YEG - Edmonton Int Airport - Page 296

CanadianCentaur · #**5901** Posted **Jun 13, 2011, 9:17 PM**

Hmmm, that's interesting - I'm flying out to Yellowknife that day!

Jasper and one o nin · #**5902** Posted **Jun 13, 2011, 9:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

... revised design?????

yup

Coldrsx · #**5903** Posted **Jun 13, 2011, 10:28 PM**

"June 13, 2011 (Edmonton, Alta.) — Platinum Investments Ltd. and Edmonton International Airport (EIA) invite news and industry media to attend the ground-breaking ceremony for the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel at EIA.

Date: June 15, 2011
Time: Arrive at 10:15 a.m. sharp (event starts at 10:30 a.m., rain or shine)
Place: Pleasemeet at the Information Booth on the Arrivals Level. You will be escorted to the construction site. Refreshments provided.

Photo opportunities
Exterior design unveiling and ground-breaking ceremony with construction equipment.

Interviews
Platinum Investments Ltd. Director Ali Meghji and EIA President and CEO Reg Milley will be available for interviews after the official ceremonies are completed."

naidoo · #**5904** Posted **Jun 14, 2011, 4:49 AM**

Wow cool, I'll be flying out to Boston by way of Winnipeg (don't ask) and Toronto that morning...

"All the crazy R&D going on now to figure out ways to make the oilsands more profitable and more environmentally friendly will pay dividends in industries we don't even know are remotely related right now."

Hehe, I always get a chuckle reading the hype over 'nanotech' (i.e: what used to be called chemistry and applied physics) etc in these Edmonton forums... I work with the Canada Research Chair for Oilsands Innovation (or whatever it is called), who moved here from Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee last year. His work focuses on nanomechanical cantilevers and other fine things. Actually their group is quite diverse, from nanofabrication to biomedical applications, but yes if there is enough time, maybe there will be an 'innovation' to improve upon the gross inefficiency of oilsands extraction.

There was a change in the head of the NRC, appointed by the Conservative government just before the election. He is essentially a businessman from Calgary, and has what seems to be no science or engineering experience whatsoever. His mandate is to orient the NRC to maximize tech commercialization and business startups. So, this may get your juices flowing...although I am not sure exactly how that may be done. It appears the current Director General of NINT, Nils Petersen, who is a chemist and basic scientist, is being pushed out - possibly in favour of a new business douche as DG that has no understanding of how 'innovation' and 'discovery' actually happens... Suffice to say, I'm not hugely confident that Edmonton will be the nanotech hub you all think it will. The top-down mediation and focus on "tech commercialization" ironically kills creativity, the kind of stuff that actually makes a place like Silicon Valley great. And that's why our tech spin-offs, something like our flagship nanotech spinoff Micralyne, are fairly boring companies. Finally, a troubling new caustic attitude towards basic science research in our country, amongst our national science organizations, will probably inhibit us and lessen our chances to invent, develop or discover something really cool. Everybody knows it's the basic science stuff, that seems pointless and meandering to some, that is the real engine in technology. One only needs to look as far as just before the founding of Google, and the work done on the page-rank algorithm by Sergey Brin...combined with the plucky interest of Larry Page to see something tangible and useful in it, then apply it (i.e: creative thinking, no pressure to do "tech commercialization").

Anyways, I'm totally ranting. I figure this is as good a place as any to do so!

s211 · #**5905** Posted **Jun 14, 2011, 3:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

"June 13, 2011 (Edmonton, Alta.) — Platinum Investments Ltd. and Edmonton International Airport (EIA) invite news and industry media to attend the ground-breaking ceremony for the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel at EIA.

Date: June 15, 2011
Time: Arrive at 10:15 a.m. sharp (event starts at 10:30 a.m., rain or shine)
Place: Pleasemeet at the Information Booth on the Arrivals Level. You will be escorted to the construction site. Refreshments provided.

Photo opportunities
Exterior design unveiling and ground-breaking ceremony with construction equipment.

Interviews
Platinum Investments Ltd. Director Ali Meghji and EIA President and CEO Reg Milley will be available for interviews after the official ceremonies are completed."

They look just like any other low-rent local developer...

http://www.platinuminvestments.ca/

Tell me how they're going to push the envelope. Please.

rapid_business · #**5906** Posted **Jun 14, 2011, 3:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by s211

They look just like any other low-rent local developer...

http://www.platinuminvestments.ca/

Tell me how they're going to push the envelope. Please.

It wasn't them who chose the original design. It was Marriott HQ who wanted to keep design and branding similar to other Marriott projects. I actually head Platinum Investments were fighting hard to have Marriott change the design, but Marriott was having none of it.

Here's to hoping the new design is much better.

LO 044 · #**5907** Posted **Jun 14, 2011, 4:22 PM**

With how long we have waited to get this hotel, we should just be happy it's getting built. Edmonton is unfortunately all about baby steps and i don't see that changing in the foreseeable future.

s211 · #**5908** Posted **Jun 14, 2011, 6:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LO 044

With how long we have waited to get this hotel, we should just be happy it's getting built. Edmonton is unfortunately all about baby steps and i don't see that changing in the foreseeable future.

Really? You'd let a permanent turd of a design sit on that site now instead of holding out for better?

Coldrsx · #**5909** Posted **Jun 14, 2011, 6:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LO 044

With how long we have waited to get this hotel, we should just be happy it's getting built. Edmonton is unfortunately all about baby steps and i don't see that changing in the foreseeable future.

A balance is needed obviously, but that is exactly the kind of talk we need no more of in this city.

CMD UW · #**5910** Posted **Jun 14, 2011, 9:45 PM**

Baby steps? Maybe 5-10 years ago, but I would disagree with that today. Sure there are a number of 'pessimistic' Edmontonians out there but we're coming along. I wouldn't consider the YEG terminal expansion a baby step nor would I consider the push to expand our LRT system a baby step either.

LO 044 · #**5911** Posted **Jun 14, 2011, 9:56 PM**

I agree YEG expansion has been good in fact great but the hotel at EIA was supposed to be built when? How about Port Alberta? How about bus service to YEG? People want to discuss the re-alignment of the LRT downtown because again another group has stood up with NIMBY arguments. The alignment was approved by City Council but now they'll look at it again? Weird. Mandel will not get his moratorium on road construction but if he did it would be 1 step forward 2 steps back. These are facts not pessimism.

LO 044 · #**5912** Posted **Jun 14, 2011, 10:02 PM**

Speak of the devil.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Pumping+Port+Alberta+global+trade/4945952/story.html

“We are working behind the scenes on a strategic plan, on building partnerships and talking with everybody about Port Alberta”.

Can't get anymore vague than that. Maybe someone on here has some insight. Just sayin.

Coldrsx · #**5913** Posted **Jun 14, 2011, 10:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LO 044

I agree YEG expansion has been good in fact great but the hotel at EIA was supposed to be built when? How about Port Alberta? How about bus service to YEG? People want to discuss the re-alignment of the LRT downtown because again another group has stood up with NIMBY arguments. The alignment was approved by City Council but now they'll look at it again? Weird. Mandel will not get his moratorium on road construction but if he did it would be 1 step forward 2 steps back. These are facts not pessimism.

The hotel delay was due to the investors from N.C. pulling out and no one else stepping up until now, even with an atrocious design.

CMD UW · #**5914** Posted **Jun 15, 2011, 3:09 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LO 044

I agree YEG expansion has been good in fact great but the hotel at EIA was supposed to be built when? How about Port Alberta? How about bus service to YEG? People want to discuss the re-alignment of the LRT downtown because again another group has stood up with NIMBY arguments. The alignment was approved by City Council but now they'll look at it again? Weird. Mandel will not get his moratorium on road construction but if he did it would be 1 step forward 2 steps back. These are facts not pessimism.

Notwithstanding the hotel and Port Alberta (which changed direction politically as EIA focused on updating their long range masterplan), we've come forward on a lot of issues. Bus service to YEG exists via the C-Line. The West LRT line isn't likely to move anywhere given that the RFP for engineering design for the entire west and southeast line is out.

LO 044 · #**5915** Posted **Jun 15, 2011, 4:40 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CMD UW

Notwithstanding the hotel and Port Alberta (which changed direction politically as EIA focused on updating their long range masterplan), we've come forward on a lot of issues. Bus service to YEG exists via the C-Line. The West LRT line isn't likely to move anywhere given that the RFP for engineering design for the entire west and southeast line is out.

Bus service to YEG exists only because of funding by the City of Leduc. I guess i'm talking about a service for poeple flying in and out of YEG not workers going to and from YEG for work. Don't get me wrong i hope the 590 does well so councillors get their collective heads out of their you know what and make a smart decision and have a dedicated route to YEG.

In terms of the LRT line, i'm referring to this.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Edmo...te/4877042/story.html?cid=megadrop_story An RFP means nothing. Changes can occur after the project is awarded.

Gary Wayne · #**5916** Posted **Jun 15, 2011, 12:37 PM**

I really am of the belief that if one takes a look at Edmonton as a whole one will see that Edmonton has come a very long way forward. Just like all major cities in Canada we are faced with similar challenges . The biggest challenge being that of money and were do we get it. It all comes down to politics and how much of the burden can the tax payer bear. As soon as the provincial and federal government contribute monies then it is the tax payers outside of Edmonton and Alberta that are also paying for projects like the Edmonton International Airport as well as Port Alberta. It is time that all Edmontonians look beyond what is taking place today and look at the positive impact, that today's decisions will have On Alberta and Canada as a whole .

CanadianCentaur · #**5917** Posted **Jun 15, 2011, 2:34 PM**

I wonder when the people who run the C-Line (Route 590) will ever evaluate as to whether they'll look to increase service to/from YEG. I don't want to have to wait until 2021 to see any improvement in service.

I'm currently at the airport awaiting my flight to Yellowknife on WestJet and used Route 590 to get there. Took the 7:11 am bus, which is the last one in the morning, and noticed there were 10 other passengers in the bus. I hope that's normal for this route by now. Two other bus passengers other than myself got off at YEG - one was an airport employee, the other was a WestJet passenger going to Toronto.

Coldrsx · #**5918** Posted **Jun 15, 2011, 2:57 PM**

...awaiting new and improved hotel design.

s211 · #**5919** Posted **Jun 15, 2011, 3:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

...awaiting new and improved hotel design.

I can't be there for the unveiling, but would love to support someone to go there to cheer if the design rocks, and hurl monkey poo and make a right royal scene if the design is anything less.

CanadianCentaur · #**5920** Posted **Jun 15, 2011, 4:28 PM**

The unveiling ceremony for the hotel looks about ready to take place, as I can see that not only is the hotel site fenced off, but there's a big white double-topped tent on it, the kind you see at outdoor wedding receptions, etc.

There are also a couple of backhoes on that site as well. Hopefully construction will get started really soon. It's been delayed long enough.