Water-cooler discussion thread

[Cowtown]

I get a general sense of cluelessness from the CDA and the downtown property owners they represent. Remember that time the CDA granted a permit for Billy Graham Ministries to set up a proselytizing trailer on Stephen Ave during Pride Week? Their opposition to bike lanes? Total cluelessness. I really hope there is a generational change underway at the CDA and the other influential boards/orgs that control much of the downtown.

Also, wasn't Richard White head of the CDA at one time?

 

[GoVertical]

Was that a Covid measure maybe?

I don't believe so.. according to their Facebook page they updated their hours on May 23rd.

 

[Mountain Man]

Strange, right when downtown is more or less back to normal finally...

 

[Alex_YYC]

I get a general sense of cluelessness from the CDA and the downtown property owners they represent. Remember that time the CDA granted a permit for Billy Graham Ministries to set up a proselytizing trailer on Stephen Ave during Pride Week? Their opposition to bike lanes? Total cluelessness. I really hope there is a generational change underway at the CDA and the other influential boards/orgs that control much of the downtown.

I don’t know who the members of the CDA are, but I get the sense they are a bunch of older aged conservative business dudes looking out for the interests of the owners of the office towers.
It’s not much of a surprise that the Beltline has all the businesses, the bike lanes, and the vibrancy.

 

[Mountain Man]

Board members are listed here. No idea who anyone here is.

 

[Alex_YYC]

Board members are listed here. No idea who anyone here is.

Welp, let’s see. Hmmm, these guys don’t exactly look like people concerned about bike lanes or vibrancy. More about how can we keep skateboarders off of our sterile office plazas.

• Co-Chair
  360 Energy Liability Management

• PAUL BAZAY​

  Director
  Sajak & Farki

• RAMONA BIGGAR​

  Director
  Brookfield Properties

• JEFF DANIELS​

  Director, Chair, Public Relations & Activations Committee
  Manifesto

• CINDY DOLLAND​

  Director
  Scotiabank

• COLTON LEWIS​

  Co-Chair
  CLEO Energy Corp.
  
  

• MARK MIELKE​

  Director
  MLT Aikins LLP

• ALEX SARIAN​

  Director
  Arts Commons

• EILEEN STAN​

  Director, Chair, People & Governance Committee
  Matco Investments Ltd/Matco Development Corp.

• TYLER VARGA​

  Director, Chair, Audit & Finance Committee
  ARC Financial Corp.

 

[YourBoy007]

I wasn't sure where to post this, so I'll post it here.
Sigh. Looks like the insanity continues:

 

[darwink]

^ that is a ridiculous take by the councillor. equating $87 billion in society wide spending over 25+ years with city spending, and equating it with a possible revenue source (which will be rejected by the province).

 

[Mountain Man]

Fear mongering at its finest

 

[Alex_YYC]

I wasn't sure where to post this, so I'll post it here.
Sigh. Looks like the insanity continues:
View attachment 404313

We don’t know for sure what the costs are going to be as they are only beginning discussions about it.
The costs up to 2050 could end up being $87 million Instead of $87 billion for all we know at this point.
If the costs were actually $87 billion, or 175,000 per household, nobody would go for that, and council would never vote that in.
They voted 13 to 2 in favour of declaring a climate emergency and looking into it but they didn’t vote based on those numbers.

 

[Alex_YYC]

Fear mongering at its finest

Agreed. It’s a little too early to start freaking out about.

 

[darwink]

175,000 per household, nobody would go for that

$6250 per household per year to 2050. This amount includes lots of stuff that isn't incremental but replacement. Like doing a heat pump instead of a furnance when your furnance breaks. Do you count the full amount or just the incremental? Do you then count the incremental electricity as just an addition, or do you offset the natural gas no longer being used. Same for cars. e-bikes. adding solar panels.

I don't know why the climate plan is set up like this, I think it is because the climate folks are sensitive to job losses, so they need to show all the money spent, to show jobs will still exist.

 

[Alex_YYC]

$6250 per household per year to 2050. This amount includes lots of stuff that isn't incremental but replacement. Like doing a heat pump instead of a furnance when your furnance breaks. Do you count the full amount or just the incremental? Do you then count the incremental electricity as just an addition, or do you offset the natural gas no longer being used. Same for cars. e-bikes. adding solar panels.

I don't know why the climate plan is set up like this, I think it is because the climate folks are sensitive to job losses, so they need to show all the money spent, to show jobs will still exists

Oh okay I haven’t read up on what the costs are related to. I thought those figures were city spending amounts.
Whatever the case ends up, it’ll have to be clearly presented to people so they fully understand the costs.

 

[darwink]

Oh okay I haven’t read up on what the costs are related to. I thought those figures were city spending amounts.
Whatever the case ends up, it’ll have to be clearly presented to people so they fully understand the costs.

Haha. It won’t be. It will be weaponized and used to spread fear uncertainty and doubt. The climate unit at the city will only have itself to blame.

 

[ByeByeBaby]

I get a general sense of cluelessness from the CDA and the downtown property owners they represent. Remember that time the CDA granted a permit for Billy Graham Ministries to set up a proselytizing trailer on Stephen Ave during Pride Week? Their opposition to bike lanes? Total cluelessness. I really hope there is a generational change underway at the CDA and the other influential boards/orgs that control much of the downtown.

In recent news:

Two years after the City of Calgary gave $100,000 to the Calgary Downtown Association for a project aimed at activating vacant office spaces in the city's core, the money has been returned and the plan scrapped.

It was actually $250K; this was the first phase. I guess I'll give them credit for not wasting money, but can you imagine being in charge of the downtown the past two years and not being able to come up with any initiative to help turn things around, given a quarter of a million dollars for free? They blame COVID, but they could have improved and programmed the outdoor areas downtown and brought people in that way. Unfortunately, that might also have helped a homeless person accidentally, so nix that.