Too Many Calgarians????
 

June 4, 2007

Critical mass
Calgarians say their city too big for its own good

By TODD SAELHOF AND PABLO FERNANDEZ, SUN MEDIA

There are too many Calgarians and the quality of life in the city is suffering, says a survey released today.

And those poll results can be blamed on a lack of funding from the province, says the city's mayor.

Dave Bronconnier said yesterday that traffic tie-ups, lack of schools, rising unemployment and a shortage of housing are the reason the Canada West Foundation reports the majority of Calgarians say there are too many citizens, and many think the quality of life has deteriorated in the last five years.

"It's no surprise to me the frustration Calgarians find themselves in -- I feel it as a commuter, as a motorist, as a parent and as a person who lives here," Bronconnier said.

"This is why we've been pressuring the provincial government to keep its commitment to reinvest back in infrastructure."

The survey, which polled people in Vancouver, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Toronto, reports 51.1% of Calgarians think there are too many people here.

Calgarians also think their quality of life is worse now than in 2002 and don't expect it to improve anytime soon.

The survey found 45.3% of Calgarians believe there has been a downturn in the quality of life, while 36.1% think things will only get worse -- the highest rate of dissatisfaction in the country.

And although 51.1% of Calgarians also say local government is doing a good job in dealing with the growth, that was the lowest level of satisfaction among all the cities in the Looking West 2007 survey.

Residents happiest with how their local government is dealing with growth live in Regina, where the level of satisfaction was 75.2%.

Although 86.1% of Calgarians rate their quality of life as good or very good, that is the second lowest rating, with Toronto ranking lowest, at 81.1% and Saskatoon ranking highest at 89.2%.

"Whether it's this survey or many other surveys that have come forward in the last little while, Calgarians are saying 'Get after the infrastructure, don't let up, reinvest back to make sure my quality of life and that of my family is not deteriorating," Bronconnier said. "I've heard the message loud and clear -- I just hope the politicians in Edmonton hear the same message."

Ward 9 Ald. Joe Ceci said the numbers come as no surprise.

"We are swelling in population, and it's not necessarily newcomers alone, though, who are driving the need for some projects, for example, new commercial towers," Ceci said.

"Certainly you don't have to go very far down any road in this city to see another project going in the ground.

"All of that has a big impact on ease of travel around the city, but I don't know of any effective measure of putting the unwelcome mat out for people -- it's not practical and it's not neighbourly."

TOPS IN MISERY

Percentage of population who feel local government does a good job of managing growth:

1. Regina -- 75.2 %

2. Saskatoon -- 73.5 %

3. Winnipeg -- 55.2 %

4. Edmonton -- 54 %

5. Toronto -- 52.8 %

6. Vancouver -- 51.6 %

7. Calgary -- 51.1 %

Percentage who agree there are too many people living in the city:

1. Calgary -- 51.1%

2. Toronto -- 46.2%

3. Vancouver -- 43.8%

4. Edmonton -- 38%

5. Saskatoon -- 12.8 %

6. Winnipeg -- 10.6 %

7. Regina -- 7.2 %

Percentage who feel quality of life has deteriorated in the last five years:

1. Calgary -- 45.3 %

2. (tie) Vancouver, Toronto -- 36 %

4. Edmonton -- 28 %

5. Winnipeg -- 19 %

6. Saskatoon -- 14.6 %

7. Regina -- 11.2 %

I have to say, the price of housing going up sharply in the last few years has likely changed the quality of life for a lot of people.


Although 86.1% of Calgarians rate their quality of life as good or very good, that is the second lowest rating, with Toronto ranking lowest, at 81.1% and Saskatoon ranking highest at 89.2%.

I still have to laugh at these articles though. Interestingly when asked the overall question of their quality of life, Calgary is second lowest at 86% and Saskatoon the highest at 89%. Basically, no difference from top to bottom, but the article has a real 'doom and gloom' spin on it.

This is one of those polls that doesn't mean too much IMO. A lot of the Calgarians who feel there are too many people in the city are likely the ones who live in the far flung suburbs but work downtown and it takes forever to get to and from the office.

None of the cities on the list are experiencing the level of growth that Calgary is, and if they were, I bet the numbers in that category would be very similar to those for Calgary.

As far as quality of life goes, that varies widely depending on an individual's circumstances. I am making slightly less money that I did five years ago but back then I was working 51 to 52 weeks of the year and even on 1/3 of my weekends. Now I am getting six weeks of paid time off a year and rarely work weekends. Less money yes, but far better quality of life.

bronco is a lazy bum and acts like a child. Any time there is a problem or a negative review of something related to this city he blames it on the province. There is no question that a rebalancing of power and funding is needed, but most quality of life issues can be directly controlled and influenced by the city. Land use planning, zoning, prioratization of infrastructure spending (transit vs roads), all items directly controlled by the city and all being poorly done and negatively affecting the quality of life in this city. In addition, property taxes being based on market value is a huge cause of many problems in this city, although I believe thats a provincial matter, but you never see bronco lobbying for change on that point.

He does a great job of getting the Province to cough up cash and good on him for that, however, that seems to be all he ever does. Instead of constantly asking for money, he also needs to ask for changes to be made to the Municipal Act, and help forming a Regional Planning Commission/Body.

Creative local policy and efficient use of funds will get more results than complaining and whining to the province. A politician needs to be tough to get what they require, and good he kept the province to their funding promises, but it gets old hat. He needs to take responsibility for what happens in the city and use the tools at hand wisely to make real changes.

I look at the title and think, yup, just about a million too many... LOL!!

Although I agree that the city has a big influence on determining the quality of life in Calgary, I don't blame the mayor for whining to the province for more money.

The mayor has whined several times in the past few years and each time, more money has flowed to Calgary. You can thank the whining for many of the projects that have been built or are under construction. The fact is, the provincial and federal government uses Calgary as a cash cow, sucking out as much cash as possible and returning very little.

I say let the mayor whine his heart out!

Erm, no... the Alberta cash cow is a little further north....

Ya, right. I bet they are sucking a ton out of Red Deer too. Sorry about the oversight:tup:

^LITTLE further north there kid:koko:

too many people in calgary...HA

in most euro/asian cities you would have 5-10x the densities.

But i do agree with the lack of infrastructure argument.

Honestly...Canada/North America is really falling behind the rest of the developed world generally speaking with regards to public transit and the such.

New cities in China have far better systems...cities you think are ghetto and poor.

Are you Edmontonian's that insecure in who and what you are as a city that you always feel the need to put down Calgary to make you feel good - grow up!

Maybe all of you Edmontonians should read Jane Jacob's "Cities and the Wealth of Nations" and come to grip with the fact that Calgary is not just the cash cow for Ottawa but for Edmonton as well. The provincial capital is sucking just as much money out of the oil companies 'headquartered' in Calgary as the nation's capital - something capital cities are so famous for.

^ :haha: :haha: :haha:

Silly me...I thought the oilsands belonged to ALL Albertans...

very true - its the oil companies headquartered in Calgary that are financing, developing, and selling the product - therefore collecting the revenue - which is in turn taxed by the governments in Edmonton and Ottawa.

And your right, all Albertan's benefit.

Governments need to take better care of the centres which generate the revenue and cash flows that go into their coffers - that's the point Bronconier is making

Go easy Manny, Feepa was obviously joking.

Why is it that the first thing people seem to lose on forums is their sense of humour?

You're right bud. Guess its hard to see the wink in the eye and chuckle coming out when the note is written. My apologies to all I may have offended. :tup:

LOL, typical Sun article. Totally sensationalizing and misleading title.

Damnit, where is the Minister of Misinformation when you need him?

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/4214/6iraqiap3.jpg
"There are no Calgarians in Calgary!"

Here I've fixed the caption for the photo for you Boris! :haha: