RAM - Royal Alberta Museum

[Hallsy's Toupee]

http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2011/10...-missing-ram-millions-a-wrinkle-in-time/

Laurie Hawn's election campaign bulletin last spring mentions $85 million for RAM
http://postmediaedmonton.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/03-24-10-hawn-museum-funding-flyer-2.pdf

Just goes to show that Edmonton's Conservative MPs are nothing more than Harper's fartcatchers...they do not serve our city.

[Gary Wayne]

After reading the article for the second time today, I can not express in words my anger towards this government, that Edmonton overwhelmingly has supported. Both the federal and provincial government are full of corruption. However , the biggest problem we have is that the WR is likely the most corrupt of all. All we can do is make the public aware of the truth and force both the federal and provincial government to come clean. I only wish the Edmonton Journal would take that article and put it on the front page of the Journal. It is going to be very interesting to see what happens in the next few weeks. I know that the Liberals will never get elected as the government in Alberta but maybe we should all call the Liberal party and insist that if they want to gain support to expose the corruption of the PCs.

[MalcolmTucker]

The thing is corruption as you define it is breaking a promise I think - but I am not sure. The only way to change how things are done at the highest level is to change the government.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2011/10...-missing-ram-millions-a-wrinkle-in-time/

Laurie Hawn's election campaign bulletin last spring mentions $85 million for RAM
http://postmediaedmonton.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/03-24-10-hawn-museum-funding-flyer-2.pdf

Hawn responds to Paula Simons' blog:
http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2011/10...g-ram-millions-and-a-wrinkle-in-time-ii/

[Gary Wayne]

The problem with changing the government is that one can not be sure of the character of the alternative. What we need to do is expose the governments lye's while at the same time getting the Museum built on time with out making the government look to bad. If the government could be found guilty of a crime the sentence would be for insulting the intelligence of the city of Edmonton and all those Albertans that put both the Provincial and federal PCs in power.

[Xelebes]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2011/10...-missing-ram-millions-a-wrinkle-in-time/

Laurie Hawn's election campaign bulletin last spring mentions $85 million for RAM
http://postmediaedmonton.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/03-24-10-hawn-museum-funding-flyer-2.pdf

Just goes to show that Edmonton's Conservative MPs are nothing more than Harper's fartcatchers...they do not serve our city.

That 85 million was never approved in any budget, nor was it promised by any member of the cabinet after the election. Candidates can make boatloads of promises, but they must have actual sway in the party. Laurie Hawn is relatively new in Parliament and hasn't had much committee positions and those that he has had have all been connected to his specialty - defence and not culture. So while it's all nice that he has promised that 85 million during his election, we should also be aware that that promise had very faint, if any material backing to it. The premier should have known that or, if she did know that, then we can safely say that she didn't like the choice that we got and we may be waiting for a situation where we have more money for a better museum (300 year design as opposed to a 75 or 100 year design.)

[EdmTrekker]

Originally Posted by Xelebes

That 85 million was never approved in any budget, nor was it promised by any member of the cabinet after the election. Candidates can make boatloads of promises, but they must have actual sway in the party. Laurie Hawn is relatively new in Parliament and hasn't had much committee positions and those that he has had have all been connected to his specialty - defence and not culture. So while it's all nice that he has promised that 85 million during his election, we should also be aware that that promise had very faint, if any material backing to it. The premier should have known that or, if she did know that, then we can safely say that she didn't like the choice that we got and we may be waiting for a situation where we have more money for a better museum (300 year design as opposed to a 75 or 100 year design.)

Please don't make excuses for Mr. Hawn. He is a big boy, with an extensive military career with tons of management exp. and had been the MP since Jan of 2006. He personally approved the poster - and won in part because of the information contained therein. NOTHING gets distributed without Harpers PMO Staff approval and Hawn would have had that assurance as to funding. Xelebes you a disservice to the forum by attempting to put up a smoke screen for Hawn.

[Xelebes]

Originally Posted by EdmTrekker

Please don't make excuses for Mr. Hawn. He is a big boy, with an extensive military career with tons of management exp. and had been the MP since Jan of 2006. He personally approved the poster - and won in part because of the information contained therein. NOTHING gets distributed without Harpers PMO Staff approval and Hawn would have had that assurance as to funding. Xelebes you a disservice to the forum by attempting to put up a smoke screen for Hawn.

And yet no money was ever budgeted for that. Approvals for campaign promises flow like milk and honey, but as we all know those campaign promises don't often materialise into the bills.

It is less a smokescreen and more an underwhelming appraisal of Hawn's clout in the party. That promise was ok'd by the PMO, sure, but was it ever more than a footnote in the plethora of promises that come about during campaigns? Did he (they) ever state what budget appropriation that 85 million would come through? Was there ever going to be that room for the 85 million or, if there ever was, when was it going to come through?

[EdmTrekker]

Originally Posted by Xelebes

And yet no money was ever budgeted for that. Approvals for campaign promises flow like milk and honey, but as we all know those campaign promises don't often materialise into the bills.

It is less a smokescreen and more an underwhelming appraisal of Hawn's clout in the party. That promise was ok'd by the PMO, sure, but was it ever more than a footnote in the plethora of promises that come about during campaigns? Did he (they) ever state what budget appropriation that 85 million would come through? Was there ever going to be that room for the 85 million or, if there ever was, when was it going to come through?

Those are the questions being asked by the voters in Edmonton Centre that Laurie Hawn and Stephen Harper have duped. I am such a voter. And I am ANGRY.

[Xelebes]

My passion for the project was doused when the design renderings came out. Bah.

[Black Star]

In an hypothetical situation I wonder if Redford disliked the winning design so much that she put a wrench into the process? Only to press for a new design competition at a later date?

Course I never thought the Oilers would be tied for 1st in the west right now either lol!!

[Gary Wayne]

I think the Provence and the federal government need an arbitrator to mend some fences. Unlike the arena the museum has support from the whole Provence of Alberta. I have know love for either government but we are stuck with both. Therfore , we need to make sure that Edmonton gets heard. I would like to know when both governments are going to meet . I also think that Premier Redford needs to stop hiding behind the bushes and face the media.

[dansk]

Agreed, we need this issue to be resolved...not cancelled as it is seemingly headed towards at the moment. The current response represents the typical, "lets not say anything and hope people forget" attitude.

[Gary Wayne]

If this issue does not get resolved and i was the contractor i would file a claim against the provincial Government for time spent as well as a canceled contract. The government needs to be held accountable for their misleading . Also, premier Redford should not be aloud to cancel the museum as it was approved buy the Stelmach government.

[MalcolmTucker]

By law, one cannot bind the hands of a future government. All but impossible.

[Gary Wayne]

If that is true then if on another note this government was to give a promise of 100 mil for the arena then Edmonton had better bank the money before their is an election ,otherwise if the WR gets elected they can cancel any prior commitments.

[mick]

It's true regarding laws. However, if a government enters into a contract to build something and a subsequent government cancels, the government is on the hook for breach of that contract (see Ottawa LRT debacle with Siemens: city council entered into a design build contract with Siemens for their sLRT; subsequently elected council pulled out. Cost them a boat load to settle with Siemens, as I recall).

[MalcolmTucker]

There was no contract - that is why the government pulled the plug because it didn't have all its ducks in a row, since there was no penalty.

[Gary Wayne]

Well then, i guess Redford has won and we could be weighting a very long time before we see another attempt at a museum ever being built in Edmonton. If ever it does happen i would not as a developer ever trust the Redford government with out having a guarantee in writing that at the time of awarding the contract it be signed into law the same day.

[mick]

I realize there was no contract, but just pointing out that gov't cannot pull out of previous commitments without consequence.