Calgary’s Angel’s Café to close as lease with city terminated unexpectedly

A long‑standing staple along Calgary’s Bow River pathway has been told it must clear out within 30 days.

Angel’s Café, a popular spot in the northwest, says the city terminated its lease to make way for major water main construction along the Bearspaw South feeder main.

Owner Cathy Jacobs says the news came without warning.

“We’re just in so much shock,” she said. “I didn’t sleep last night because I’m trying to work it through my head, how many details would be required to do the impossible of what they’re saying.”

The café, which has operated for nearly 30 years, had recently signed a new five‑year lease that began in January. Jacobs says it was intended to be the final term of a 15‑year agreement on the city‑owned land.

Instead, she’s now been told the entire building must be removed.

“We’ve got two weeks to empty our building, close our business down, and remove my building,” she said. “Everything on this land has to be removed in 30 days. Not even possible.”

Jacobs says staff are devastated and unsure what to do about the community events and programming they had planned for the coming months. She adds that when she asked whether the move was temporary, and whether Angel’s Café could return once construction wraps up, the city told her no.

In a statement to CityNews, the City of Calgary said it contacted the café “as soon as we became aware of the extent of the impact the project would have on their business and customers,” adding it “cannot commit to permitting those impacted to return to city‑owned properties at this stage.”

“This isn’t just devastating for me,” Jacobs said. “This has been my dream. I’ve been in love with this community and in this service industry for a lifetime.”

The city says the full impacts of the water main construction are still being assessed. Workers have been in contact with nearby residents and businesses about potential disruptions.

Earlier this week, Calgary announced it would accelerate work to replace the problematic feeder main, with completion now expected by December. The urgency follows the completion of temporary repairs to the second major break along the pipe in less than two years.