CALGARY, Alberta – City council broke last Friday after a 3-hour closed door session convened by Mayor Naheed Nenshi. As councillors left the session, they were unusually quiet and staying away from the media, which is in stark contrast to their typical fervent chatting and delivering news to the cameras. The special session was called by Nenshi as an opportunity for him to reveal plans for a new dress code policy for Calgary’s downtown core.
The new policy, which takes effect January 1, 2014, essentially requires that every Calgarian who works downtown wear a choice of 2 uniforms to work. Men may choose either a purple or dark grey suit, and women can choose the same colors, but have the option of a skirt or pants. The details beyond the color scheme have not yet been released, but news of this is sure to cause dissension among Calgary’s elite downtown power workers.
The Honourable Mayor Nenshi, proudly sporting an example of one of the suits that will be available to men
My reasoning behind the dress code policy is to level the playing field for every Calgarian. If we eliminate all the high fashion ultra exclusive imported this and that from the workforce wardrobe, people can succeed on their educational and business merit, not just get promoted because they have a nice suit, or fancy shoes. – Nenshi commented to an unnamed 2P reporter.
The geographical scope of the new dress code is proposed to range between 17th Avenue S to just before Eau Claire Market, and from 3rd Street SE to 10th Street SW. The dress code will be in effect between 07h00 and 18h00 Monday through Friday, but it will be relaxed during the lunch hour, when men can loosen their ties (just a bit) and women can throw on a pair of flats.
Tentative dress code region outlined in Nenshi Purple.
The new bylaw is sure to draw opposition and most likely legal action from developers and high end clothing retailers in the city, especially in the downtown core. Although no official release has been made, it is rumored that a local Calgary fashion designer has been contracted to design and manage the project. Upon hearing the news of the policy, Diggle Johnson, regional manager for Trad Leek Men’s Wear, remarked the following,
Diggle Johnson
It is utterly unfair! How are my clients supposed to express themselves in tomorrow’s cut fit pant or steeple buck leather-soled shoes if they have to wear a communistic and degrading travesty of a rag every day! Mayor Nenshi and I see eye-to-eye on most things, but he’s let me down big time here.
I just can’t believe a man with such perfect taste in purple suits could dream up something like this. A tragedy of the times, it really is!
Debbie Frankenberry, a senior geologist with a Calgary-based junior E&P company, fully supports the dress code, and she claims that it will help elevate the tarnished image of the geoscience community.
I’m a geologist with a masters degree and I’m worth my weight in gold to my employer. But I know very many geologists who could serve as extras for a movie looking for hobos. There’s this one lady I used to work with who had a Ph.D. in Geology from one of the best schools in North America, but she dressed like a homeless schlep – nobody took her seriously. Most of my geology profs could easily be mistaken for bums, which is why I hope Mayor Nenshi expands the dress code zone to include the UofC.
Mrs. Frankenberry cited a survey that pits her professors against hobos, to help prove her point.
According to insider reports, a tentative date has been set for sometime in September 2013 when the Mayor and council plan to hold a public fashion show of the new garments. The Calgary Core FashionParade will be held in Olympic Plaza and 2P News will be on hand to report.
The City’s By-Law chief, Phil Bruce, and Chief of Police, Rick Handsome, have strict orders to enforce the new by-law to the full extend of the law. After a 3 month trial period, law enforcement will issue a $275 ticket to those not wearing uniforms during the dress code hours. The City will make available day passes for visitors at $10 per day. The uniforms for the dress code will be supplied by Daisy Raoue Uniforms based out of Carstairs, Alberta.
I helped write and edit this article, yet I re-read it and just shake my head. We are pretty much idiots for even putting stuff like this together. We should seek professional help. Now.
I am shocked that this is even considered let alone approved. Where is the democracy… It must be a joke as I can’t take this seriously. I think that if this is true then there should be a revolt by Calgarians. To enforce such a by-law will be impossible and in fact could cause the mass withdrawal of business people like me from working in the downtown core. I will ask my client today their opinion which I doubt will be good…
It’s a sad day when I read something like this. Next we will all be wearing Star Trek outfits…
At least all of the brilliant and indispensable engineers will still be identifiable for promotions and general smugness, as they have not forbidden the ring of power!
This is ridiculous and it is mind blowing. We still have a MAJOR problem in the 21st century regarding who is wearing what, we are stuck in a culture that promote uniforms and sometimes unnecessary dress codes. It will be much better if all this madness can be easily explained by psychologists. We make so wrong “cultural” association that putting a damn suit as the Corner Stone of our civilization. How we ended this way is hard to tell but we are on the wrong track. My contribution to society is based on knowledge that I have and my engagement to create a better society when the decision are made using LOGICAL thinking and MAKING SENSE.
So ironic, we make huge steps in our evolution, we tend to not care anymore what color of our skin is, we understand that gay and lesbian’s are people too and respect them as equals in our society but some how we can’t break the barrier in regarding DRESS CODE’s.
We are all individuals with different opinion’s different views, different images.
Why you want to just destroy our individualism major Nenshi ?
Shame on you major Nenshi
I helped write and edit this article, yet I re-read it and just shake my head. We are pretty much idiots for even putting stuff like this together. We should seek professional help. Now.
I am shocked that this is even considered let alone approved. Where is the democracy… It must be a joke as I can’t take this seriously. I think that if this is true then there should be a revolt by Calgarians. To enforce such a by-law will be impossible and in fact could cause the mass withdrawal of business people like me from working in the downtown core. I will ask my client today their opinion which I doubt will be good…
It’s a sad day when I read something like this. Next we will all be wearing Star Trek outfits…
At least all of the brilliant and indispensable engineers will still be identifiable for promotions and general smugness, as they have not forbidden the ring of power!
Get a life, Phil.
This is ridiculous and it is mind blowing. We still have a MAJOR problem in the 21st century regarding who is wearing what, we are stuck in a culture that promote uniforms and sometimes unnecessary dress codes. It will be much better if all this madness can be easily explained by psychologists. We make so wrong “cultural” association that putting a damn suit as the Corner Stone of our civilization. How we ended this way is hard to tell but we are on the wrong track. My contribution to society is based on knowledge that I have and my engagement to create a better society when the decision are made using LOGICAL thinking and MAKING SENSE.
So ironic, we make huge steps in our evolution, we tend to not care anymore what color of our skin is, we understand that gay and lesbian’s are people too and respect them as equals in our society but some how we can’t break the barrier in regarding DRESS CODE’s.
We are all individuals with different opinion’s different views, different images.
Why you want to just destroy our individualism major Nenshi ?
Shame on you major Nenshi
@ Rob P: The article is satire, my friend, but we love your comment. You are very passionate about this subject.
Thank you Darcy 🙂
You are very welcome, my dear friend.