It's really important who leads a City with such great opportunities to help make the world a better place. The mayor is the one who determines the culture of the council. Jan Damery runs to be the next Mayor of Calgary because I believe my experience and leadership can get us where we need to be. She have a track record of getting things done on time and under budget. As a leader, Jan Damery bring people together. I am an economist by trade and she worked in the energy sector, the nonprofit sector, and the public sector. We should get engaged in this episode. Jan Damery will enlighten you the Mayor you need and How to Improve the lifestyle and the city itself of Calgary. Know more about Jan Damery here: https://www.jandamery.com/platform Connect with Bryon here: www.thehowardteam.net https://www.facebook.com/thehowardteamcalgary https://www.instagram.com/calgary_living/ Email: bryon@thehoeardteam.net Phone: 403-589-0004
It's really important who leads a City with such great opportunities to help make the world a better place. The mayor is the one who determines the culture of the council.
Jan Damery runs to be the next Mayor of Calgary because I believe my experience and leadership can get us where we need to be. She have a track record of getting things done on time and under budget.
As a leader, Jan Damery bring people together. I am an economist by trade and she worked in the energy sector, the nonprofit sector, and the public sector.
We should get engaged in this episode. Jan Damery will enlighten you the Mayor you need and How to Improve the lifestyle and the city itself of Calgary.
Hey everyone. My name is Brian Howard. I'm a Calgary realtor who has sold an average of a house a week since moving to this great city in 2003. And this is Calgary living real estate and lifestyle. I'm interviewing Calgary's top performers as it relates to living and lifestyle in our great city. Some of the podcasts will be real estate decisions specific, but most will be about life in Calgary.
And why we choose to live here or at least why you should visit. Thanks for tuning in
welcome to another edition of living in Calgary. I'm Brian Howard. And today I have the great pleasure of having Jen Damery on the show. I Calgary mural candidate, Jan, thanks so much for being on the show. All right. It's great to be here with you. As I was preparing for our, uh, you know, this, this interview, this conversation, I was finding out a little bit about you and learning about you.
I, I, and so I have a few questions, um, but I think you're a long time. Calgarian, I'm not sure if you were born here or not, but, and you, you're an economist. That's what you studied and you have worked, I guess, you know, for private sector businesses and, um, and NGOs, but this seems to be a first jump into, I guess, politics.
It is my first jump at a bold jump at that. I think so too. I'm not going to say you're crazy, but, um, you know, uh, others have Byron, so we'll, uh, we'll go on a little bit about, uh, I guess that, how did you happen to come to live in Calgary? Jan? So I moved to Calgary in 19. I'm an energy economist, uh, was working at the Alberta department of energy at the time, but we were deregulating the natural gas industry.
And that's where I got to know trans Canada. Those of us who are of our vintage know that in 1990 trans Canada pipelines moved their head office from Toronto to Calgary, Calgary, just going trans Canada. Wow. Okay, great. What do you love most about Calgary? It has been it's it's place. It's, uh, even at that time it was this place of possibility.
I was born and raised in Edmonton and there was always this energy and this verb and proximity to mountains. So I am very much a mountain girl, uh, you know, skied at the time, very active. And so always knew that I was coming to Calgary at some point. I just felt that in my bones. And it's one of the reasons I'm running from it.
Because I think we've lost sight of how amazing and extraordinary this place is. We need to be looking forward building together this extraordinary potential of the city. So that's also why I threw my hat into the arena. That's awesome. And what is it that you don't like about Calgary sometimes, but what I love is the up.
So I also know, and I might even myself mantra is wait five minutes and the weather will change. Interesting. Good. And, um, I guess I'm sort of, uh, I'm interested in people's stories. I'm interested in like, you know, how, and I, as I, as I reflect over, you know, you and this appointment that this chat that we're having, I think about how did you come to, you know, have the confidence and the feeling too, that you want to lead our city, like.
Fabulous. And I'm so impressed by it. And like, that's really what I'm, I'm curious about. So a little bit on that. Are you always involved in your community? Were you on student council as a, as a student in high school? For example, I very much have a strong line right. Of public service that comes from my grandparents in Evanston, my grandfather in particular.
He, when I was a teenager, I'm the eldest granddaughter would traipse me out with him to political fundraiser. He was a member of all social good. Known to mankind, right? Shriners, rotary, all of these places. And so we were just, I was raised to always serve. And it was actually what led me in my first transition from trans Canada to work in United way.
Then I spent some time overseas, had the great privilege and honor working overseas with the AGA Khan university. I mean, back back, back to corporate for a bit. And then recently the last five years working with YW, I am driven by purpose and impact. And I'm about always the red thread. If you will, through my career is empowering people.
I making sure that we're getting the barriers out of the way for them to be what they can be. And I feel in Calgary, we were at a crossroads and I'm seeing not great leadership. And what we're seeing in politics generally is so much divisiveness, so much infighting, so much polarization and. At a time when we are struggling, certainly coming out of a pandemic as well.
We know a lot of Calgarians are struggling, even when things were great, when we call things were great. Cause I thought our perspective Byron, and what you've seen in the market and the work that you do, but it wasn't great for everyone. And I think gift of the pandemic is that we can, if we have the right kind of leaders of that can inspire, pull people together, which is my specialty I've had to do at all my career.
I am known for taking on ambitious projects and getting them done. So this for me is I looked at the fate of the city getting very concerned about the negative narrative, because if you say negative things, enough, people actually believe them. And I'm worried that we're losing sight of all of the great things we have here.
And I'm already seeing the green shoots that are already starting to come. Right through the cement cracks and the grass. And I'm a bit worried that we're losing some of our young people. It's personal for me. My step son moved away last August because there was no opportunity. And so, because I'm a can do kind of gal, I'm willing to step up, you know, in my mid to late fifties.
It's time, maybe fulfilling a promise to my grandfather that I mentioned just a few minutes ago, his dream actually by, or that would be prime minister. Wow. At least starting to take a step right in that political. But others, as I've known me and watched me over the course of my career and also my community development work, I've been making this, putting this in play for a long time.
This is the time. And I believe my style of leadership is needed and we can get us going. So that's why. And this is awesome. Well, thank you for all your efforts. We Calgarians appreciate it. Uh, you mentioned actually in, uh, in your website, tan demery.com. I believe I just had, I had my wife reading it off to me.
Some of your things. Um, well, what I heard as a, sort of a, as a real estate professional and real estate investor in the city, I heard, um, that you, uh, you know, your, and you've just said it actually something to them. Not everyone is, is killing it in life, here in our city or in Alberta. And, um, my meaning, you know, success, success, success.
And I've seen since I've been in the city in 2003, moving from the east coast to Canada, a lot of hardship, a lot of people have had a, quite a lot of hurt actually in their real estate decisions because of the boom bust economy of our city. I see it all the time, but I, people don't talk about this in my experience is a success.
Of the stories. How does the boom bust the economy of our province of our city affect you? How do you cope with it? How does it affect your mindset? And, um, how do you do save for a rainy day yourself? Yeah, it's such a great question because I think that boom-bust has actually been quite destructive to our city because we will start that.
And then we sort of, you know, kick the knees from out of it. And with people the same way I'm resilient. I'm a, I'm a half glass full kind of gal. In fact, others tease me that I just often need a centimeter to kind of go for it, but it's wearing on people. And I worry about a bit of a narrative currently that things are gonna come back to the way they were.
And I actually think that's. I actually think we can build back better. That is far more inclusive of everybody thriving and the gift of COVID for me and why I'm also throwing my hat into municipal politics is local matters. We need to be investing in our local economy. We need to be getting the barriers out of the way of our local businesses.
We actually have a very diverse population in this city. I don't think we think of ourselves that way, or even act that way. You probably see this more in your work and how quadrant focused we are. Also, if you looked at different nationalities and cultures are very fabric focused, I'm interested in connecting the vibrancy of that and getting out of this boom bus, because I actually believe we can create an incredible.
Foundational thriving economy by serving each other's needs and that of the globe. And it's by diversifying through tech, making sure we're attracting different kinds of businesses. These things are starting to happen. I want to be that catalyst and igniter that really scales it up. That also we see everybody participating and this also means investing in streetscape because the trouble with boom bus, we have not invested a lot in our public realm, despite the wealth of those high times.
Right. We've mostly invested in people's backs. Right. Interesting. Yeah. Okay. I, uh, in my own social circles, um, I was like excited. I am excited and it's been great so far, this, this chat, but I asked my, my friends. Hey, what questions would you like? W would you want to know from your mirror, your next mirror?
And, uh, I have a bit of a list here or wouldn't it may I sorta let's think of them as a rapid fire questions. Would that be okay. So Michelle asked, where do you stand on bike lanes and urban centers? So two different questions, bike lanes are important. I think they've got a people options to move around the city, but it'd be for our younger population.
So we've got to make sure that they make sense. They can get people every where they need to go. I love the concept of a 15 minutes seat that you can bike or walk to anything. And I think as workplace changes where people working from home, sometimes this alternative modes of transportation are really important.
So I'm supportive of that. It also keeps Calgarians moving. So there's a health component and a wellness component. Also a mental health company. Sprawl is a really loaded term. And I think, again, it's, it's, it's come to be quite a polarized term as well. It's a, it's a, it's a longer term. I don't look at it that way.
It's AMS. One of our key advantages in the city is that there are a demographic of people that can still afford and are attracted to single family home with backyards. We actually make it affordable because of outer reaches of the city. The challenge is we know that costs us more operationally over time, the same time, our losing opportunities to creating a vibrant.
So I've got a platform we're starting to talk about specific ideas that we do both. So we still provide that competitive advantage choice in market to what people want. But how do we also ensure these neighborhoods are connected and that we have a vibrant core that draws all of us together with those public amenities, safe streetscapes?
Well, we have one walkable street, downtown Steven avenue mall. We have to do. So the idea is working with the tech sector. Post-secondaries how do we get more students? And I'm talking a lot of students living downtown, making downtown a neighborhood. So it's not a seven to four place rapid in rapid out by vehicle that people hang out.
They want to hang out. It's all about, um, entertainment district. How do we connect that? But it also pulls all of our quadrants together. People want to come together because we have places to be, and we enjoy right. Being in the city. And the city is a destination itself, not going out to baths. Right.
PEBLO asked about, uh, he spent time time recently in Vancouver and Toronto. And comparing our downtown to their downtown ours is really functional. Meaning it's really meant for the business community. It seems. So it seems like you'd really like to vitalize that a bit more. I mean, how, how do you do that?
Do I, I have no clue. I think nomination is also freeing up people to help us transform it, but I think the key is getting people living downtown a lot more. Want transportation alternatives. They're going to infrequent the bars, the restaurants, they want shops. The investment in arts. Uh, this city is not a safe place for women.
We are not, how do we make our city streetscapes safer lighting, but that means everybody wants to come down and be a part of those spaces. Interesting, my wife and I said, you know, what questions should I ask to? Surely she said, well, how do I actually see? She didn't say she said something like, it's not safe to be a woman.
How would a woman know where and where not to walk downtown? Because there are just a few little pockets that aren't safe. I did think it was safe, but, um, you know, I'm not a woman either, so, oh man. Yeah. Not even conscious of it. Right. This is our safe, when we're connected and there's lots of people around 24 7.
So back to your friend about rights, it's Roger, the Montreals, there's always people around you feel safe because there's people around after four o'clock. Jan. When I was on the Euro, actually went with my wife, was on your website and reading it to me as I was making my coffee. You mentioned, uh, I can go to your sign.
I can donate money. I can order a sign in my yard. Why would I? And one person asked, I mean, I, that's a question from me, but one person asked, um, who are your donors? Who are your biggest donors? And what do the donors expect from you? All the mirror candidates asked for, for this? I suppose, can you give me, like, why is that?
Okay. Yeah, the rules are very different this year, which I don't think a lot of people realize traditionally, the municipal election has been funded by corporate donors that doesn't exist anymore. So all individual donors maximum an individual donor can give us $5,000 in, interestingly enough, it's not tax deductible.
So people are in. So think of me as a startup, they're really not. So it's very hard, but we're making great. I'm also the only candidate right now. That's disclosing my donor list. So you can actually find my donor list on my side. And you're going to see a smattering of $25 donors and some smattering of five, you know, and all the way to 5,000.
I think we've got about 165 now, currently. So it's a very dispersed. So to know when is beholden to corporations or developers, it is about truly building community. And because we're not used to being involved in municipal politics, this is my challenge. And one, the reason to I've put my hat in the ring, get involved, municipal police.
My reflection and COVID again, local matters leadership. The city matters particularly now, there is going to be a new mayor. Do you not want to have a say in that there is going to be a lot. There's going to be maybe 11 new counselors. If you pay attention to city hall politics, if you're watching this week, the division divisiveness, just the ineffectiveness of council.
I am running because I know how to bring teams together, diverse perspectives to get things done. So it's my leadership style. So, uh, and if you want me to have a hope of winning name recognition is key. That's where the sign comes in. And as we start to build out that community, we're making it really easy to do that.
So please support. So it's money, it's signs, it's spreading the word and it's getting involved. And at the end of the day, Voice matters. People would donate to you because they believe in you. They want you, they actually care a lot. They don't care as much as you, they're not running for mayor, but they care enough to say I would like her to be my mayor and lead my city.
And then they would order a sign. And actually, so with their donation, you can print signs. Is that what you do with donations? So I print signs. I do digital advertising, very challenging on COVID. Uh, we're doing door knocking. I have a very small staff. You know, it's again, think of this as a story. Uh, but mostly it's about advertising and getting name recognition out.
Holy smokes. That has gotta be so challenging. The big city. And I had Nancy spent three quarters of a million dollars last election cycle. Wow. It's a big number that I'm raising less than $5,000 at a time. That is wild. So, and that, that, that's a, did you say three quarter of a million dollars is three, $750,000.
And then that's his, that's his advertising campaign and that pulley. Mostly came from corporate and no more corporates allowed. So are we going to see a change in the way the election? I mean, social media changes quite a lot too, but are we going to see many changes on the way people are running this, this election we are and I, and we're already seeing it.
So there are 17 candidates in the race. There is only going to be four or five at the end of the day who actually have the heft behind them. So it's something to pay attention. Which is raising money. This is fascinating. Thank you. And when I asked another friend, like, what questions should I ask the mayor?
Like he shook his head and goes like, why would anyone want to do that job? They're crazy. And I said, well, why? And he said, well, They're a civil servant it's little pay and they work with idiots. What are your comments on that? Back to glass half full opportunity. I think in moments of reflection and big change, we can actually make big changes.
So I'm actually, and I'm the kind of individual that digs in on complex problems. I've had to navigate that all of my career. You've, you know, we've talked a little bit about the diversity of my career, the different kinds of things that I have done. I am curious about people's alternatives. I think I actually have the talent, the skill and the track record to pull people together, to get us moving in the same direction, which helps the city become extraordinary.
I believe we can be placed globally to live, play, and work, and it is a BA and we need leaders to step up seasoned leaders with demonstrated track records. Cause typically this game has not attracted strengths and I'm again at that age where I have felt, uh, I've had a huge privilege. The city has given so much.
I think I can make a difference. So that's why I'm stepping in. So I need people's support because it is easy. It's not, thank you, Janet. You know, I don't think it's easy on the, over the last 25 years has been enough, I guess, as Canadians, there's been acknowledgement of the lack of effective support for our indigenous people and in the past six weeks or so, we're all sort of having a reflection on that.
We had what I. For the first time I've noticed we had an indigenous day. I think it was maybe it was June 23rd or something about posting 21st. It was summer solstice and we had Kamloops, you know, devastated. I mean, I think we all knew this craziness, but it was the end of may that there was the 2,215 bodies.
Mostly children discovered outside Kamloops residential school. And, um, you know, we're seeing more and more of that. So as a person in a similar age, as you, we've known all along that this doesn't quite feel right. How do you feel about our last 25 years of work and maybe ineffective work at acknowledging kind of what's happening or just any thoughts at all?
On our current situation here in Canada and our first nations indigenous folks. And because of the work that I've done in community as well, Byron, but data recently was white WCA where over 50% of our clients identified as indigenous. So very, very aware of the acute trauma and the introduced intergenerational trauma that we are coming to terms with as a subtler, right?
You and I are settlers in this paper. Also we're treating people were part of that treaty or ancestors. It isn't it interesting. That's taken data, radar data for us. It really does come. So I find that industry, we have not been believed. We may have it back. We weren't believing, but I've always believed and I'm committed to truth and reconciliation, and it's about developing meaningful relationships with our indigenous leaders and our indigenous people.
And how do we build a future together? That includes where people are safe. Again, I'll bring a lens in also because I'm female and I work at Y WCA missing women. Right indigenous that we've also not been paying attention to. We have a lot of work and a toning to do, but it's not about getting, you know, it's about, again, listening, reconciling and working together.
I'm committed to that work. The city itself has something called, uh, uh, the white goose flying report, which is response to the truth and reconciliation report. The city's not acted on it. I'm committed to acting on it. Good. Good. Well, I look forward to watching that a little bit lighter note, but also kind of like is a keen from my most recent social media friend on instead of diesel, diesel hippie, he asked the question, was there any plans to ask the stupid, stupid?
He said international art projects and frivolous spending there. And he wrote, we absolutely have more than enough talented local artists, many of whom do not receive enough support. Something, those international projects weren't insult to us as taxpayers and a slap in the face to local artists. I mean, I particularly think this is funny as it relates to that big old, do you have any thoughts on that?
And those in that international? I got, I actually didn't realize it was a mandate for international artists. Why not local artists doing our streetscapes? And I think this is a hell of a question. So a question, same question I'm asking it comes down to process and how we're doing that. Some of those infrastructure projects mandated.
Condition. One of the first things I announced when I announced my running for mayor in may is jumpstart for Jan's program, which is about investing in local artists, giving them a step up in this recovery. They've been hit very hard. I think of artists as entrepreneurs, we have a tremendous amount of talent flows, live performance art, all manner of forms.
And this becomes also a way that we reinvest in our streets. And to create a vibrant place that people want to come hang out the restaurants, how do we do that locally and ends up. So I'm committed to that. And I encourage people, Jen, dairy.com, look at some of those programs and those ideas. And I think we've got to look at the process too, that we award public art and we place it.
And how do we get the community involved in that? I think we're falling short there too. Great. And one last, maybe one last question. We'll sort of start to see this come to an end here. We want to be, um, uh, causing men of your time and our listeners times in terms of a higher view, um, what's your vision of good living?
What's it look like in, in, in our built environment, what should kalbi strive for in the next decade? And, um, you know, uh, beyond your four-year term, I'm actually committing to eight. But no, no more taking. So we have amazing green spaces. These two rivers, this is about us all also being grounded in nature and how that important is to mental health.
So that we're protecting that we are building a city. The urban design is such that streets are welcoming. People want to be outdoors, connecting with each other. I think we're stronger. And we're actually more unified when we are connected. Diversely and urban design has a lot to do with that and how we live our life.
So it's about quality of life. Are we active? Are there opportunities for, for kids and our youth? Are they excited about the future that they want to be here, build their lives here? So that's the quality of life that I'm envisioning taking advantage of our natural assets and that we're proud of this city and we just get more and more diverse and we celebrate.
By coming together in an amazing vibrant city. Dan, you can be found@jandamery.com. You're on instant. I assume. Facebook, what is the best way for people to reach out? Connect online? You can give us also can get me an info@janderay.com. And just again, my, my, my, I should have just shared with you borrowing my name has been pronounced many ways, but think of it as a Damon, a rate Daimler.
Yeah. So Jan damery.com is the way to get to me and there's, and it's easy to actually sign up, get connected. And I, anything that I approached by her and it's about creating community. So that's what I also want to still, we are stronger together. So how do we pull together to really help this city become the extraordinary place?
I love it. Uh, Damery spelled D a M E R Y. Jen, any last ask for our audience for our listeners. Get engaged. You know, you've maybe just met me for the first time today. I'm grateful for the opportunity Byron, but get to know me, get involved in this municipal election. It is really important who leads this city?
The mayor is like the chair of the board. The mayor is the one that determines the culture of council. So make sure that when you're choosing your mayor, that she has great experience in leading people and pulling people together. Obviously a plug. Well, so far, Jan, this is my first investigation into our mirror and you got my vote now let's see over the next month, if we can keep it, I will, I continue to earn it day in, day out.
So you think too much, but get engaged and keep apprised. Thank you so much for being on the show. It was really enlightening and I loved it. Yeah, it makes you really enjoyed the conversation.