There were a lot of great stories to chase down in 2022, and readers let us know which ones were most intriguing.
We tallied the top seven most viewed stories for 2022 – but excluded home page and archives.
While there are still a few days left in 2022, we don’t anticipate any of these ones being displaced. That is, unless you really love some of the year-end content coming this week.
We’ll begin counting them down – starting from number 7! (Numbers as of Dec. 27, 2022)
7. $70 miliion Lotto Max winner in Calgary: WCLC – 7,515 views
Any time the lotto jackpot gets up there, and there’s a potential Calgary area winner, these stories do good. Calgarian Mitchel Dyck was the eventual sole winner of the $70 million prize.
6. Calgary Stampede Day 9 Recap, final Sunday – 7,527 views
Readers were eager to dig into quality Calgary Stampede content this year as it was the first full show in a few years. While this one was the most read of the Calgary Stampede content, our daily recaps were all among the top 20 most read stories of 2022.
5. Coun. Chu photographed mayor’s licence plate, withdraws from deputy mayor duties – 10,161 views
This was the storyline that kept on giving in 2022. It started right at the beginning of the year, as the spillover from the 2021 pre-election bombshell stories continued to plague the Ward 4 councillor. By the end of 2022, we had done several stories on this ongoing saga – and we anticipate more in 2023.
4. Steel tension cables to replace glass panels on Calgary’s Peace Bridge – 10,507 views
This story puts a cap on an ongoing problem with annual maintenance and vandalism repair on Calgary’s Peace Bridge. The city has opted to remove the glass panels along the span, with the most recent repair pegged at $1 million for dozens of panels. Construction is scheduled to start in spring 2023, with public access to the bridge remaining open.
3. Failed Event Centre deals costs Calgary $16.8 million – 14,273 views
Put in as a line or two in a briefing note on a mid-year capital and operating revision report, (Briefing notes are not discussed during council meetings,) LWC was first to report that the city’s cost for the arena deal that failed roughly one year ago would be nearly $17 million.
It’s still not clear if the city will have to take on similar costs with a new deal that’s being negotiated right now.
2. Eh Calgary, here’s what’s happening in the city on Canada Day – 14,409 views
List-style stories like this can really catch fire sometimes, especially if it has information people can use. We think this story’s popularity had a lot to do with the great information, but also because Calgarians were searching for Canada Day things to do after emerging from the pandemic’s grip.
Top story: Premier Smith’s Green Line comments ‘frustrating’ says Calgary Transit advocate – 21,021 views
Honestly, this one is a bit surprising – especially with how many more views it had over the number two story this year. But the one thing we recognized that readers are interested in is stories that have to do with Premier Smith and the impact on Calgary. We expect that will continue in 2023.
This one is local transit advocate LRT on the Green’s frustration with the Premier re-opening old wounds by suggesting that the city should revisit underground construction of the downtown line. She also said she would support investment in an airport LRT link as well.
If you were a reader that contributed to our nearly 700,000 views this year, we’d like to thank you all. If you love our work, consider making a one time donation, or contributing monthly as a member. We need your ongoing support to continue our work each year, so put it at the top of your list this year!
