Thursday, Thursday, Thursday
Hey there, you beautiful Edmonton babies, how’s Thursday treating you?
If Thursday is mistreating you, you let me know. I will have a stern word with that day of the week.
SEE’s Maurice Tougas thinks the mayoral and council races have been boring. But his co-worker, Angela Brunschot knows the real action in 2010 is in the Edmonton Public School Board trustee competitions. Make sure you vote, this is all a very big deal.
Stephen Mandel wants a third term as mayor, to take care of some unfinished business. (When I write it like that he sounds as exciting as our wild, former mayors.)
Meanwhile…Mandel’s main opponent is cool with a downtown arena plebiscite. Really, could David Dorward come out against a plebiscite when he’s the Envision Edmonton candidate? The other main candidate in the race for the big chair is Daryl Bonar. He’s pretending to be homeless.
Ward 1 voters want to talk about Stony Plain Road. It’s been undergoing changes, and has some big, LRT, changes planned.
The Edmonton Examiner wants you to vote, if only because these are exciting political, and city, times.
And The Gateway (the University of Alberta’s student newspaper) has a look at the election, focusing on the two wards closest to campus, wards 8 and 10.
After the jump we’re all going to slow-clap the Edmonton Sun… (more…)
electioneering with the edmontonian: kicking in doors
I figured, if I was going to write something about campaign
Janz, Janz, he's our man.
door-knocking, I should do some campaign door-knocking.
I convinced Ward F trustee candidate Michael Janz (a product of fine, public schools no matter what his opponent says) that I would be a worthwhile addition to his street team this past weekend.
Campaigning on Thanksgiving weekend? I guess there’s always time for turkey once the votes are counted.
If you’ve never been door-knocking with a candidate, let me tell you how it went down.
Ghost Mayors …on City Services
A historical satire by actors who did little research, from the EdmontonPolitics.com team.
From garbage collection to policing, recreation to power generation, the City of Edmonton provides a lot to its residents. Our city’s former mayors sure have some thoughts on what could be done better. And what they’d rather just take care of without you sticking your nose into it.
In this forum:
Mayor Matthew (Mat) “Warden” McCauley – Edmonton’s first mayor
Mayor William J. McNamara – First mayor to defeat a sitting incumbent, in the city’s closest race (still the closest race to date)
Mayor William “Wild Bill” Hawrelak – 3 time mayor, twice had to leave office because of land deals, eventually died in office
After the jump you’ll find out what they think. Hopefully Fightin’ Joe Clarke doesn’t show up to settle the score with Mayor McNamara… (more…)
Electioneering with the edmontonian: Ward fever, Pt. 2
I know you’ve been on the edge of your seats waiting to see how this whole wards thing turns out, #yeg, so I won’t bore you with extraneous chit chat.
Here’s the last half of our wards cliffhanger; part one can be seen here.
Tryptophan Headlines
Saturday was the final downtown farmers' market. Now, it's inside, to Edmonton's other markets, for farm food the rest of the year.
Anybody else still sleepy from all that turkey? I probably will be after lunch (turkey leftovers, of course).
Now…to the election!
Advanced voter turnout high. Could that be thanks to the City Centre Airport? Or maybe people are finding the fact there’s an actual race for mayor, and races in some wards, and important school board elections, or another issue or two to get out and vote.
But, will you cast a ballot? That’s the real question.
Any way it goes, it’s the beginning of the end for those candidates (and other members of their teams) as the election is less than a week away.
Thanksgiving always means stories about people serving up food to the less fortunate. iCHED’s Brittney Le Blanc has something a little extra in her story. She’s mixed in some Edmonton election coverage into her visit to the Boyle Street Co-op.
Over in Ward 10…Do you think, even if he doesn’t really appear to be challenged, that Don Iveson is always, somewhere in the back of his mind, worried about losing? I guess that could happen when you pull off an upset win most didn’t coming.
Civic election a battleground for provincial foes
School trustees fear being replaced as Alberta looks at School Act
Do you have any buttons, do-dads, or fancy whatsits, from candidates?
Ooh, there’s some good stuff in the news, that’s not election-related. (more…)
10 things to do that are not eating turkey
Worst Thanksgiving present ever.
Enjoy the long weekend, Edmonton. We’ll see you back here when we wake up from turkey comas.
- Hit the market – It’s the last weekend for the City Market Downtown.
- Watch hockey – The Oil Kings play at Rexall Saturday, the Oilers on Sunday.
- Vote – You can vote in an advance poll, in your ward, Saturday.
- Enjoy the weather – 20+ degrees for Saturday and Sunday? Yes, please.
- Rock ‘n’ Fundraise – A bunch of Edmonton bands and artists are playing Wunderbar all day Saturday, to help get band N.N. to Japan Music Week.
- Holy Fuck – The band with the controversial name plays twice at the Pawn Shop.
- Hydeaway – Doug Hoyer is playing the Hydeaway. You need more Old Ugly in your life.
- Free cookies – There’s still time to get over to Luzarra, on Whyte, for Free Cookie Friday. Well, depending on where you are in the city. I don’t want you to crash your car for a cookie.
- Dance – The Brian Webb Dance Company kicks off a new season with les Ballets Jazz de Montreal.
- Eat turkey – You know it’s going to happen anyway.
I think what I'm trying to say is that I want you to have fun this weekend.
Ghost Mayors …on taxes, spending…and fighting
A historical satire by actors who did very little research, from the EdmontonPolitics.com team.
You can’t keep a good mayor down. And if you’ve got a handful of former Edmonton mayors they are going to have opinions on just what we should be doing with our taxes, city spending, and schools. Even if they have no idea how things work in 2010.
The debate could get heated. It might even spark a new run for the mayor’s office.
In this forum:
Mayor Joseph Clarke – Fightin’ Joe. Mayor, councillor, constant candidate, brawler.
Mayor David Duggan – Pro-business and pro-radio. Also Alberta Conservative leader.
Mayor Matthew (Mat) “Warden” McCauley – Edmonton’s first mayor
Find out who’s going to run for mayor, again, after the jump. (more…)
October Ocho Headlines
It’s Friday morning before the long weekend. We’ve got great October weather. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Let’s kick things off, as we usually do, with some Edmonton election shenanigans.
Voting in secret for the 1st time (The advance polls will allow people who can’t use their hands or fingers to vote, in secret, for the first time. Technological advances are so cool.)
No more free rides on LRT: candidates (I don’t know why we don’t have turnstiles. You don’t even need staff if you’ve got a system that unlocks with a pass or fare. You know how you pay for that? With the money you won’t be losing to people who just walk onto the train. Where’s my consultant cash, City of Edmonton?)
Airport PR crusade ill-advised (Should the Airports Authority, or any large business or organization for that matter, let its employees know how candidates may affect their future business? Should they get involved in election campaigns?)
Accountability the issue in Ward 11
Time for new leadership: Dromarsky
Sounds like Graham Hicks has his platform ready. He says he won’t run. But we heard that from McKeen too. Hicks in 6!
If you need something to cleanse your palate of this election news, how about some of this… (more…)
October 7 Edmonton Headlines
Somebody tell the City that those leaves will remove themselves. What a wasteful use of tax dollars.*
Let’s get this mother on the road.
Today, my pick of the election stories goes to Vue Weekly. They’ve got a piece titled Death and taxes that knocks down the arguments of Dave Dorward. While mayoral candidate Dorward isn’t the only candidate who’s going to jump up and down and scream about how Edmonton’s fiscal house is full of feral cats, he’s in the big race and gets most of the coverage.
I don’t know if the term bitch-slap is still politically correct, but that’s what Vue has done to the “taxes bad, spending out-of-control” argument.
Sidebar: Why do business people say you’ve got to spend money to make money but when they run for office they hate when governments spend money to make the city bigger and better?
Vue’s also got a thoughtful piece on the “tough on crime” stuff we always hear about in an election.
While candidates come in various shades of green, the city’s cyclists want to know more about what candidates would do for them.
SEE’s talking about the challenges of downtown. Ward 10 is all about the infrastructure.
And watch for your voting information in the mail.
What else is going on in Edmonton… (more…)
Ghost Mayors …on Planning
Who better to weigh in on the Edmonton election, and the issues facing our city in 2010, then the men who made Alberta’s capital what it is today?
So what if they’re dead? Doesn’t mean they don’t have opinions. Edmonton’s mayors are back from beyond and they have something to say about this city’s future.
In this forum:
Mayor Matthew (Mat) “Warden” McCauley – Edmonton’s first mayor
Mayor William Thomas Henry – The dean of Edmonton’s furniture trade
Mayor William “Wild Bill” Hawrelak – 3 time mayor, twice had to leave office because of land deals, eventually died in office
Playable, downloadable forum after the jump. (more…)
OCtober 5 Edmonton Headlines
Good Tuesday morning, Edmonton.
If you don't stop to play in leaves on the way to work, at least once, you are missing out.
My alternative headline for this morning’s Headlines was “1001 Headlines,” in reference to our 1000th post.
But I thought my typo, with the capital C, set me up for an OC joke and I left it in.
Now…if only I knew something about the OC to make a joke about. All I know is that the show had Peter Gallagher and a kick-ass theme.
Should have gone with 1001.
Hey, you don’t have to wait until October 18, you can vote now!
It looks like Envision Edmonton is nowhere near done. They launched a petition a year late, it failed. They’ve launched an election advertising campaign. Now they’re taking the City of Edmonton to court over the petition to keep the City Centre Airport open. Correct me if I’m wrong, but just because you demand a vote doesn’t mean you get it. Do you think they’ll drag their dead horse to court and smack it around in front of the judge?
Over at the Sun, Andrew Hanon says we will get a plebiscite on the airport.
The Mayor, Stephen Mandel, thinks tax hikes will be more reasonable in coming years. The thing I find most interesting in that story is that the Sun doesn’t go to Dave Dorward for a reaction, but Daryl Bonar. Normally news outlets try to balance stories with the most obvious opponent or critic.
Maybe it’s because Dorward was busy talking about teaching taxi drivers where the best parks are, and when the High Level Bridge was built. He could have also been busy thinking about re-doing all of our LRT plans. What the what?
When you think about, however, it starts to make sense. Dorward wants better taxi drivers because his Edmonton doesn’t have more LRT, so people without cars will need more cabs. He’s crafty.
Ward 7 candidate Brendan Van Alstine is putting his transit money where his mouth is, vowing to donate half of his car allowance to “Donate-a-Ride.” On the topic of transit…I’m hoping this talk of late-night bus service, and better connections between downtown and Whyte Avenue, come to fruition after the election.
And Ward 4 folks don’t like their crumbling roads and sidewalks, and made that known at the candidate’s forum.
There’s some interesting stuff happening outside of the election too… (more…)
Post 1000: An epic of events
Alright, so this post is probably not going to be an epic tale to be told for years to come.
But this is the 1,000th time we hit “publish” and felt confident enough to not quickly hit “delete.” And that’s pretty good in my books.
All that 1,000th business out of the way, there’s quite a bit going on tonight, in terms of the election.
Electioneering with the edmontonian: Ward Fever Pt. 1
People be talking about politics, am I right?! And they be doing it a lot.
I cannot tell a lie* – politics bores me to tears. I get that this makes me a lout, but a few years of technical school and community college aside, I’m completely uneducated. I know that I SHOULD care about the mayor, city council, school boards, etc. And I try to care. But as soon as I endeavour to catch up on current affairs in the news, I quickly discover that there is this huge gap between what everyone else seems to THINK is “common knowledge” and what this commoner actually knows.
Which led me to wonder, “What would it take to get me to get interested?”
I have come to the conclusion, my little monkeys, that it would take someone explaining municipal politics to me as though I were a child, using the only framework I have to operate within: a monosyllabic vocabulary and a lot of pop culture references. And since Jeff has grown weary of me demanding he put everything in terms of old episodes of 30 Rock, I decided to do some research of my own.
So I give you part one of my two part video series on Edmonton’s new-for-2010 12-Ward System; watch for part 2 towards the end of the week. I hope you enjoy it.
*totally a lie
Biting into the Apple Headlines
Dear Messrs. Hewlett and Packard and Gates,
I find your products to be sub-par.
Sincerely,
Jeff
Yes, Edmonton, my computer has finally decided it’s had enough of my zany antics. The team at Geeks on Whyte is in the process of recovering my files before we send that HP laptop to Valhalla. We should probably trash it in some kind of hilarious manner.
I’m now using an older Macbook, so all of this has hastened my entry to the Apple army. Also, for the record, Windows 7 was not my idea because I don’t know jack about programming and it’s clear to me Microsoft should probably hire experts for Windows 8.
In real news…let’s first turn to the election. That zany, Edmonton election. (more…)
10 01 10
Last night Guru Digital Arts College presented "The Fall" at Yellowhead brewery. It was a great way to say goodbye to summer.
It feels like a binary solo kind of day…
Just a few election stories to throw around today. Mandel renews interest in core-area schools. Public school closures is probably one of the biggest issues facing the city. That’s why the Edmonton Public School Board trustee election is so important.
If schools keep closing, and kids are pushed further out to the suburbs to learn, none of the plans for infill housing, the City Centre Airport, transit and LRT, will make a big dent in urban sprawl, carbon footprints, lowering tax rates, or keeping the city in better shape. The new councillors and new trustees elected October 18 have to work together, which may mean standing up to the provincial government.
Arena ‘debate’ quietly simmers on electoral back burner (Oh year…there’s arena stuff or something in downtown…)
from the Edmonton Journal:
Edmonton police gave homeless ‘courtesy ride,’ hearing told
from the Edmonton Sun:
Consultant delivers report on Strathcona County council (This is about a councillor who had his e-mail and cellphone taken away for being mean to staff. Man, writing it like that makes Strathcona County sound like small potatoes.)
Alberta soldiers’ vote AWOL (They can still send in ballots. The votes might just be late. But I doubt there are enough soldiers voting to sway even one council race. And if there are votes in the mail…you just wait to declare a winner in a race that close.)
Local hip hop scene keeps it positive
from Metro Edmonton:
Affordable housing unveiled (A new, $3-million, development in the north end.)
from 630CHED/iNews880:
Edmonton opens one-of-a-kind North American facility
from CBC Edmonton:
Greyhound asks to cut Alta. routes (Yet, they’re fighting the C-line between the airport and Century Park LRT.)
Police officer charged with assault (Not his first time either.)
Youths charged in Rio Terrace vandalism spree (Boys will be boys?)
from CTV Edmonton:
Province posts workplace safety records online
from Global Edmonton:
Prentice reveals experts who will review oilsands-pollution claims (If the report on pollution in the Athabasca River is in a peer-reviewed publication wouldn’t that already mean it’s legit? Meanwhile…back at the house oil built…a call for renewable energy ideas…)
Jewelry store arrest (One arrest has been made but police are still looking for four more men.)
from CityTV Edmonton:
Initiative to cub robberies (Police are encouraging banks and businesses to encourage people to take off some items of clothing.)
I am not all that surprised that James Cameron’s visit to Alberta isn’t making headlines outside of our borders. That’s kind of why I was making fun of Edmonton newsrooms all week.
Speaking of newsrooms covering stuff that really won’t change any of our lives…watch for otter overload.
Edmonton Dipstick Headlines
Don't you just hate how blogs are so biased and lack journalistic integrity? Why can't those bloggers get upstanding, respectable, paying jobs in a newsroom already?
Hello Edmonton!
SEE Magazine’s got a couple of election-focused stories this week. They’ve got a beginner’s guide to voting, why the school board vote matters, and how Stephen Mandel doesn’t appear to have a viable opponent, yet most of the ward races look pretty good.
Metro thinks Ward 3 is going to be the big one.
The Examiner also asks if most people really even see a choice in the mayor’s race. Maybe that’s why there wasn’t interest from U of A students in an event hosted at the U of A.
Vue’s look at organized labour’s role in the municipal election.
One candidate, in my ward actually, is asking where Edmonton’s aboriginals are in this election race.
from the Edmonton Journal:
Giant housing proposal worries Beaumont (It’s for a new city, south of Edmonton.)
Three Jasper women win case against CN (Nobody has to move! I wonder if I could make similar arguments against a transfer without having children.)
Did you read Broken Pencils, the great series on First Nations education?
from the Edmonton Sun:
Cameron ‘quite open’ to filming in Alberta: Blackett (Be careful what you wish for Mr. Minister. He might film something that’s not as quietly about environmental destruction and greed.)
Province sets new mark for oil and gas land sales
from 630CHED/iNews880:
St. Albert council approves H4H project (Finally!)
Beverly Motel re-opening (What’s the over/under on this being closed, again, by the end of the year. I’m going to say it will be if it’s inspected by then.)
from CBC Edmonton:
Man wants officer charged with attempted murder (He was shot at 7 times, hit 4. His case was thrown out due to “excessive force.”)
from Global Edmonton:
Graffiti program (Wiping it away on the LRT route.)
from Vue Weekly:
They consulted, but did they listen?
A question of action (You didn’t miss the other oilsands stories in all of this James Cameron coverage, did you? Because it’s been Cameron! Cameron! Cameron! More Cameron! Did anybody ask the tough questions though? Like, why we never got True Lies 2?! Seriously though, read that editorial from Vue.)
September 29 Edmonton Headlines
Good morning, Edmonton. Let’s just jump right into some election news.
One mayoral candidate is offering up an idea of pre-paying your taxes. So, next year, you could put in your 2011, 2012, and 2013 taxes. If lots of people did this it would put extra money into city accounts ahead of time. I’m just not sure how it would work if taxes needed to go up. Would we face a massive hike in two or three years out?
Another mayor-hopeful thinks LRT and transit safety is key. Even though Dave Dorward’s numbers might not add up. And his call for zero-tolerance against troublemakers on transit would come on top of the current…uh, zero-tolerance against troublemakers on transit. Thanks for coming out!
Next he’ll be telling us he wants to extend the LRT to the west and Mill Woods, build an interchange at 23 Avenue, and plow the streets in winter.
You know, sometimes you just need to stay away from the boring, “taxes are bad, umm-kay,” guys and choose someone with vision. Even though it doesn’t always come cheap.
Wards 6 and 9 had their forums last night. Crime and the airport topped the topics. Of course the City Centre Airport will be an issue in Ward 2. That’s the ward the airport is actually in.
And the current mayor may not have voted for himself if time-traveling. I don’t make this stuff up. (more…)
Fall’s summerish Headlines
It's always weird when the leaves change colour, yet it's 20+ degrees.
Good morning, Edmonton. Are you enjoying this second blast of summer? I can’t believe I was wearing shorts (shorts!) on Saturday. Just awesome.
Some election news this Monday morning…
Ron Hayter and Dave Thiele are pocketing some cash as they leave behind city council.
The Edmonton and District Labour Council is out with its selections for the vote.
Some Edmonton bikers, of the motorcycle variety, are still peeved about a new noise bylaw and want to make that an issue for the October 18 election.
Last week we talked about how Envision Edmonton was asking towns, cities, and municipalities throughout Northern Alberta for some money to help fund their efforts. They are finding some cash that way. They won’t say how much, or from where, though.
Whatever the issue, hopefully it starts engaging more people in politics.
And one candidate is out 1,000 signs after a shed fire.
—–
Canadian-born Hollywood director James Cameron is expected in Alberta this week. He’s going to be taking a look at the oilsands. You are going to hear about this lots. This is all about PR though.
Meanwhile, the province is calling in some independent scientists to compare government water studies and a recent peer-reviewed report. The recent report said the oilsands were polluting waterways, while the government isn’t seeing the same thing.
Graham Thomson has some thoughts on an oilsands “victory” last week. And Edmonton-Strathcona NDP MP Linda Duncan’s got a federal report out on the oilsands.
—–
Finally, a winning weekend for Edmonton’s teams. (more…)
In case you missed it…
…check out our video on demand of Saturday Night with Samsonow! The latest episode is from September 25, featuring a report on the Dawson Bridge from The Unknown Studio’s Adam Rozenhart, and School Board Trustee Candidate Sarah Hoffman!
Saturday Night with Samsonow: Sept. 25
It’s Saturday night, and we know what you want, Edmonton.
Feel free to make yourself a delicious Samsonowich and enjoy the show.
You want a live talk show, broadcast over the Internet, from the comfort of my living room.
At 9pm, if you click that video above, you are going to get exactly what you want. You’re welcome.
Tonight’s guest is Sarah Hoffman, Ward G Edmonton Public School Board trustee candidate. And we’ve got a special report on the Dawson Bridge from Adam Rozenhart. Plus, Pepe is here.
Innocent until proven Headlines
It's a balloon kind of morning.
We made it to another Friday, Edmonton. Yay!
You know, in this age of instant information there’s always a risk of short attention spans.
Anyone want to grab some cinnamon buns this morning?
Wait…where was I?
Oh yeah, a big story this morning is a former Edmonton Public School Board teacher being charged with sexual assault. You’ll find this story from all newsrooms.
The thing I find interesting is that everyone is naming him. When, just this week, we saw a teacher who had also been named found not guilty. I bet his innocence won’t help his community reputation or future teaching prospects though.
I worked at a radio station in Winnipeg where the news director didn’t want news staff to name those charged with sexual assault. If they were convicted it was fair game, but not until then. I understood why, but really got it after covering cases where people, including one teacher that comes to mind, were found not guilty. I think I’m back on that bandwagon.
We also learned the lesson, about waiting until trial, in the manslaughter case of a group of teens charged with killing a man on a city bus. It turned out he was drunk, started an argument, got physical, and then died from a rare pinhole tear in an artery, aggravated by one of the defensive punches from the boys. But, until the preliminary hearing, we had heard a story about a gang of young thugs swarming a man on a bus.
Back to sexual assaults… Is it that difficult of a decision for newsrooms to make to leave out the name? They did it with the girl who murdered her family in Medicine Hat. (Because if they had named the family, as news outlets in Medicine Hat did, they wouldn’t have been able to say a girl murdered her family. It would have identified a young offender.)
If newsrooms can’t remember how wrong it ends up making them look, when an innocent person’s life is ruined, does it speak to short attention spans? Or is a lack of caring (perhaps rooted in “objectivity”)?
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In the 2010 municipal and school board elections… (more…)
They have news on the Internet now
That moon looks fake.
Welcome, officially, to fall. Did you see that great Harvest Moon last night. Lots of people are talking about it.
Following up on yesterday’s opinion on news objectivity and transparency…
My thoughts about Scott McKeen just up and running for office, putting his more recent columns under the microscope, kicked off quite a bit of debate on Twitter. (I got plenty of DMs from other journalists too.) It even sparked something of a response from newly-returned (to Edmonton) columnist Todd Babiak.
Though, Babiak’s not really addressing the same thing I was and I think that confused some people I was chatting with on Twitter. The Journal, and the Sun (and all newsrooms), will cover the election as good as they ever have. I don’t question that. They’ll treat Scott McKeen and Kerry Diotte (former Sun columnist) the same they would any other candidate. Or they’ll hear about it.
I’m musing about how a newsroom, like the Edmonton Journal, can purport to be “objective” when it’s got a columnist running for office with no cooling off period between writing about City Hall and the the city. He should have quit months ago, written openly about what was happening (instead of quietly being shuffled off the page), been cut from the Journal, or not run at all.
You might remember that Metro had Brendan Van Alstine writing about transit (he ran the Transit Riders Union of Edmonton, TRUE), but the free-daily put an end to his column after he announced he’d be running for council in Ward 7, last summer.
That’s what I expected from the Journal. Since McKeen was being re-assigned when he decided to run it would have been the perfect opportunity for a column explaining how he came upon the decision in an epiphany. Or, if that wasn’t the case, how he’d actually been thinking about it even as he was writing his columns. It would have been a proactive way of reminding people to consume news with a critical eye. Instead, it leaves some reading it with a cynical eye.
The Journal should have also asked him to leave their staff. He may be on a leave of absence but that means he’ll still have to tell them if he’s coming back, which means he’s still with them. The paper could have taken a stand, to try and uphold its reality of objectivity. It actually would have been a nice bit of transparency too.
It’s a slightly different scenario (the timing between last summer and one month to the election is different), but kudos to Metro (I won’t be throwing those around a whole lot). While I don’t think there is true objectivity in news, you’ve got to give it to those who will try to stick by it.
—–
My soapbox put away until next time, let’s see what else is going on in the 2010 election… (more…)
Park(ed) it
Today is World Car-Free Day.
Now, being in such a car-loving city, I don’t expect you all knew that. Heck, I don’t own a car and didn’t know that (until prompted by e-mails from the City of Edmonton).
The event has begun and runs until 7pm. 151 Street will be shut down to traffic between 100 and 102 Avenues. Take that, rush-hour!
If you head over to the Park(ed) event it’s going to be similar to the one that took place one Saturday this summer. There will be yoga, and dancing, and cycling, and general non-vehicle good times. It really is neat to stand in the middle of a street, that should be open to traffic, and walk around like you own the place.
I’d like to think, even in our car-city, we do better than Toronto today.
Maybe next year it can be a day of free transit in Edmonton?
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Don’t forget about Edmonton election candidate forums. Tonight there are two forums, in the wide-open races.
Ward 11′s forum is at J. Percy Page High School (2707 Millwoods Road) from 7-9pm. This is a ward with no incumbent candidate so it should be a good one. Shane Bergdahl, Kerry Diotte (former Sun columnist), Vishal Luthra, and Chinwe Okelu (who’s run a number of times, coming close last time) are ones to watch. See, it’s going to be a good race.
Ward 3′s forum is at the same time at Londonderry Junior High School (7104 144 Avenue). 3 also doesn’t have an incumbent because Ron Hayter decided to hang it up after 87 years on council (I may be rounding up). Dave Loken and Terry Demers (Hayter’s former assistant) are likely the ones to watch.
With no incumbents these really are forums everyone can be interested in. Don’t forget, you can watch, and even ask questions, online.
That means you can be a part of the process and not even have to wear pants. (If you’re at home! Please be at home when not wearing pants.)
Objectively Transparent Headlines
Some fall colours for you. Say, do you think I can eat THOSE berries?
Enjoy that sunshine, Edmonton.
It’s nice to see all that blue sky. Maybe we’ll get a taste of some lovely fall weather after all. Maybe…
—–
Last night was the Ward 7 candidates forum. That’s TonCat’s ward (Tony Caterina), and he’s facing four other people. The two main competitors are Brendan Van Alstine, who’s been campaigning since last year and is a recognized community volunteer, and Scott McKeen, the Edmonton Journal columnist.
Now, today’s Sun story says this: Ex-columnist taken to task for NIMBY column but I don’t think he’s an EX-columnist if he still works for the Journal. They may re-assign him if he loses the election but that’s not known at this point.
I think he should have quit before running. Or the Journal should have cut him loose.
Here’s why:
The Journal, like most newsrooms, stands firmly in the journalism camp of “Objectivity.” We, here at the edmontonian, don’t really think there’s much of that in news, and stand in the camp of “Transparency.”
But, because the Journal thinks its news coverage is objective it shouldn’t have a council candidate on staff. It’s for the same reason they don’t have regular columns from politicians and government staff.
(In a bit of cut-throat business, Postmedia is laying people off and offering buyouts, it’s the perfect opportunity to save some cash for the Journal.)
If they could just admit that choosing what gets covered, how much coverage it gets, who they talk to for quotes, how they lay out the paper, what stories they ignore, and a bunch more stuff actually makes their news coverage subjective they could keep McKeen on staff.
Instead, we have to look back at (at least) his last few columns and wonder if he was already thinking of running, or had been approached. It just makes the Journal look bad.
Now, I should note, I like McKeen as a candidate. He’s smart, funny, and seems to have a lot of the same urban values I want to see in my Edmonton. He and Van Alstine are fine choices for Ward 7. This is just about the journalism stuff. I have the same opinion for news folk jumping into PR or media relations without missing a beat, especially to work for government or politicians.
As for former Edmonton Sun columnist Kerry Diotte running in Ward 11, he hasn’t work at the paper for a year so I think he’s just fine and dandy.
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Let’s see what else is happening in the election today… (more…)
Sep 22, 2010 | Categories: NEWS | Tags: brendan van alstine, carson daly, comments, edmonton, election, forum, headlines, journal, kerry diotte, objectivity, scott mckeen, september 22, toncat, transparency, ward 7 | 6 Comments »