[freeweed]

I'll probably get in trouble for this, but here goes.......Another N.E.P.??????? :omg: :eek: :drowning:

It'd be a great way to throw the entire Canadian economy into a recession again, but it won't stop people from trying.

In their rush to punish Alberta, I hope the carbon nazis in ON and QC remember that much of their economy is based on carbon burning factories. :rolleyes:

[Kilgore Trout]

forget london and hong kong, there are plenty of great examples of urban-format supermarkets in other canadian cities.

T&T supermarket, vancouver -- condo podium, underground parking
http://community.iexplore.com/photos/journal_photos/yvr_t_t%20supermarket%20chinatown%20entrance.jpg

urban fare, vancouver -- condo podium, underground parking
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/144/410852059_ea75206a60.jpg?v=0

p.a. supermarket, montreal -- office and retail above, no parking
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/102/265466070_a9e8da11e0.jpg?v=0

[Champion3]

Unfortunately my plan was unsuccessful. Once the package reached Winnipeg, UPS was not able to transport it further without clearing customs. I either had to travel to Winnipeg or assign another broker.

One would think that with an inland port of entry in Calgary, UPS would be licensed to transport the item here before clearing customs.

[newflyer]

One of the biggest problems with Alberta's uncontrolled growth is run away inflation. Costs of most major projects are getting extremely out of wack... it is really hurting Alberta's ability to deversify ... as the petro industry is driving the economy out of the reach of many other forms of business.

Sure it looks good now... but when the ball drops we will all see the results of having a one horse economy.

[ScottFromCalgary]

It would be easier for non-energy companies to be successful if the feds would stop impeding the flow of labour into the province by subsidizing people to live in other parts of the country.

[Champion3]

I think it's very important to differentiate between "putting the foot on the brake" and "using Alberta as a carbon scapegoat."

Frankly it is my opinion that the Alberta Government is failing this province with its ideological rigidity towards economic policy. The Bank of Canada has done as much as it can to control inflation while the Alberta government has effectively abdicated its responsibility in the name of laissez-faire capitalism.

[newflyer]

It would be easier for non-energy companies to be successful if the feds would stop impeding the flow of labour into the province by subsidizing people to live in other parts of the country.

Yes and no .... inflation is driven by the shortage of labour .. yes.


Problem: ... it takes labour to build enough housing to attact and retain workers.

Yes there is a disconnect between priorities and reality.

Slow down the oil boom and focus on building up infrastructure and residential assets ... or forget about everything else and sell that oil as quick as possible.

One is much more sustainable then the other ... but that would mean putting restraints on this uncontrolled oil boom economy.:eek:

[SpongeG]

has anyone tried the new canada post thing? which allows you to shop US web sites like crate and barrel? and avoid some things due to some agreement?

[ScottFromCalgary]

I vote for selling the oil as quickly as possible. So long as we are getting our fair share (which we are for the most part), let's leave it to the free market to decide what should and should not be developed in this province.

[newflyer]

I vote for selling the oil as quickly as possible. So long as we are getting our fair share (which we are for the most part), let's leave it to the free market to decide what should and should not be developed in this province.

The free market forces are there.. without a doubt. The economy just doesn't have the capacity to develop beyond the demand of the oil industry.

Its a case where the oil boom which has brought so much wealth to Alberta, is starting to choke it through inflation.

Shortage of labour .... increasing inflation ..... shortage of housing and infrastructure ... takes labour to build more housing and infrastructre ..... takes housing and infrastructure to atract more workers to ease the inflationary pressure.... oil industry can't see 5 feet infront of there feet ...


.. a real hum-dinger. :rolleyes:

[freeweed]

Slow down the oil boom and focus on building up infrastructure and residential assets ... or forget about everything else and sell that oil as quick as possible.

To be fair, no one is exactly "selling that oil as quick as possible".

Oilsands development is expensive, time-consuming, labour-intensive, and all around a HUGE long-term investment and risk. We're not exactly pumping 20 million barrels a day out of the oilsands. We *might* reach 10% of that in the next few years. Which gives us several centuries of recoverable oil, assuming no technological gains in the meantime to open up more accessible reserves. Again, hardly "as quick as possible".

The "oil boom" is a bit of a misnomer, we should call it the "building tomorrow's oilsands" boom if anything. It's being driven by a LOT of investment to DEVELOP our oilsands reserves - as of right now, comparatively little is actually flowing. There's just enough being pumped out and upgraded to basically keep the R&D and construction money flowing, but that's about it.

Wait 10 years, with prices staying close to where they are, and we'll see one hell of a financial windfall, with every oil company investor suddenly rolling in the dough. Right now though, existing oilsands production is mostly just paying for the next round of development.

Slowing down the oil boom, as so many people seem to think is a good idea, will basically put a complete halt on development activities. Yup, we'd be still pulling in some money - until those projects run down. Future development would be looked upon as incredibly risky, as you never know when the government might want to "put on the brakes". Much of what's going on right now was planned for, and budgeted for, several years ago.

Also, a big chunk of what we're experiencing is the desire for the oil industry to set up the next century's refining/upgrading/processing capability. Slowdown development right now, and we won't see ANY being built. We haven't seen a new refinery in Canada in nearly 30 years, and the population has gone up incredibly since then (never mind demand from the US has skyrocketed). As residents in Toronto can tell you, we're basically one or two refinery fires away from gas shortages and fuel rationing.

[newflyer]

To be fair, no one is exactly "selling that oil as quick as possible".

Oilsands development is expensive, time-consuming, labour-intensive, and all around a HUGE long-term investment and risk. We're not exactly pumping 20 million barrels a day out of the oilsands. We *might* reach 10% of that in the next few years. Which gives us several centuries of recoverable oil, assuming no technological gains in the meantime to open up more accessible reserves. Again, hardly "as quick as possible".

The "oil boom" is a bit of a misnomer, we should call it the "building tomorrow's oilsands" boom if anything. It's being driven by a LOT of investment to DEVELOP our oilsands reserves - as of right now, comparatively little is actually flowing. There's just enough being pumped out and upgraded to basically keep the R&D and construction money flowing, but that's about it.

Wait 10 years, with prices staying close to where they are, and we'll see one hell of a financial windfall, with every oil company investor suddenly rolling in the dough. Right now though, existing oilsands production is mostly just paying for the next round of development.

Slowing down the oil boom, as so many people seem to think is a good idea, will basically put a complete halt on development activities. Yup, we'd be still pulling in some money - until those projects run down. Future development would be looked upon as incredibly risky, as you never know when the government might want to "put on the brakes". Much of what's going on right now was planned for, and budgeted for, several years ago.

Also, a big chunk of what we're experiencing is the desire for the oil industry to set up the next century's refining/upgrading/processing capability. Slowdown development right now, and we won't see ANY being built. We haven't seen a new refinery in Canada in nearly 30 years, and the population has gone up incredibly since then (never mind demand from the US has skyrocketed). As residents in Toronto can tell you, we're basically one or two refinery fires away from gas shortages and fuel rationing.


... do you think they could get the oil out any faster .. with the current infrastructure and labour pool?? :rolleyes: ... gee with all the excess labour out there out there .. :koko:

... if you run real quick you might be able to get back on that turnup truck.


Now if Alberta had the ability to attract and house 50% more labour and allowed for the infrastructure to catch up (which is also billions of doallars of investment on its own) Alberta's abiblty to reap the benefits of its oil reserves would be much higher, which also decreasing the impact of the inflationary pressure.

[newflyer]

Under the current conditions .. if and when oil returns to normal historic levels there will be very little supporting this economy. What a very early 80's outlook we are heading down.

When the economy crashed... every man and there dog was crying that they could had invested in a diversified economy. Yet today we are heading to the exactly the same place. High inflation kills economies ... this is not brain surgery.


If the economy grows beyond its capacity you get increased inflation... if you want to increase output without inflation .. you need to increase capacity.

[ScottFromCalgary]

You keep talking about how Alberta should have more infrastructure and capacity, and less inflation, but what are you proposing? Obviously it would have been much better if we were prepared for the boom, but now that its here (and probably on the downside), we can't just put the brakes on development. Ideally, we should be saving what we are earning now and preparing for the inevitable downturn. That way, we will be able to invest our excess cash into new industries and ride out the dips. Creating diversification through artificial means is less than ideal.

[kazoobers]

I started a thread on eBay about this subject when I got "soaked" by UPS. Here's the thread:

http://forums.ebay.ca/thread.jspa?threadID=600012557&tstart=0&mod=1173254639027

[berzerkled]

Unfortunately my plan was unsuccessful. Once the package reached Winnipeg, UPS was not able to transport it further without clearing customs. I either had to travel to Winnipeg or assign another broker.

One would think that with an inland port of entry in Calgary, UPS would be licensed to transport the item here before clearing customs.

Wow, you'd think a city as great as Calgary would have it's own bonded UPS warehouse... :rolleyes: :P

[mersar]

Or that UPS would have more then 1 entry point into Canada period. Any package of mine, no matter if its coming from Miami or LA tends to get routed through Winnipeg before it gets to Calgary when I have it sent via UPS.

[Smooth]

I've been burned a few times myself with UPS Standard Shipping. Once I had to pay more in brokerage fees than what the package cost. I phoned UPS and they told me that because it entered Canada by ground it had to have some independent broker assess the taxes. It sucked.

I've only ever had trouble with UPS. Usually if you choose the express option for shipping then you don't have the fees so sometimes the express option for shipping can be cheaper. I find the brokerage fees are typically around $50 which is a huge rip off.

Don't even get me started on border officials. They aren't there for national security... they are there for revenue Canada.

[SpongeG]

some questions about WEM

I haven;t been since january 1990

so i was wondering what they have done with stores and areas

what went in where Woodwards was?

what did they do with the old Eatons?

[feepa]

some questions about WEM

I haven;t been since january 1990

so i was wondering what they have done with stores and areas

what went in where Woodwards was?

what did they do with the old Eatons?
WEM has changed a bit since then... 1990...
Below is stolen from : http://www.westedmontonmall.com/mallmap/mallmap.asp
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/8863/wemfr0.jpg

[SpongeG]

ah yes

zellers used to be by the ice palace

i remember goign to WEM when there was only Phase I

[ssiguy]

newflyer hit the nail on the head......................the ability to HOUSE all this new labour.
Skyrocketing real estate is making the move to "Advantage Alberta" less advantageous all the time.
This is especially true of rents. For people/families making less than $40,000/year gross, the ability to buy is becoming out of reach. For people making less that means renting in a province that has almost no rentals available espeially Calgary/Edmonton/Ft.Mc. Alberta also has no rent control so you're rent could double in one year making your wage gains nil or even taking a net loss depending on where you came from.
Making only $12/hr in Atlantic Canada makes you better off than making $18/hr when you pay twice as much {or more} for real estate or rent.

Also it doesn't help when professionals who already make good money elsewhere are offered $3/hr more than their home province when they already own a house/condo and selling it and moving to costly Alberta is not worth it.

Also the higher the wages also put you into higher income tax brackets.
Alberta can lower its tax rates but have no control over federal rates.
Alberta also has medical premiums which most provinces don't.

There is a real problem in the fed civil service or RCMP as their wages are set nationally.

Their inabilty of affordable real estate and especially rentals is going to be Alberta's archeilles heel. People who would like to move to Alberta to take advantage of Alberta's boom are thinking twice especially with increasingly national awareness of Alberta's skyrocketing real estate and rentals are getting more national attention and its complete lack of rentals.

I am thinking about going back to school to upgrade my degree and was thinking of Calgary but would never move knowing all the money in the world could still leave me out in the cold.

[Wooster]

Well, the throne speech was delivered today and it is apparent that Premier Stelmach has followed through with his promise to return the amount that is taken by the province out of property tax for education and is transferring it to the municipalities.

This is quite a major tax transfer that will make our municipalities much more financially sustainable. The transfer will be phased in over the next 4 years (rather than the promised three) at the end of which cities will be getting the entire $1.4 billion annually. Long overdue in a situation where the Province gets way too much of the share of the taxpayers dollars, while cities are really shortchanged and are forced to take debt to even keep up with basic services.

This is rather significant. For all the talk in Canada over the past five years about the "New Deal for Cities" it is actually happening in earnest in Alberta. Forget these little crappy fees that David Miller gets to charge now with his new found powers in the City of Toronto Act. Small Potatoes.

For Calgary this reportedly means an additional $475 million a year in its budget to work with. This will be added to the existing approx. $2billion budget per year. To compare, if the City of Toronto got a similar deal it would mean about $1.2 billion a year in additional funding. If all cities in the GTA got his deal they would get another $2.6 billion to work with. They could build an entirely new subway line every year.

So, for a cities of only a million, this kind of cash is huge. Finally we'll be able to not only just try to keep up, we can start doing truly innovative things as we grow. We can more aggressively build out our LRT and plan for density around the system, invest in the Centre City in earnest, boost arts and cultural funding, pay down some debt, develop great parks and become leaders in all sorts of areas.

I think we all have Dave Bronconnier to thank for all this. There is no question, without him constantly pestering the province for the past 5 years, this would not have happened. Although Stephen Mandel I am sure also lobbied, he really should be on his hands and knees thanking Dave.

What do you guys think? What should we do with this opportunity? Where should the money go?

[canucklehead2]

Massive LRT expansion and affordable housing, two of the most pressing issues for average urban Albertans.

[SHOFEAR]

transportation.

[Claeren]

transportation.

^ But THAT is the kicker.

We cannot build better transportation without more people living here willing to work on building it - which not only means we need affordable housing to draw them here but also even more transportation infrastructure once they arrive... ack! Vicious circle indeed...



Claeren.

[Doug]

Municipal debt re-payment. Any additional money for infrastructure would simply be a handout to the engineering and contruction industries through escalated pricing on projects already underway.

Stelmach has been a disappointment so far. I was hoping he'd be more of a cheap farmer, as opposed to lavishing even more largesse on an already bloated provincial budget. Alberta might as well have a Liberal or NDP government.

[ssiguy]

Due to the skysrocketing rents in Cal/Edm and the fact that there is almost no where to rent even if you have the money, I'm wondering if this is adversely effecting enrollment at post-secondary schools in Alberta.

For those who are from those cities I imagine its so much of a big deal as most could stay with mommy and daddy but what about new arrivals or current students not in limited student housing?

I know if I where a student I would seriously consider not to go to any Cal/Edm schools because even if they have the programs you have and you are accepted it doesn't do you any good if you can't find any where to live.

Builing massive student housing to truley house any student who wants to live on campus but I can't imagine the cheap Alberta gov't doing that.

If they made that a complete goal for all students at all schools it would help to draw the best and brightest and due to a large segment of people who rent are student it would also greatly help free up some badly needed rentals in the rest of the city.

I know there is some residence housing construction underway but is this piece meal or a true massive plan?

[brento79]

Municipal debt re-payment. Any additional money for infrastructure would simply be a handout to the engineering and contruction industries through escalated pricing on projects already underway.

Stelmach has been a disappointment so far. I was hoping he'd be more of a cheap farmer, as opposed to lavishing even more largesse on an already bloated provincial budget. Alberta might as well have a Liberal or NDP government.

How can Stelmach be a disappoint with the Leg only being in session starting this week? Give the guy a chance. I think change is needed, but at least give a him a chance to see if he is a change....come on.

[Boris2k7]

How can Stelmach be a disappoint with the Leg only being in session starting this week? Give the guy a chance. I think change is needed, but at least give a him a chance to see if he is a change....come on.

Here Here

[Calgarian]

Build the new South Hospital now. Then put some money into transportation, and the new library.

[ssiguy]

I think housing and LRT/transit should be the , byfar, largest recipients but some should also go the arts. A limited amount but its important for a city to also be a cultural centre and have a very high city experience or they will leave the city for another province {like BC} if they can get a similar paying jobs.

It takes more than just money to attract and retain people and workers.

Toronto is a classic example. The GTA is growing at 105,000/year despite higher unemployment, horrific traffic, high cost of living, smog, high rentals, high taxes but most of Ontarians leaving are not from Toronto because it offers cultural and urban amenities galore.

People who move to a city just for a work are just as likely to leave if their job dries up or they are offered a same wage job in a more desireable place.

There are many places in Canada that are very cheap to live in and yet they are starving for proffessional because all the money in the world won't draw or keep them there because they don't offer the lifestlye options they want.

[Coldrsx]

Allo Edmonton...nlrt, Wlrt....please!

[CanadianCentaur]

^ Dit-to! :cool:

[Coldrsx]

if i recall the UofA wanted to triple its housing over 10 yrs (this was 3-4 ago) and has built another wing to lister hall and a new international housing centre, but i agree there needs to be more available, especially given the rental situation in Edmonton.

Id like to see 15% of total student enrollment avail in housing...i believe they are at 5-10% now.

[Claeren]

Build the new South Hospital now. Then put some money into transportation, and the new library.


Hospitals are not a municipal expense.






Claeren.

[m0nkyman]

LRT's, and fast track the interchanges at 23ave and Gateway, and Stoney Plain and AHD.

Oh, and spend some money to expand the mandate and scope of the design commitee (http://www.edmonton.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_265_210_0_43/http%3B/CMSServer/COEWeb/infrastructure+planning+and+building/Edmonton+Design+Committee.htm). :)

[Just Build It]

I think housing and LRT/transit should be the , byfar, largest recipients but some should also go the arts. A limited amount but its important for a city to also be a cultural centre and have a very high city experience or they will leave the city for another province {like BC} if they can get a similar paying jobs.

It takes more than just money to attract and retain people and workers.

Toronto is a classic example. The GTA is growing at 105,000/year despite higher unemployment, horrific traffic, high cost of living, smog, high rentals, high taxes but most of Ontarians leaving are not from Toronto because it offers cultural and urban amenities galore.

People who move to a city just for a work are just as likely to leave if their job dries up or they are offered a same wage job in a more desireable place.

There are many places in Canada that are very cheap to live in and yet they are starving for proffessional because all the money in the world won't draw or keep them there because they don't offer the lifestlye options they want.


Toronto actually has a high number of people leaving, while Toronto GTA grows by 105,000 a year it's mainly because of new international immigrants. Toronto would actually be losing population if not for international immigration.

You're point is correct though, you do need more than just high paying jobs to keep people. There are a number of factors involved.

[mersar]

U of C isn't having too serious a problem with it affecting enrollment, but there is always a problem of a lack of housing. This time of year it isn't too bad, every day I see handful of 'for rent' signs up around campus, but in late summer and early fall it is a different story. And even with the non-calgary students a large number live in far flung parts of the city and take transit, a few people I've known personally who moved to Calgary to go to school here lived down in the far south and commuted, thanks to the transit service we have most of them didn't really have much complaint about it.

The University is also just starting construction on a new residence building primarily for international students which should be open Fall 2008.

[ScottFromCalgary]

Calgary has enough problems finding spaces for all the Calgarians who want to go to school here, I think spending hundreds of millions of dollars to build cheap housing for students from out of town or province would just be ridiculous.

[walli]

I believe a larger proportion of UofA students are from outside Edmonton, as compared to UofC. Though Calgary's vacancy rates are extremely low, the impact overall to the student population is less given many live at home. UofC is also constructing a new International Student's residence, so that should help some.

[ssiguy]

U of C isn't having too serious a problem with it affecting enrollment, but there is always a problem of a lack of housing. This time of year it isn't too bad, every day I see handful of 'for rent' signs up around campus, but in late summer and early fall it is a different story. And even with the non-calgary students a large number live in far flung parts of the city and take transit, a few people I've known personally who moved to Calgary to go to school here lived down in the far south and commuted, thanks to the transit service we have most of them didn't really have much complaint about it.

The University is also just starting construction on a new residence building primarily for international students which should be open Fall 2008.

I also don't see how spending hundreds of millions on student housing is a waste. God knows it just pennies for a province running a $7,000,000,000 surplus. I thought the whole point of paying off the debt was so Albertans could enjoy the fruits of their sacrifices thru the years.

Considering Alberta has high tuition rates and unaffordable and unavailable rentals it seems like an extrmely good investment. Remember it will free up a lot of rentals in the cities which is essential as even if the province wanted to offer low-income rental subsidies it can't due to no control on the rents.

[ScottFromCalgary]

I agree that more money needs to be spent on post-secondary education in Alberta, but I don't think building student housing is the most effective use of those dollars. In case you haven't noticed, construction costs in Alberta are through the roof right now. In a few years, I definitely think more student housing is a good idea, just not right now.

[ScottFromCalgary]

I think housing and LRT/transit should be the , byfar, largest recipients but some should also go the arts. A limited amount but its important for a city to also be a cultural centre and have a very high city experience or they will leave the city for another province {like BC} if they can get a similar paying jobs.

It takes more than just money to attract and retain people and workers.

Toronto is a classic example. The GTA is growing at 105,000/year despite higher unemployment, horrific traffic, high cost of living, smog, high rentals, high taxes but most of Ontarians leaving are not from Toronto because it offers cultural and urban amenities galore.

People who move to a city just for a work are just as likely to leave if their job dries up or they are offered a same wage job in a more desireable place.

There are many places in Canada that are very cheap to live in and yet they are starving for proffessional because all the money in the world won't draw or keep them there because they don't offer the lifestlye options they want.

I agree that some arts funding would be nice, but don't hold your breath. Most people and a good percentage of the media would shit all over Stelmach for providing non-necessary arts funding before overpasses and ring roads. Irrational? Maybe, but I'm sure most Albertans would rather see infrastructure improvements before arts at this point.

[ssiguy]

I know that most of Toronto's growth is due to international immigration but that's not the point.
As an example. Almost all areas of Ontario are screaming for doctors, nurses, teachers, police etc. All those jobs are provinical jobs {except local police} so the wages are the same across the province.
Lets take Chatham as an example. Milder climate than Toronto, lower property taxes, has two lakes, housing less than half the price, low unemployment, is a very pretty city of 45,000, is screaming for these professionals, but they can't attract or retain them. The population is shrinking.

Cities are not GDPs and cities that rely on just high wages may due well but those who move there just for the money are just as likely to leave when the boom ends or they can find similar paying jobs elsewhere. This is why arts and culture are important for a city to add to its urban lifestlye and the choices it offers.
This is something that Calgary and Edmonton must continue to nurture and they will have the money to do it.
It is these things that make a place a true metropolis as opposed to just a large collection of houses.

[Champion3]

You keep talking about how Alberta should have more infrastructure and capacity, and less inflation, but what are you proposing? Obviously it would have been much better if we were prepared for the boom, but now that its here (and probably on the downside), we can't just put the brakes on development.
Sure you can. We are in an inflationary position due to the fact that there are effectively no idle resources in the Alberta economy. How can we possibly argue that we can't put on the brakes when there are no more resources to proceed in any sustainable fashion?

Ideally, we should be saving what we are earning now and preparing for the inevitable downturn. That way, we will be able to invest our excess cash into new industries and ride out the dips. Creating diversification through artificial means is less than ideal.
Yes, these are important things that we should be doing. We should also be leveraging fiscal policy to help cool things down.

It's absolutely stupid that we are in the situation that we are in. The economy busts and the message is, "we can't afford to provide services and we must defer capital projects." Then we hit a boom and the message is, "we can't afford to provide adequate services and capital projects because prices are going up so fast." And the Alberta Government won't apply the necessary macroeconomic tools to fix this.

[jeffwhit]

Arts and Culture should be funded with meaningful tax deductions for Individuals as well as corporations, as in the US, where giving to the arts is 100% deductible. Corporate gifts in the millions, tens of millions and even over 100 million not uncommon.

As for this money, I say Transit first for Calgary, we are way behind schedule here.

[tkoe]

If you want to see good financial management of oil resources look at Norway. They have billions in the bank, the economy is doing very well and inflation is kept to a minimum. Too bad Alberta's chose to take its macro-economic policy from third-world kleptocracies instead.

[Wooster]

Throne speech lands mayor on Cloud 9
Robert Remington, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, March 08, 2007

Dave Bronconnier was so excited, I thought he was going to wet his pants. :haha:

After years of hammering away at the provincial government for a better deal for cities, Calgary's mayor could hardly contain his glee at the confirmation in Wednesday's throne speech of $1.4 billion annually for Alberta municipalities.

"This is the art of the possible," Bronconnier told reporters. And that was one of his more subdued quotes.

"It's just an outstanding day for Alberta municipalities," he said, calling the announcement "huge," "significant" and "bang on."

Dave was so exuberant, I was getting nervous. If the mayor started doing cartwheels in the cramped foyer of his office, there would be no place to run. We could all get hurt. The superlatives just kept on coming.

"$1.4 billion is nothing short of a huge win for every city, town and village in Alberta," he said.

Being a cynical bunch -- controversy is so much more fun -- we journalists kept asking the city's Boss Hogg if the money could have come sooner or in larger amounts. He wouldn't bite. I'm sure I saw him actually levitate a bit, like he was on a cloud.

Finally, somebody asked flat out if he had any disappointment at all with the throne speech.

"None whatsoever," the mayor said.

The $1.4 billion, of which Calgary should get about $450 million, won't save you any money directly on taxes. It has to be used for infrastructure -- bridges, roads, buildings, that sort of stuff.

Bronco said the priority for the money should be the expansion of the LRT system to the northwest, more LRT cars, and improving recreation facilities.

And here I thought he was all about roads.

He said people are crammed into the city's LRT cars like sardines, and added "we are in the business of moving people, not cattle."

Dave's $450-million happy dance was tempered only by the concession that the city has about $5.5 billion in projects it can't fund. The deal with the province, which essentially leaves property taxes with local municipalities, will escalate to be worth about $3 billion to Calgary over the next 10 years.

But, said Bronconnier, "we're not looking for a silver bullet to solve all of our problems in one day."

The announcement has to be a sweet victory for Bronconnier, one of the most outspoken civic politicians in the country about the funding crises faced by cities.

"We have become a nation of city states," he told me some years ago, and he's right. One could argue that civic governments are more important than the provincial government in terms of delivery of service to the majority of people in Alberta. Nearly 75 per cent of Albertans live in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray.

Bronco, however, wasn't gloating.

"I don't look at it as a personal victory. I look at it as a victory for Calgarians," he said.

That's something he can, and will, take to the polls this fall. He can now paint himself as a champion for Calgary who effectively helped wrestle Calgarians' tax money back from the province and into the mitts of the government that is closest to the people, the city.

It will be a hard message to beat for anyone opposing him this fall. Instead, they will have to attack him as a tax-and-spend monster, which will slide off him like melted butter on Teflon.

"My job is to stand up and speak on behalf of Calgarians," said Dave.

And with that, he floated out of his office, carried away on Cloud 9.

rremington@theherald.canwest.com

[Wooster]

We've launched our Design Excellence Awards.

Just click on this link to vote: www.calgaryurban.com/awards

Putting these awards together we were actually a bit disappointed with the selection of projects that had actually been completed by the end of 2006 - not the quality and variety we would have hoped, but oh well. The upcoming year's nominees will certainly be much better.

I hope you discuss your selections here as well. :tup:

[HomeInMyShoes]

Great stuff josh white.

Yes more projects would have been great. Any plans on opening it up to more urban design projects besides buildings in the future? Public spaces, parks, rehabilitations, transportation, etc?

[Wooster]

Yeah, they are open to any type of project open space, public art, master plans, anything that improves the public realm. This year, we couldn't find any significant projects of those type that were actually completed in 2006. Hopefully next year.

These awards certainly weren't just my effort, several people such as Mersar, jeffwhit, Arriviste, AUM, Rob D and others put a lot of work into it.

[Rusty van Reddick]

U of C is primarily a commuter school- just like the U of Toronto. The crunch is for grad students, who come from all over the world. They can't live with their parents (usually). So, yeah. Times are tough.

[Doug]

Alberta tution rates are within a few hundred dollars of those in others provinces except Quebec. Housing costs are high, but so are those in BC and many places in Ontario. Given the large number of applicants turned away, government money would be best directed at increasing the number of spaces in universities. As furry stated, U og C is predominantly commuters. U of A and U of L much less so. Edmonton and especially Lethbridge have more reasonable housing costs.

I've heard rumors of U of L getting both a medical school and an engineering program. I also heard that both U of C and U or A have plans to potentially increase enrollment to about 70K students each!

[IntotheWest]

This is a great idea. Any thoughts to a "worst" design award? I think those bad designs that we have to look at for years should almost get equal attention :-)

Will CUI get any press attention with this awards? If so, it would be interesting to hear (read) some real expert opinions on the nominations/winner (architects, urban planners, etc) on what makes them so good.

[sync]

Any thoughts to a "worst" design award?


oscar wins by default!

[Wooster]

This is a great idea. Any thoughts to a "worst" design award? I think those bad designs that we have to look at for years should almost get equal attention :-)

Will CUI get any press attention with this awards? If so, it would be interesting to hear (read) some real expert opinions on the nominations/winner (architects, urban planners, etc) on what makes them so good.

No, we thought we'd try and stay on the more positive side by recognizing and encouraging good design.

As for press, it will be in FFWD on March 22nd, and Calgary Real Estate News Next week. Something on CFCN probably next week. Didn't get any response from the herald or the sun. It was a busy news day with the throne speech and all. Oh well, spread it around by email is the best way. Perhaps when we announce the winners, we can get the major papers to cover it.

[Doug]

I tired to vote, but the site crashed. Anyways, here are my comments:

I voted for Citadel West as it is a great reuse of an obsolete building. The redesign increased density through both vertical and floorplate expansion with the resulting scale of the building still appropriate for its environment. While simple, the design is very clean. Choice of materials is excellent with transparent glass and enamel panels. The interface is commendable for avoiding setbacks and placing offices in direct view of the street through transparent glass. Given substantial and growing pedestrian traffic on both 5th St and 11th Ave, some street level retail would be the only opportunity for improvement.

Runnerup would be the Children's Hospital for its bold color palette very modern lines.

[Wooster]

^Oh no! Mersar, any reason for that?

Please try again Doug. I agree completely with your comments on Citadel West.

BTW, I voted for The Vento. I think it is very complementary of its context, I like the mix of materials, particularly the use of wood on the exterior of the building. The brick is recycled. It has a nice retail ground floor. It is also the first residential project in North America to apply for LEED Platinum certification. Overall, a nice project.

Citadel would be my second choice, followed by Stella, Pontifino and Chocolate.

[mersar]

Not that I can see. Everything appears to be working fine now.

My vote was for Vento as well for pretty much the same reasons as Josh stated.

[CtrlAltDel]

There wasn't as many choices as I had hoped, but the site layout is very nicely done!
I voted for Chocolate. It's simple and sleek, and I love the name.
Runner-up, Vento. I also like Olive, which is down the street from it.

[Wooster]

^that's a ridiculous number of students. Having come from U of T a school of over 50 000, I can tell you that at a certain point the largesse of the university bureaucracy starts to diminish the functioning of the institution.

They should start another few institutions in Alberta, perhaps with more focus on liberal arts/ while U of C and U of A continue to have their strengths in Business, Engineering, Medicine the Sciences etc.

[Wooster]

^yeah, the qualification is that the building had to be complete (at least on the exterior) in 2006. Surprisingly few were.

[You Need A Thneed]

I voted for the children's hospital. The architects attempted to make the building look and feel like what children though a place of healing should look and feel like. That's great design to me.

[ssiguy]

I appreciate that local/commuters aren't really effected by this but this must be a real issue. This is especially due to the fact that students who find a place to rent can find their rent go thru the roof every 6 months.

Also building housing is much more cost effective over the long term than rental subsidies. Of course rent subsides aren't an option in Alberta due to no control on rent increases.

[Surrealplaces]

Well being the moron that I am I voted for more than one building, so I'm not sure if my vote went through.

If I had my choice it would be Citadel. I like Chocloate as the best building, but Citadel is a double win, because it took away a boring non-descript building at the same time. It also reused an existing building.......even tree huggers would like this one.

[ssiguy]

Norway is not a fair comparison.
Yes Norway does send some money to the EU transfers but not to the near extent that Alberta does to Ottawa.
Oil extraction from the North Sea isn't near as labour intensive or difficult to get at so you don't have these monstterous oil-sand projects putting up inflation.
Also Norway's population isn't growing unluike Alberta which continues to get people from the rest of the country which greatly adds to inflation.

Norway's oil growth has been more long-term than present day Alberta which is getting huge oil projects built all at once.

[SHOFEAR]

Any additional money for infrastructure would simply be a handout to the engineering and contruction industries through escalated pricing on projects already underway.

.


Sounds like a good plan :tup:

[mersar]

If you used the same email for both and didn't confirm the vote (a confirmation link is emailed to you), only the latter would be counted.

[lubicon]

Alberta also has medical premiums which most provinces don't.
.

Not true. It's just that health care premiums are called 'income tax' in other provinces. Either way the taxpayer pays for health care, it is not free by any stretch of the imagination.

[lubicon]

Not that the situation is any better in smaller cities but I think it is high time that some of the colleges (Grande Prairie and Red Deer in particular) are allowed to grant degrees, at least in some programs. Also let them take on the work of letting students take the first 2 years of their degrees before transferring to the universities to finish them off. You would allow more students to stay at home, or close to home for at least a portion of their education and help the housing crunch, not to mention the financial burden.

Transform the 3 universities more into research institutions and the more highly technical schools (medicine, law etc).

[74Magnum]

Also the higher the wages also put you into higher income tax brackets. Alberta can lower its tax rates but have no control over federal rates. Alberta also has medical premiums which most provinces don't.
Higher income brackets but in a province with no sales tax.

Paying the federal rate is better than paying high provincial tax plus a sales tax in addition to this.

Like the poster above, anybody who thinks they aren't paying for health care premiums are only fooling themselves. This is the biggest problem with our health system. We have emerg rooms full of people with coughs and sprained fingers.

[Surrealplaces]

If you used the same email for both and didn't confirm the vote (a confirmation link is emailed to you), only the latter would be counted.

I guess Chocolate gets my vote. :)

[lubicon]

Great news. I guess it remains to be seen how the money will be divided up by year but if you guess that they will increase funding in 25% steps, then the $1.4 billion would be stepped up year by year. $350 million in year 1, $700 mil year 2, 1.05 bill year 3, and the full $1.4 billion by year 4. For Calgary that would amount (roughly) to $120 million year 1, $230 mil year 2, $350 mil year 3, and a full $465 mil by year 4 and every year after that.

Interestingly, Global ran a poll on the 6PM news last night (Calgary) asking people what they though the money should go towards. Roads was the #1 answer (at 38%) followed closely by the WLRT (33%). Nothing else even came close.

[LordMandeep]

Toronto would actually be losing population if not for international immigration.


i highly doubt that it would collapse. I would expect it would not be growing much at all.

As an example. Almost all areas of Ontario are screaming for doctors, nurses, teachers, police etc. All those jobs are provinical jobs {except local police} so the wages are the same across the province.
Lets take Chatham as an example. Milder climate than Toronto, lower property taxes, has two lakes, housing less than half the price, low unemployment, is a very pretty city of 45,000, is screaming for these professionals, but they can't attract or retain them. The population is shrinking.

Immigrants stay in the Toronto area and don't go to chatham because there is no one like them there. Sure you may think thats wrong but when your in another country, your nervous and if you find people like you, you would stay with them. Thats the #1 reason and thats true in all our big cities.

also sure living in Toronto is a pain sometimes but the stores the shopping, the entertainment, the education, the universities and the many other thing are not available at all in most areas outside of Toronto-Hamilton, Kitchener Waterloo and Ottawa.

[Wooster]

^^ No big surprise there. People love their roads. It is like an obsession! I guess the reason for that is that people biggest interaction with the city in terms of time is sitting in traffic.

No doubt WLRT is well on its way now, hopefully followed closely by SELRT and completion of 7th ave, possibly the 8th ave subway and 4 car trains. They should be moving forward with plans to develop the West end lands that are the subject of polishavenger's thread in conjunction. The other great TOD opportunity is Westbrook mall.

I hope they also give sustainable funding to implement the projects in the Centre City Plan, like streetscape enhancements on important routes.

[frinkprof]

Given the large number of applicants turned away, government money would be best directed at increasing the number of spaces in universities.
Yes. I can't speak for the U of A, but this is a much bigger problem than the student housing situation. A few years ago, U of C capped enrolment and has done very little in the past few years to increase classroom space. Although the Business program is good and the engineering program is decent, the acceptance averages and transfer GPA have gone up quite a bit in the last few years with the quality of instruction or number of spots not going up correspondingly. U of L and even the University of Saskatchewan have seen the benefits of people who have been turned away from the U of C even though they have averages or GPAs that just don't cut it anymore at the U of C. I was reading an article a year or so ago about the influx of students the U of L has seen who couldn't get into the U of C. It isn't that U of L's "standards" have dropped, but that U of C's have spiked.

What I would like to see is Mt. Royal College be turned into a degree granting institution for some programs, perhaps not engineering or business right away, but I could see it happening in a lot of the liberal arts and maybe eventually science. U of C needs local competition. I would say it almost craves it.

I have a lot of contempt for the U of C, so I should mention that my comments are probably very biased.

Re: The international student residence.

It is good to see another residence go up at U of C since I would like to see more students living on campus to help bring it to life. It is important to remember though that U of C isn't just trying to attract international students for the hell of it. International students pay almost double the tuition fees that Canadian students do.

[frinkprof]

They should be moving forward with plans to develop the West end lands that are the subject of polishavenger's thread in conjunction.
Which thread is that?

[e909]

There are plenty of spaces to live near and around the university of Alberta. I don't know why people continually whine about the "housing shortage".

Can any of you actually give any proof or examples of students who couldn't find a place to live in Edmonton? It really isn't that hard to pick up the apartment listings and find a basement suite for $400-500 a month.

Not to mention there are always vacancies for Lister, HUB, East Campus Village at the University of Alberta... Not to mention Grant Macewan has been advertising their new residences for non-students constantly.

[skrish]

What I would like to see is Mt. Royal College be turned into a degree granting institution for some programs, perhaps not engineering or business right away, but I could see it happening in a lot of the liberal arts and maybe eventually science. U of C needs local competition. I would say it almost craves it.


I thought MRC was in the final stages in becoming a University. Can anyone confirm this?

[frinkprof]

I thought MRC was in the final stages in becoming a University. Can anyone confirm this?
To the best of my knowledge, there has been talk back and forth on the issue. If you ask MRC, they might say they are in the "final stages" and if you ask the provincial government, they might say otherwise. In fact, the last concrete thing I remember reading on the issue was Ralph Klein saying something to the effect of "Mount Royal College getting university status is not on the agenda and I don't believe that Calgary or Alberta is in need of another university at this time." Whether that changes with the boom, the new premier, or the passage of time, I'm not sure.

[Wooster]

Which thread is that?

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=126558

[Wooster]

Already with only a few dozen votes a clear leader is emerging. Not going to tell though.

[Surrealplaces]

Already with only a few dozen votes a clear leader is emerging. Not going to tell though.


Chocolate seems to be a favorite.......

[frinkprof]

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=126558
Guess I totally missed that one. I was probably in the middle of midterms when it was near the top of the forum.

On topic, this money should fund the WLRT, SELRT as well as a number of road projects including interchanges along Macleod trail at Heritage, Lake Fraser Gate , and possibly Southland, as well as along Country Hills Blvd. at Beddington Trail and maybe other intersections. I'd also like to see the implementation of the TOD plan at Heritage Stations and other LRT stations. Look for WLRT to be a P3, and perhaps the SELRT as well.

[Rusty van Reddick]

I voted for Citadel too. Only complaint that what could have been nice ground floor retail (at least a cafe) is all office, but that's life here now.

[lubicon]

I would also like to see the city (either on it's own or via P3 projects) expand our recreational facilities, particularly arenas.

[Wooster]

Chocolate seems to be a favorite.......

Nope, not even close.

[nasdaq]

Voted Brava

[Kevin_foster]

WLRT + NLRT + ST ALBERT LRT :P (hey its possible)

Id love to ditch my car.

[feepa]

WLRT + NLRT + ST ALBERT LRT :P (hey its possible)

Id love to ditch my car.
can we have LRT to millwoods before st albert please Mr Foster

[walli]

can we have LRT to millwoods before st albert please Mr Foster

Actually - that is an excellent point. A LARGE number of those using Edmonton's infrastructure don't even pay taxes there. Don't know if Sherwood Park is still a hamlet, but the whole idea behind the rich moving there was to find a municipal tax shelter. A LARGE proportion of those in Sherwood Park and St Albert (isn't that a type of piercing? ... may that is a prince albert) are actually well to do - just look at Sherwood Park Estates. Shame on you guys. Want to have an LRT to St Albert to 'save the environment' but don't consider actually living in the city where you work. You guys should have a surtax ... and it should go to getting an LRT down to Millwoods and Edmonton's West end!

Let's have a petition to get St. Albert's name changed to Prince Albert :)

[jeffwhit]

I'd just like to publicly thank Mersar for doing all the technical work for this and putting up with my shit.

[Aralaus]

although the hospital is a provincial funding area, i don't think it would be a bad idea to contribute some to it anyway, like 50-100 mil, as a sign of good faith that Calgary wants to work with the provincial gov...

that being said, priority should be LRT expansion, we have a real chance here to make a difference in encouraging people to leave their cars behind and creating a better urban environ. As for roads, a number of projects have been mentioned already, but i would love an overpass at 16th Ave and 19th St NE... there is no reason why that should remain a stoplight intersection and it just irritates me when i have to get into queue between Barlow and 36th St during rush hour... :(

[Lee_Haber8]

Wow, great news for Calgary and Edmonton. Make sure to spend it on transit and making your city better for people instead of building new interchanges. In fact, you should be spending money getting rid of some of them

[frinkprof]

although the hospital is a provincial funding area, i don't think it would be a bad idea to contribute some to it anyway, like 50-100 mil, as a sign of good faith that Calgary wants to work with the provincial gov...

Fuck that. The Alberta government has posted two straight multibillion dollar surplusses, and unless things change drastically, will post another one next year. They can well afford to build that hospital. Calgary's contribution to the south hospital area will be building an LRT line, roads, and services out there.

Oh and as for Calgary working with the provincial government? Most of the oil executives and directors who make decisions to make oil and gas claims in Alberta drive on Calgary streets and drink Calgary water. After the Alberta government claimed they "didn't have a plan" for a boom that put tremendous strains on the municipal infrastructure and fattened the province's wallet, why would Calgary put money they had to beg for from the province back into a provincial project?

Sorry, not meant to be a personal attack at all.

[Mikemike]

Mount Royal, and MacEwan in Edmonton, are becoming "degree granting institutions" whatever that means.

Regarding Student housing, in edmonton Macewan opened a 800 bed res a year ago, and I think they have about 300 vacancies yet.

U of C can't really have problems if they advertise garanteed res above x% grades for freshmen.

[Surrealplaces]

Nope, not even close.

Your kidding. I thought Chocolate would be right up there. It must be Citadel then, and that's the one I think should take it. So many pluses for Citadel.

[mersar]

At the sacrifice of later year students. To the extent that this past year a number of people who had lived in res since their first year, most who were now 3rd or 4th year, found they no longer were able to get space in res. Something like 70% of the res space is first years now.

[jawagord]

I appreciate that local/commuters aren't really effected by this but this must be a real issue. This is especially due to the fact that students who find a place to rent can find their rent go thru the roof every 6 months.

Also building housing is much more cost effective over the long term than rental subsidies. Of course rent subsides aren't an option in Alberta due to no control on rent increases.

I went to UofC during the last boom 77-82, when the rental market was tighter than it is today. As an out of town student I lived in the University Residence for a couple of years and at other times in shared apartments or basement suites. No reason students can not do the same today. As others have mentioned UofC has 90% of its students from Calgary, so not as difficult for out of towners to get into Residence, the hard part is getting accepted to UofC.