Author Archives: mastermaq

Episode 29: Lots of projects underway in Edmonton!

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In our 29th episode we have a discussion about the many exciting projects that are underway around Edmonton. New condo towers, hotels, and other projects are popping up all over the place. It’s one of our favorite topics – cranes dominating the skyline!

Where did all of the resources for these projects come from? What is the impact of our continued population growth? What does it mean for Edmonton to have so many projects underway? We discuss these questions and more.

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Episode 28: Mayor Iveson the Operator

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In our twenty-eighth episode, we discuss the new City of Edmonton office tower and the way that Mayor Iveson handled the situation. Graham thinks he’s a smooth operator, and I have to agree.

There wasn’t a lot of fuss about the building, and Council was more or less on the same page about the deal. Even though it went to the Katz Group, no one questioned that the process followed was fair. On the whole, the announcement came and went rather smoothly. We suggest it’s because Mayor Iveson is great at the behind-the-scenes action.

And if he did that for the arena and the tower, can he do it for the LRT? Or for other big infrastructure projects? We dive into those questions and more.

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

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Episode 27: Time to reinvent Northlands?

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We’re back! After a relatively long Christmas break, we finally got back in the studio to talk about Northlands.

Our discussion was prompted by the resignation of President and CEO Richard Andersen on January 20. That’s a big change on its own, and we hear there are more on the way. At the root of the problem is that Northlands doesn’t seem to know what kind of organization it wants to be. Is it agriculturally-focused? Will it be the sports & entertainment destination, especially with the new downtown arena on the horizon?

Is it time for a complete reinvention of Northlands? What does the future of the organization look like? We discuss those questions and more.

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

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Episode 26: The Edmonton Region

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Apologies to anyone who missed our last episode in the feed – we incorrectly categorized it. All should be fixed now!

In our twenty-sixth episode, we discuss the growing interest in regional governance. We have the Capital Region Board of course, and Mayor Iveson has indicated he’d like to rename it to highlight the importance of Edmonton. While the organization has had success getting agreement on transit, and supporting funding for the downtown arena, there’s still a lot of room for improvement.

What can Edmontonians expect for regional governance in the future? Does the Capital Region Board have too many members? Is transit really the only thing we can agree on? What kind of impact will Bill 28, recently introduced by the provincial government, have on us? How will the proposed south annexation impact relationships? We discuss these questions and more.

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

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Episode 25: Premier Redford’s Leadership Review

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In our twenty-fifth episode, we discuss Premier Alison Redford and the PC Party leadership review she faces later this week. An estimated 1500 voting delegates will converge on Red Deer on Friday and Saturday for the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta AGM and one of the things they’ll vote on is Premier Redford’s performance.

After a series of missteps since winning the election last year, there’s a small but loud group of people that would like to see some change at the top. How likely is it that Premier Redford will survive the leadership review? If, as expected, she does, what then? Will there be any other fallout? We discuss those questions and more in this more provincially-focused episode.

Graham was right on the money with his prediction for the outcome of the municipal election – will he do it again with his prediction on Redford’s leadership review?

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Episode 24: Election Recap, Air Canada, The Edmontonian

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In our twenty-fourth episode we do a brief election recap, and also tackle a couple of issues that have been in the news lately.

Graham called it – a big win for Don Iveson. How did he get it right? We also talk about the disappointing turnout for 2013, just 34.5%. Why don’t more people vote? Did we get young people voting? Finally, we touch on what the new City Council looks like and what we can expect.

We also discuss the proposed 71-storey building known as The Edmontonian. While it is a positive sign for downtown, how realistic is the project really? What can we expect? What kind of track record does the developer have? How does it relate to the CRL?

While some seem pretty happy about Edmonton’s prospects, others appear to be non-believers. We’re talking about Air Canada and its decision to cancel the daily YEG-LHR flight. What gives? Why don’t they support Edmonton?

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

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Episode 23: Election Thoughts

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In our twenty-third episode we discuss the 2013 municipal election! Though we focus on the race for mayor, we do touch on a few of the ward races too.

Why has the race been less interesting than past elections? What kind of experience should candidates have? With election day less than a week away, what do the big three mayoral candidates need to do to earn the undecided vote? We discuss those questions and more!

Thanks for listening!

Disclosure: Mack is actively working on Don Iveson’s campaign for mayor.

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Episode 22: Suburban Disagreement

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Forgive us as we catch up and post some episodes that were recorded nearly a month ago!

In our twenty-second episode we have a spirited conversation about the suburbs. After too many weeks of just agreeing on everything, we decided to pick a topic that would result in a little more back-and-forth!

With Graham defending the surburbs and myself (Mack) questioning our city’s continued outward growth, we discuss lifestyle choices, the cost of building and maintaining City infrastructure, infill development, and much more.

Do residential neighbourhoods pay for themselves? Is revenue distributed equitably across the Capital Region? Why shouldn’t our children have the same housing choices as we did? How do bigger cities manage their sprawl? Will we ever have a regional government in Edmonton? These are just a few of the questions that come up in this episode.

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Episode 21: Fringe!

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Forgive us as we catch up and post some episodes that were recorded nearly a month ago!

In our twenty first episode we discuss the Fringe Festival! We focus on reviews and the star system used to rate different shows before moving on to some other aspects of the festival such as the ever-growing attendance numbers and the dwindling options for food on the Fringe grounds.

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

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Episode 20: Condo Explosion

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Can you believe we’ve done twenty episodes already? Time flies! In this episode we discuss Edmonton’s condominium explosion. Graham learned recently that there are an astounding 27 new high-rise condo towers in the design, permitting, or construction stages.

Whatever happened to “buy land”? Are condos worth the investment? What kind of architecture can we expect from all of these new towers? Why aren’t there more developers looking to operate rental buildings? Will the increased demand for condos last? Does car ownership have something to do with it? We discuss these questions and more.

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

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