daveberta.ca – Alberta Politics and Elections

what’s a wetland anyway?

It’s crunch time in academia and I’m up to my waist in paper writing.

One of the papers I’m writing is on the topic of habitat protection in the wetlands of Louisiana. When writing about wetlands in the United States, it’s important to understand the many definitions of ‘wetlands.’ For example, until the Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands was created in 1989, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Soil Conservation Service, and the Fish & Wildlife Service all operated under different definitions of ‘wetlands.’ This created all sorts of hijinx as each agency had the power to designate areas as ‘wetlands’ and to affect people’s behavior accordingly.

I found this exert from Edward Schiappa’s article Toward a Pragmatic Approach to Definition: ‘Wetlands’ and the Politics of Meaning quite interesting (it was published in Environmental Pragmatism in 1996). It details the campaign promise of President George H. W. Bush to protect the wetlands of the United States (according to the EPA, the U.S. currently loses an average of 60,000 acres of wetlands each year).

“You may remember my pledge, that our national goal would be no net loss of wetlands. And together, we are going to deliver on the promise of renewal, and I plan to keep that pledge…
Wherever wetlands must give way to farming or development, they will be replaced or expanded elsewhere. It’s time to stand the history of wetlands destruction on its head. From this year forward, anyone who tries to drain the swamp is going to be up to his ears in alligators“

Bush described the protection of the environment as “a moral issue. For it is wrong to pass on to future generations a world tainted by present thoughtlessness.” Encouraging his audience to judge their actions in light of the verdict of future generations, Bush asked those present to imagine what might be said forty years from now:

“It could be they’ll report the loss of many million acres more, the extinction of species, the disappearance of wilderness and wildlife. Or they could report something else. They could report that sometime around 1989 things began to change and that we began to hold on to our parks and refuges and that we protected our species and that in that year the seeds of a new policy about our valuable wetlands were sown, a policy summed up in three simple words: “No net loss.” And I prefer the second vision of America’s environmental future.”

Of course, politics being politics, the discussion turned to the definition of “no net loss.“

Amarjeet Sohi Ben Henderson Don Iveson Municipal Politics Smart Growth

building edmonton’s downtown arena.

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date March 26, 2008
No Comments on building edmonton’s downtown arena.

With Edmonton’s mainstream media bubbling in praise of the report supporting the construction a new arena in downtown Edmonton, I can’t help but be put a back at the lack of objectivity in the reporting. Judging by the amount of support in today’s papers, you’d think that Colin Powell had just made an irrefutable case to the United Nations Security Council…

Here’s a quick look at a couple of things that immediately caught my suspicion…

1) The committee that wrote the report was handpicked by someone who had already voiced support for the downtown arena – Mayor Stephen Mandel. Self-fulfilling prophecy, anyone?

2) The comparisons are reaching. Of course I want Edmonton’s downtown to become vibrant, but building a giant hockey rink won’t automatically put Edmonton in a position to rival downtown Montreal or New York (like some of the article’s have alluded). I’m still not convinced that spending upwards of $450 million (plus land costs) on an arena that will draw the suburbs downtown for a couple hours 2-3 nights a week is what will revitalize downtown. As someone who has lived in the Whyte Avenue area for 4 years, I can tell you that bringing loads of hockey hooligans into an area doesn’t revitalize much for the people who are actually living in the neighbourhood.

3) No one seems to be talking about… “Northlands, the non-profit group that runs Rexall Place, released a study in February that said the arena could be rebuilt for $250 million. That report has been shelved while the mayor’s committee does its work.” (The Battle of Alberta had a good post on this back in October 2007).

4) I think that Journal City Hall columnist Scott McKeen might be getting a little too comfy in his City Hall Office as he spent the majority of his pro-arena article taking aim at those who would rather the public funds be spent on other things, like say, fighting homelessness or fixing infrastructure. McKeen also tried to solidify his case by arguing that the amount of reporters who showed up at yesterday’s media conference means Edmontonians should be convinced of the recommendations. Sorry, Scott, but still I remain skeptical.

Through all the frenzy and praise, I’m glad to see that there is still some sensibility on City Council as Councillors Don Iveson, Amarjeet Sohi, Ben Henderson, and Tony Caterina have all publicly stated their skepticism of the report.

American Politics

"it proves i’m human."

Now, you’d have a hard time finding a person who hasn’t inflated the truth every now and then for the sake of good story telling, but you’d think that any sane person would remember the difference between running through gun fire and walking peacefully across tarmac…

Clinton admits Bosnia ‘mistake’

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has said she made a mistake in claiming that she came under sniper fire on a trip to Bosnia in the 1990s.

“It proves I’m human,” she said in Pennsylvania ahead of the key primary election vote there on 22 April.

Her aides earlier admitted she “misspoke” in claiming she and daughter Chelsea “ran with our heads down” when arriving in Bosnia in 1996.

Also, I wasn’t under the impression that there were people who believed that Senator Hillary Clinton wasn’t human. What could they possibly think she is?

Edmonton Downtown Arena Electoral Reform Ray Danyluk

what’s a blogger to do?

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend of either:

a) Celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ;

b) Celebrating the arrival of the magical chocolate egg bearing “Easter Bunny.”

Coming back to Edmonton after a weekend spent up north, I had a difficult time deciding just what I wanted to write about upon my triumphant return to Alberta’s capital city…

I could write about the proposed development of a new arena in downtown Edmonton. The arena is being proposed as a way to revitalize Edmonton’s downtown-core, but I’m still not sure if I understand how building a giant cavernous hockey arena will equal revitalizion. Anyone care to explain? I’m hoping for some good coverage by Battle of Alberta and Covered in Oil…

I also could write about Tory Minister Ray Danyluk’s political posturing for rural Alberta in preparation for the next Electoral Boundary Redistribution. It is too early to tell whether Danyluk and his gang (who shall know be known as the “rural clique“) are blowing smoke to appease the “rural clique” or are turning an issue of fair democratic representation in the Alberta Legislature into a purely political game. As I’ve written in the past, rural Alberta is incredibly overrepresented in the Legislative Assembly compared to urban Alberta. I’m really hoping that Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel, Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier, and their Councils don’t hesitate in standing up for fair provincial representation for Alberta’s two largest cities.

And finally, I could also give a shout out to the Grande Prairie Daily-Herald Tribune for their shout out in yesterday’s paper (thanks to Bill for sending me the link). The Daily-Herald Tribune is one of the better newspapers from Alberta’s smaller cities and usually makes my list of daily scans (along with the St. Albert Gazette and Fort McMurray Today).

Boycott Beijing Summer Olympics 2008

why i’m boycotting the 2008 beijing olympics.

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date March 21, 2008
No Comments on why i’m boycotting the 2008 beijing olympics.

As fun as the Olympics Games are to watch and as great an opportunity they are for amateur athletes across the globe, I can’t help but be completely disturbed by the actions of the government of the People’s Republic of China in their recent military crackdown against the people of Tibet over the past couple weeks.

With a strong-arm crackdown on freedom of assembly and expression underway in the People’s Republic, there is no way that I can feel good about watching and therefore supporting the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

The list of injustices stemming from that country’s regime is long, but We Move to Canada has put together a list of reasons why not to support the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games:

Tibet: China’s continuing occupation of this sovereign, peaceful nation.

Darfur: China is Sudan’s largest trading partner and the main foreign investor in its oil industry. Most Western oil companies, under pressure from human rights organizations, have withdrawn from Sudan. And although we know that economic isolation and divestment can have a very powerful, positive effect (think South Africa), China continues to do business with Sudan, enabling slavery and genocide.
China: The list of China’s abuses of its own people is a long and shameful one.

— China executes more of its citizens than the rest of the capital-punishment countries combined and doubled. While China has a much larger population than those other countries, its rate of execution is still disproportionate. China has more capital crimes, and is believed to have more hidden executions and political executions, than any other country in the world.

— China jails (and also executes) thousands of activists, political dissidents, journalists, and ordinary citizens who attempt free expression. Reporters Without Borders is a good source for civil liberty and human rights abuses in China, as is Human Rights Watch.

— China’s labour laws are a sad joke. Factory conditions sound like something out of Dickens or Upton Sinclair.

— China pollutes water, air and soil with impunity, poisoning and sickening its citizens for generations to come.

So, when August 2008 comes around, instead of watching the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, I will be outside enjoying my freedoms of peaceful assembly, expression, and movement that the people of Tibet and the People’s Republic of China aren’t able to freely practice.

Dare to Deceive Dare to Deliver University of Alberta

dare to deceive.

Hundereds of University of Alberta students gathered in front of the University Administration building this afternoon to protest the lack of consultation that occured before the U of A administration announced it will no longer accept credit cards as a method of payment for tuition fees.

With an average of 18,000 University of Alberta students using credit cards to pay their tuition and fees, a group of students have begun the “Dare to Deceive” campaign protesting the lack of consultation (“Dare to Deceive” is a play on the University’s “Dare to Deliver” document which, if you believe the U of A administration, is the best thing since sliced bread).

Not surprisingly, you can still use your credit card to donate to the University in honour of its centenary year.

Citizen's Assembly Ed Stelmach University of Lethbridge

writing for democracy.

A group of political science students at the University of Lethbridge will be holding a write-a-thon on April 3 at 7:00 in Galileo’s (at the University of Lethbridge) to send a message to Tory Premier Ed Stelmach that the Government of Alberta should appoint a Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform.

Sub-campaigns are also being organized at the Universities of Calgary and Alberta.

Alberta Greens Alberta Politics

memo for the alberta greens.

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date March 20, 2008
No Comments on memo for the alberta greens.

With Greens across Canada buoyed from their strong showings in the Vancouver-Quadra, Toronto-Centre, and Willowdale by-elections (but not quite so strong in Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River), Elizabeth May is probably getting her share of high fives left, right, and center. But on the provincial scene, with the March 3 provincial election only weeks in the past, the Alberta Greens still have a lot of work to do to solidify their place in Alberta’s political scene.

Though the Alberta Greens weren’t able to win any seats in the Legislative Assembly, they did succeed in almost doubling their province-wide popular vote from just over 2% in 2004 to 4.58% in 2008. They also achieved two strong second place finishes in Lacombe-Ponoka and Drayton Valley-Calmar, and strong third place showing in Banff-Cochrane. If I were to give some advice to the Alberta Greens, it would be to focus their resources on grassroots organizing in the targeted rural Alberta constituencies.

With large parts of rural Alberta involved in some seriously intense land-use struggles, the Greens would do well to focus their resources in these areas. Two of the most high profile areas include Rimbey – where controversy over AltaLink’s north-south transmission corridor, the closure of debate on Bill 46, and the AEUB Spy Scandal erupted in 2007 – and the Tofield area – where the Round Hill-Dodds Agricultural Protective Association are fighting the development of a massive coalmine, which if constructed will include a gasification plant and power station built prime farmland south of Tofield (word on the street has it that the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund and the City of Edmonton-owned EPCOR have a substantial stake in this project).

This isn’t the first time that the Round Hill-Dodds Agricultural Protective Association has stood up to oppose this type of encroachment. As documented by Todd Babiuk, during the last energy boom in 1976, landowners in the Round Hill-Dodds community rallied to oppose the development of a $2.6 billion coal-fired power station on 360 square kilometers of agricultural land which would have displaced over 130 landowners.

“It turned into a folk tale, big power and big government pitted against real people. Local, provincial and national news outlets followed the story. The local Conservative MLA supported the landowners and then-premier Peter Lougheed, with a keen understanding of his party’s rural base, eventually stepped in.”
– Todd Babiuk

With the urban-based Alberta Liberals and New Democrats or the largely anti-regulatory Wild Rose Alliance unlikely to be able to capitalize on this type of rural discontent, I would think that the Greens are in the best position to benefit from spending the next four years of their energy harnessing the frustration with the current Progressive Conservative regime in these areas. After netting 22% for the Greens and having strong name recognition in Lacombe-Ponoka, Joe Anglin could potentially be the person best positioned to lead the battle in the rural areas. This isn’t a slight against current Calgary-based Green Leader George Read, who has led his party in doubling their support, I’m just more convinced that the Greens’ immediate growth potential is in rural areas like Lacombe-Ponoka and Drayton Valley-Calmar, rather than large urban centers like Calgary.

According to a recent media release, the Alberta Greens will hold a leadership review in October 2009.

A Green Shadow Cabinet

This week, the Alberta Greens released their shadow cabinet, which includes Joe Anglin as critic for the Department of Energy and Edwin Erickson as critic for Agriculture and Rural Development.

Democracy

three for democracy.

Three articles today on democracy in Alberta from Larry Booi, David Evans, and Marco Adria.

Smart Growth

walking is fun.

Check out the Walkable Edmonton Initiative.

Kudos to the City of Edmonton Community Services Department for this initiative. Walkability is a key element of creating the smart and healthy city that Edmonton should be.

St. Patrick's Day

liturgical clarification.

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date March 17, 2008
No Comments on liturgical clarification.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Jim Lackey at the Catholic News Service has responded to my post from yesterday on what the decision of Irish bishops moving the liturgical celebration of St. Patrick’s Day to last Saturday means for green beer enthusiasts here in Canada.

So, you are still safe to enjoy your green beer today with a clear conscience (though if you’re like me they’ll be plenty of guilt to go around tomorrow morning…). Jim also points out that the next time St. Patrick’s Day will find itself in the same week as Easter will be in 2160.

(ES also offers some St. Patty’s Day reflections)

Also, I wish I had one of these…

St. Patrick's Day

send back the green beer…

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date March 17, 2008
No Comments on send back the green beer…

… because we apparently already missed St. Patrick’s Day.

Irish Catholics to celebrate St. Patrick two days earlier in 2008

By Michael Kelly
Catholic News Service

DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) — Catholics in Ireland will celebrate the feast of St. Patrick two days earlier next year after the Vatican gave permission to move the feast day to avoid a conflict with Holy Week.

Traditionally St. Patrick and all things Irish are celebrated March 17. However, in 2008, March 17 falls on the Monday of Holy Week and, according to church law, the days of Holy Week and Easter rank above all others, so the solemnity of St. Patrick must be moved to another date.

University of Alberta

no more credit at the university of alberta.

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date March 17, 2008
No Comments on no more credit at the university of alberta.

An average of 18,000 University of Alberta students use credit cards to pay their tuition and fees.

therefore

The University of Alberta administration has decided to no longer accept payments by credit card.

(See the 2,400 member facebook group for more info)

Boycott Beijing Summer Olympics 2008

one world one dream.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the hosts of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

BBC News has been covering the Tibet story better than any other news source I could find.

UPDATE: You can find video footage of the Tibet protests here.

(h/t boing boing)

ANOTHER UPDATE: According to The Telegraph, the United States has dropped China from its worst human rights list. Say what?