For the next year, Calgary will be known as the Cultural Capital of Canada. 

It’s an honour that will raise awareness around the world about the cultural diversity that is embedded in nearly every fibre of this city.  

Countless programs, celebrations and initiatives will likely have the media turning their cameras towards our city, and hopefully a few tourists might swing by, too. 

With the city also celebrating the 100th anniversary of both the Calgary Stampede and the Calgary Public Library, tourists will definitely have lots to do.

Sadly, unless we do something quick, those visiting our city will miss out on two of the businesses that make this city so great in the first place.

Thanks to their landlords, both Good Life Community and The Uptown are unfortunately now on life support.

Truthfully, I’m not much of a biker, so I’ve never actually been to the Good Life Community Bike.

However, as someone who lives downtown, I can certainly recognize the importance of the non-profit that offers a variety of free classes on bike repair and maintenance. It also offers a place for cyclists to hang and I assume, talk about how annoying pedestrians can be. 

The Uptown movie theatre is a completely different story.  The small theatre was among my favourite in the city because it was always a symbol of what living in a big city was supposed to be like.

You could go out to a nice dinner, then walk a few blocks, watch an art house film and then make your way home.  All without ever getting into a car and dealing with traffic or the teenagers who’ve infested the big box movie theatres.

The Uptown was also much more than just a place to watch those weird movies that always seem to win the Oscars. The stage was also home to countless live theatre, dance and visual arts shows, all of which are now left with one less place to perform.

It’s frustrating that in the year we are meant to celebrate Calgary’s culture, we are in serious danger of losing not one, but two very important cultural institutions.

The Uptown and Good Life have been making positive contributions to this city long before this new designation. Saving them will allow them to continue to provide culture to our city, long after the media and tourists leave.

Time and time again, the city touts the importance of having a vibrant downtown, which makes the survival of these businesses even more crucial.

Mike Morrison is the perfectly bald head behind Mike’s Bloggity Blog. He also tweets regularly from @mikesbloggity.