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Calgary Municipal Politics

Which mayoral candidate do you intend to vote for in 2021?

  • Jeremy Farkas

    Votes: 3 4.9%

  • Jyoti Gondek

    Votes: 43 70.5%

  • Brad Field

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Jan Damery

    Votes: 11 18.0%

  • Jeff Davison

    Votes: 3 4.9%

  • Other

    Votes: 1 1.6%
  • Total voters
    61
Week of May 28th Policy Update
Policy Time:
Jan Damery:
Campaign Finance:
"Jan Damery’s campaign team said they would begin posting their campaign finances on a monthly basis starting May 28. On their website, under the donor panel, Damery informs donors that names and amounts will be posted monthly"

Economic recovery:
Jump-Start for Jobs: $52.7 Million to Invigorate Arts, Tourism, Main Streets and Local Business.
Jump-Start for Jobs will reallocate $52.7 million of existing funds to help industries and organizations worst affected by the pandemic. We will create jobs and strengthen local businesses at a time when our economy needs it the most. Through smart, targeted investments, we will invigorate our mainstreets, boost the vibrancy of our communities, and animate our public spaces.

Last week I announced the first pillar of ‘Jan’s Jump-Start for Jobs’, which will lower the barrier to entry for trialing new restaurant concepts, incentivize the start-up of restaurants in under-used spaces, and support our local musicians and performers who have been without a live audience for over a year. As I said last week, provincial and federal funding has done a lot of good for many, but there are areas in need of an extra boost. My plan will jump-start our post-COVID recovery with a made-in-Calgary approach.

Today I am announcing the second pillar of this plan, which will provide additional support for arts and culture, festivals, job placements, tourism, main streets, and outdoor recreation. Following an incredibly challenging year for everyone, ‘Jan’s Jump-Start for Jobs’ will inject some much needed vibrancy back into our city.

The second pillar of ‘Jan’s Jump-Start for Jobs’ will help individuals, organizations, and industries that have been hit hardest or overlooked during the last year. The program will support arts and community organizations while providing space for local artists through the promotion of active street fronts and pop-up galleries. It will help marginalized individuals disproportionately affected by the pandemic find employment. It will give priority to pedestrians and patios in some streets, increasing access to our City’s many assets while boosting the vibrancy of our communities. By waiving parks fees for field rentals, trainers and fitness professionals who have been unable to operate for much of the last year, they will be able to host exercise classes outside in one of our many parks without the current financial hurdles.

"As a past community manager and current artist and entrepreneur, I see the multiplier effect that municipal support for artists and arts organizations has in this city. Jan Damery's plan to jumpstart the arts sector has major potential to boost one of the most diverse, yet under-supported industries in Calgary" - Mackenzie Bedford, Local Artist and Entrepreneur

Some of the supports and incentives include:

  • Grants to voluntary organizations, community associations, and arts organizations.
  • Support for artists and landlords to activate street fronts with art installations and pop-up galleries.
  • Grants for organizations to provide 1:1 support to marginalized people who continue to be underemployed due to the pandemic to help them find employment, with the goal of providing 10,000 successful job matches over 18 months.
  • Funding to tourism promotion organizations to help them promote the vibrancy of our city and encourage tourists to return when it is safe to do so
  • Grants to start-up businesses which will expand services to tourists and locals to explore Calgary, with some grants reserved for women, immigrant, and BIPOC-owned businesses.
  • Pilot ‘Little Streets’ where Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) could designate streets with lower speed limits where pedestrians have the right of way, making sure all Calgarians have access to and enjoy a pleasant retail experience.
  • Waiving of parks fees for field rentals, including for outdoor bootcamps, fitness classes, and yoga.
“With the limitations to indoor and outdoor gatherings, continuing my fitness business through COVID has been a challenge. Jan’s plan to help fitness instructors cover costs as we are allowed to get back to business will facilitate my and other instructors’ re-entry into the world of in-person fitness. The benefits will be so appreciated by the industry and fitness go-ers alike” - Maddie R, Group Fitness Instructor

When it is safe to do so, Calgarians will want to gather together to celebrate their resilience over the past year. ‘Jan’s Jump-Start for Jobs’ will provide the systems and support that will allow them to do so, not only spurring our economy, but ensuring that Calgary is the best place to live, work, play, and start a business.

More info can be found here
Click to expand...

Jyoti Gondek:
No additional releases as of today. 3 principles and 5 platform priorities here: https://www.jyotigondek.ca/priorities.html
Campaign finance:
Jyoti Gondek’s campaign has a different approach, given the donor levers that are influencing candidates – and campaigns – in this election.

“We will not commit to sharing our donor list at this time. We have no confidence in some of our fellow candidates, Third Party Advertisers and other groups trying to influence the election,” a message from the campaign read.

Campaign signs:
“We’re following the rules, period. It sounds to me like anybody who would characterize it as such, just simply didn’t understand the rules,” Carter said, noting discrepancies between the webpage for the bylaw and the bylaw itself.“I spoke to the bylaw officers in charge, and we were able to understand the bylaw. We’re just following the law as it is created and as it was intended by council.”

Jeff Davison:
No additional releases as of today. Details here: https://www.jeffdavisonyyc.com/platform
Campaign Finance:
[Jeff Davison's] campaign said when their campaign website is in full swing, voters will be able to view donations as they come in and are vetted and verified. The campaign said the donor information will populate automatically.

Brad Field:
No additional releases as of today not related to links below. Details here: https://www.votebradfield.ca/issues-overview
Campaign finance:
I am urging all mayoral candidates to commit to start releasing their donor lists each month during the campaign beginning on July 18, three months ahead of the election.
Campaign signs:
“The City of Calgary should close a bylaw loophole that’s allowing election signs to pop up on public property months before they would normally be allowed,” read a statement from mayoral candidate Brad Field’s campaign team.

“Candidates have been exploiting the ability to place ‘event’ signs up for Facebook Live chats and online town halls for 14 days, potentially exposing Calgarians to election sign pollution for the next five months.”

Jeromy Farkas:
No additional releases as of today. Details here: https://www.jeromy.ca/the-priorities
Campaign finance:
Prior to election day, Farkas will voluntarily disclose a list of donors
 
Mountain Man said:
Starting to see Farkas for Mayor lawn signs, really hope he isn't an early front runner!
Click to expand...
He is, but with high name recognition it will be hard for him to break 30% on election day considering almost 50% of people are undecided yet know about his shtick. This early you can't just assume undecideds will break like the decideds - this isn't federal or provincial politics.
 
Mountain Man said:
Starting to see Farkas for Mayor lawn signs, really hope he isn't an early front runner!
Click to expand...
There have been Farkas signs up for several months. I know this because at the time I thought to myself “are election signs allowed to be displayed before the election period”.
 
How can that be enforced? Like, what… they call the police if the other people won't move?

Wtf.
 
 
darwink said:
Also, in a big defeat to Jyoti Gondek - one of her signature initiatives, putting a question on the municipal ballot, which she has crafted two of campaign priorities around, has gone down in flames garnering the support of only 2 other Councillors.
https://twitter.com/x/status/1407436705485914112

https://twitter.com/x/status/1407437267778510852
Click to expand...
It's a weird situation. Essentially a bunch of Councillor's - by definition, very political politicians - are saying we don't want to get too political, in response to one of the most transparent attempts in history for the Province to politically manipulate a municipal election to achieve provincial political benefits.

The province's question is bogusly worded too, designed to play off of the public's lack of understanding of how equalization works. Ironically, the public largely doesn't understand how it works because the province's politicians and their media friends have been lying to them about it for a few generations now.

To be clear, I don't support voter manipulation through loaded ballot questions, but I thought a City v. Province was a clever nod to the original offense by the province. It's the slightest bit of fresh air in the decades of provincial gaslighting that has kept the public apathetic and Alberta's democratic traditions and institutions incredibly weak.
 
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