Bonfield mayor takes a seat in the Mayor's Chair
This week, Ian Campbell catches up with what's going on in Bonfield with Mayor Narry Paquette for another edition of the Mayor's Chair.
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CTV News
24 minutes ago
- CTV News
Transportation minister to meet with Edmonton mayor about ‘problematic' northside bike lanes
Devin Dreeshen, Alberta's transportation minister, says he plans to meet with Edmonton's mayor about "problematic" new bike lanes. While a section of a major northside roadway has already been converted to multi-modal use including bike lanes, the province suggests it could reverse the decision to construct them. Devin Dreeshen, the province's transportation minister, addressed Edmonton's bike lanes on Tuesday with media, suggesting the government could intervene in projects it finds 'problematic.' He's said in the past the province could even remove them. Dreeshan discussed 132 Avenue in particular, where a seven-block stretch of it between 97 and 113A streets has been converted to a two-lane roadway for motor vehicles straddled by two-lane bike paths on either side. The minister met with Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek last week to discuss the issue and plans to meet with Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi next week. 'We've heard tons of petitions and lots of people have been writing in saying that that is a bad four-lane major thoroughfare that's going to be shrunk in half,' Dreeshan told media on Tuesday. 'What some of the councillors are saying in the media, I thought that was pretty (grim), of not listening to those concerns, and to see that project still going ahead is frustrating.' Dreeshan first waded into the northside bike lane debate in April, when he and Karen Principe, the city councillor for the area, jointly shared their concerns about the bike lanes there. At the time, he said the removal of the existing bike lanes is 'on the table.' It's only the start of the project along 132 Avenue. Eventually, the city plans to redevelop the thoroughfare so it has bike lanes for about seven kilometres between Fort Road and 127 Avenue, passing through several school zones. Dino Depner told CTV News Edmonton the east-west artery was once 'like a drag strip' for vehicles 'because it's sort of hidden, and it's a wide road.' The area resident says it's now 'way, way better.' 'People are actually yielding to me around here now,' Depner said while sitting on his bike on one of the 132 Avenue paths near the Grand Trunk recreation centre. 'I'm waving to people instead of ... flipping them off.' Dreeshen insists bike lanes are fine as long as they don't take away travel lanes for cars. 'There are more and more drivers in Edmonton every year, and to reduce the road capacity for those vehicles is the opposite of what we're doing as a provincial government, when we're investing billions of dollars into adding more roads and more lanes,' he said.
Globe and Mail
24 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Judge sides with Mobilicity investors, orders Ottawa to repay hundreds of millions of dollars
An Ontario judge has sided with the original investors of a former independent mobile provider in a court battle that has lasted for more than a decade, ordering the federal government to repay hundreds of millions of dollars for unexpectedly altering its spectrum policy and causing them losses. Justice Peter Osborne of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled Wednesday that Ottawa committed negligence and negligent misrepresentation when it induced Quadrangle Group LLC and Obelysk Media Inc. to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Mobilicity in 2008, only to change the rules for the resale of the startup's wireless licences in 2013. Justice Osborne also ruled that the government wrongfully interfered with the sale of Mobilicity's spectrum assets, the invisible radio waves that carry wireless signals, when it extended what was supposed to be a five-year moratorium on new entrant spectrum transfers to incumbents. In doing so, the judge said, the then-Harper government quashed proposed purchase offers by Telus Corp. T-T when Mobilicity was operating under court protection from its creditors. (Mobilicity was eventually sold to Rogers Communications Inc. for a lower price.) Rita Trichur: Wheels of justice grind slowly for Mobilicity's initial investors The lengthy and complex trial, which relied on 10 fact witnesses and five expert witnesses, underlines the question of investors' rights in the face of changing policy frameworks. The case also reinforces governments' 'duty of care' to ensure that their regulatory actions do not lead to unreasonable harm business interests. The decision contributes to continuing debates over the effectiveness of Canada's telecom competition policy and the degree to which the government should put its finger on the scale when it comes to commercial matters. 'At its core, this action is about the transferability of spectrum licenses. But significantly, it is also about the extraordinary and unusual conduct of Government officials with respect to the Mobilicity spectrum licenses in particular,' Justice Osborne said in his decision. Obelysk welcomed the decision in a statement, saying the plaintiffs are reviewing the details and will continue to pursue all appropriate remedies to recover their losses. While the judge did not specify the total damages, Jonathan Lisus, the lead lawyer for the investors, said the parties had calculated the amount at more than $500-million. The case represents a rare instance of a government being found in breach of private law duty of care, Mr. Lisus said. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada spokesperson Andréa Daigle said in an e-mail that the government has taken note of the court's decision and will review its finding carefully. 'As the decision remains subject to appeal, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time,' she said. David Berman: The question now facing telecom investors: Why bother? The origins of the dispute date back to 2006, when the government approached Canadian businessman John Bitove about investing in a new wireless venture, according to the lawsuit filed in 2014. In order to increase competition, the government decided to set aside a portion of wireless licences in a forthcoming auction for new market entrants. Mr. Bitove, who ultimately became the majority owner of Obelysk, and New York-based private equity firm Quadrangle Group LLC eventually did invest. They purchased spectrum licences worth $243-million in the 2008 auction. Notably, they alleged that they did so under the understanding that, if Mobilicity were to fail, they could sell the licences – typically a telecom's most valuable asset – to an incumbent to recoup their investment after a five-year period, mitigating their risk. But in 2013, the government retroactively altered the rules governing spectrum transfers, arguing that new entrant spectrum was never meant to fall into the hands of incumbent carriers. By taking away the company's ability to sell to incumbents including Telus, Justice Osborne said that the government caused a material and immediate devaluation of the value of Mobilicity's licences. Industry Canada, which regulates spectrum auctions, maintained during legal proceedings that it did nothing unlawful, and provided the investors no assurances that spectrum transfers would be approved in their favour after the five-year moratorium. But Justice Obsborne said there was overwhelming evidence that the plaintiffs understood the opposite, and said that if this was not the case, that the government had a duty to correct their understanding but did not do so. The judge rejected the government's view that it could alter the transferability attributes 'at any time it saw fit' and avoid liability to the plaintiffs. 'The actions of the Government were capricious, and they were inconsistent with the expectations which were in turn based on the representations made,' he said. 'Those representations were relied on by the investors who, as noted, did spend billions of dollars under the assumption that the rules would be respected.' Canadian telecoms boost wireless prices, giving lift to sagging stocks Furthermore, Justice Osborne found that Industry Canada later interfered in a bidding war for Mobilicity, which was struggling financially, disrupting Telus's efforts to acquire the company's spectrum. Telus and Mobilicity had been engaged in talks for the sale of the company before the policy change, so the companies decided to go forward and seek approval, despite concerns that the regulator would not allow it. Justice Osborne said the regulator interfered by threatening in 2014 that Telus would be excluded from future spectrum actions if it continued to pursue Mobilicity licences, and by 'unnecessarily, but intentionally, inappropriately, and for tactical purposes,' withholding the release of a response on a proposed licence transfer to Telus, 'at the specific request and with the direct involvement of the Minister's political staff,' the judge found. The regulator eventually made an exception to its policy to allow Rogers Communications Inc. RCI-B-T to purchase Mobilicity and its wireless licences as part of a spectrum swap in 2015. Rogers paid $465-million, which was $82-million less than Telus's highest bid at the time. By effectively removing Telus as one of the two bidders, the government prematurely and 'surreptitiously' terminated what was otherwise a competitive bidding process, and ultimately reduced the value of the licences, Justice Osborne ruled. The government will be required to repay the shareholders for their initial investments in Mobilicity after the sale in 2015, plus prejudgment interest.
CTV News
24 minutes ago
- CTV News
Alberta calls new Edmonton bike lanes problematic
Devin Dreeshen, Alberta's transportation minister, says he plans to meet with Edmonton's mayor about "problematic" new bike lanes. CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson has the latest.
