Braid: A flailing city council nears the end of its life span. Voters should rejoice
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What a droopy-feathered, dispirited, demoralized group they are, from Mayor Jyoti Gondek on down.
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On Tuesday council immediately occupied its comfort zone, engaging in long, detailed, fussy debate over details that should never reach the chamber floor.
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That's excellent. Calgarians might just get a council that shuns sanctimony and bears down on practical issues — street crime, the drug crisis, crumbling infrastructure, fiscal sense, reasonable taxes.
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Not running again are Gian-Carlo Carra (Ward 9), Courtney Walcott (8), Jasmine Mian (3), Evan Spencer (12), and Peter Demong (14).
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The vacancy total hits seven when we include Sonya Sharp, who's giving up Ward 1 to run for mayor.
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Four of those leaving — Mian, Walcott, Spencer and Carra — cite frustration with the toxic political climate, the Green Line uproar, and the lack of collaboration on council.
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We should spare a thought for them. It's not easy, being so ineffective. Going nowhere takes a lot of work on Calgary council.
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So often this council fell into petty causes that backfired because they were so out of synch with the public.
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Remember the paper bag bylaw? It fined clerks who failed to charge you for a paper bag, or dared to give you a plastic bag.
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That was sold to councillors by city officials who wanted to harm the forestry industry. One of them said that out loud during a council meeting.
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And our elected representatives went along with it.
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The bylaw was reversed after an absurd waste of time and energy.
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We've had 151 mm of rain, nearly six inches, since the beginning of July. This is close to the fourth wettest July on record.
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On Tuesday I had an email from Wayne Webster, a lawyer, who suspected some consultants and contractors would do quite well from this name change, which cost more than $6 million.
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CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
Alberta monitoring debate over bike lanes in Ontario, considering similar legislation
Alberta's transportation minister said the province is monitoring how a debate plays out in Ontario over a bill that would remove three Toronto bike lanes, while considering similar legislation in Alberta. On Wednessday, an Ontario court deemed that the province's plan to remove 19 kilometres of protected bike lanes in Toronto was unconstitutional, because it would "put people at increased risk of harm and death." Ontario's transportation minister said the province will appeal the decision. Devin Dreeshen, Alberta's minister of transportation and economic corridors, said on Wednesday his government will watch how the appeal plays out closely, after previously noting the province is "actively reviewing" bike lanes in Calgary and Edmonton that draw complaints from residents. "We're obviously looking to see how that legislation plays out in Ontario, and the possibility of introducing a similar type of legislation here in Alberta," said Dreeshen. Mayor, minister meet face-to-face to talk bike lanes amid threat of removal 11 hours ago The province's transportation minister, Devin Dreeshen, is calling on Edmonton and Calgary to remove bike lanes from some areas and hasn't ruled out the province stepping in. On Wednesday, Dreeshen met in person with Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek to discuss the issue. The transportation minister said he supports cities expanding bike routes without "cannibalizing" driving lanes engineered for cars, and increasing daily commute times for drivers. He added Alberta can learn from what worked and didn't work in Ontario's legislation, when crafting its own policy. Dreeshen specifically pointed to bike lanes at Ninth Avenue and Fourth Street S.E., at the intersection near the National Music Centre, as a problem area in Calgary the province is looking at. Calgary currently has roughly 290 kilometres of on-street bikeways and cycle tracks. City council approved $56 million for Calgary's network of pathways and bikeways in 2023, and its long-term transportation plan looks to expand the network more throughout the next 60 years, including several ongoing projects. Earlier on Wednesday, Dreeshen met with Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek at city hall to discuss the issue. It's part of an overall effort, he said, to gather information from Alberta's major cities on bike lanes before potentially presenting new legislation. "Hopefully, both Edmonton and Calgary can look at some really problematic bike lane expansions and cancel them, but we'll see how the conversation goes in the next couple months," said Dreeshen. He said the province will ask the same questions in Edmonton to understand its cycling network as well. But on Wednesday, the City of Edmonton said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi hasn't received a request from Dreeshen to meet and discuss bike lanes. In April, Dreeshen voiced opposition to Edmonton's planned bike-lane expansions, and said the province won't support "tax dollars being used to reduce road capacity." Wednesday's court decision in Ontario came as its provincial government pushes to remove bike lanes as a solution to Toronto's traffic congestion, while cyclists and advocates have argued the infrastructure is crucial for public safety. Justice Paul Schabas concluded that removing bike lanes will not reduce traffic buildup, highlighting expert evidence that bike lanes do the opposite by providing an alternative mode of transportation. Bike lanes account for under one per cent of Calgary's roads: mayor After meeting with Dreeshen, Calgary's mayor said their meeting was a positive one where the city and province agreed to work together on how best to accommodate all modes of transportation. "Today was not a meeting of contradictions, it was one of collaboration," said Gondek. Calgary's pathways network keeps cyclists safe and separated from traffic, Gondek said, while adding that bike lanes account for less than one percent of the city's road surfaces and are designed for minimal disruption. She also noted Calgary's bike lane infrastructure is movable, and the city regularly reviews bike lanes, like any other transportation infrastructure, based on public feedback. "These bike lanes are not fixed. If a bike lane is causing any concerns with congestion or parking, our traffic team is open to reviewing and making any necessary changes," said Gondek. Dreeshen said he was pleasantly surprised to hear Gondek has the view that bike lanes are temporary. He further said the build-up of bike lanes in Calgary and Edmonton affects nearly all commuters in those cities. "If you have a municipal council that is taking away driving lanes that's actually increasing people's daily commutes, or emergency vehicles or delivery vehicles from being able to just do what they do, that's obviously a problem," said Dreeshen. Francisco Alaniz Uribe, an associate professor at the University of Calgary's school of architecture, planning and landscape said historically, transportation regulation is based on safety and improving the number of ways people can access their streets, and that it doesn't make any technical sense to remove safe ways for cyclists to use the city's roads. "We know that when you make biking infrastructure more safe, people use it more," said Alaniz Uribe. "The main objective of the discussion should be about safety, it should be about [affordability], and bike lanes do that. They make the space safer for everyone, for pedestrians, for cycling, even for drivers." Converting on-street parking into separated bike lanes creates a safe way for more people to get around the city, Alaniz Uribe argued, while also making commutes easier for people who can't afford a car during a time when vehicles are getting more expensive.
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Alberta's bike lane discussion might be coming to Edmonton
A court ruling in Ontario barring the government from removing bike lanes isn't stopping Alberta's from trying the same thing. Jeremy Thompson has more. As Alberta takes notes from Ontario's battle over bike lanes, Edmonton and Calgary are poised to be the centre of a similar debate in the foreseeable future. The Ontario Superior Court ruled on Wednesday against provincial interference in Toronto bike lanes, deeming a new law that would have removed three lanes as 'unconstitutional.' The Ontario government subsequently announced their decision to appeal that ruling. Now, Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen is watching results unfold as a guide for how the province might also rule on municipal bike lanes. Dreeshen met with Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of the province intervening in municipal bike lane projects that it may take issue with. 'Obviously, we don't want to go down that route, but we'll see if we have to,' Dreeshen said at a press conference. He said that while biking is a 'fantastic' way to get around the community, bike lanes should not take over driving lanes at the risk of causing 'traffic congestion and chaos.' 'There was a commitment from Gondek to be able to work more collaboratively with the province to make sure that bike routes are independent from any road network,' Dreeshen said. 'If a bike lane is causing any concerns with congestion or parking, our traffic team is open to reviewing and making any necessary changes,' said Gondek. Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi's office told CTV News Edmonton that as of Wednesday, Sohi hadn't been approached by the provincial government about bike lanes. Sohi said bike lanes offer a 'safe' and 'sustainable' choice for moving around the city. 'We continue to see support for these choices,' Sohi said. Dreeshen made it clear that Edmonton's city council was next on the list for discussion. 'Obviously, we hope that both Edmonton and Calgary, their city councils will understand that bike lanes should not take over driving lanes,' Dreeshen said. The path so far Natalie Lazurko, director of transportation planning and design with the City of Edmonton, said in a statement emailed to CTV News Edmonton that as of right now, 'the city will continue to engage with the provincial government.' 'Any recourse would depend on the approach and direction, if any, provided by the provincial government,' Lazurko said. In 2022, city council approved the expansion of Edmonton's active transportation network and was allocated $100 million to do so. Since construction began in 2024, Lazurko said approximately 40 kilometres of 'new network connections' have been created in the city. She said the work that should be done by the end of 2025 would complete about half of the network laid out in the city's bike plan. Any residents who are unhappy with a bike lane project in the area can email the city at activetransportation@ or reach out to their city councillor. More information on current bike infrastructure projects in the city can be found on the city's website. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson
CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
Mayor, minister meet face-to-face to talk bike lanes amid threat of removal
The province's transportation minister, Devin Dreeshen, is calling on Edmonton and Calgary to remove bike lanes from some areas and hasn't ruled out the province stepping in. On Wednesday, Dreeshen met in person with Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek to discuss the issue.
