Episode 9: Mayor Mandel’s State of the City Address

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In our ninth episode we discuss Mayor Mandel’s State of the City Address for 2013. Held at the Shaw Conference Centre on April 2, the speech was an opportunity to reflect on the past year and to talk about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

The mayor was widely expected to announce his intentions regarding the fall election during the speech, but instead shocked the larger-than-usual crowd by declaring that “key issues” were “genuinely unsettled” in his mind, and that he didn’t have an answer. He went on to sharply criticize the provincial government’s recent cuts to post-secondary education, as well as the lack of action on regional coordination.

Relevant links for this episode:

Now we’re back to waiting for Mandel’s decision. What do you think he’ll do?

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Episode 8: Enough is enough!

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In our eighth episode we discuss an article that was written by Terence Harding on March 11 titled “Edmonton, we need to start saying no”. It was widely read and shared online, and sparked a good discussion about urban growth in our city. Here’s an excerpt:

Let me see if I have this right.

The city in which I live, which seems unable to build and maintain the infrastructure it currently has, wants to have more space to build more infrastructure it will not be able to maintain.

We discuss the City’s proposed annexation, we talk about core civic services, and yes, we touch on potholes. Is the problem one of planning? Are we experiencing urban growth or urban hoarding? Does anyone really think about how to operate things 30 years down the line? Where’s the task force that will figure out how we’re going to pay for everything? These are some of the questions we discuss.

In an election year like 2013, you can expect to hear many conversations about this topic. What do you think, are we as a city tackling too much?

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Episode 7: Make Something Edmonton

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Last night was the big launch party for Make Something Edmonton, a new movement that aims to capture what it is about Edmonton that makes our city special.

Every city is built near water. Every city calls itself diverse and sustainable and livable and innovative. You choose to come here, and you choose to stay, because this is the best place to make something.

We sat down earlier this week to talk about Make Something Edmonton and where it might go, so that’s what you’ll find in episode #7. As an evolving initiative, it’s somewhat difficult to pin down, but we think Make Something Edmonton is definitely on the right track.

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

Now, what are you making?

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Episode 6: Downtown Performing Arts Centre

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We’re back with a discussion in episode #6 about the proposed downtown performing arts centre! This new complex would be built near the new EPCOR Tower and would house a 1700 seat theatre, three smaller theatres, a public square called The Galleria, and an office tower.

Representatives from the project’s committee presented an update of sorts to Executive Committee on February 25, and showed some sketches about what the building could look like. They’re still working on the business case, but they did announce the University of Alberta as a partner.

Do we need this new project? Does it really solve challenges facing the arts community? Wouldn’t this compete with the downtown arena? Is this the best way to leave a legacy? We explore these questions and more, and Graham puts forward a very interesting idea for how the money could be used instead.

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

The next report is due back to Executive Committee on April 29, and it should give us more detail about the business case for the centre.

Thoughts? Feedback? Let us know!

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Episode 5: Horse Hill ASP

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In episode #5 we tackle the issue of land development in the northeast. City Council passed first and second reading of the Horse Hill ASP after a public hearing that took place on February 25 and 26.

The Horse Hill area encompasses approximately 2,770 hectares of land located north of Anthony Henday Drive, south and east of Manning Drive, and west of the North Saskatchewan River. The plan envisions five new neighbourhoods.

Do we need this development to take place? How does it fit into the bigger picture of Edmonton? Should opponents of urban sprawl focus their efforts on future land debates rather than this one? How can we ensure the Horse Hill area is developed properly? Those are some of the questions we discuss.

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

The Capital Region Board will now consider the plan before it returns to Council for third reading and final approval.

Thoughts? Feedback? Let us know!

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Episode 4: Bike Lanes

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Bike lanes have been a hot topic in Edmonton lately so that’s what we discuss in episode #4!

The City is planning to install 23 km of on-street bike routes this summer and has been conducting some open houses and other events to make people aware and to get feedback. Some people are really upset with the proposed routes, while supporters point to the fact that a very tiny percentage of the budget is spent on making Edmonton a friendlier city for cyclists.

Have the plans to add more on-street bike infrastructure really become “a nightmare” as Mayor Mandel put it? Can you really cycle in the winter? We chat about those questions and more in this episode.

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

Bike lanes will be in the news again in a couple weeks when Administration returns to City Council’s Transportation Committee with an update on the consultation process. Stay tuned!

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Episode 3: Rossdale Power Plant

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In episode #3 we discuss the uncertain future of the Rossdale Power Plant. EPCOR is keen to offload the property to the City by the end of March, but a new City report suggested that it could cost up to $87 million to repurpose the buildings. What should we do? That’s one of the topics we explore!

We also talk about our inability to preserve historical buildings, and the way the Rossdale Power Plant fits in with the other plans that are in place nearby (such as the West Rossdale Urban Design Plan and the new Walterdale Bridge).

Here are some relevant links for this episode:

What do you think should happen to the Rossdale Power Plant? Let us know!

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Episode 2: Oilers Addiction

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In episode #2, we discuss why we’re addicted to the Edmonton Oilers. What is it about our hockey team that keeps everyone so interested? Why did the lockout seem to have no effect on our addiction? Why don’t other sports teams in Edmonton have such a following?

We also delve into the notion of civic identity. Edmonton’s seems to be intertwined with the Oilers, but can that change? Of course, it’s hard for us to chat about the Oilers without touching on the arena too! That didn’t take long, did it?

The episode is a bit random, we admit, but we’re still figuring this out so thanks for joining us on the journey! As always, we’d love your feedback, so don’t be shy!

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Episode 1: Introduction

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Welcome to the first episode of Mack & Cheese, a podcast created by Mack Male and Graham Hicks!

In episode #1, we discuss why we decided to create the podcast, and we talk entirely too much about ourselves. We also discuss some of the topics that we’ll be delving into on future episodes. Our cheese this episode was havarti – but you’ll have to listen to find out why that matters and for the reasoning behind the name Mack & Cheese!

This episode is about fourteen and a half minutes long, and was recorded in early November 2012. Hopefully it serves as an interesting introduction to our show! If you have any feedback, we’d love to hear it.

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