Rob Anderson's Bill 36 Youtube Video Fiasco

 Sometimes things I see on Twitter really make laugh, sometimes they make me shake my head in disbelief.  I caught wind of the Youtube video below following Twitter exchange yesterday between Airdrie-Chestermere MLA, Rob Anderson and political strategist Stephen Carter.  In this 2009 video, Mr. Anderson repeatedly praises the beauty of Bill 36- The Alberta Land Stewardship Act. This would probably not be such a big deal, except for the small fact that he has been one of the most vocal critics of this legislation since his departure to the WAP. 

 The fact that Mr.Anderson is always so quick to blast his former colleagues ( see his latest letter to the Calgary Herald here...) while deflecting any responsibility for his past beliefs and actions is quite humorous.  Sure, we can change our minds now and then, but given that he was such a cheerleader for this bill in the video makes it really quite funny to watch!



Not sure how he explains this one to landowners in Alberta?  ( And I doubt the PC Caucus was hiding off camera, forcing him to make the speech against his will!) 

 
Interesting....

Calgary MLA Art Johnson Loses PC Nomination Battle In Calgary Southeast

   I am sure many people will be surprised to hear the news today that longtime Calgary Hays MLA Art Johnston has lost the nomination vote to run as the Alberta PC candidate for the newly created riding of Calgary Southeast in the next provincial election, to Rick Fraser. 

  As a member of the Calgary Hays/Calgary Southeast Board of Directors, I had the opportunity to volunteer at last nights nomination vote to see who would become the PC candidate for the newly created riding of Calgary SE.   This riding was created during the last electoral boundary commission due to the explosive growth in population in the deep south corridor.  It essentially split the existing Calgary Hays riding into two, and includes the neighborhoods of Silverado, Chaparral, Walden, Cranston, Auburn Bay, Mahogany, Copperfield and New Brighton. 

  Current Hays MLA Art Johnston had decided to run in this part of the split riding and faced a last minute challenge to the nomination by Mr. Fraser.  For months, Rick had declared his intentions to run in the existing Calgary Hays riding in the next election and has been actively selling memberships and even pulled a major coup and took control of the Hays board at this springs AGM, ousting the long time riding association president.  Many where shocked to learn that Rick then decided to instead run against Art for the Calgary SE nomination. 

While it is rare for sitting MLA's to be challenged for a nomination, it is even rarer to see a sitting MLA lose his position as the party candidate in the next election.  Due to the short time frame, both parties had worked extremely hard in securing new memberships ( I hear that over 350 new memberships where sold this week between the two candidates)  and urging party members to come out and vote.  The race was extremely close, with Rick Fraser edging Art by a vote of 78 to 74. 

That's democracy.....

 Before the vote, Art had jokingly said to me that "I'm not ready to put out on any Ice Floes..." and I believe he still has a lot of work he wants to accomplish in the legislature.  I am not sure what the future holds for Art, but I think he should be commended for the work he has done in Calgary Hays, especially in securing new schools for our area.

 While I congratulate Rick on his nomination victory,  I was a little discouraged to learn of his association with the PGIB ( and its often polarizing founder, Craig Chandler.) following the meeting,  as Rick always spoke to me about his desire for change and transparency.   Many people will recall that Chandler was disqualified as a PC candidate in 2007 due to some comments made by the by a group also founded by him. I have gotten to know Rick over the past two years and I cannot imagine what these two would have in common at all.

Interesting times...

Rick's website can be found at http://www.frasernation.com/


UPDATE:

I have been getting a lot of emails and a few comments requesting proof of the PGIB affiliation. Please click the link below for a copy of the lit.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=1Dlp8BcDOJKUNVn30DJ3AYry88v1HDmNSoxCEm4C_KAfMiGwgr0rMRLEAu66N&hl=en&authkey=CPLr3J0F

I certaintly hope that Rick posts a followup confirming his association with PGIB and their founders, as it may become a small distraction going forward.



 

Mayor Naheed Nenshi's Calgary Stampeder Game Face!

  When I first saw this ad on a giant billboard on Blackfoot Trail last week, I had to do a double take!  I thought "was that Mayor Naheed Nenshi in the ad for the Calgary Stampeders?"  I tried looking online for a copy of the ad without luck,  but soon found it in the Calgary Herald.

Personally, I think that this is a really cool ad.  I cannot imagine many political figures being able to pull this off the way he did.  Can you imagine Al Duerr or Bronco trying to be as cool as this?  Me neither.

The fact that Mayor Nenshi allows himself to be shown in a humorous light impresses me.

Go Stamps Go!

Questions About The University of Calgary Students Union Secondary Suite Poll

  Like many Calgarians, I was really surprised when I read through the University of Calgary Secondary Suite poll this week.  In this poll, commissioned by the U of C Students Union, the results claim that 79% of Calgarians support the legalization of secondary suites across the city.  When I first saw the results, my initial thought was that the favorable result seemed rather high, based on the polarizing nature of this important issue.

 These results got me thinking quite a bit about this poll.  I understand that this is an important issue, and affordable housing is a serious issue to university students, but I found myself wondering why the students union was so interested in this issue.  I also found it amazing that they would spend a reported $40,000 for this poll as it seems like a lot of money for a student group to authorize.  I cannot imagine the student body being thrilled that the SU was paying for a poll that affected all Calgarians, not just students that attend the university.

 While many people question the 79% approval rate for the legalization of secondary suites, I am also hearing lots of discussion about the source of the poll.  While I believe the intent is honorable, the optics of the poll being slightly biased must be discussed. 

• This link ( from the SU meeting minutes here) the VP External clearly states  that " if the initial poll data appears negative, then there is the possibility of stopping the poll prior to completion, which will mean a substantial savings."

• Many people online have also questioned why the polling firm, Zinc Communications was chosen, given the close ties between Mayor Nenshi and Zinc's president, Brian F. Singh.  In the following link, Mr. Singh is touted as a pollster and strategist for the Nenshi campaign.  Mr. Singh is a well respected Calgarian and I assume that many people have no issue with the SU choosing Zinc, but the question is worth discussing. 

The poll was not taken across all wards ( as they targeted riding's where the alderman was opposed or undecided) and I think that this leaves out a large percentage of Calgarians.

Regardless of where you stand on the Calgary secondary suite issue, I think its important that you question all sources of information ( including this hack blog) especially when looking at polling results. Especially when the results are used to try and sway the public.


Update:  Shortly after this post went live, I had a brief Twitter conversartion with Brian Singh from Zinc regarding the details of the poll.  While he understood that I was not questioning his integrity or ethics, as the post was written with the intent of getting people to talk about the poll and its source, he did correct me on a few points.

• The online component of the poll ( 900 responses) were from all 14 wards.  ( It appears that the phone survey was only done in the disputed wards as noted above.)
• Zinc won the contract from the SU through a bid process. ( Brian confirmed they won as Zinc had the best methodology and price.)

Once again Twitter has proven to be a valuable source of real time information.  The intent of this post was to get people talking about the issue and at the very least, it has been sucessful on that front.  This is what blogging is all about.

Has MLA Raj Sherman Jumped The Shark This Time?

  As I read my copy of the Calgary Herald this morning, I sat in shock and disbelief at the story outlining independent MLA Raj Sherman's accusations about a full scale government cover up regarding patient deaths in Alberta hospitals. 

According to Mr. Sherman, he alleged that he has received information that the province has paid millions of dollars to Alberta doctors in an attempt to cover up cancer patient deaths.  He goes so far as to claim that the government actually has two sets of accounting books, one that is public and a separate one containing the payout information to local doctors.  This story seems absolutely outrageous, as I find it hard to believe that a full fledged mafia style conspiracy of this magnitude could possible be kept quiet for so long.  The possibility that hundreds of doctors and medical professionals could possibly take "hush money" to cover up medial information is mind boggling. 

 I would love to see what concrete proof Mr. Sherman has on this matter and if he will actually bring it forward to share with Albertans. I find it highly unprofessional to make these kind of allegations without proof, especially while hiding behind a thin veil of MLA privilege.  This smacks of a weak attempt to stay in the media spotlight he appears to crave lately and it really is a classic case of  "Jumping the Shark", and I find it highly offensive.

 I actually felt sorry for this man in the fall when it appeared that the PC government was attacking his mental state and credibility.  After this latest episode, I think that I will reserve final judgement pending what Mr. Sherman brings forward as solid proof of his accusations.  Seeing as he did not share this with the media at the time, I doubt that he has any.

Social Media and the Calgary Secondary Suite Issue

   After a few months of heated debate over the secondary suite issue, Calgary City Council will once again face this issue on March 7, 2011.  No matter what side of the issue you are on, many Calgarians are passionate about this issue and how it will affect their communities.  The issue really is one of the most polarizing debates that I have seen in a long time.

 Without getting into the issue directly, I found it fascinating that many Calgarians are using Social Media to share their views on the issue.  A quick Twitter search under #yycsuite or #suiteyyc shows an amazing level of engagement on this issue by average Calgarians who may not otherwise be as vocal on civic issues.  It would appear that Mayor Nenshi's plea asking for constituents to let their Aldermen know where they stand on the issue has had some effect.  Many groups are quite active on social media sharing their views and engaging some of the Aldermen into the debate online.

 Here is an interesting link from Alderman Diane: ( Secondary Suites Survey)

http://www.aldermandiane.ca/files/Mainpage/SecondarySuitesSurveyResultsFeb22.pdf

Will the Twitter debate actually sway the way that certain Alderman vote?  I doubt it, but I love the fact that citizens can actually let their representatives know how we feel as individuals on certain issues.  I think that smart politicians can use social media to get a sense of where people stand and use this information along with town hall/community meetings to fully engage Calgarians going forward.

Here is a link to a quick interview I did on this issue for the CBC Calgary Eyeopener.

http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/episode/2011/02/28/tweeting-texting-and-telephoning/

Newark Mayor Cory Booker Uses Twitter To Help Stranded Motorists!

In what has to be a social media first, a politician actually used Twitter to come to the rescue of stranded motorists in his city!  I was amazed when I saw the Twitter feed from Newark, New Jersey mayor, Cory Booker this morning, in which he uses Twitter to respond various pleas for help from citizens that where stuck in the aftermath of the nasty winter storm that his the Northeast United States this weekend!   When I first read this, I could not believe what I was reading and assumed that it was a hoax until I realized that Mr.Booker's has a Twitter "verified" account. 

Here is a sample of the bizarre exchange...

Mr. Booker asks one constituent to DM him his phone number so he can help him get his car out of the snow.  He also makes a few references that make him seem like Superman, including..." I will get someone to your mom's street...stay put." and "I will dig you out, where are you?" ( he eventually appears to actually make it to the rescue and confirms..."I just dug out your car, all the best!")

In a day and age when most politicians would likely have preferred to stay in the warm confines of City Hall, I find Mr. Booker's amazing use of social media inspiring!  The fact that he used Twitter to communicate real time with people and actually was able to physically help them is incredible.

I can just see our fine mayor, Naheed Nenshi harnessing the power of Twitter in a similar manner when Calgarian's are in need in the future.