Saskatoon Construction II

[Jerry]

Originally Posted by Treesplease

Has dude from the city called you back yet to give information on the circle drive cameras? I miss not being able to check on progress.

Yes Doug Drever called back Monday morning and said they were aware of the issue. Apparently they lost their host and are making every effort to get back up again. No time frame was given.

I have to admit I miss watching the progress as well.

[gowest]

Originally Posted by Treesplease

Has dude from the city called you back yet to give information on the circle drive cameras? I miss not being able to check on progress.

I agree with you. It's funny how much I watch it and when it's not there you realize you might be missing something.

[kgc087]

Originally Posted by socialisthorde

You big city, ivory tower, liberal, namby pamby, soft on crime, logic touting elites are all the same. You gotta have calluses on your hands, pigshit on your boots, and disdain for logic and education to have a say around here boy!

I do have logic and education and well I'm pretty sure I can voice any opinion I want whenever I want. BAHAHA, however, I do enjoy your long list of descriptive statements about what you think people are from Toronto. TOTALLY taking a side track, that's one thing I noticed about coming to Toronto no one here really has a stigma about the west but when I came back to stoon people were shocked I would ever go to Toronto and always referred to me as 'big city', whatever that means. I really wish city councel would look beyond the west and look at how cities such as Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax really approach urban situations. Canada is ONE country and we should really be learning from each other, not grinding each other.

[CCF]

Originally Posted by kgc087

I do have logic and education and well I'm pretty sure I can voice any opinion I want whenever I want. BAHAHA, however, I do enjoy your long list of descriptive statements about what you think people are from Toronto. TOTALLY taking a side track, that's one thing I noticed about coming to Toronto no one here really has a stigma about the west but when I came back to stoon people were shocked I would ever go to Toronto and always referred to me as 'big city', whatever that means. I really wish city councel would look beyond the west and look at how cities such as Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax really approach urban situations. Canada is ONE country and we should really be learning from each other, not grinding each other.

Really? My experience in Ontario has been that they know absolute 0 about Saskatchewan. When I say 0, I mean 0.

[c@taract_soulj@h]

Originally Posted by CCF

Really? My experience in Ontario has been that they know absolute 0 about Saskatchewan. When I say 0, I mean 0.

Hey I lurk this thread and not afraid to admit it lol...I even throw in my 2-cents on what could be developed from time to time and also comment on how impressed I am by this boom y'all are going thru. I even consider moving out your way for a contract or something similar

That said, I guess I speak for 99.8% of Ontarian's

...than again, I am from Hamilton, not Toronto...we smaller town folk do like to think outside the box every once in awhile

[socialisthorde]

Of course that was meant in irony, but unfortunatley, you only need listen to one episode of a call in show to hear most of those terms applied to someone or other the ranters disagree with. And equally unfortunate, there are brighter people (read J.G.) who are more than willing to feed those sentiments to make money or build a reputation. I always hope those folks who call radio shows or write online comments or letters to the editor are a small minority, but sometimes I wonder. I agree wholeheartedly with you kg, that these kinds of predjudices hold us back. O.k., back to construction/development.

[Echoes]

University eyes boost from lease
Development would secure extra cash

By Scott Larson, The StarPhoenix December 7, 2011

The University of Saskatchewan is taking a page out of its own playbook in hopes of bringing in more finances for the next phase of the College Quarter development.

The university has asked for proposals from developers to develop 31 acres in the northeast sector (land at College Drive and Preston Avenue) that would include a hotel, commercial office/ retail space, playing fields and a two-pad hockey rink.

James Cook, manager of business opportunities for the U of S, said the university is looking to lease the land to a developer along the same lines as the Preston Crossing development.

"The revenue that would be generated by the lease would be able to help fund our equity portion of the rink and maybe other university needs as well," Cook said.

The university leases the land at Preston Crossing with the revenue being used to fund undergraduate and graduate scholarships.

The U of S has also looked at different levels of government funding, including a federal program (P3 Canada Fund) that provides support to sport infrastructure programs through private and public partnerships. The P3 application was denied last Friday.

"It looks like that avenue is no longer possible," Cook said, but added officials will go over the application to see if they can resubmit it.

Finding funds within the university for a new rink has been an ongoing problem for many years.

"For a number of years the university has wanted to replace Rutherford Rink," Cook said. "But we've not had a way of providing equity funding to it. It is not like academic projects where we have government support."

So the university has been exploring different ways to come up with funding options.

[....]

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Unive...m+lease/5822103/story.html#ixzz1frnAcYCP

[kgc087]

Originally Posted by CCF

Really? My experience in Ontario has been that they know absolute 0 about Saskatchewan. When I say 0, I mean 0.

But why would you care? It's not like you know a lot about how life actually is in Ontario (I'm assuming). There is a lot more to this province than Toronto and Ottawa. I think that's just the way it is no matter where you are be it Canada, America or Brazil, large countries simply are like that.

[CCF]

Originally Posted by kgc087

But why would you care? It's not like you know a lot about how life actually is in Ontario (I'm assuming). There is a lot more to this province than Toronto and Ottawa. I think that's just the way it is no matter where you are be it Canada, America or Brazil, large countries simply are like that.

Well do I deep down, really care? No - but I was responding to your comment that people in Ontario don't necessarily have a stigma against Western Canada. If that's the case it's because they don't know anything about Western Canada (Vancouver being the exception). I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say "Where in Saskatoon are you from?" (obviously mistakingly referring to Saskatchewan as Saskatoon).

Given that I have lived in the province I don't think you should necessarily assume I don't know anything about Ontario. In fact, sometimes I think I know more than Ontario residents themselves.

[kgc087]

Originally Posted by CCF

Well do I deep down, really care? No - but I was responding to your comment that people in Ontario don't necessarily have a stigma against Western Canada. If that's the case it's because they don't know anything about Western Canada (Vancouver being the exception). I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say "Where in Saskatoon are you from?" (obviously mistakingly referring to Saskatchewan as Saskatoon).

Given that I have lived in the province I don't think you should necessarily assume I don't know anything about Ontario. In fact, sometimes I think I know more than Ontario residents themselves.

Yeah that does happen, I guess it doesn't really bother me. I'm pretty much a spokesperson for Saskatoon here so people know rather quickly all about Saskatoon

[drm310]

Turbine continues to stir up opposition

By Jeremy Warren, The StarPhoenix
December 8, 2011

A group of Montgomery Place residents are confident they can stop the city from building a wind turbine near their Saskatoon neighbourhood.

The Saskatoon Wind Turbine Coalition, which is opposed to the construction of a wind turbine atop the Saskatoon landfill in the city's southwest end, held a forum with about 100 people Wednesday night to discuss the potential adverse health effects of turbines.

"We feel the mayor and city council were not informed when the decision was made to build a turbine," said Montgomery Place Community Association president Barb Biddle. "We don't think it's too late for councillors to put a hold on this." [...]

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/health/Tur...osition/5828235/story.html#ixzz1fxmr5nxs

[Cicero]

They should be pouring all of their energy into getting the land north of the neighborhood rezoned or influencing the developers to build a more appropriate development there. The wind turbine might end up being a waste of money, but that money comes out of everyone's pockets, not just the neighborhood's. I've read the reports, and it won't be heard and felt in any way except in a small area of one home's backyard (if that).

I think this might just be the straw breaking the camel's back, though. Building a freeway, the new city yards, the new switching station for CN, and now a wind turbine and really shitty single use rental apartment blocks next to a neighborhood that already has a grain elevator and the railway running next to it and you're going to get blowback eventually. But they are wasting their time and energy fighting the wind turbine.

[Morogolus]

"The Saskatoon Wind Turbine Coalition" - Oh lord, give me a break.

Wind Turbine Syndrome??

God I hate the people in this city sometimes. Don't these people have anything better to do?

[Kruzat]

Originally Posted by drm310

Turbine continues to stir up opposition

By Jeremy Warren, The StarPhoenix
December 8, 2011

A group of Montgomery Place residents are confident they can stop the city from building a wind turbine near their Saskatoon neighbourhood.

The Saskatoon Wind Turbine Coalition, which is opposed to the construction of a wind turbine atop the Saskatoon landfill in the city's southwest end, held a forum with about 100 people Wednesday night to discuss the potential adverse health effects of turbines.

"We feel the mayor and city council were not informed when the decision was made to build a turbine," said Montgomery Place Community Association president Barb Biddle. "We don't think it's too late for councillors to put a hold on this." [...]

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/health/Tur...osition/5828235/story.html#ixzz1fxmr5nxs

[Kruzat]

Let me clear this up:

Following review, analysis, and discussion of current knowledge, the panel reached
consensus on the following conclusions:
• There is no evidence that the audible or sub-audible sounds emitted by wind turbines
have any direct adverse physiological effects.
• The ground-borne vibrations from wind turbines are too weak to be detected by, or to
affect, humans.
• The sounds emitted by wind turbines are not unique. There is no reason to believe,
based on the levels and frequencies of the sounds and the panel’s experience with sound
exposures in occupational settings, that the sounds from wind turbines could plausibly
have direct adverse health consequences.

http://www.canwea.ca/pdf/talkwind/Wind_Turbine_Sound_and_Health_Effects.pdf

(Yeah, I'm aware who this was prepared for)

[Cicero]

Based on all current scientific knowledge, the wind turbine will cause no adverse health effects, and it will be inaudible to 99.99% of the neighborhood. Making a huge issue out of this will do more harm to property values than the wind turbine alone ever could.

The only thing worth disputing are the economics of the project, and I am not even sure if there are grounds for doing that. According to Saskatoon Light & Power, the project will generate 500,000 dollars annually for 20 years and cost about 5,000,000 dollars in total. They did not produce a paper describing all of the economic particulars, though, so I suppose some could oppose the project for economic reasons if they had sufficient evidence.

The group has a website set up: http://www.saskatoonwindturbine.com/

I am embarassed when medical professionals weigh in on a subject they know nothing about. They are preying on people's hysteria of the unknown (invisible sound waves in the air supposedly cause X illnesses) for their own personal gain. On the subject of wind power, they are charlatans. There is a somewhat famous GP in the States who writes books on the dangers of wind power, even though there is no scientific evidence supporting her claims. This scares people.

All that said, I do wish the setback distance was a bit greater; the turbine is being placed on the edge of the landfill closest to Montgomery. Why not on the opposite edge of the landfil, which would move it 200 - 300m back? This would be more in line with international setback requirements for landfills.

Also, if one wind turbine is so profitable, I would like to see wind farms built. Building one wind turbine in this location has succeeded in riling up Saskatoon's citizens and will do little to offset the fossil fuels used by the city. It is little more than a symbol. Why aren't more wind turbines being built in a location that is rated higher than "marginal"?

[WoodlandCritter]

I'm not sure if many of you are familiar with corporations building urban windmills to generate power (even if its a small amount). Walmart has done this in Milton, and are trying to do it in Burlington from my understanding, but they are having the same arguments from the public as we are getting in Saskatoon now (minus the public money). Also in waterloo there are a few wind towers at the Conestoga Mall. I'm sure there are more places but I just can't think of any off the top of my head at the moment.

I'm all for alternative energy ideas and technology, and it would be nice to see corporate groups and private investors at home take this initiative as well. Do you think if this was done instead of using taxpayer's money to promote this energy source there would be much protest? I don't think so.

I will admit I don't know much about this project because I haven't been following it much. But I bet you a lot of the opposition has to do to the good old saskatoon mentality of change is scary and bad.

[WoodlandCritter]

Also those photos of the Children's Hospital mock-up on the star phoenix website are neat. great to see they are getting the input of the professionals and the people that will actually be working there and dealing with patient care. Great way to have a charette and figure out problems.

[Kruzat]

Interesting rumour:

During consturction of one of the peirs on the CDS Bridge proejct, apparently the rebar cage was blown over, and that could potentially be why the cameras are not up. This is a word of mouth thing, the two could very well be unrelated, just thought I'd throw it out there and see if any one has heard the same thing?

[Jerry]

The camera situation is explained a few posts back.