Calgary Proposals

[CrossedTheTracks]

Originally Posted by Doug

I mean Alberta receives less in per capita direct Federal funding than do other Provinces. It is double equalization.

How do you figure... where is the "double"? https://www.fin.gc.ca/fedprov/mtp-eng.asp shows that each province receives $1388 per capita for the Canada Health Transfer and the Canada Social Transfer -- this does not change for each province.

Equalization payments is where the difference comes in (once!), providing a minor per-capita bump for some provinces (e.g., Ontario), and a massive per-capita bump for others (PEI, NS, NB).

[jawagord]

Originally Posted by MasterG

So in effect, equalization is more about wealthy individuals regardless of location (therefore more income and sales taxes) paying into a fund that gets distributed to less wealthy people.

The only thing that "screws" Alberta (if that's what we think is happening) is that Alberta is unusually wealthy. Our per capita spending (GST receipts) are 40% higher than the Canadian average and our income (despite the recent recession) is still far higher than the Canadian average.

Sorry Robin Hood but Equalization doesn't take from the rich and give to the poor. Equalization is a federal government program that takes some of its general revenue (paid by rich and poor taxpayers and businesses from across Canada) and gives that money to some very wealthy and established provinces (not to poor people) according to a formula comparing fiscal capacities.

The problem for Albertans is the formula favours other provinces and the Alberta government gets none of this revenue to use to deliver services but its citizens and businesses have paid and continue to pay taxes that go into this program (ditto for Sask, NFLD, BC).

There are lots of articles describing what is wrong with the formula (not accounting for discounted hydropower - Quebec, BC, MB; including non-renewable resource revenue which is a one time income and not a sustainable revenue, 3 year averaging, etc.). FP has a good article on some of this.

What is really bizarre is that a seriously flawed program like equalization has status quo defenders?

http://business.financialpost.com/opinio...ion-has-a-nice-juicy-payout-just-for-you

[geotag277]

I think equalization deserves a rethink. Natural resource revenues such as hydro are excluded when there is a really strong case they shouldn't be (renewable energy contributing to fiscal capacity) and other natural resource revenues are included which disproportionately affects places like Alberta making them seem to have giant outsized fiscal capacities.

People seem quick to jump to either the two extremes of "equalization is completely unfair" or "equalization shouldn't be touched". Equalization as a program can be improved, and there is a case that Alberta isn't getting a fair deal.

At the end of the day, equalization is a tax. The way to think about it is that all citizens of Canada who are high income earners are taxed this amount, and this amount goes into Federal government general revenues, and in turn a blank check is written to provinces on how to spend the money. Alberta has a high number of high income earners, and so we contribute disproportionately to Federal general revenues.

Are blank checks to provinces the best use of our tax dollars? Should Alberta itself be keeping more of the tax rate headroom which is being lopped off by this Federal program in the form of blank checks? Should we have more checks and balances in place so that equalization is not itself a blank check, but rather goes to ensuring equal level of services such as the health transfer?

All of these are valid questions, and shouldn't be dismissed.

Maybe Canada should carve out equalization into a sovereign wealth fund like Norway? Maybe Canada should earmark ALL natural resource revenues (including hydro) as part of fiscal capacity calculations and build such a fund. Maybe oil and gas should be excluded from the calculations entirely just like hydro. Maybe provinces should have increased taxation powers to cover the Federal headroom of questionable tax programs like equalization - that way Ontario and Alberta can have more fiscal freedom to cover their own social programs.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by Doug

I mean Alberta receives less in per capita direct Federal funding than do other Provinces. It is double equalization.

Would be good to re-visit that raw data. What source are you using?

[roman]

Originally Posted by suburbia

Would be good to re-visit that raw data. What source are you using?

what does this topic have to do with calgary proposals?

[topdog]

Originally Posted by roman

what does this topic have to do with calgary proposals?

I was just about to say to you that you must be new here, but you've been here since 2005. You should know by now that discussion usually doesn't match the thread topic. Someone need to write an algorithm that matches discussion to thread topic.

[lubicon]

Nice to see this proposal not moving ahead. A poor choice of project for this parcel in my opinion. Hopefully the developer can find a way to make it work the way it was originally intended.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/westbrook-lrt-soccer-dome-withdrawn-matcoo-1.4642292

[darth_henning]

Originally Posted by lubicon

Nice to see this proposal not moving ahead. A poor choice of project for this parcel in my opinion. Hopefully the developer can find a way to make it work the way it was originally intended.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/westbrook-lrt-soccer-dome-withdrawn-matcoo-1.4642292

I don't mind the concept of a soccer dome if its integrated as part of a mixed-use development in some way that doesn't kill space (say for example as a link between two buildings) but as proposed it wasn't a good use of space.

[Corndogger]

Just saw this on Twitter.

Anthem Properties plans to redevelop 1724 Westmount Boulevard NW

Initial plans are for a 3 story 84-unit complex. They go to the planning commission in the fall for approval and hope to start construction next spring. Here's the website for the project which includes some renderings.







https://1724westmount.com/

[milomilo]

I like the form. More of that please. Looks similar (in form) to the brick ones down the road on 30th St.

[Chadillaccc]

Riverwalk | Mission/Cliff Bungalow | 12 storeys | 45 meters | Campion Properties | S2 Architecture

[Corndogger]

Battle brewing over proposed mega-mall on outskirts of Calgary





The city and Rocky View County are set to spar over a proposed mega-mall on Calgary’s eastern periphery that officials fear will put a heavy strain on the city’s transportation network and emergency services.

But the reeve of Calgary’s rural neighbour says the spat needn’t have come to this point, and the fact that it will end up before a provincial board is likely politically motivated rather than a belief that the major development is poorly planned.

“Nobody denies that the city of Calgary is the hub of the wheel in this region,” Rocky View Reeve Greg Boehlke said.

“But they’re afraid of competition and they want to be the be-all and end-all of the region. This is a horrendous waste of taxpayer dollars.”

Next month, representatives from the city and county will appear before the province’s Municipal Government Board to discuss objections to the county’s OMNI Area Structure Plan, which envisions a massive retail and outlet centre, restaurants and cafes, three boutique hotels, a children’s creative zone, a senior’s living community and a large office campus.

At just over 517 hectares, nearly twice the footprint of CrossIron Mills near Balzac on the city’s northern limits, the plan proposed by the county and Genesis Land Development Corp. also envisions at least 1.4 million square feet of retail and industrial space east of Stoney Trail and south of Country Hills Blvd. N.E., just outside city limits.

Full story at: http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news...al&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1530312191

[DizzyEdge]

Can anyone comment on why the CFD would need to respond to County calls?

[s211]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

Can anyone comment on why the CFD would need to respond to County calls?

Services sharing agreement, I'd hazard.

[SEsupporter]

Forget 2026 olympics bring on 2030's Alberta expo,worlds fair.
This will revitalize calgarys downtown and bring needed private,corporate and all levels of government infrastructure.

create an Alberta vision without the olympics


Calgary keeps trying to catch up which creates cost overruns, forced projects and council mistrust.
Examples: double green line lrt cost, 14 st sw and 17 ave se brt, bike lanes, downtown library, costly art projects, renovated 60 year old Mcmahan stadium etc...

Envision an increased enthusiasm and can do Alberta attitude. An Alberta lower cost 6month long World Expo. New permanent infrastructures highlighting Alberta,Canada and our proud international citizens and our talents. 
Newly built private or shared cost high speed Calgary downtown-airport-Red deer-Edmonton airport-downtown train, Calgary Next sports facility, start an environmental train to canmore and banff. Less vehicle use in Southern Alberta and start deerfoot improvements immediately.
Expand our international movie studio. Perhaps an indoor year round waterpark/aquarium at firepark max bell lrt 

Perhaps create a department to share our creative ideas on how unique Southern Alberta could be.
we are visionaries not quitters and positive changes will start in every sector.

[MalcolmTucker]

LOL. They require a comparable subsidy for the shorter 3 month expos to the Olympics, and all you are left with are a bunch of small modular buildings plus a few show pieces if you decide to build them. Probably parking lots along the rail tracks would be most likely, and either you'd build them to become a bunch of CRUs (more expensive - they'd have to be winterized and serviced), or they'd all be taken down immediately.



All the cost but with a tenth of the international media exposure. Sounds like a winner! Can you name the last three Expo hosts? I couldn't. The last I can remember is Shanghai. And this is speaking as someone who has traveled to go to an Expo in Europe, and I own a hoodie from the Calgary 2005 bid!


The Edmonton proposal in the late 2000s had this financial info for a 2017 bid:

-The budget includes $1.7 billion for construction, $386 million to operate the event, $55 million to subsidize poor countries that want to take part and $22 million for the bidding process.
-Governments would pay $2 billion, with the remainder covered by admissions and corporate sponsorship.

[DizzyEdge]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

LOL. They require a comparable subsidy for the shorter 3 month expos to the Olympics, and all you are left with are a bunch of small modular buildings plus a few show pieces if you decide to build them. Probably parking lots along the rail tracks would be most likely, and either you'd build them to become a bunch of CRUs (more expensive - they'd have to be winterized and serviced), or they'd all be taken down immediately.



All the cost but with a tenth of the international media exposure. Sounds like a winner! Can you name the last three Expo hosts? I couldn't. The last I can remember is Shanghai. And this is speaking as someone who has traveled to go to an Expo in Europe, and I own a hoodie from the Calgary 2005 bid!


The Edmonton proposal in the late 2000s had this financial info for a 2017 bid:

I agree with you in general, but the "create an Alberta vision without the olympics" is tantalizing idea. But I also agree about its much lower profile. So is there a way Calgary could create an interesting enough or unique enough expo that it would raise its profile. More of a rhetorical question but I am curious. Particularly since in my mind the Olympics mostly raises a city's profile as a tourist destination, whereas the expo could be more business-focused.

[MalcolmTucker]

Expos IMO haven't been a business thing in a long while-beyond the general media exposure. And the media exposure by either is part of the business side-hard to be considered for an expansion if people don't know you exist. We are Canada's Adelaide or Perth. Mindshare is half the battle.

[SEsupporter]

I agree that the world would notice Alberta as future innovators focusing on human potential benefitting society.
I feel that everyone who attended expo 67 montreal and expo 86 vancouver remember the future vision that canadians presented to the world. I was wide eyed as a child in 86 riding the above ground lrt ,seattles monorail/space needle,spokanes riverfront gondola and the amazing human experience,innovation and infrastructure created for such expo ventures.
We dont need to always be so narrowly focused about what expos etc.. dont do. Can we dare to imagine "what if we.." and gain all government and much private,corporate participation where for example the flames owners,players/major bank with naming rights want to build an iconic and unique facility like calgary next with their own money? What if we build the first privately funded unique environmental hyperloop train to red deer and edmonton and banff in canada?
I was born in calgary and proudly volunteered here in 88. We may not get another winter games but we are blessed with creative minds and expertise out here to showcase Alberta and Canada in ways very few countries get. Let's work together to stop feuding about what we get for 2 billion funding but envision what all levels and partners etc can collectively create and enhance any investment many times over.Nows our time to think creatively what we can all do to contribute as Albertans and Canadians to society. Let's not just host a month of games for the select few athletes while trying to avoid scandals and cost overruns but an ongoing event,destination location benefitting everyone in some manner.
Im no expert with numbers etc.. but I can dream and offer unique,creative ideas so imagine if many others did the same. Money would be less the issue if we are working towards the collective good. Its time we move forward and find solutions to whats holding us back. How about an agreed upon 5 year freezing of $>50 billion equalization,transfer payments leaving Alberta to rebuild our heritage fund and create jobs for those left unemployed, homeless and requiring social housing for seniors etc..as well as ensuring freedom of speech education, energy,tourism,new agricultural practices,diversification,improved unique health care and research, practices and wait times nearly eliminated?
I'm on board let's make it happen with leaders not followers at all government levels.

[MalcolmTucker]

Lol