Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi gets playful show from Winnipeg's polar bears
Mayor Brian Bowman is showing off Winnipeg to his visiting Calgary compatriot, starting with some playful polar bears.
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, in town ahead of a big city mayors conference on Thursday, is getting a personally led tour by Bowman.
They paid a morning visit to the Journey to Churchill exhibit at Assiniboine Park Zoo, which features muskox, Arctic fox, wolves and other northern species. But it was the tunnel for viewing polar bears swimming, diving, playing and chasing fish that brought out grins on both Bowman and Nenshi.
Polar bears putting on a great show for us at Journey to Churchill! <a href="https://twitter.com/assiniboinezoo">@assiniboinezoo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nenshi">@nenshi</a> <a href="https://t.co/XinscTnwfx">pic.twitter.com/XinscTnwfx</a>
—@Mayor_Bowman<a href="https://twitter.com/Mayor_Bowman">@Mayor_Bowman</a> Mayor <a href="https://twitter.com/nenshi">@nenshi</a> visiting the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg <a href="https://twitter.com/assiniboinezoo">@assiniboinezoo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mayorsdayout?src=hash">#mayorsdayout</a> <a href="https://t.co/GTIhODuBrE">pic.twitter.com/GTIhODuBrE</a>
—@chimaincalgaryAfter the zoo, they're off to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, followed by a tour of the Forks marketplace.
The mayors will take a break for lunch at Neechi Commons on Main Street before heading off to Miles Macdonell Collegiate in East Kildonan, a stop that's part of Bowman's goal of visiting all 62 city high schools over the next two years.
Wednesday's whistle-stop tour is the fun before the more serious events of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Big City Mayors' Caucus. Winnipeg is hosting the event, which brings together mayors and representatives from the country's 21 largest cities.
Topping the agenda are municipal-federal priorities such as the federal government's commitment to infrastructure investment and affordable, quality housing.
Led by chair Don Iveson, the mayor of Edmonton, the mayors' caucus will also discuss the partnership between government and First Nations in tackling issues such as economic development, housing and environmental protection.
