Edmonton's Mayor Mandel may not be an idiot

A week ago, I called Edmonton Mayor Mandel an idiot for suggesting that the current old metal Walterdale bridge that links south with north over the river could remain next to the new modern bridge and be used to host a restaurant.  It really is an idiotic idea and will block the view of the new bridge from the west.

The first proposal of the new replacement bridge had three one way lanes, which when I first saw it, thought that was definitely idiotic considering there are four lanes of regular traffic and one bus/taxi lane merging onto it and then once over, spreading out to four main lanes again.  It's one of the top bottlenecks in town on workers' commutes to downtown in the morning.


So now, our Mayor has pushed back on the planner's three-lane proposal for four lanes.

"We've asked them to make it four lanes," said Mayor Stephen Mandel.  "It's silliness to build it three lanes.  I can't emphasize how much money we're going to save by doing it now." "You can make it just as wide but have now more space to make the fourth lane work, so it doesn't cost you more money."

Wow, common sense.  Mandel may not be an idiot afterall.

Who'll be Alberta premier?

As Alberta PC members vote in the final round advance polls this week and in the final vote on Saturday October 1st, there are rumours that 2nd place finisher, Alison Redford has some momentum over Gary Mar.  Gary's campaign has radio ads out with general platitude statements, while Doug Horner's keep calling me and for the first time I think I've ever seen, political lawn signs out for a leadership race.


Today, Gary Mar said he's got a four month action plan once he becomes premier.  That means the election won't be until around March 2012.  But part of this action plan isn't about governing, it's about getting his party in order with nominating candidates and election planning.

But wait a sec, if he's not sitting in the legislature until he is an elected MLA, who's the actual premier?  Is that Ed Stelmach still, or someone else?  Am I missing something here?  Will this premier then simply follow Gary's "action plan"?

Albertans deserve to know.

The "Return" of Rasputin

Surprise surprise, but "interim" Russian President Dimitri Medvedev is stepping down.  And golly gee, guess who's gonna "replace" him?  And guess who's gonna be Prime Minister again?

And now with two, six year term limits, old Rasputin, will likely be in power for 12 years.  And maybe he'll have term limits dropped altogether so he becomes a dictator again.  Wouldn't surprise me.

With the Russian language and influence continuing to dominate Eastern Ukraine, let alone "former" Soviet republics, and the Kremlin's ability to turn on and off oil and gas taps at will, Russia will surely continue to dominate with even more vigour than before over much of Asia.

I'll never forget what one of my distant cousins in Ukraine wrote me back in 1991 after Ukraine gained "independence" from Russia (paraphrasing):  "It's amazing how all these former communists are now all of sudden so-called pro-democrats.  Nothing has really changed."

If anyone in the democratic world ever believed that former KGB boss Vladimir Putin was all pro-democracy, foreign policy-friendly, and pro-capitalist, they need to have their head examined.

The return of Rasputin is upon us.

How will this affect Canada?  Well, with Russians continually pushing their military and claim in the disputed Arctic, possibly into Canadian waters, it's only going to get worse under more Putin rule.  

And gee, you wonder why one of the first things Prime Minister Harper did in 2006 was push for more Canadian military presence in the North and continues to do so?

"Oh those Russians"

Gary Mar and integrity

Alberta NDP leader Brian Mason has rightfully questioned leading PC leadership candidate Gary Mar's ethics in receiving a hefty severance package a year after he became the Alberta envoy to Washington, DC.

- While health minister, he paid an aide $374,000 between 2001 and 2004 yet no evidence of services were actually provided

- His envoy salary was $264,000, then deferred his severance package, but for only a year where he received $478,000. 

- And recently, his campaign was buying memberships.  While not against party rules, it surely draws into question his tactics and optics.

Gary Mar says we should instead focus on the future.  I couldn't agree more.  You and your ethics are about to be that future, Mr. Mar, and we have every right to question your past.  Don't think you can deflect and hide.

Is this the kind of premier you want?

Unite the right in Alberta

Kevin Libin from the National Post explores a new Blue Committee led by conservative stalwart Ken Boessenkool to unite the two right-of-centre parties.

I just don't see this happening for a very long time, if it all, for a few reasons:

1.  There is no threat from the Liberals or NDP to forming government, especially the Liberals who saw their own exodus of brain power to the 'newish' Alberta Party.  With no threat, there is no fear from Wildrose supporters to stay put.

2.  Therefore, it's not the same situation at the federal level when the Canadian Alliance and PC Parties finally joined forces.  The expediency of a "Paul Martin juggernaut" was a strong motivator back then.

3.  The PC Party, save a few policies and cabinet ministers, is mostly a Red Tory party.  It is NOT right-of-centre, despite what some liberal bloggers say.  It is essentially a liberal party.  Finding common ground on key Wildrose principles likes property rights, small government, and democratic reform, are no where on the radar for the PCs.

4.  Boessenkool's prediction that next election, the PCs could be in a minority situation and then form a coalition with the Liberals is laughable at best and that the Wildrose should fear that.  Actually, Ken, it would be an ideal situation and would further invigorate true conservatives to join the Wildrose.

5.  When the Wildrose Party becomes official opposition next election with somewhere between 12 and 20 seats, Danielle Smith will be in the Legislature, garner more attention and distinguish itself from the PCs.  That will be the launching pad for more donations and further support.

Therefore, this Blue Committee is premature and simply an attempt by PCs to swallow the Wildrose, but the same folks entrenched in the PC party and government at the bureaucratic level all need to be replaced, which takes a lot of effort to change, yet it's healthy for our democracy.  I may be in favour of a merger if it was called simply "Conservative" like the federal party but it would need to adopt more democratic and fiscally conservative policies.

Hudak: "once they taste my pulled pork, I think I can turn them around"

You can't help but read it another way!  Who the heck is running the Tim Hudak campaign in Ontario?  It should be a lesson for political science students on "what not to do", or "how to have a insurmountable lead then lose it in 30 days". 

When I was in Mississauga on business throughout June, I heard the radio ads, I saw the TV ads.  They didn't do much for me.  The messaging and policy were all over the place.  Chain gangs? Is that what the average person thinks about?  It wasn't simple and clear. 

The Liberal War Room led by Warren Kinsella has been pounding away at every misstep and questionable quote the PCs have given to the media and now the Liberals lead in the polls.  The "foreign workers" quote is probably the most telling.

So now, Tim goes on radio and challenges the two other leaders to a BBQ cookoff? 

“I am laying down the gauntlet, I’m throwing down the gloves, I’m saying I’m going to challenge Andrea Horwath and Dalton McGuinty to a barbecue contest to see who people would rather have,” said Hudak.

“I just don’t believe this poll. Once they taste my ribs, once they taste my pulled pork, I think I can turn them around,” he said.

“Don’t believe the polls till you have the pulled pork.”

Seriously?  This counts for leadership?  "Pulled pork"?

McGuinty will be premier for another four years and Ontarians will be hit with a carbon tax and continue their "have not" provincial status.

Morton and Orman campaign managers leave with "bad taste" and "just about puked"

Ted Morton and Rick Orman's campaign managers are not too happy about their former bosses supporting Gary Mar.

“All I’ve got is a very, very bad taste in my mouth about everything,” said Sam Armstrong, Morton’s campaign manager and longtime adviser.

In a stinging criticism of Alberta’s former envoy in Washington, Armstrong said Mar becoming premier will not bring “renewal” to the party. He said some of the advisers working for Mar have been entrenched in the top levels of Alberta politics for far too long.

“It’s the same old, old boys’ club around Gary that’s been there forever,” Armstrong said. “If this party is going to prosper and renew, and go anywhere in the next decade, that group of people needed to be pushed out.”

Also on Tuesday, the man who ran Orman’s campaign said he was shocked the day before when he learned his candidate had given his support to the former health minister.

“I found out about it at 4:23 yesterday afternoon on Twitter, right before a press conference in which I saw my boss get off the bus with Gary and Ted, and I just about puked,” Patrick Walsh said. “I know politics makes strange bedfellows but that’s the weirdest threesome I’ve even seen.”

No kidding eh?  "Same old, old boys' club." Yep, how anyone can vote for this party is truly beyond me now, unless perhaps you're somehow on the take.

And you wonder why Ted Morton didn't even come close to winning?

“The minute you get into politics and you’re the member of a party, you begin to compromise your principles because you’re part of a team,” he said.

Good ol' Ted.  Compromise for power.

Let's vote 'em out people!

Edmonton's mayor Mandel is an idiot

EDMONTON -- The two-lane one way metal Walterdale Bridge is to be replaced by new fancy three-lane modern one.  It costs less to tear the old bridge down than maintain it annually.  But our genius mayor wants to keep it and put a restaurant on it.

"A single remaining span can pay homage to the historical nature of the existing bridge," concluded the report. "It is possible to build a restaurant on the bank adjacent to the bridge and use this remaining span as the patio or outdoor space.".

The Walterdale is ugly, an eyesore, and a bottleneck.  Councillor Bryan Anderson is bang on correct...

Maintaining the old bridge next to the city's new signature structure after 2015 would be ridiculous, Coun. Bryan Anderson said.

The new bridge is something people will stop to photograph and immediately to the west will be the "Walterdale mess," he said.

"I just think that when you're spending $40 million to make this an iconic piece of new infrastructure that could conceivably last 150 years, it doesn't make to me a lot of sense in confusing that signature appearance with a piece of 70-year-old, girder-style bridging."

Exactly.  Mayor Mandel is an idiot.

Doug Griffiths now at the teet

Last place candidate Doug Griffiths, who last week questioned the integrity of the Mar campaign buying memberships and selling them at advanced polls, is now right at his teet.

Yep, sounds like all these folks are lining up for cabinet posts and plum jobs.

I now won't be voting on Oct. 1 on the final ballot.  There's no one to vote for in this lame party and it's obvious who'll win.  Or I might go and write Danielle Smith on the ballot.  It's not illegal to destroy or defame a party ballot as far as I know.

Anyone know if anything's happening to anyone who released the list to the media and to Environics polling?  My guess is nothing will happen.  And with that, I will also be requesting the PC party take my name off their lists and I will be ripping up my membership, maybe right after I put the ballot in the box.

So long Regressive Wrongservative party.

Premier Mar and health care

The Twitterverse is reporting that in a few minutes (4:30pm MDT) Ted Morton and Rick Orman will be throwing their support behind Gary Mar, essentially swallowing up the "Conservative" part of the PC party.  This will be enough to crown Mar as premier.

Gary Mar has been touting private health care delivery solutions and I do commend him for saying that.  It's nothing new though.  But I just don't see any big "change" with this party.

If I was Gary Mar, I'd catch the other parties off-guard and call an election for November.  The Wildrose has no money, the Liberals have a brand new leader and no money, the NDP never have money but have finally figured out how to concentrate their efforts in a few ridings, and the Alberta Party, while it has a leader, can you remember his name, because I forgot, and the party itself hasn't really resonated to a wider audience. 

Mar will win with over 60 seats, the Wildrose will be opposition with a dozen seats, and the Liberals will remain or drop a seat or two as it splits votes with the Alberta Party and NDP.  The NDP might be able to ride the Jack Layton wave and gain another seat or two, but with former leader Ray Martin going against Sue Huff, former interim-leader of the Alberta Party, it'll be the race to watch how the progressives split votes.

This election will be all about health care.  With Mar touting private delivery, Danielle Smith calling for a more European approach with a competitive hybrid, Raj Sherman calling for management reform, the NDP calling for more money, and the Alberta Party, although their "common sense" should dictate that private delivery is needed, they'll want to keep it totally public.

It will be an interesting and lively debate.  All the leaders are well spoken.  But with Mar's private health care, I think it's possible that a chunk of "progressives" in the PCs jump ship to the Alberta Party.  And if the Alberta Party was smart, they'd take advantage of that.