City apologizes after Calgary business advised to not post construction concerns online

The City of Calgary is apologizing after a local business owner says they were told to refrain from posting about frustrations and concerns caused by construction outside their building.

Lukes Drug Mart, a family-run business, voiced its concerns about the amount of construction scheduled in front of their store in Bridgeland.

“Starting next week, Telus will be doing construction on 1st Avenue NE in Bridgeland. We received four business days’ notice for two weeks of 24/7 lane closures. This will be the second time in six months our road has been ripped up and repaved. The first was Enmax. Next year, the City will tear it up a third time for sidewalk upgrades,” the business shared on Instagram. 

Lukes Drug Mart’s concerns stem from the fact that three separate companies, Telus, Enmax, and the City of Calgary, are each coming in on separate occasions to dig up and repave the road, disrupting businesses with construction for months. 

“When I raised these concerns, the City’s response was: ‘Lastly, we highly recommend that Lukes Drug Mart refrain from posting construction frustrations to the public in general, as we have noticed this approach in other communities has often caused unintended negative impacts mostly to businesses,'” the store added. 

 

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A post shared by Lukes Drug Mart (@lukesdrugmart)

Supporters and followers were quick to flood the comments with support for the business and shared disappointment towards the City. 

“Have they learned nothing from Marda Loop?!” one user commented. 

“This is so incredibly important!!!! Thank you so much for sharing this, friends — we are beyond frustrated down the street!!” another business shared.

Daily Hive reached out to the City of Calgary for a comment on why the business was told not to share its frustrations.

“In an effort to provide guidance to local businesses, a team member advised a business that posting about construction frustration may discourage people from visiting businesses in the area to avoid construction impacts… While the intention of the email was to acknowledge the construction challenges and provide support, we recognize that the language used in the correspondence was unclear.” 

“The City does not dictate how and with whom those impacted by construction can share their concerns, and we sincerely apologize for the miscommunication. We respect and appreciate the voices of all our local businesses, and we take these concerns seriously.” 

Daily Hive also reached out to Lukes Drug Mart for a further response, but has not heard back.

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