Pt. 1:”…so it’s like Footloose, but with vegetables?”
(Two things before we delve into my experience at last night’s public consultation meeting at City Hall:
1) This is the first of a series of posts targeted at people who don’t understand or care about civic politics. If you don’t fall into that category and are looking for a point-by-point account of what happened, check out the article in this morning’s Edmonton Journal.
2) My account of last night’s meeting is going to be posted in several parts throughout the next few days, so if you’re interested check back regularly or follow us on Twitter.)
Okay. This is more than a little embarrassing to admit, but at 29 years old, I don’t know or understand anything about City Council.
Maybe it’s because I went to technical school instead of university, or maybe it’s because I’ve done my best to emotionally repress most of junior high and high school, but when it comes to the specifics of how government operates (at any level) I’m pretty much Simple Jack over here. My attempts to understand politics, whether through hearsay, the media, or even political science books all end the same way – with me wanting to beat my head against a wall, because I sort of understand what people are talking about, but then I also sort of don’t.
It’s like I’ve missed some pivotal plot point that everyone else around me caught; think of seeing “The Sixth Sense” and not getting that (uh oh, 1999 spoiler alert!) Bruce Willis was a ghost. The credits roll, and you’re looking around, and everybody else is nodding excitedly and talking about what just happened, and you’re totally lost. And I, personally, hate it. I want to be informed, and it has long been my opinion that more people would be engaged in civic politics if it didn’t just make them feel so incredibly stupid.
So what can I do about this? I consulted my thinktank: (more…)
Edmonton’s Food Economy
Not enough room for the food security crowd.
It’s a packed house at City Hall tonight. So packed they’ve had to set up overflow seating outside council chambers and broadcast the Municipal Development Plan hearing to those who couldn’t find a seat.
What’s all the fuss, you might ask?
Even if you didn’t ask I’ll tell you. The Greater Edmonton Alliance, a citizen’s group, is looking to make sure food economics are written into the 10-year vision of Edmonton. The group doesn’t agree with the administrative report which pins our local food hopes on you getting into the garden. They also want a larger say in the planning centred around farming. (more…)
Public Involvement Events Calendar
Just because I dig this, and was not aware that all this info was in one location: a searchable calendar of public City Council meetings, information sessions, open houses, and anything else citizens at large may be interested in. Handy!
That’s it. The more you know.
I can use the Internets to do what?!
I’m probably miles behind the curve on this, but did you know that the City has a website that offers a VIRTUAL TOUR of CITY HALL? This really knocked my socks off!
Admittedly, I’m at a bit of a loss as to who the intended audience is, because it seems unlikely to me that anyone who would be interested would be beyond visiting distance of the real deal. But what do I know? I’m still trying to understand how they got that big building in my tiny computer. From the website:
