Edmonton: City will have veto in regional decisions

[Edmonchuck]

Originally Posted by CMD UW

Yes, this is good news. The fact remains that the majority of the region is in favor of this regional plan, I believe the County is the only one vehemently against it.

Against...

Leduc County - kinda

Sturgeon County - vehemently

Parkland County - kinda

Strathcona County - out of my cold dead hands against

Bruderheim - GIMMIE MORE DAYCARE SPACES...oh, and we're against.

That's about the extent of it. It is interesting to note that a lot of the cities and towns WITHIN the counties are for this deal in many ways. I guess the old farmer contingent still runs strong...high county revenue = low farm taxes and pavement as far as the eye can see....oh, and these acerage owners out in the middle of nowhere that "demand urban services in a rural area", a$$h0l&$, you moved to the country. Septic, wells, and gravel for you!

[Xelebes]

Originally Posted by Edmonchuck

Then why not just amalgamate already?

This deal is either partially pregnant, or pregnant but living together...just get married al-freaking-ready.

Time for a good ol' shotgun wedding? I hear the pastor's already prepared!

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by Edmonchuck

Then why not just amalgamate already?

This deal is either partially pregnant, or pregnant but living together...just get married al-freaking-ready.

Because it is politically unpalatable. There is no way to accommodate all the local politicians as elected officials in the larger structure.

Only one of these soon to be out of a job politicians does it take to start a speaking tour denouncing the project as awful for their constituents.

"You will pay higher taxes while those Edmontonian fat cats build rec centres for poor people" etc etc.

So just leave the old councils to judge on local land use use and approvals. Eventually they will wither away.

[240glt]

Amalgamation is the ultimate answer, but won't happen, as many of the municipalities are already too "citified". This "super board" is the next best thing.

I don't see it as a political black hole at all, and this will get widespread approval within the city proper.

[tony0911]

I think it is time to not play nice. The counties have screwed this region for long enough and it's time get control back and move forward. Forget about everybodies little fiedoms.......if this doesn't get fixed soon big industry will leave because they don't have time to play these kinds of games. When your coming in to drop billions of dollars your expecting to be accomodated and not to have to have a pissing match over every service that may have to be provided. If Strathcona likes it better then perhaps all the tax revenue from the region should be put into one pot and distributed equally by population back to all members in the region. We'll see how long Sherwood Park will last then.

[ibz]

Originally Posted by tony0911

I think it is time to not play nice. The counties have screwed this region for long enough and it's time get control back and move forward. Forget about everybodies little fiedoms.......if this doesn't get fixed soon big industry will leave because they don't have time to play these kinds of games. When your coming in to drop billions of dollars your expecting to be accomodated and not to have to have a pissing match over every service that may have to be provided. If Strathcona likes it better then perhaps all the tax revenue from the region should be put into one pot and distributed equally by population back to all members in the region. We'll see how long Sherwood Park will last then.

I agree. This is probably the biggest issue facing the future of Edmonton, the strathcona counties of the region need to see the bigger picture here, unfortuanetly the likes of Cathy Olesen are far too short sighted and self interested..

[Edmonchuck]

Originally Posted by 240glt

Amalgamation is the ultimate answer, but won't happen, (...)

Some liken this super board to amalgamation.

Originally Posted by kyle_olsen

Because it is politically unpalatable. There is no way to accommodate all the local politicians as elected officials in the larger structure.

That actually isn't the biggest stumbling block, just the most vocal.

[ZiZiPop]

How does the Greater Vancouver region cooperate on regional planning? I would think that they went through a simular issue years ago. Although the Edmonton region may be a very different beast. (I think the BC government runs a lot of the services)

[0773|=\]

Originally Posted by ZiZiPop

How does the Greater Vancouver region cooperate on regional planning? I would think that they went through a simular issue years ago. Although the Edmonton region may be a very different beast. (I think the BC government runs a lot of the services)

That's exactly right. The best example of this is in regional transportation routes, where key routes are funded through TransLink or the BC Ministry of Transportation, not through municipalities. Planning the development of these routes receives the input of municipalities affected (and sometimes more, as is the case with the Gateway Project...)

To this day, I wonder why Alberta doesn't help organize this type of system for Edmonton a little more. We SHOULD be setting up a regional transit authority, rather than have St. Albert and Strathcona County running around their own cute little bus routes. Make it one system for the entire region!

Alberta also could do more about the major roadways in our areas as well. They are in charge of the ring roads of Edmonton and Calgary, and Deerfoot Trail in Calgary... I don't understand why the province doesn't make things a lot simpler and take over EVERY signed provincial highway within municipal limits in our cities. They're provincial routes for a reason, right? At least that way, standards could be better streamlined... right now you come into Edmonton on the Yellowhead, see some exit numbers around Spruce Grove, then nothing through the city, and then they start up again east of Edmonton. Why does that have to look so shoddy?

[Edmonchuck]

Originally Posted by ZiZiPop

How does the Greater Vancouver region cooperate on regional planning?

There are many that say as of late and as of the growth, it doesn't co-operate well.

...but our biggest problem is that the province has not given a rat's ass for 50 years...not trying to get a GVRD model...