I think the only thing that upsets Calgarians more than traffic congestion,  is “optional” traffic congestion.  But what makes Calgarians absolutely livid, is when that congestion is  created by using taxpayers’ dollars.

This is the case with the upcoming Bow River Flow that will, if successful, see the closure of Memorial Drive on August 22.

Having a tourism background, I readily admit that festivals like this add to community vitality, however, I also recognize the importance of this major east-west connector. (This year it is especially critical as many Calgarians use it to avoid the LRT construction on Bow Trail and 17 avenue).

The Aldermanic Committee charged with supporting community events also approved $10,000 of taxpayer money for this “human powered  transportation festival”.   ($8,500 cash plus approximately $1,500 in donated services).

Why we would spend taxpayers’ money to create more traffic congestion is beyond me so I met with the bike organizers to see if we could find a better solution.

I questioned why they had to close Memorial and asked if Kensington or 10th Street might be a viable option. But the answer was “they needed to send a message to Calgarians”.

I think Calgarians have endured enough “messages” and really just want to get their city moving again.

Further, I have discovered this application disregarded several rules, including consecutive year funding and the applicant’s withholding of unspent funds from the previous event.

Some will criticize me as not supporting festivals and others will claim it is a meager $10,000, however, every time Council approves one of these ventures, it chips away at our ability to provide the core services Calgarians expect from their city.

Like snow removal, police officers and fire stations.

But more than the small amount of money, I believe that to consciously add to Calgarians’ existing frustration with traffic, especially when route options are few, is inexcusable.

The debate is on.
 
To fund, or not to fund, additional web sites for Aldermanic offices to share their opinions with their ward residents.  That is the question.
 
Some background before you answer.  The City of Calgary provides each Alderman space on The City’s website that he/she can post electronic information.
 
This makes sense – it’s a clean, efficient, effective way to share information and to provide valuable notifications that affect their Wards.
 
But….some Aldermen have chosen to create their own version of a more personal website.  In my case I set up telljoe.ca  because I wanted to, in addition to other communication messages, gather feedback on what is important to Calgarians. 
 
In doing so, I certainly would NOT expect Calgarians to pay for this site.  My choosing to create a separate site is my decision, and as such, is paid by me – not the taxpayer, including the development of the site and its ongoing maintenance.
 
It became readily apparent that some of my Council colleagues expect taxpayers to pay for their self-created sites that they openly admit to using as a tool to “share their opinions.”  I do not agree with this position at all. Why would Calgarians be saddled with the costs of Aldermanic electronic soapboxes?  If we want a communication tool outside of what the City already provides, then I believe we pay for it ourselves. Period.
 
If we continue down this path, Calgarians will find themselves paying for 14 websites even though only one of them is relevant to the Ward they live in. If you agree that we must run this city like a business, tell me what business would allow the costs of 14 individual opinionated websites to be charged back to the shareholders?  In this case, Calgarians?
 
As I have said in other cases of wasting taxpayer dollars, every time Council approves unnecessary spending, it chips away at our ability to provide the core services Calgarians expect from us.
 
If we as Alderman decide we want an additional website – we pay for it.  This issue is pretty black and white to me.

I recognize how Calgary’s exciting and expansive Chinatown adds value to our city and am pleased to support their Centennial Celebrations. First, as a cherished culture whose people and traditions we treasure. But in addition to the warmth of the Chinese people, Chinatown itself also brings our city economic impact, tourism product, and new residents.

I have the honour of enjoying Chinatown myself 15 – 20 times per year and I appreciate every person, every experience, every time.

While I struggled with the initial ask of $500,000 to celebrate, I am convinced that the requirements City Council imposed on the funding today will satisfy my doubts. Initially the city appeared to be thrusting the idea of a centennial celebration onto the Chinese community as we were clearly “leading the charge”.

I do find $500,000 to be a significant amount of taxpayer funds to put towards one celebration, but as mentioned, Council has put safeguards in for the spending which I was happy to see.

In the future, I would be looking for similar financial requests coming to City Hall to be accompanied with a very detailed plan. It just is not smart business sense by the City to offer funds without a plan attached. That type of approach reminds me of a “ready, fire, aim” type of strategy.

A process exists that the city insists on for groups requesting funds. It is important to stick to process so we manage the many requests and establish a fair playing field using established channels and procedures.

I am not adverse to giving dollars for the right ideas, or deviating from established processes in cases where an unexpected opportunity lands on our doorstep, such as Chinatown’s Centennial. This city is built on people capitalizing on opportunity and I don’t want to stand in the way of that.

However, my initial concern was that the scope of the project went well beyond a birthday celebration to include redevelopment plans. This approach can muddy the waters of our budget allocation – and sets a dangerous precedent. I believe in transparent government and want to ensure Calgarians that Council calls a spade a spade. In this case, that we do not hide re-development costs in celebration costs.

It is incumbent upon all of us as Aldermen to focus on strategic policy for the city. Not on serving as members of advisory committees in an event planning capacity, regardless of the inherent value. Calgary is the number one city in Canada for volunteerism – let’s leave the planning side to those who do it best. And let us focus on the priorities and policies that are supposed to guide us in exactly these kinds of discussions and decisions.

I am pleased with the outcome of today’s decision to support Chinatown’s Centennial, and look forward to the final report that shares the measurement of success on how this taxpayer money is spent.

Calgary pulls plug on Expo 2017 bid
Move makes Edmonton only Canadian city competing for event
http://tinyurl.com/y9bsynr
Calgary Herald