| In its annual pre-budget report, the Parkland Institute is calling on the provincial government to commit to building a more "sustainable and equitable society" where all Albertans are included in the Alberta Advantage.
The report points out food bank usage in the province has gone up by 11 per cent since 2003, homelessness is rapidly rising (23 per cent in Calgary in the last two years) and social assistance rates are well below the poverty line.
Recommendations include increasing the minimum wage to $10, introducing benefits for part-time workers, increasing social assistance, eliminating post-secondary tuition fees and forgiving student debt.
The report criticizes the government for relying on "progressive taxation" such as health care premiums and gambling revenues, while at the same time reducing corporate taxes and introducing a flat tax rate for all taxpayers regardless of income. The Parkland Institute is also opposing the government’s decision to allow increased private-for-profit delivery of health care within the public system, arguing it’s costing the system more.
The report suggests that the government should increase oil and gas royalty rates so they’re comparable to other parts of the world with large scale oil and gas development, such as Norway and Alaska.
The Alberta government will be releasing its budget on April 13.
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Members of the Development Studies Club at the University of Calgary will be spending the week sleeping in tents and eating only two cups of cooked rice a day in an effort to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan.
Student Cameron O’Donnell says he was inspired to take action after watching Hotel Rwanda, which dramatically portrayed the genocide that unfolded in Rwanda. He’s worried the same thing is happening in Darfur, and says the world doesn’t care enough.
"I think it’s definitely the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. There’s a lot that can be done about it in terms of aid," says O’Donnell. "The UN is too slow and we’ve seen it again and again. It’s time we get people aware and get our government to do something about it."
It’s estimated that at least 200,000 people have been killed and more than two million people have been displaced in Darfur since government-backed militia, known as Janjaweed, began a campaign of terror against the African tribal population in 2003.
The group of protestors will be selling Save Darfur wristbands and collecting donations for the Red Cross. They’ll be located in front of MacEwan Hall until April 8.
Calgary outdoor enthusiasts are circulating a petition that asks the City of Calgary to create a carpooling lot on the west end of the city where people could park and then share the drive to the mountains.
Lorrie Beattie, owner of Frog Fit Adventures, says a carpool lot makes sense not just for outdoor enthusiasts, but also for people from outside the city who have to drive downtown to work. They could park at the carpool lot and take public transit downtown, she explains.
Ron Schafer, transportation demand management specialist at the City of Calgary, says his department is considering various options for carpooling lots, including on the corner of Stoney Trail and the TransCanada Highway. He says his department has received a letter from the Valley Ridge Communty Association opposing a carpooling lot in their neighbourhood because of traffic concerns.
Schafer says his department will submit a report on carpooling lot options to city council in the near future.
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In the article "Night of The Zombie Kids" published in the March 24, 2005 issue of Fast Forward, Hussein Juma, the director of School of the Dead, was incorrectly referred to as "she." Juma is, in fact, a "he." We apologize for the error. |
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