Tag Archives: elections

Episode 59: Alberta goes orange, new life for the Galleria, the Rush might be gone, dead streetscapes downtown

In our fifty-ninth episode, we discuss the big NDP victory in the Alberta election, the latest Council decision to support the Galleria project, the risk that the Edmonton Rush might be leaving Edmonton after this season, and the vast swaths of downtown that remain either vacant or unfriendly toward pedestrians.

How did the NDP go from 5 seats to more than 50? Where did Prentice and the PCs go wrong? What does this mean for the NDP going forward? Who will the cabinet ministers be? On the Galleria project, why is Council now supporting it? Do we really need this project? Is it a social enterprise, or should the private sector really be taking this forward if it is actually needed? With such a successful season, why are the Edmonton Rush at risk of leaving the city? There’s a lot of great things happening downtown, but why are there so many vacant storefronts still? Will the new stuff be more pedestrian-friendly?

We discuss those questions and more.

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

Thanks for listening!

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Episode 58: Oilers clean house, Notley wins the debate, Council lowers tax increase, The Walrus Talks Aboriginal City

In our fifty-eighth episode, we discuss the major changes underway at the Edmonton Oilers, the Alberta leaders debate and other election news, the lower tax hike that Council has approved, and the Aboriginal City event hosted by The Walrus.

All of a sudden Oilers fans have reason to be excited again! With a new GM and Connor McDavid, things are looking up. Will we get a new coach? Do we really have reason to be excited? With the polls predicting an NDP victory, what are our predictions for the election? Who will form government and who will serve as the official opposition? How was Council able to lower the tax increase for 2015? What will they spend the extra money on? What were the takeaways from the Aboriginal City event?

We discuss those questions and more! We close with a short update on placemaking.

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

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Episode 24: Election Recap, Air Canada, The Edmontonian

In our twenty-fourth episode we do a brief election recap, and also tackle a couple of issues that have been in the news lately.

Graham called it – a big win for Don Iveson. How did he get it right? We also talk about the disappointing turnout for 2013, just 34.5%. Why don’t more people vote? Did we get young people voting? Finally, we touch on what the new City Council looks like and what we can expect.

We also discuss the proposed 71-storey building known as The Edmontonian. While it is a positive sign for downtown, how realistic is the project really? What can we expect? What kind of track record does the developer have? How does it relate to the CRL?

While some seem pretty happy about Edmonton’s prospects, others appear to be non-believers. We’re talking about Air Canada and its decision to cancel the daily YEG-LHR flight. What gives? Why don’t they support Edmonton?

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

Thanks for listening!

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Episode 23: Election Thoughts

In our twenty-third episode we discuss the 2013 municipal election! Though we focus on the race for mayor, we do touch on a few of the ward races too.

Why has the race been less interesting than past elections? What kind of experience should candidates have? With election day less than a week away, what do the big three mayoral candidates need to do to earn the undecided vote? We discuss those questions and more!

Thanks for listening!

Disclosure: Mack is actively working on Don Iveson’s campaign for mayor.

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Episode 17: Campaign Contributions

In our seventeenth episode we discuss campaign contributions made during municipal elections. Should developers and unions be able to make donations? Do those donations influence politicians once they are elected? Should elected officials excuse themselves from decisions for which they might have a conflict of interest?

We discuss those questions and more. The cost of running a campaign for council has risen quite a bit over the last four elections, from about $22,000 in 2001 on average to more than $56,000 in 2010. Candidates need to raise the money, but as Graham says, “money buys influence.”

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Full disclosure: Mack is volunteering for Don Iveson’s campaign for mayor.

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Episode 15: Early Election Action

In our fifteenth episode we discuss some of the latest campaign announcements that have taken place. The municipal election doesn’t take place until October, but that hasn’t stopped a number of candidates from kicking off their campaigns, including three current councillors running for mayor.

Things really got underway with the approval of the arena deal and the announcement the very next day by Kerry Diotte that he would run for mayor. In recent weeks, both Karen Leibovici and Don Iveson have announced that they too will run for the top seat. With Amarjeet Sohi’s decision to run again for council, it looks as though the big names for mayor have all come forward. There’s a long way to go before a winner is declared, but that doesn’t stop us from comparing them!

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

There’s much more to come on this topic. Thanks for listening!

Disclosure: Mack is volunteering for Don Iveson’s campaign.

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