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edmonton expo 2017 bid denied.
The federal government announced yesterday that it will not to provide an estimated $700 million to support Edmonton’s bid for the 2017 Expo. Many people saw this bid as an opportunity to invest more federal and provincial funding for transportation and public infrastructure in Edmonton.
In response, Mayor Stephen Mandel was livid when delivering a speech lambasting the federal government for taking Edmonton for granted. Mayor Mandel also singled out Edmonton-Spruce Grove MP and Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose, accusing her of not supporting the bid.
But as much as Alberta could see the potential, our Federal partner is not there. Our own Minister Ambrose completely failed to stand up for this City and Province. And in the end, her lack of support cost us this opportunity.
I stand somewhat incredulous at this result.
This is a Government that has far too easily ignored the needs and aspirations of this Province, indicating instead that we are not the political priority.
And I get it – taking electoral success for granted here has become a habit.
I have a lot of respect for many of the people involved in the bid to host the 2017 Expo and I understand why they would be angry about the denial of federal funding, but I have to admit that I have remained very indifferent towards the project. While it would have been great to have the extra infusion of infrastructure funding, I have been skeptical why it needed to be camouflaged under the guise of a mega-event.
Also, as furious as Mayor Mandel may be, I have a difficult time believing that the death of Edmonton’s 2017 Expo bid will be a catalyst for a major change in Edmonton’s representation in the House of Commons.
12 Responses on edmonton expo 2017 bid denied.
Ahh, Mandel is having another tantrum, and burning more bridges. He already burned bridges to a large portion of the community and Danielle Smith during the airport debate and now he’s burning bridges with the federal Conservative cabinet.
It might be awhile before Ottawa helps Mandel and the Edmonton Council out with anything.
A decision by the elites for the elites…
For the G20 meetings, there was no problem hosting a lavish extravaganza including but not limited to
1) shutting down a significant portion of Toronto
2) providing overzealous security
3) providing transport
4) providing media spin
5) providing an artificial lake to symbolize the artificial peacefullness of the event
6) manhandle any dissent, in such a way as to leave a lasting impression on any who would have the audacity to question authority ever again
Compare that with the funding requirements for a worlds fair that would cater not to the elites, but to the masses. You can probably see why this is a NO Way decision for the current government. Nothing in it for them.
And missed in the small print is the declaration that the conservatives would not be able to adequately manage security again (the comment about the risk of a rapidly rising tab due to security issues). Maybe they should embrace people rather than try to criminalize every dissenting viewpoint.
[...] and I’d just like to mention to the Dominion at large, for the sake of civic dignity, that not everybody here is as apoplectic about it as our mayor, Stephen Mandel. I know what you’re all thinking, [...]
One other item was pointed out to me at a discussion of the “Lack of decision making” by the Feds on this…
If you don’t want to play, state it clearly up front, before others waste their time. But as always, the efforts of others are of no concern to the Tories. (How do we get more seats is the agenda, the established base is considered the low hanging easy swayed fruit)
As far as support for Edmonton goes, after you parse out the rhetoric – landslide Annie wins hands down over the current crew of trained seals…
Give me a major commitment on the deployment at Namao any day over a water park and other such fluff.
I’m happy they killed it. Does anyone really expect these mega-events to be anything other than massive wastes of money? (Well, other than the developers who get paid). There are far better things to spend our money on (federally, provincially, and municipally).
Need proof? Go ask how Vancouver’s doing with their post-Olympic bills..
These things are always cynical efforts by municipalities to get pet projects paid (often to become cumbersome white elephants after the fact) for by distant levels of government. The upcoming 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto is an obvious example. Edmonton is better off focusing on services the taxpayers actually want, but an Expo gives local politicians a chance to puff up their image at other people’s expense, so they prefer that instead.
Having dug myself out of more than one Edmonton residential street, I really have a hard time lending sympathy to Steve-O’s latest piss-fit.
Just because municipalities have a hard time looking past shiny things and actually “prioritizing” or “spending wisely” doesn’t mean they should expect their idiocy to contagion its way up the governance chain.
Props to the feds on this one.
PS – Bemused Lurker, if I were you I’d put down Das Kapital, flush your stash and extinguish the bong. The brownshirts are no doubt inbound as you read this.
The government will spend 900 million on g20 security but they won’t spend 10 million on an expo. Even if it’s 100 million like they project its better to spend it on an expo that puts money and future investment into Canada than on a over privledged party that didn’t accomplish any thing. Over a billion dollars on that party and we didn’t even get a seat on the security council. I would sure like to see those over paid idiots try to work a real job like the rest of us. I say base their pay on the canadian national average, If they want make more then they can enable us to make more by encouraging things like expos. STOP WASTING OUR MONEY, IT’S NOT YOURS!! Reasons like this is why more people vote to eliminate the HST than in any election in Canada.
Broken wing – you must be an ex F35 pilot wannabe…
That is if you want to talk about waste. Another story. My beef is with the wonderful decision making of the current version of federal government. They put out the call for proposals, but then they didn’t like what they got. They should have stated what is now patently obvious – all cities except EDMONTON – apply for the fair. As far as waste goes take a look at the payback for infrastructure, but I guess you are doing the political calculation of how many votes gained per $ spent.
Suggest you go back to sucking on the teat of your boss in parliament.
Teat? TEAT? Technically, I believe the term you were looking for is “suckling”.
The only thing missing from that stream-of-consciousness diatribe was an anecdote about an onion and a belt to which it was tied. It’s almost as though Abe Simpson and Oscar Fech managed to genetically engineer a child, give it a debilitating head injury, and provide it with a tinfoil hat and an Internet connection.
Well done, sir. Well done.
[...] While I have remained largely indifferent to the 2017 Expo bid, it is easy to understand the frustration of the people who committed their time and energy towards the bid only to have political powers in Ottawa deny the funds needed to make it a reality. Minister Ambrose will be difficult to defeat, but I am glad that the Conservatives may actually have to pay some attention to and focus some of their campaign resources on a riding that they would likely take for granted. [...]
[...] kind of boosterism is not limited to the arena debate. The decision by the federal government to not fund Edmonton’s bid to host the 2017 Expo bid also drew the ire of Edmonton’s “boosters”, who lashed out at the federal [...]
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