” !
Rotary Foundation Honors Calgary West for Polio Eradication
A proud moment of global recognition took place as Recent Past President Chris Ritter (2025/26) presented a Rotary Foundation Certificate of Appreciation to Past President Rod McMahon (2024/25). Dated for Rod’s presidential year, the certificate commends the Rotary Club of Calgary West for its vital financial support of the End Polio Now: Countdown to History campaign. The citation reads: "Together, we fulfill our promise to the children of the world and eradicate polio," standing as a testament to our members' collective generosity and sustained impact.
Guest Speaker summary
Rotary Club of Calgary West members were treated to an enlightening and provocative look into the dramatic physical and cultural shifts shaping our city. Introduced as two illustrious gentlemen whose lives and careers have been deeply intertwined with Calgary's growth, architect Ron Poon and former municipal councillor John Mar took the stage to share their unique perspectives on downtown development.
Speaker highlights
John Mar opened with a nostalgic reflection on Calgary's staggering demographic explosion. Born in 1969 at the Foothills Hospital, he recalled a city of a modest 300,000 to 400,000 residents. Today, Calgary approaches nearly 1.4 million people. 'The community I was born into, Scarboro, was developed around 1910–1912 and used to be the absolute edge of Calgary,' John noted. He charted the city's evolution from an agrarian, sandstone-and-brick town into a buzzing modern metropolis—a shifting landscape that has transformed former 'rough areas' like Marda Loop and the Beltline into high-density nodes of heavy redevelopment.
However, with historic growth comes historic infrastructure strain, brought into sharp focus by the city's recent water crisis. John recalled the mid-2000s 'Plan Calgary' in-camera discussions that culminated in the 2008 Municipal Development Plan, which laid out growth along strict transit 'nodes and corridors' (such as 37th Street, 14th Street, and 17th Avenue). Today, the city faces a daunting infrastructure backlog, with known pipeline upgrades exceeding a billion dollars and no clear mechanism to fund them entirely.
Enter the modern office conversion movement. As remote work and economic shifts post-COVID emptied traditional commercial skyscrapers, the City of Calgary pioneered an aggressive office-to-residential conversion framework. Ron Poon stepped in with hard data: downtown currently faces an office vacancy rate of 28% to 29%, representing over 10 million square feet of empty space. 'Currently, the city has about 21 office conversion projects underway, accounting for 2.7 million square feet and translating to roughly 2,600 to 2,700 new residential units,' Ron explained. Notable transformations include the Marriott Element on 4th Avenue converting commercial space into 220 hotel rooms, a separate hostel conversion, and recent major real estate transactions involving the Hudson's Bay building and Nova Scotia Central/Stephen Avenue spaces.
Yet, conversion is no simple architectural trick. Ron illuminated the strict structural limitations of these projects, pointing to Gulf Canada Square as a prime example of a building that is incredibly difficult to convert due to massive floor plates and depth. An ideal residential conversion requires a depth of 27 to 30 feet from the corridor to the exterior window to ensure natural light reaches bedrooms. Financially, the hurdles are equally steep. While empty office buildings can be acquired for $75 to $100 per square foot, complete structural and mechanical gutting costs an additional $250 to $300 per square foot. 'Without government grants and incentives, like the city's $75 per square foot subsidy program, these economics simply don't work for private developers,' Ron emphasized.
Both speakers concluded with a vision of a human-scaled downtown that prioritizes public infrastructure, parks, and culture—such as the transformation of the old planetarium into Contemporary Calgary, boosted by a recent $40 million federal investment. By introducing mixed-use commercial-residential spaces, streetcars, and planning for an autonomous vehicle future where dedicated parking structures become obsolete, Calgary can move away from being a car-centric commuter zone and toward a vibrant, safe community with active 'eyes on the street.'
Of course there were questions from the floor (when do Calgary West members ever hold back?).David Wartman asked about the 2 or 3 new Truman towers (the “Marc & Mada” development in Marda Loop.David Watson asked about “NIMBY” (not in my backyard anti-development) issues.
Ron and John were thanked by past President Chris Ritter who presented them with a ShelterBox donation card.John and Ron were said to be available for questions “until 4 pm”, at which point they both scooted out of our meeting!
A Roof Over Their Heads: $7,500 Gift Empowers Men's Mental Health and Family Shelter
Demonstrating the true meaning of 'Service Above Self,' the Rotary Club of Calgary West presented a cheque to CCMF housing manager Derek Pluchinski for $7,500 to the Canadian Centre for Men & Families (CCMF) Alberta. The funding is directly designated for an urgent facility roof replacement project that protects the organization's critical housing infrastructure right here in Calgary.
Derek took the floor to express profound gratitude and share the deeper mission of the 11-year-old organization. Focusing on critical gaps in social services, CCMF delivers frontline clinical interventions to reduce suicide among high-risk men, empowers fathers navigating separation or divorce through legal clinics, and actively supports male survivors of domestic abuse.
Calgary West Rotarians are no strangers to CCMF; several members previously rolled up their sleeves to paint apartments for the organization's unique Eastern Housing Program for Men in Shelter. This essential service provides safe, short-term accommodation for vulnerable single men and fathers with children facing family breakdown, housing instability, or domestic violence. Operating five fully furnished market units, the program housed 60 men and 12 children last year alone, with an average stay of 82 days. The Rotary donation will help match a provincial grant to replace the water-damaged roof, safeguarding this lifesaver of a facility for years to come. In recognition, a permanent commemorative plaque will be installed at the building to honor the club's impactful contribution.
Innovative fundraising took centre stage with the official launch of the Calgary West Rotary Marketplace—a permanent, club-owned e-commerce retail storefront engineered to provide sustainable financial resources for local and international humanitarian initiatives. Club member Gord Cox presented the details of the inaugural campaign: the Summer Fruit Series.
Running through August—with plans to extend into September and October—the marketplace features ultra-fresh, premium fruit sourced directly from orchards in Creston, harvested and delivered within 24 to 48 hours. To streamline logistics and eliminate past issues with heat and spoilage, the club has partnered with Marar Fruit Stand, utilizing a dedicated refrigerated 'reefer' truck parked at the Marar lot for scheduled, climate-controlled customer pickups.
But the marketplace is doing more than just raising operational revenue; it features a powerful 'Double the Impact' partnership with the Calgary Food Bank. When accessing the secure Stripe-backed online checkout, buyers are presented with a dual option: they can buy fresh premium cherries and peaches for their own family gatherings or purchase designated donation bundles. Following the main pickup window, Rotarians will directly deliver these bulk fresh fruit orders to the Calgary Food Bank via a pre-coordinated access code. With a 15% operating margin, the club aims to net $2,000 on the first run alone, turning a simple summer harvest into an active agent of community nourishment.
Club Business
To maintain our regular momentum of local impact, all members were urged to review and step up for the following crucial service tracks:
• RYLA / RYPEN Youth Camp - Bunkmaster Needed: A final male volunteer ('Bunkmaster') is urgently required for the upcoming youth leadership camp in the beautiful Cypress Hills from August 9th to 15th. The role involves supervising 15 boys in their cabin overnight (10:30 PM to 6:30 AM), leaving the daytime free to enjoy the area and local golf courses. Must pass a standard police check.
• The Big Casino Fundraiser (August 23rd & 24th): This is the club's largest single fundraising event, generating an astonishing $2,000 in community capital per volunteer shift. While 21 of the 36 available slots have been filled, 15 more volunteer positions remain open. Your participation directly funds grants like the CCMF roof project.
• Friday Morning Bingo: One additional volunteer is needed for this coming Friday's (July 17, 2026) shift. Reach out to the committee immediately to secure your spot.
• The Five-Friend Marketplace Challenge: Every member is challenged to open their inbox, locate the pre-written email template sent out during the meeting, and forward it to at least 5 friends, neighbours, or co-workers. Additionally, please locate the marketplace announcement on the Club Facebook page and click 'Share' to cross-promote into the Calgary Food Bank's social feeds.
The entertainer and philanthropist Dolly Parton died 25 August 2026. This Q&A was originally published in the March 2010 issue of The Rotarian (now Rotary) magazine. Later that year, she spoke at the Rotary International Convention in Montreal, Canada.
Don Beavis introduced our visitors and guests, including today’s speakers Ron Poon and John Mar. Representing donation recipient Canadian Centre for Men and Families (CCMF), Derek Pluchinski would also be properly introduced later in the meeting. We opened once again with a “flagless” rendition of “Oh Canada!”, but unlike a few political meetings I have been at recently where the words in “all thy sons command” were used, we are more current, deploying the now de rigueur “in all of us command” !
