Bell: Stop! Calgary councillor demands a pause on more city bike lanes
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And the number of questions keep growing.
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Premier Danielle Smith's UCP has a summer survey out now.
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One of the questions. Read it carefully.
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Some cities are removing driving lanes to add bike lanes, which can increase traffic congestion and reduce parking spaces. Should the provincial government intervene to prevent this?
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Then it's Dan McLean, the Calgary city councillor.
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He's the one person on city council not afraid to swim in the shark-infested waters of city hall's pie-in-the-sky politics.
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McLean says the city should stop the construction of separated new bike lanes, for now.
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Those plans as well as the many existing bike lanes should be evaluated. What works and what doesn't work?
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This can't be a city hall inside job, he says. A lot of Calgarians don't trust city hall, for good reason. City hall has its agenda and they will jam it down our throats.
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But why would anyone in their right mind be against a fresh set of eyes looking at the bike lane experiment 10 years after the first lanes got the green light for a tryout?
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That was a green light after an 8-7 vote in favour, with Andre Chabot the councillor giving an an unexpected Yes to get the scheme over the finish line.
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Who would not agree with a deep dive into the bike lane arithmetic when eyes can see most times on most days the bike lanes are not packed with cyclists as promised?
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What's so radical about being accountable?
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'They don't want a shine a line on it,' says McLean, of the bike lane cheerleaders.
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'They can't handle the truth.'
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McLean says if he brought forward the idea of a look-see into bike lanes in the dying days of this unpopular council it would fail miserably.
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Maybe things will change after the October city election. It would be nice if most Calgarians eligible to vote did go out and vote.
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After all, McLean figures if there was more coin for potholes and fewer dollars for bike lanes 'the public would be overjoyed.'
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Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Calgary Herald
Opinion: Does pipeline fever mean missed opportunity elsewhere?
Premier Danielle Smith has repeated called for a new oil pipeline to be included on the federal government's list of nation-building projects. Photo by Darren Makowichuk / Postmedia Network Yet again this week, Premier Danielle Smith renewed her pitch for a new bitumen pipeline to be added to the federal government's list of nation-building projects. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The topic of pipelines has been persistently rumbling in Calgary for years — but these days it feels inescapable in the face of turbulent U.S. trade dynamics. I've worked in clean energy and environmental policy for 30 years. So, you might guess my position on the need for more oil pipelines in 2025, as major world economies rapidly reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. Instead of focusing on that, I'd like to tell you about some conversations I had on the Stampede circuit earlier this month. As always, the annual event brought together energy experts, including oil and gas industry leaders, those from other energy sectors, analysts and commentators. Not a single person I talked to is surprised by Smith's focus on convincing the federal government to put an pipeline on the list of nation-building projects. And, not a single person thinks there is a business case for one. Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again A few people can imagine the stars aligning for an additional oil pipeline in the future — but certainly not within the next decade, when we need meaningful action to build Canada's economic competitiveness. With her singular focus on oil and gas expansion via new pipelines, Smith is putting Alberta at serious risk of squandering an opportunity to advance real nation-building ideas in this province. What if we got industrial projects such as Dow Chemical's petrochemicals facility or the Heidelberg carbon capture project back on track, so Alberta can become a supplier of low-carbon plastics and cement — products the world will need long into the future? How about a focus on electricity interties, moving our province from a vulnerable 'power island' toward an integrated and efficient clean power grid? What if instead of suppressing renewables with atypically strict regulations — as the province has done for the past couple of years — we allowed wind and solar investment to flood back in, to meet our energy needs and attract the clean power-hungry industries of tomorrow? What if we revisited high-speed rail between Calgary and Edmonton? These ideas are being drowned out by endless noise around a theoretical pipeline for a product where demand is likely to dwindle in the decades ahead. That's not my prediction — it's the consensus of a range of forecasts from both inside and outside industry. In particular, rapid EV deployment in China is already affecting oil demand, which is likely to peak by 2030.
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Globe and Mail
Letters to the editor, July 26: ‘It would diminish all of us if we restrict immigration to the 'right people,' those whose previous advantages allow easy assimilation'
Re 'Alberta Premier Danielle Smith dismisses, demands apology for Jasper wildfire report' and 'Trump sues Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch for Epstein birthday letter coverage' (July 19): Two of three headlines on Page A3 feature democratically elected politicians complaining about or suing over reports which disagree with their particular narratives. Apparently the art of the deal and its followers do not abide any type of disagreement whatsoever. Interesting times. Vicki Nash-Moore Collingwood, Ont. Re 'A shrinking population is hardly what this country needs right now' (Opinion, July 19): Reducing immigration would not be walling ourselves off from the rest of humanity. I believe the root problem is declining birth rates, which is an affordability problem that should be fixed first. Using immigration to supplement declining population can create a never-ending cycle. New Canadians face the same economic issues such as access to homeownership, timely health care etc. Instead we should utilize a planned and selective approach to complement economic growth, fill gaps and ensure positive impacts for both existing and new Canadians. Joanne O'Hara Oakville, Ont. An ugly underlying aspect to the immigration discussion: It is clear to me that Pierre Poilievre's 'right people in the right numbers' is a Trump-like signal to his base for more white Christian immigrants and fewer refugees. We celebrate athletes such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose family comes from Antigua and Barbuda, and authors such as Esi Edugyan, whose parents are from Ghana. Yet both countries were threatened with a U.S. travel ban; not the right people in the view of the Trump administration. Most immigrants are not famous, nor are their children. The vast majority are hardworking, law-abiding citizens who love Canada because it was a refuge from hardship elsewhere. In that way, they are similar to those of us whose white forebears left Europe for better lives. It would diminish all of us if we restrict immigration to the 'right people,' those whose previous advantages allow easy assimilation. David Steele Saskatoon Re 'Follow through' (Letters, July 19): Lurking behind a letter-writer's comments about housing refugees only after all Canadians have homes first – 'cold is just as deadly as bombs' – is a surprising rationale, and a troubling one for me in the extreme. We thankfully live in a war-free country. Almost everyone knows where they will rest their heads at night, comparatively speaking. I am not unaware of our own homeless populations, a great tragedy. But remedies are sought and often found because we care. For refugees, trying to survive in a world that seeks to destroy their homes, their lives and their hopes of surviving with peace and optimism is a hell on Earth. As human beings – and Canadians – we have always been our brother's and sister's keepers, no matter where they live. Indifference to their needs and survival would diminish us all. Surely compassion is borderless. Joan McNamee Kamloops My group sponsored Syrian Kurd refugee families that arrived in 2016. When a young couple arrived, joining those already there, I shed tears as I saw 12 family members greeting the newcomers, hugging and kissing. I cried to myself thinking of my grandparents, who arrived by ship before the First World War, one or two at a time. They all fled the Czarist Russian Empire and built lives for themselves and their families in Montreal. Earlier this summer, my 'Syrians' invited us to celebrate the arrival of a newly arrived bride with about 30 other at a picnic in the park. It included youngsters born in Toronto. Like my Jewish grandparents, they had been most vulnerable and are now settled Canadians. Today, Palestinian Gazans are the most susceptible group. Canada recognized that, but gave a cynical invitation. It's never too late to do better. Allan Fox O. Ont, Toronto Re 'The Giller Prize was a rare CanLit success story. Now it might become a casualty of a foreign war' (Opinion, July 19): Giller Prize executive director Elana Rabinovitch has worked tirelessly to promote Canadian literature, for which we should all be grateful. It is suggested that authors such as Omar El Akkad and Madeleine Thien have 'betrayed' Ms. Rabinovich. How so? They won the Giller in 2021 and 2016, respectively. They could not have predicted Israel's ramped-up war efforts after Oct. 7, 2023. I find it an absurd notion that Giller winners who speak out against Israel should return their prize money. A literary prize is not hush money. Anne Hansen Victoria I would like to ask all the Giller winners who have been boycotting the prize because of its association with Scotiabank: Why, if the bank's money is so tainted, they have not returned their own prize money? I would also like to know how they justify depriving other Canadian writers of the chance to earn the same large amount of money and get the same boost in sales? The war in Gaza is still going on, so I don't know what this boycott has achieved except to defund the Giller and make all future sponsors think twice about funding a literary prize. It's a complete shame. Goldie Morgentaler Professor emerita, department of English, University of Lethbridge It would indeed be sad if the Giller Prize were to end. But any award that is heavily associated with and financed by a single corporation or wealthy individual is by definition going to be fraught. If an artist who has benefitted from this prize later finds that the entity behind it has been involved in activities they find morally repulsive, must they muzzle themselves? Why? I think the real lesson is that important events benefitting the arts cannot be sustainably supported by the private sector. In light of how much benefit comes to Canada from artistic endeavours such as strong Canadian literature, I think this is a clear case where Canada should step up to the plate to support the continuation of the Giller. Paul Rasmussen Victoria Re 'I'm not offended when people praise my spoken English' (Opinion, July 19): I also believe in having 'a bit more faith in the better side of human nature' when it comes to clearing up potential cultural misunderstandings. That being said, context is everything. In 2018, Donald Trump's infamous and profane remarks on nations in the African continent provides background to his remarks on Liberian President Joseph Boakai's 'good English.' This was not an innocent remark; instead, it was offensive and disrespectful, as made clear in his previous comment on Africa and therefore Africans in general. Pointe finale. Veena Dwivedi St. Catharines, Ont. Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Keep letters to 150 words or fewer. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@
Global News
2 days ago
- Global News
Ousted MLAs partner with Alberta Party after UCP threatens legal action over PC name
A group of MLAs who broke away from the United Conservative Party and plan to launch their own moderate political party are pivoting to align with the existing Alberta Party. Peter Guthrie, a former cabinet minister in Smith's government, along with former UCP backbencher Scott Sinclair, made headlines on July 2 by announcing their plans to resurrect the Progressive Conservative Party name for a new party that would challenge the UCP. The PCs held power for more than four decades in Alberta before losing to the NDP in 2015 and then eventually merging with the rival Wildrose Party to form the current United Conservatives. Guthrie said their small team grew quickly and gained momentum, but then on July 14, the UCP brought in its lawyers to challenge the rogue splinter group's attempt to use the PC name — so now, they're changing tactics. Story continues below advertisement 'So at that time we had to shift gears and the Alberta Party had some interest in joining up. They thought there would be some synergies there so we started having some communications,' Guthrie said Friday morning on The Shaye Ganam Show on Corus Radio. 'Ultimately, partnering with them — it made a lot of sense to us. It was by far the most practical path.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Ultimately, partnering with them — it made a lot of sense to us. It was by far the most practical path." 2:10 MLA Peter Guthrie booted from UCP: 'Criticizing government comes at a cost' Guthrie and Sinclair, both voted out of caucus earlier this year for challenging UCP policies, said UCP leader and Premier Danielle Smith has lost her way and is catering to a narrow band of extremists and separatists, and that centrist conservatives need a place to park their vote. 'This is a brand new movement that we're starting. We're going back to the roots of (Peter) Lougheed,' he said, making reference to the late premier and party leader who established the Progressive Conservative dynasty. Story continues below advertisement Lougheed left behind a legacy of progressive social reform and economic prosperity in Alberta. 'We're gonna take that premise and we are growing. We're starting again. We're staring anew. So this is not about looking to the past. It's about looking into the future,' Guthrie said. The group feels there's a missing middle in Alberta politics for moderate voters who do not align with either the far left or right of the political spectrum. 'With the NDP and with the UCP, they're just focused on a very small segment of the population — their base.' 'They're ignoring this large swath of voters in the middle who just feel like they don't have a political home. And I think that's where we fit.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They're ignoring this large swath of voters in the middle who just feel like they don't have a political home. And I think that's where we fit." Guthrie thinks there are plenty of Albertans who want a more socially liberal but fiscally conservative option. 'I'm a centre-right conservative, fiscally conservative, moderate individual who just considers himself an average Albertans and we're looking for something better,' he said. 1:46 Estranged UCP MLAs hope to create new political party The would-be PCs have told supporters that the Alberta Party will take on new board members and begin taking steps to change the name to reflect a progressive conservative alternative in the province. Story continues below advertisement He added the Alberta Party is looking for a new direction, and the partnership makes sense. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We may be a couple of degrees off in our policy and platform ideas, but, you know, they had the infrastructure and we have the momentum,' he said. The partnership came down to three things, he said: one, joining an established party is quicker than starting from scratch. Two, he said it sidesteps the UCP's attempts to stall their efforts through litigation. Three, Guthrie has heard rumours of a possible snap election. 'This ensures that we're ready to compete sooner rather than later,' he said. 5:38 Alberta Election 2019: Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel 'very proud' of party's efforts The Alberta Party has existed in the province for nearly three decades but has struggled to gain a foothold, despite its centrist appeal. Story continues below advertisement It has had a MLA elected over the years and others have crossed the floor to join, but currently does not have any representation at the Alberta legislature. 'Despite Greg Clark winning a seat in 2015 and despite increasing their vote total in 2019 to almost 10 per cent, they didn't win another seat and in the last election they got less than one per cent,' said Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt. 'The Alberta Party is a symbol of how difficult it is to create a party in the middle, and now Guthrie and Sinclair are going to try to replicate that and hoping for a different result.' Bratt said the Alberta Party originally formed as an alternate choice to the PCs, but in more recent years has been a landing space for moderate conservatives. 'There was a belief that the Alberta Party was basically becoming… maybe not the old PCs, but the people of the PC party that rejected the UCP — and by the efforts of Guthrie and Sinclair, they're providing further evidence to that,' Bratt said. 1:51 Ousted UCP MLA Peter Guthrie releases letter critical of former party Neither Global News or The Canadian Press has seen the UCP cease and desist letter, but Guthrie said the asks in it were far-reaching: 'They made demands that were like… no reasonable person would agree to.' Story continues below advertisement Bratt said the UCP is limited in what they can legally demand. 'You can't block the word 'conservative,' you can't block the word 'progressive,' just as they couldn't block the word 'Wildrose.' What they could block is some of the logos and the colour schemes and the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta, which was the legal name — but what if they changed it to the progressive conservative party of Alberta?' Guthrie said the letter shows the UCP is worried, and trying to intimidate those who want to move the province's political sphere back to 'normality.' 'For us, it signals fear. I think they're worried. They're worried that they've lost credibility with the public and that a viable third option, like the PC's, might actually resonate with voters. 'They're going to do what they can to slow us down, but we're not stopping.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They're going to do what they can to slow us down, but we're not stopping." UCP executive director Dustin van Vugt, in a statement, said the cease and desist letter was sent to protect the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta copyright and trademarks that belong to the UCP. 'The PC Alberta name, logo and goodwill were being used by people with no right to it,' he wrote. Van Vugt said neither of the ex-UCP caucus members were part of PC Alberta. Story continues below advertisement 'Their attempt to usurp the goodwill associated with our legacy party in order to confuse voters and avoid the hard work of building a political movement is particularly insulting to the thousands of former PC Party members and supporters who are now contributing members of the UCP,' he wrote in identical statements to both Global News and The Canadian Press this week. Guthrie said the UCP make threats but the new group is going to follow the laws laid out by Elections Alberta. 'Elections Alberta, they're the lead authority on elections law. So we're going to follow their direction. Ultimately it's not the UCP's opinion that's gonna determine the outcome, it's the law,' Guthrie said. Elections Alberta said a party can ask to change its registered name, but there are caveats. In a statement to Global News, it said the chief electoral officer will not approve the request if the proposed name or abbreviation resembles so closely as to likely to be confused with: The name or abbreviation of another registered party or local political party; The name or abbreviation of a party that has been de-registered since the last general election (the 2023 provincial general election, in this case); A reserved party name or abbreviation. Elections Alberta also said the chief electoral officer will also not approve the request if the proposed name was the name of a local political party de-registered or whose name changed since the last municipal general election or the proposed name or abbreviation is unacceptable to the officer for any other reason. Story continues below advertisement 2:22 Exiled UCP MLAs hope to revive a political dynasty The collaboration with the Alberta Party doesn't just mean a new name. 'There will be a leadership contest; the Alberta Party has a constitution that we'll abide. We haven't set the timing on that. But I would imagine getting something like that started this fall would make sense,' Guthrie said. Lindsay Amantea took on the role of Alberta Party leader on an interim basis last year and said the coming weeks and months will be an exciting time. She invited Albertans who feel the same to join their movement. 'The Alberta Party is first and foremost a party made up of pragmatic people who want to build a better Alberta, and we will do just that in whatever way we can,' she said in a statement to Global News. 'At this critical juncture in Alberta's history, we are exploring opportunities and partnerships that would raise the level of political discourse, and refocus the conversation on improving the lives of all Albertans, not just insiders. ' Story continues below advertisement 1:35 The West Wants In: Discontent in Alberta over Liberal election win — With files from The Canadian Press
