Earthblog

For most commuters, parking just adds to the daily grind.

And it doesn’t get easier for those who park in indoor lots, with their confusing signage, exhaust fumes and often cramped spaces.

Enter Neil Richardson of Heritage Property Corp., Calgary’s ticket to the world of automated parking that will see the city join the likes of New York, Dubai and Tokyo in the art of auto storage.

“The system is a unique application for Canada,” says Richardson, whose proposed structure, developed by Seventh Avenue Autopark, will be the first of its kind in the country.

Controversial new treatment unavailable in Alberta

Albertans suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) may face a long wait before a proposed new treatment is available to them.

Known as the “liberation treatment”, it follows the work of Italian physician Paolo Zamboni who shook the multiple sclerosis research community last fall in describing a method for easing symptoms of MS that is being assessed elsewhere in world and Canada but not here in Alberta.

Dr. Zamboni has hypothesized that MS could be caused by a condition he called chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), where narrowing of the veins in the neck and chest areas causes blood to back up in the brain and leave iron deposits.

Manoj Khanna has little doubt over the future of the publishing world.

A self-proclaimed “techpreneur” who moved his company to Calgary in 2007—from Silicon Valley of all places—Khanna is looking to take advantage of current trends in digital media.

“It was a no-brainer that someday digital would take over the print,” says Khanna. “There have been a lot of hints available: PDF docs, online collaboration; those kinds of things.”

Calgarians may soon be better connected to their energy use.

Enmax is upgrading their energy choices for consumers, and the smart meter system is a big part of the changes.

Smart metering is a technology that puts more information into the consumers’ hands, says Helen Bremner, vice president of smart grids at Enmax. “You can check timing when you use the energy, and you can manage your energy better,” she says.