Calgary writer to live rent-free for a year in East Village
The Calgary Eyeopener | CBC News | Posted: August 26, 2015 4:26 PM | Last Updated: August 26, 2015
Zoey Duncan has been hired by the CMLC to be the community's 'resident ambassador'
Unless they still live with their parents, most people can only dream of a life where they don't have to pay a cent for the roof over their head.
But Zoey Duncan gets to live that dream — for the next year.
The Calgary writer has been hired by the CMLC to tweet, type and talk about life in the East Village. In return, she'll live rent-free for 12 months in two new riverfront condo towers.
When Duncan was informed she scored the highly-coveted gig, she was so excited she had to "excuse herself from her desk."
She beat out more than 60 applicants, all of whom had to submit a short video entry and blog about the downtown community.
Because the East Village is such a new neighbourhood, there are not a lot of permanent residents living there yet. To get to know the area better, Duncan tracked down a woman who has been living for several years in the Orange Lofts.
"And so she was my real-live East Villager throughout the job selection process and I learned where to get my groceries, what to do, what it's like in the evening [there]."
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So, when does the newly-crowned East Village Resident Ambassador actually get to move all her belongings into the East Village?
"October 1st. It's my birthday," said Duncan. "So if anyone wants to help..."
Duncan will also receive a salary of about $700 per month for 25 hours of work. Other perks include a bicycle and a Car2Go membership.