Taking a page from Al Gore’s book, Ward 4 council candidate Sheila Mckay has claimed that she invented Edmonton’s LRT…
“Sheila McKay, who was on council from 1989 to 1995, took credit for the LRT, telling the audience it was “my idea” to bring light-rail transit to the city 30 years ago.”
Apologies for the interruption in regular blogging over the past couple of days. Work, studies, and campaign volunteering has kept me quite busy this week.
Get ready for upcoming posts on the 2007 Edmonton Municipal Election, Alberta’s Royalty Review (and secret royalty reviews under the previous Tory Premier), the continuing AEUB scandal and maybe some links to some of the great YouTube vids coming out of the Ontario Provincial Election. Here’s a fun one:
The Alberta Teachers’ Association has launched a new series of TV ads as part of their Budget More campaign calling on the Stelmach Tories to address the conditions in Alberta’s Education system.
(Thanks to Larry Johnsrude for the ad link)
The October 15, 2007 Edmonton Municipal Election will include some familiar faces. Because of the difficulty of defeating incumbents in Edmonton City politics, many Council candidates run a number of times before being elected (this includes current City Councillors Dave Thiele, Jane Batty, and Mike Nickel).
Here is a list of candidates who are hoping that the second, third, fourth, or fifth time is a charm…
Mayoral
Dave Dowling (Mayoral: 2004; Provincial, Edmonton-Gold Bar: 2004; Federal Marajuana Party, Edmonton-Strathcona: 2004, 2006)
Don Koziak (Ward 5: 1995; Ward 2: 1998, 2004)
Robert Ligertwood (Mayoral: 1992, 1995, 2001)
Ward 2
Jabin Caouette (Ward 2: 2004)
Kerry Hutton (Ward 2: 2004)
Dave Loken (Ward 2: 2004)
Ward 3
Kyle Balombin (Ward 3: 2004)
Tony Caterina (Ward 3: 2004; Alberta Alliance, Edmonton-Centre: 2004)
Shui Wing Mak (Ward 4: 1995)
Thomas “Buffalo Terminator” Tomilson (Ward 2: 1989; Ward 3: 1992, 1998; Ward 4: 1995; Mayoral: 2001, 2004)
Harvey Voogd (Provincial ND, Edmonton-Norwood: 1997)
Ward 4
Ben Henderson (Ward 4: 2001, 2004)
Sheila Mckay (Ward 6: 1974, 1977, 1980, 1986, 1989, 1992, 1995, 1998; Councillor: 1989-1995)
Adil Pirbhai (Ward 5: 1995, 1998, 2004; Ward 4: 2001)
Hana Razga (Federal ND, Edmonton-East: 1997; Provincial ND, Edmonton-Manning: 1997, 2001)
Debbie Yeung (Ward 4: 2001, 2004)
Ward 6
Chinwe Okelu (Ward 6: 1998, 2001, 2004)
Amarjeet Sohi (Ward 6: 2004)
Long title. Big deal.
Tory Premier Ed Stelmach and his Energy Minister Mel Knight continue to fumble in the face of the growing AEUB scandal. It looks as if Stelmach and Knight are pulling out every tool in the Tory tool chest in order to not deal with the scandal of the public AEUB hiring private investigators to spy on ordinary Albertans.
For the highlights, I’ll defer to the brutal eloquence of Edmonton Journal columnist Graham Thomson…
Energy Minister Mel Knight did two things exceptionally well in his news conference at the legislature on Monday afternoon: he arrived on time and he didn’t fall off the stage.
He did everything else remarkably badly.
At times Knight looked like he didn’t know how to answer questions or was doing his best to avoid them. Sometimes he grew so testy with reporters it looked like he wanted to kick them. I suspect the reason he didn’t was because at any given time he had a least one foot stuck firmly in his mouth.
Monday was supposed to be the day the Alberta government would demonstrate leadership on the EUB spying controversy that has plagued the government since news broke in June the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board hired a private investigator who had spied on landowners.
For weeks, the government has been hinting it was about to take decisive action to recover the EUB’s reputation that has sunk so low you’d need a drilling rig to find it.
Instead, we had a minister of energy doing his best to downplay the biggest scandal to hit the government since Ed Stelmach became premier.
Similar to the updated list of Edmonton City Council candidates, I have updated the list of candidates acclaiming and contesting seats in the Edmonton Public School Board and Edmonton Catholic School District elections on October 15, 2007.
Also, there is a new 2007 Edmonton Municipal election poll on the sidebar.
The new poll asks:
What will be the biggest issue of the 2007 Edmonton Municipal Election?
Affordable Housing
Arts and Culture
Crime and Safety
Infrastructure and Roads
Public Transit
Recreation and Parks
Regional Cooperation
Taxes
Urban Sprawl and Growth
Other
Vote early and often!
Today was nomination day at City Hall. Here is the final list of candidates for the Edmonton Municipal Election on October 15, 2007. I will be posting profiles of each ward and their candidates over the course of the election.
2007 Edmonton City Council candidates
(* indicates incumbency)
Mayor of Edmonton
(edmonton election 2007: the non-race for mayor)
Dustin Becker
Dave Dowling
Khaled Kheireddine
Don Koziak
Peter Lefaivre
Robert Ligertwood
George Lam
Stephen Mandel*
Bill Whatcott
Edmonton City Council
Ward 1
(edmonton election 2007: ward 1)
Betty Kennedy
Andrew Knack
Karen Leibovici*
Linda Sloan*
Ward 2
(edmonton election 2007: the race for ward 2)
Jabin Caouette
Ron Hayter*
Kerry Hutton
Kim Krushell*
Dave Loken
Mike Sokoluik
Shelley Tupper
Ward 3
(edmonton election 2007: a race in ward 3)
Kyle Balombin
Tony Caterina
Ed Gibbons*
Shiu Wing Mak
Chris Martin
Chris Roehrs
Thomas James Tomilson
Harvey Voogd
(Councillor Janice Melnychuk is not seeking re-election)
Ward 4
(edmonton election 2007: something about ward 4)
Jane Batty*
Nyambura Mia Belcourt
Lewis Cardinal
Judith (Jodi) Flatt
Ben Henderson
Sheila McKay
Brian Patterson
Deborah Peaker
Adil Pirbhai
Hana Razga
Thomas Roberts
Margaret Saunter
Brent Thompson
Brian Wissink
Debbie Yeung
(Councillor Michael Phair is not seeking re-election)
Ward 5
(edmonton election 2007: choice in ward 5)
Bryan Anderson*
Don Iveson
Brent Michalyk
Mike Nickel*
Ward 6
(edmonton election 2007: wrath of ward 6)
Lori Jeffery-Heaney
Chuck McKenna
Chinwe Okelu
Amarjeet Sohi
Dave Thiele*
Thomas Dennis Vasquez
(Councillor Terry Cavanagh is not seeking re-election)
It’s a big political day today…
– It’s the candidate nomination deadline for municipal election candidates in Alberta. After 12 noon, Albertans will know who they will be able to vote for in the October 15 Municipal Elections. I already know who I am voting for in Ward 5.
– Don Koziak has thrown his hat in the ring for Mayor. Koziak’s last minute run against current Mayor Stephen Mandel should be an interesting one…
– Today is by-election day in Quebec. With three by-elections set for today, it should be interesting to see which way the political climate in La Belle Provence is shifting.
I was in Outremont back in August and if the amount of signs mean anything, it’s Robert Mulcair’s to lose. That said, a Mulcair win in Outremont sends a strong signal towards the Harper Tories and Dion Liberals about their growth potential on the vote rich island of Montreal.
The Edmonton Journal continued it’s two-part feature on political patronage in Progressive Conservative Alberta. Here is a second list that the Journal put together:
SOME PROMINENT TORIES WITH MULTIPLE APPOINTMENTS
– Audrey Luft, organizer of 2007 Alberta PC annual convention: Alberta Foundation for the Arts (chair), NAIT, Alberta Economic Development Authority
– Doug Goss, Edmonton co-chair of Tories’ next election campaign: Capital Health, Alberta Economic Development Authority
– Wayne Jacques, former Conservative MLA: Peace Country Health Region, Transportation Safety Board, Law Enforcement Review Board
– Alf Savage, former PC president: Auto Insurance Rate Board (chair), Municipal Government Board
– Wendy Kinsella, losing Edmonton PC candidate in 2001: NorQuest College (chair), Capital Health (vice-chair)
– Marvin Moore, former PC campaign manager and cabinet minister: Peace Country Health (chair), Agriculture Marketing Products Council Appeal Tribunal
– Dale Johnson, president of Whitecourt-Ste. Anne PC association: Aspen Health, Credit Counselling Services of Alberta
– Robert Seidel, lawyer to former treasurer Stockwell Day: Grant MacEwan College, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research
– Skip McDonald, former president of Klein’s PC constituency association: Calgary Health, ATB Financial
UPDATE: Calgary-Nose Hill MLA Neil Brown says there’s nothing wrong with these appointments.
Kudos to Darcy Henton and Jason Markusoff of the Edmonton Journal for writing a feature article on the deluge of political patronage currently present in Alberta. The Journal also went through and detailed a list of provincially appointed boards and their card carrying Progressive Conservative Party members.
Here are the top 40 boards with the highest percentages of card-carrying Conservatives serving on them.
Health boards and regions
– Peace Country Health Region: 13 Tories / 13-member board– East Central Health: 9 Tories / 12-member board
– Capital Health: 8 Tories / 14-member board
– Calgary Health: 7 Tories / 13-member board
– Aspen Health Region: 11 Tories / 14-member board
– David Thompson Health: 11 Tories / 15-member board
– Chinook Health: 7 Tories / 12-member board
– Northern Lights Health: 7 Tories / 12-member board
– Palliser Health Region: 7 Tories / 13-member board
– Alberta Cancer Board: 5 Tories / 10-member board
– Health Quality Council: 4 Tories / 8-member board
– Public Health Appeal Board: 2 Tories / 4-member board
– Health Facilities Review Board: 8 Tories / 12-member board
Post-secondary Institutions
– Northern Alberta Institute of Technology: 8 Tories / 12-member board
– Portage College: 5 Tories / 7-member board
– Lethbridge College: 4 Tories / 7-member board
– Athabasca University: 6 Tories / 11-member board
– Red Deer College: 3 Tories / 6-member board
– Mount Royal College: 5 Tories / 10-member board
financial
– ATB Financial: 9 Tories / 13-member board
– Credit Union Deposit Guarantee Corp.: 4 Tories / 8-member board
addictions and disabilities
– Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities: 5 Tories / 8-member board
– Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission: 7 Tories / 10-member board
– Crystal Meth Task Force: 7 Tories / 12-member board
– Northwest Alberta Persons with Developmental Disabilities: 6 Tories / 7-member board
Agriculture
– Alberta Grain Commission: 8 Tories / 11-member board
– Agriculture Products Marketing Council: 7 Tories / 11-member board
– Alberta Agriculture Research Institute: 4 Tories / 7-member board
Other
– Seniors Advisory Council: 8 Tories / 10-member board
– Northern Alberta Development Council: 9 Tories / 10-member board
– Worker’s Compensation Board: 3 Tories / 4-member board
– Alberta Foundation of the Arts: 6 Tories / 10-member board
– Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission: 6 Tories / 7-member board
– Alberta Economic Development Authority: 29 Tories / 60-member board
– Alberta Order of Excellence Council: 6 Tories / 6-member board
– Social Care Facilities Review Commission: 7 Tories / 11-member board
– Alberta Science and Research Authority: 9 Tories / 19-member board
– Northeast PDD Board: 5 Tories / 7-member board
– Alberta Fatality Review Board: 3 Tories / 3-member board
– Rural Alberta’s Development Fund: 6 Tories / 12-member board
Click here to see the list of the 100 provincially appointed Boards and Government agencies stacked with Tory appointees.
Tomorrow, the Edmonton Journal will be profiling the process which allows the Progressive Conservatives to commit this degree of political patronage.
UPDATE: Calgary-Nose Hill MLA Neil Brown says there’s nothing wrong with these appointments.
Who will be the next Leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party?
 |
||
| Selection | ||
| Craig Chandler |  17% |
39 |
| Ray Danyluk |  1% |
3 |
| Jim Dinning |  9% |
21 |
| Dave Hancock |  14% |
33 |
| Ted Morton |  33% |
75 |
| Mark Norris |  3% |
7 |
| Lyle Oberg |  5% |
12 |
| Tom Olsen |  17% |
40 |
|
|
|
| 230 votes total | ||
Ward 5 Edmonton City Council candidate Donna Finucane has officially withdrawn her candidacy in the October 15, 2007 Edmonton municipal election. In 2004, Finucane placed a strong third in Ward 5 behind Bryan Anderson and Mike Nickel.
Donna Finucane’s departure from the race leaves a less crowded field in Ward 5 and more room for Smart Growth in Ward 5 – Don Iveson’s campaign for City Council!
UPDATE: Don Iveson is quoted in two Edmonton Sun articles from today. You can check them out here and here.
Earlier this week, Alberta Liberal Leader Kevin Taft delivered a
major policy announcement while speaking to the Calgary Rotary Club. As Premier, Taft said he would call for a meeting of western provinces, with an agenda of turning western Canada into an energy superpower.
You can now watch the speech on YouTube:
Western Tiger Speech Part 1
Western Tiger Speech Part 2
Western Tiger Speech Part 3
The Alberta Energy and Utilities Board scandal continues to haunt Ed Stelmach‘s Tories as it has now been uncovered that the AEUB had hired a private investigation company to monitor a second public hearing in May 2007.
The board is already being investigated by the government for hiring Shepp Johnman to monitor landowners at a hearing in Rimbey who were opposed to a proposed powerline between Calgary and Edmonton.
According to the Canadian Press, “the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board accepts the findings of the privacy commissioner regarding undercover investigators at hearings into a contoversial power line.”
And in case you wanted any more evidence of Ed Stelmach’s decisive leadership skills, after defending the AEUB’s actions in spying on Albertans in June, our Conservative Premier has decided to ‘think about it…‘
“But Premier Ed Stelmach said he wants to see more evidence about the decision of the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board to use private detectives at two hearings since last spring.
What more evidence does Ed Stelmach need before heads start to roll on the AEUB Board?
What about using public funds to hire private investigators to spy on Albertans does Ed
Stelmach find acceptable?
A new interactive website has been set up for the municipal elections:
Take Back Your City.ca is your guide and tool for action in municipal politics in Alberta. Read up on the candidates’ views, ensure yours are heard, connect with people working on the issues.
