| Calgary turning a lighter shade of blue
What was expected to be a close battle in the Calgary-Elbow byelection turned out to be a solid victory for the Liberals on June 12. Only a little more than an hour after the polls closed, Liberal Craig Cheffins walked to the podium to the strains of We Are the Champions and gave his victory speech amid a crowd of jubilant supporters. The byelection had been viewed by political observers as a key test of Calgary support for Premier Ed Stelmach’s leadership.
Cheffins won 46 per cent of the vote while Conservative Brian Heninger garnered 38 per cent. The Green Party’s George Read came in third with six per cent support.
Liberal leader Kevin Taft held Cheffins arm in the air like a prizefighter and exclaimed, "How sweet it is!" Taft called the election victory a major breakthrough, stressing Calgary-Elbow is former premier Ralph Klein’s riding and has been held by the party since 1971. Taft says the election results show Calgary is ready to give another party a shot.
Cheffins, who is the work experience co-ordinator for Mount Royal College’s Bachelor of Applied Justice Studies program, says his priorities are creating sustainable development, affordable housing and protecting the environment, especially the province’s water.
"We know we can have better government in this province," he says. "Do we want growth in Alberta? Absolutely. But do we have to have pedal to the metal all the time, or do we want to make sure people are onboard? We expect more of the provincial government and we’re going to put their feet to the fire and get them to pull up their socks."
Doreen Barrie, political science professor at the University of Calgary, says the byelection results show the Conservatives "are in trouble."
"There’s so much dissatisfaction in Calgary. It’s almost palpable. The perception is Stelmach doesn’t get Calgary. I think Stelmach really has to do something dramatic to win Calgary back. Given there are so many problems, I don’t know how he can do that."
Barrie says the housing crisis is likely the biggest issue, but there is a myriad of others, including too few schools, a lengthy delay in construction of the city’s new south hospital and overcrowded post-secondary institutions.
However, Barrie says the byelection doesn’t necessarily mean the Liberal party has any real chance of taking the reins in the province.
"I think the big problem is Kevin Taft is seen as extremely competent, very good on substantive issues, but somehow he doesn’t seem to have connected with people… He needs to connect with people better and come up with some overarching theme of the future to inspire people."
Co-operative café evicted
An anarchist café is searching for a new home after its landlord decided to build condos at its current location. Haymarket Café and Bookstore, which operates as a worker-owned co-operative, will move out of its location at 1101 Macleod Trail S.E. on July 31. Haymarket has been operating since the end of 2005 and opened its current location a year ago after spending two months renovating it.
The store stocks political books and magazines and has served as a hub for Calgary’s activist community. The co-op is planning a series of benefits to raise money for a new space and will formulate a long-term business plan soon. The first benefit is an all-ages concert at Haymarket on Saturday, June 16, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Calgary’s 19th annual Aboriginal Awareness Week takes place from June 17 to 23 and will feature powwows, tipi raisings, community feasts, a business and professional mixer and a parade featuring a giant white buffalo, as well as aboriginal awards.
Carrie Neilson, aboriginal issues strategist for the City of Calgary, says Calgary is the only city in Canada that hosts a week-long celebration of aboriginal culture, and she promises this will be the best event so far. Neilson says all Calgarians are encouraged to participate because the goal is to promote cross-cultural awareness and understanding. "There’s a wide diversity of aboriginal people. That’s what we’re highlighting," she says.
For more information on the week’s events go to www.Calgary.ca/cns.
ABORIGINAL AWARENESS WEEK
Calgary’s 19th annual Aboriginal Awareness Week takes place from June 17 to 23 and will feature powwows, tipi raisings, community feasts, a business and professional mixer and a parade featuring a giant white buffalo, as well as aboriginal awards.
Carrie Neilson, aboriginal issues strategist for the City of Calgary, says Calgary is the only city in Canada that hosts a week-long celebration of aboriginal culture, and she promises this will be the best event so far. Neilson says all Calgarians are encouraged to participate because the goal is to promote cross-cultural awareness and understanding. "There’s a wide diversity of aboriginal people. That’s what we’re highlighting," she says.
For more information on the week’s events go to www.Calgary.ca/cns.
CRTC nixes bid to buy Citytv
A federal broadcast regulator shot down a media conglomerate’s bid to buy Citytv last week, citing concerns that it would increase media concentration in five cities.
CTVglobemedia Inc., which owns The Globe and Mail and CTV, purchased the Citytv chain as part of its takeover of CHUM last summer. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ruled against the deal on Friday, June 8, citing a policy that prohibits companies from owning more than one major TV station in a city. Following the ruling, Rogers Communications Inc., a telephone company, purchased Citytv for $375 million.
CTVglobemedia had been wrangling with the CRTC ever since it purchased CHUM, the parent company of MuchMusic. The conglomerate argued that without the deal, Citytv might fold. The CRTC raised concerns that allowing the deal to go through would set a precedent for companies to control too many stations in a single market. Citytv currently operates stations in Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg. |
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