Author Archives: mastermaq

Episode 39: Enerkem, Blatchford, Bike Lanes, Telus Field

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In our thirty-ninth episode, we discuss Enerkem and the new waste-to-biofuels facility, once again we discuss Blatchford and the latest decisions made by City Council, bike lanes and public consultation, and Telus Field and rumors of its demolition. And we finish with a few thoughts on Oilers Captain Andrew Ference.

Edmonton is well on its way to achieving the goal of having 90% of our waste diverted from landfill with the new facility. Can we do more, such as licensing the technology to other cities? City Council has approved the Blatchford redevelopment plan, but many criticized their decision for “watering down” the original design. Did Council make the right call? On the topic of bike lanes, has Council found a happy middle ground to keep things moving forward? And finally on Telus Field, is the building at risk? Should it be torn down to make way for condos? We discuss those questions and more.

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Episode 38: 90 Ways to 90, the U of A’s Land Trust, Blatchford, High Speed Rail

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In our thirty-eighth episode, we discuss the City’s new 90 Ways to 90% campaign, the proposed land trust for the University of Alberta, plans and costs for the Blatchford redevelopment project, and a new report on high speed rail between Edmonton and Calgary.

Do campaigns like 90 Ways to 90% actually achieve anything? Should we be spending taxpayer money on them? Would the proposed land trust benefit the University of Alberta? Are they doing enough to engage the public on their plans? Should we be concerned about costs for Blatchford? How does it impact our civic debt? We discuss all of those questions and more.

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Episode 37: Eat Alberta, Opening the Potential, VenturePrize, The Yeggies, yegTreeMap

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In our thirty-seventh episode, we discuss Eat Alberta, Opening the Potential, TEC Edmonton’s VenturePrize, the Yeggies, and the City of Edmonton’s yegTreeMap.

Graham attended Eat Alberta once again this year, and had a great experience. Mack has been on the organizing committee for the last four years and is now stepping away. Here’s the episode we did last year on Eat Alberta!

Mack thinks the new Opening the Potential program is a worthwhile endeavor, while Graham thinks it is sexist. Are enough women getting involved in municipal politics? Can programs like this help? We also discuss the VenturePrize business plan competition, the 2013 Yeggies, and the City’s new online tree map.

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Episode 36: Construction Season, Harbin Gate, Rexall vs. Rogers Place, Food Trucks

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In our thirty-sixth episode, we discuss construction season, the underpass on 97 Street just north of 103A Avenue, Rexall Place vs. Rogers Place, and the return of food trucks! This episode was recorded at the end of April.

As you have no doubt noticed, there’s a bunch of road construction taking place all around the city (did it ever stop?). That’s part of the $404 million being spent on 125 arterial road, bridge, interchange, and neighbourhood projects. Are we investing enough in our roads? Why do they seem to be deteriorating so quickly?

What should happen with the underpass that currently serves as the LIVINGbridge? Should we move the Harbin gate from “old” Chinatown to “new” Chinatown? Can both Rogers Place and Rexall Place survive? Are we big enough to support two large arenas? Finally, spring is here, and we’ve got food trucks out and about! We discuss all of those topics and more.

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Episode 34: Smyth & the Rush, Galleria, Great Divide Waterfall, Zombie Apocalypse

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In our thirty-fourth episode, we change the format up a little and discuss four topics!

  1. Ryan Smyth’s retirement &  the success of the Edmonton Rush
  2. The Galleria Project
  3. The end of the Great Divide Waterfall, the start of Light the Bridge
  4. Edmonton would fare well in the zombie apocalypse

In the first topic, we talk about Ryan Smyth’s retirement, a positive note to end a negative season on for the Oilers (even though we’re sad to see him go). We also talk about the Edmonton Rush and the amazing season they’re having! Moving on to the Galleria, we talk about the latest developments in the project. Mack is still opposed, Graham is now onside with the project. In our third topic we applaud the end of the Great Divide Waterfall, and look ahead to LEDs on the High Level Bridge. Finally, we talk about the popular post on how Edmonton would do in the event of a zombie apocalypse (spoiler: we’d do well!).

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Episode 33: Should Edmonton go after the Commonwealth Games in 2022?

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In our thirty-third episode, we talk about Edmonton’s bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2022. Mack is a fan of the bid, while Graham has some reservations.

Edmonton hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1978, resulting in some big benefits for the city, including Commonwealth Stadium. The bid for the 2022 games is between us and Durban, South Africa. Formal bids are due next March, with the winner being selected in September 2015.

Is this the kind of thing Edmonton should be pursuing? Will it result in any positives for the City? Should we count on an increase in tourism? What about new infrastructure? We discuss those questions and more.

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Episode 32: Who will lead the PCs in Alberta now?

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In our 32nd episode, a follow-up to our last episode on Alison Redford, we discuss the leadership race for the PC Party in Alberta. The premier is now Dave Hancock, but he has said that will only be interim, meaning we have a race on our hands!

With a leadership race occupying everyone’s attention, will anything get done? Who’s interested in being the next leader? What names should we expect to see in the race? Can the next leader pull off a victory given all of the issues the party has faced recently? We discuss those questions and more.

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Episode 31: Can Alison Redford survive?

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We recorded our 31st episode last week, the day before Alison Redford announced that she would be resigning as premier of Alberta. We decided to post it anyway, for posterity. Next week our episode will feature a post-resignation discussion!

With all the turmoil facing Alison Redford and her party, we decided it was only right to add our thoughts to the mix. Where did Redford go wrong? Can she survive the current crisis? If she can’t survive it, can the party? Is “eating your own young” a good strategy? We discussed those questions and more.

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Episode 30: Favorite Restaurants

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In our thirtieth episode, we discuss some of our favorite restaurants! Inspired by recent magazine listings, we delve into which picks we agree with and which we don’t. Plus, we talk about some of the other eateries we have visited recently.

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