Paulinate : Paulin8

Homelessness & Poverty Inc need to break up

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 22:20:00 +0000

Shocking homeless numbers:

167,000 Canadian orgs spend $34B/year on homelessness. 

An estimated 235,000 Canadians impacted by homelessness/year. 

$34B ÷ 235,000 = $144,680/person/year

But wait, it gets worse.

Every night in Canada, aprox 35,000 Canadians are #homeless.

$34B ÷ 35,000 = $971,428/person/year

"There must be a better, more cost-effective way to achieve results through co-ordinating this confusing jumble of services."

Ya think?

Bringing it All Together: Integrating Services to Address Homelessness

https://www.policyschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Homelessness-Turner-Krecsy-final.pdf

Meanwhile in Calgary, The Death of the World's Largest Community Visioning & Consultation Process

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 22:15:00 +0000

imagineCalgary, Calgary's 100 year plan, is dead.

The iC Plan included 114 targets within 32 goal areas & was developed based on 5 systems: Built Environment System Economic System Governance System Natural Environment System Social System

The city referred to iC in almost every single communique for 15 years, then suddenly poof, no more mention. The department disappeared. No more interaction. Completely abandoned. Then suddenly, a new strategy appears out of thin air.

.

No mention of how #YYC did on 114 targets & 32 goal areas, just the magical appearance of a new strategy initiative. No reference to iC which was heralded by all at

@cityofcalgary

& #yyccc as the largest civic engagement of its type in global history. iC's been ghosted.

And this is how the

@cityofcalgary

bureaucracy functions. Disregard for previous work by citizens/admin because the new bureaucracy needs new projects to justify their existence. So, what's a bureaucracy to do? Throw the baby out with the bathwater & start all over.

After 15 years, no one knows what we did, or didn't, achieve. That's mismanagement & a waste of resources & time. Citizens were deceived, believing that a long term vision was being implemented & that a map/strategy existed for the objective of a better Calgary.

Without independent monitoring, there is no trusted accountability mechanism in place. But holy fuck, did the city ever milk the shit out of iC. And we believed them. Again. The real losers? Our youth, whose future the city routinely abandons.

This blog post highlights the frivolous approach to such an important plan. It's embarrassingly childlike in its execution. This was not the engagement stage, which would have been appropriate, this is implementation.

http://www.the23rdstory.com/hesters-blog/imagine-calgary

With yet another plan in the works, why are we now going to believe this one is "The Plan" when the previous one, The Mother of All Plans, failed so epically?

And this is how the

@cityofcalgary

SOLE: Calgary State of Local Emergency: Applicable Legislation & Bylaws

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 16:57:00 +0000

The safety, health or welfare of Calgarians is decreed in legislation.

1. Emergency Management Bylaw 25M2002 (Calgary/Municipal)

Pursuant to the Emergency Management Act, RSA 2000 c. E-6.8 the council of a municipality is required or authorized to establish committees to declare local emergencies, develop emergency plans and direct emergency response.

Emergency Management Committee

2. Sec 24 of EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACT (Alberta/Provincial)

3. CEMA: Calgary Emergency Management Agency

When the Going Gets Tough, the TUFF Gets Growing. Rebranding the TUC to the TUFF Corridor

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 04:12:00 +0000

When the Going Gets Tough, the TUFF Gets Growing. Rebranding the TUC to the TUFF Corridor
Event page: Rebrand the TUC to TUFF Corridor
https://www.facebook.com/events/534989120766213/

Event Action: Write an email to Minister of Infrastructure Alberta

Background:
Presently referred to as the Transportation & Utility Corridor (TUC), we are seeking a rebranding to the Transportation, Utility, Farm & Food Corridor (TUFFCorridor). This means that 29,000 unused acres in YEG & YYC would also be prioritized for agricultural production and the establishment of an Alberta Food System.

Alberta consumes 66,000,000 food items/day. 24,090,000,000 food items/year.

Developing an Alberta Food System and feeding ourselves is the largest economic development opportunity Alberta has right now.

Event Action specifics:
You can assist this event action by simply writing a brief email to (please cc or bcc us at policy@growcalgary.ca):

To: infrastructure.minister@gov.ab.ca

Subject Access to TUC Land & Rebranding the TUC

Attn Prasad Panda, Minister of Infrastructure Alberta

1. Please identify which lands are available through the TUC Agriculture Lease process.

2. Please send me an application form for this land.

3. Please change the name of the Transportation & Utility Corridor (TUC) to the Transportation, Utility, Farm & Food Corridor (TUFFCorridor) to better reflect its potential.

4. Please use TUFF Corridor land assets to grow food, build a powerful food system, create thousands of JOBS & for #FeedingAlberta.

Respectfully,

Your name

ps You can also cc premier@gov.ab.ca & your MLA.

Post your letters & responses. Together we can get Alberta Growing!

When the Going Gets Tough, the TUFF Gets Growing.

1 year ago Grow Calgary had a commitment for new land from the Alberta Gov + Infrastructure Alberta. This is not an action about Grow Calgary exclusively. It is about access to almost 30,000 acres of unused land in Edmonton & Calgary presently (mis)managed by Infrastructure Alberta so that we can build hundreds, even thousands of farms and projects to stimulate our economy in these unprecedented times. Access to land is step #1 in building an Alberta Food System.

ABC's of an Alberta Food System

A=Access Land
B=Build the small scale infrastructure
C=Cultivate
D=Distribute
E=Eat
Repeat.

A global pandemic & a year later, #FoodSecurity is more important than ever. It is very unfortunate that Infrastructure Alberta manages 29,000 unused acres of land in our 2 largest cities in the arbitrary & myopic manner they do.
They stubbornly refuse to allow access to even small parcels of land (1-20 acres) and they've denied Albertans access to this land for 40 years.

Cuba became so reliant on the Soviet Union for food they failed to create their own food system. When the Soviet Union collapsed, it resulted in severe food shortages for Cuba. Alberta & Canada’s dependence on the USA/China for our food is risky and a gamble we do not have to take.

Enough is enough. Albertans require access to land in order to create new jobs by building an Alberta Food System that is independent, resilient, robust, local and does not rely solely on foreign food production to #FeedAlberta.

Beginning on 01April2020, the joke is no longer on citizens. There is no longer any justification for withholding this enormous land inventory from citizens wanting to build a resilient, robust, accessible, fair & local food system.

A campaign to call out Infrastructure Alberta on their 4 decades of hoarding land is being launched. Join us in asking land assets to be used for growing food, building a powerful food system, creating jobs & #FeedingAlberta.

Now is the time to put pressure on Infrastructure Alberta and convince them that Infrastructure isn't exclusively roads & bridges. A healthy food system should be part of our infrastructure priorities. This is referred to as Social Infrastructure or Heart Infrastructure, as opposed to Traditional/Hard Infrastructure.

Thank you for your efforts everyone!

Growing Together!

Extreme Cold Mismanagement at Emergency Management

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 19 Jan 2020 02:02:00 +0000

18Jan2019

Extreme Cold Mismanagement at Emergency Management

Homeless populations are particularly vulnerable to extreme cold weather. Bitter cold is life threatening to the homeless and other vulnerable individuals.

Contrary to their own official documentation and policy, Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) failed in their duty to respond promptly and effectively to the extreme cold weather event Calgary experienced from 12Jan2020-19Jan2020.

Unlike Edmonton, Calgary has no official policy or protocol on Extreme Cold Weather Response to Protect the Vulnerable.

Edmonton City Extreme Weather Protocol
Edmonton City Policy: Supporting Vulnerable People During Extreme Weather Conditions
Edmonton responds to Extreme Cold

What CEMA was supposed to do, but didn't:

CEMA Annual budget: $5.2M

Indie Initiatives: Image drop

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 18:29:00 +0000

Alberta government breaks promises and reneges on commitment to Grow Calgary Community Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 20:40:00 +0000

Grow Calgary is Canada's largest community farm, providing 300,000 meals a year to Alberta's poor.

Over the years, Grow Calgary has provided food experience and education to more than 18,000 Calgary and area students for free and volunteer opportunities for more than 32,000 people.

Dealing with the Ministry of Infrastructure has been a nightmare for Grow Calgary. They are bullycrats and will say and do anything, even mislead the public, to implement their agenda. The situation with Grow Calgary is an example of the unscrupulous manner in which Infrastructure Alberta operates. The corporate culture of Infrastructure Alberta is septic.

Here's a pic of the senior bureacrats from Infrastructure Alberta coming to Grow Calgary to tell us to immediately vacate and leave the community farm.

Here's the breaking story of the Alberta Government and Infrastructure Alberta breaking their Agreement with Grow Calgary Community Farm, courtesy of Darren Krause at Livewire.

Grow Calgary future uncertain after Alberta backs away from relocation deal

Grow Calgary may have seen its last harvest after a recent letter from the province appears to renege on a $300,000 agreement-in-principle reached earlier this year to move the urban farm.

The group was forced to move from its former northwest Calgary location near WinSport, presumably because it was adjacent to the transportation utility corridor where work is being done on the West leg of Calgary’s ring road. A previous contract for that area had expired.

In late January, a last-minute deal was struck for a new, 15-to-20-acre parcel of land in the city’s southeast, just east of Stoney Trail.

Grow Calgary received a letter from Deputy Infrastructure Minister Shannon Flint dated July 3, outlining what Alberta had already provided the urban farm and that there would be no more support available. LiveWire Calgary has a copy of that letter.

“Throughout this time, a significant amount of public funds has been spent in support of Grow Calgary. With that said, the Province has now entered into a time of fiscal restraint and will no longer be able to provide additional support to Grow Calgary,” the letter reads.

The letter continues by saying that a license for the proposed site is still available, but all remaining expenses must be “resolved” by Grow Calgary.

Celebration of Alberta agriculture

Paul Hughes, president and executive director of Grow Calgary, said the letter comes at an opportune time for the Alberta government – a time when agriculture is being celebrated during the Calgary Stampede.

“It’s in the middle of Stampede, this is all about farms and agricultural history. And here we have the government going after us,” Hughes said.

Grow Calgary opposed the move from the original northwest location, citing no specific explanation from the province why they had to be relocated. Previously, the province told LiveWire Calgary that the contract had simply expired, and they were willing to provide both new locations and financial support to move.

The province did indicate in previous interviews that the land was next to the transportation corridor near the west leg of the new ring road, but they could not confirm what its actual purpose would be in ongoing construction work.

Hughes said the vacated land still has no activity on it and they could have stayed. At least for the interim.

Right now, Grow Calgary’s current project is in the development permit process with the City of Calgary. There was to be work done on an access road (that would have been funded through $200,000 in promised leasehold improvements), and both electricity and agricultural grade water have to be secured.

Hughes said the City has been great to work with; the province, he said, has been an endless mess of hurdles. The agreement was originally crafted by the province, he’s adamant Grow Calgary didn’t ask for anything.

“We’re an example of when citizens take matters into their own hands, and try to find solutions to address this health, nutrition and food access issue,” Hughes said.

“So, we don’t really ask the government for anything. Initiatives like ours should be encouraged.”

Grow Calgary future unclear

Two requests by LiveWire Calgary for further details have been made to the Province. Neither one had been acknowledged or responded to at the time of publishing this story. If and when the province responds, it will be included in the story.

The Alberta government letter did state that they’d helped find a new location. It also said they’ve provided clean up support for the previous site, logistical support for the relocation of machinery, provided opportunities for volunteers to move dirt and trees. It also said it provided a new licensing agreement.

(Hughes said the tree and soil-moving opportunities were in winter when the ground was frozen.)

Hughes isn’t sure what the future holds for his organization. The leasehold upgrades aren’t affordable for the non-profit, volunteer-driven group, without the agreed-upon provincial help. It essentially brings things to a standstill.

“I guess they’ve decided to pick a community farm that grows food for giveaway to social agencies as where they’re going to start doing fiscal restraint. We’re going to be the ones that lead that charge?” Hughes said.

“I don’t want to play the victim. We just want to get our farm up and running.”

Over the years, Grow Calgary has provided food experience and education to more than 18,000 Calgary and area students and volunteer opportunities for more than 32,000 people, according to Hughes.

Healthy Heroes + Veterans Association Food Bank + Bite Club

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 22:21:00 +0000

My logo design (Precision tuning by Blackwater Creative) being used for the Veterans Association Food Bank!
Cool to see these donation boxes around the community.
Next step in advancing healthy food access is the adoption of another idea I have called Healthy Heroes.
1st pilot ran succesfully!

2017 Calgary Municipal Election: Candidate for Mayor: Paul Hughes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 18:20:00 +0000

2017 Calgary Municipal Election: Candidate for Mayor: Paul Hughes

twitter: @paulyhughes
facebook: Paul Hughes for Calgary https://www.facebook.com/PaulHughesYYC
instagram: @PaulHughesYYC
Paulin8/Paulinate Blog: Paulin8/Paulinate Blog
Cell: 403.383.3420
email: paul@growcalgary.ca

Zipper Merge in YYC

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 08 Nov 2015 22:00:00 +0000

It is estimated that the Zipper Merge can reduce congestion times by over 40%. Apply that to all Calgarians, 365 days a year and you have a whoppingly huge amount of time not spent at construction and road delays in Calgary.

The City of Calgary can assist by placing signs at construction sites & road delays announcing Zipper Merge (which is the legal/proper way to merge anyway, as opposed to the arbitrary nature of someone who decides I'm going to merge here, 400 metres from the proper merge point).

1,000,000 Seeds! Grow Calgary gets mega seed money from Grade 7 class

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 04:09:00 +0000

A plan sprouted by city Grade 7 students to help feed vulnerable Calgarians grew into a donation to help purchase one million seeds.

Back in December, Lisa Hood, teacher at the Calgary Girls’ School, told her leadership class about Grow Calgary. Within a matter of days, the girls held a fundraiser and rounded up almost $900 for the cause.

After the class participated in the Stuff-a-Bus campaign, they noticed that a majority of donated food was processed or boxed. Twelve-year-old Carly Cheung, one of the girls in the class, said that she wanted to help people have access to healthy options.

“I imagined myself in the position of someone who didn’t have the nutritious food that we have,” she said.

“And if you have a family, it would be even worse, because it’s one thing to not be able to feed yourself, but it’s another thing to know there are a whole bunch of people who you love that you can’t feed either. That really motivated me.”

The Grow Calgary farm is Canada’s largest urban garden. It sits on an 11-acre plot of land, with volunteers growing fresh produce for the Calgary Interfaith Food Bank. Paul Hughes, who organized the massive effort, said the girls’ effort is “inspiring to the entire organization.”

He said the donation will not only pay for one million seeds for the next harvest, but will also be used to invest in their “seed farm,” which cultivate seeds that can thrive in Alberta.

“What the seed farm is doing, and what the girls are contributing to, is the development of a local seed that is resilient for the Calgary environment,” he said.

Anjali Ford, 12, said she didn’t expect to raise so much money, but now that they have, she feels like she made a difference.

“I feel really proud because we came up with this idea ourselves,” she said. “It’s one thing for a teacher to have you do something, but it’s a whole other things to do something really big by yourself.”

Hood said that the girls were inspired by the fact that Grow Calgary was helping to feed those in need in a new way, and they wanted to help any way they could.

“And a million seeds later – here we are,” she said.

The class is hoping to help plant the seeds in the spring.

Calgary Girls' School Blog: https://cgsecogirls.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/it-starts-with-a-seed/

Twitter: Grow Calgary @GrowCalgary

Twitter: Calgary Girls' School @CalGirlsSchool

Facebook: Grow Calgary

Original story:
http://metronews.ca/news/calgary/1292416/grade-7-class-donates-one-million-seeds-to-grow-calgary/

Canada's Largest Urban Farm Feeds the Needy: Grow Calgary

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 20:24:00 +0000

Canada's Largest Urban Farm Feeds the Needy: Grow Calgary

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r6sOiQ1W20A

In 2013, nearly 130 000 Calgarians turned to the Calgary Interfath Food Bank (CIFB) for help. 42% of emergency hamper recipients are children.

Grow Calgary is a volunteer led, food access initiative that aims to provide the CIFB with fresh, organic, locally grown produce to supplement Emergency Food Hampers. Now in our 2nd season, Grow Calgary's 1300+ volunteers have turned an 11 acre parcel of land on the Transportation & Utility Corridor (Ring Road), just off the TransCanada Highway west of Canada Olympic Park, into Canada’s largest urban farm and food access program.

Grow Calgary subscribes to repurposing, upcycling and innovative reuse of construction/industrial material to build our small scale food production infrastructure.

Grow Calgary is part of the compassionate local food system of Calgary. We do not sell any of our 14 varieties of produce and all the food we grow goes exclusively and directly to the CIFB.

Grow Calgary aligns with numerous City of Calgary and Province of Alberta policies and fundamentally believes every Calgarian, Albertan & Canadian has a right to quality, nutritious food.
Grow Calgary helps those in need provide superior dense nourishment for their families.

Grow Food, Grow People, Grow Calgary.
Twitter/Instagram @growcalgary
Facebook: Grow Calgary
farm@growcalgary.ca 403.383.3420

PPCLI 100 RIPE: Regimental Independent Patricia Events

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 19:56:00 +0000

PPCLI 100 Regimental Independent Patricia Events (RIPE) are for all Patricia's and all Canadians to participate in to celebrate our 100th Regimental Birthday!

PPCLI 100 Ride to Edmonton

The Most Significant Obstacles to a Robust Local Food System in Calgary

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 18:18:00 +0000

#yyc #yyccc #food #urbanag #LFS #LocalFoodSystem #FoodAccess

I remember a meeting with Chima Nkemdirim @chimaincalgary (Mayor Nenshi's @Nenshi Chief of Staff) in late 2010. He asked me what my business model was for growing food & #Urbanag. I asked what his & the city's business model was for growing grass (Kentucky Blue Grass).

There are 10's of 1000's of local food production economic development opportunities (all sustainable, healthy, nutritious, align with policy: Triple Bottomline, Sustainability 2020, Onward, imagineCALGARY, Food Assessment Action Plan, et al). There are very few for growing grass other than golf/turf management (Almost none that are sustainable, as most require, or are addicted to, massive doses of chemical fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides & significant maintenance resources to the tune of 1,000,000 person hours/annually in #YYC).

The Calgary Food Committee has been around for over 2 years & has, like so many #YYCCC committees, devolved into a back slapping networking opportunity. There is literally nothing that has changed in the #YYC #UrbanAg Local Food System landscape in these 2 years. There is still no #UrbanAg Zoning. There are no new #UrbanAg programs. No comprehensive, ranking, weighted, land inventory to access for aspiring urban farmers (We do however have some 111,000 acres of unused, empty land in #YYC). We continue to exist in a simple proteins only local food environment. Of course, all of this has been suggested to individuals at the highest municipal level, in council committees & to individual elected and non elected officials throughout municipal government since 2008.

The Role of an Ombudsman in Strengthening Municipal Democracy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 15:25:00 +0000

The Role of an Ombudsman in Strengthening Municipal Democracy

The institution of the ombudsman, first created in Sweden more than 200 years ago, is designed to provide protection for the individual where there is a substantial imbalance of power.
Initially, this imbalance was between the citizen and the state but as the institution has developed, it has embraced other sectors. Ombudsmen now exist, not just in the public sector, but also covering the private and independent sectors.
As well as considering complaints about public services, Ombudsman Association member schemes consider disputes between consumers and companies or between universities and students, for example.
However, in the private sector, coverage is fragmented and sparse with, in a very few cases, some duplication (where the ‘industry member’ can choose which scheme to belong to). None of this is ideal, but will require legislation to improve the situation as few sectors now readily establish schemes voluntarily.

What ombudsmen do

Ombudsmen offer their services free of charge, and are thus accessible to individuals who could not afford to pursue their complaints through the courts.
They are committed to achieving redress for the individual, but also, where they identify systemic failings, to seek changes in the work of the bodies in their jurisdiction, both individually and collectively.
They can generally undertake a single investigation into multiple complaints about the same topic, thus avoiding duplication and excessive cost.
They are neutral arbiters and not advocates nor “consumer champions”.
They normally ask the body concerned and the complainant to try to resolve complaints before commencing an investigation.
They usually seek to resolve disputes without resort to formal investigations where this is possible and desirable.
Where they identify injustice, they seek to put this right.

6 Years & Counting, When Will Calgary Have an Ombudsman?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 21:29:00 +0000

An Ombudsman for Calgary. It's an imagineCalgary Target for 2008, but yet, 6 years later, Calgarians are still waiting for Calgary City Council to initiate this official policy. Montreal & Toronto have civic Ombudsmen.

Alberta provincial government dollars are available as defined in the MSI: "Eligible operating projects include capacity building activities that improve efficiency or effectiveness..."

Let's look a little closer at how an Ombudsman can strengthen our municipal democracy:

The Role of an Ombudsman
The institution of the ombudsman, first created in Sweden more than 200 years ago, is designed to provide protection for the individual where there is a substantial imbalance of power.
Initially, this imbalance was between the citizen and the state but as the institution has developed, it has embraced other sectors. Ombudsmen now exist, not just in the public sector, but also covering the private and independent sectors.
As well as considering complaints about public services, Ombudsman Association member schemes consider disputes between consumers and companies or between universities and students, for example.
However, in the private sector, coverage is fragmented and sparse with, in a very few cases, some duplication (where the ‘industry member’ can choose which scheme to belong to). None of this is ideal, but will require legislation to improve the situation as few sectors now readily establish schemes voluntarily.

What Ombudsmen Do

Ombudsmen offer their services free of charge, and are thus accessible to individuals who could not afford to pursue their complaints through the courts.
They are committed to achieving redress for the individual, but also, where they identify systemic failings, to seek changes in the work of the bodies in their jurisdiction, both individually and collectively.
They can generally undertake a single investigation into multiple complaints about the same topic, thus avoiding duplication and excessive cost.
They are neutral arbiters and not advocates nor “consumer champions”.
They normally ask the body concerned and the complainant to try to resolve complaints before commencing an investigation.
They usually seek to resolve disputes without resort to formal investigations where this is possible and desirable.
Where they identify injustice, they seek to put this right.

In the private sector, ombudsmen usually have the power to make recommendations which are binding on the bodies in their jurisdiction unless successfully challenged through the courts. The cost of their services is normally met by a charge to the bodies in their jurisdiction. Most are established by, or as a result of, statute, and the relevant industry or sector is obliged to participate in the scheme.

For more info on an Ombudsman, please consider following the City Ombudsman Project on facebook or the Twitter account: @OmbudsmanYYC

With thanks to the Ombudsman Association.

Paul Hughes, 2014
@paulyhughes

Calgary's Dichotomy in Back to Back Tweets

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 16:53:00 +0000

Vancouver Developer's Continued Neglect of Calgary Property

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 18:20:00 +0000

Vancouver Developer's Continued Neglect of Calgary Property

The pics say it all. Continued negligence of an inner city lot on a busy auto/bike/pedestrian corridor. Not an iota of concern from the property owner on the impact on a neighbourhood of an almost non existent property management strategy. Their motto is DILLIGAF. Similarly, the City of Calgary needs to create stronger legislation that deals with abandoned, neglected properties close to dense population. Efforts to beautify should be encouraged, not "foiled".

From the CBC Story of May 22, 2012: Potato garden plot foiled by city and landowner:

"Randolph Pratt of Adera Developments said his mortgage firm wants the garden removed, but will not pursue trespassing charges. He says everyone is passionate, but misdirected in this case."

Pratt states that Adera Developments (p604.684.8277) of Vancouver no longer owns the company but rather Scarboro Projects Ltd, who he now also owns in a not so subtle "sleight of land", shell game manoeuvre. Pratt needs to reassess his company's misdirected negligence of his property. During the interview Pratt became increasingly agitated, repeatedly stated the property was "Not controversial", stated he had no idea that John Mar had gone down to electoral defeat and eventually hung up. Pratt, adamant that landscaping was part of the management contract, said the property was well maintained prior to his abrupt end to the conversation. He was aware of the City bylaw tickets and denied that it is in fact Calgary taxpayers who are on the hook for his Vancouver based firms property negligence.

The management company contracted by Pratt stated they have only been asked to do minimal site management - snow, graffitti & erect a fence. This has been done competently.

The City of Calgary has now been forced to hire a contractor, at taxpayer expense, to maintain part of the property.

Contracted workers, on Calgary taxpayers dime, work to maintain basic community standards on Randolph Pratt's property:

Collection of ignored bylaw infraction notices served to Randolph Pratt, Adera Developments and Scarboro Projects, that would make Saul Alinsky blush:

randolph pratt, randy pratt, adera developments, scarboro projects, calgary, yyc, potatoes for the people, p4tp, yvr, vancouver, developer, negligence

Boston has Adopt-A-Hydrant, Calgary has this...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 21:15:00 +0000

Boston's Adopt-A-Hydrant Program.

Calgary's Neglect-A-Hydrant-oh-and-don't-forget-to-ignore-the-bench-too Program:

Straight to Hell

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 20:56:00 +0000

A favourite song from my youth was Straight to Hell by The Clash.

M.I.A. used the Clash track in her huge hit Paper Planes.

Fittingly, it's the soundtrack for the City of Calgary's quasi efforts to divert waste (resource) from the landfill.

The items below are headed Straight to Hell, aka the Calgary Landfill.
It will not be sorted. Hello, Sorting Stations!
It will not be reused.
It will not be recycled.
It will not be used for something useful and thereby eliminating the need to extract those materials from the planet.
It is a resource that will be turned into a waste by City of Calgary inaction.
It will decompose over the next 1000 years and perhaps with a methane capture system, 1/1000th of the energy via LFG (Landfill Gas) will be recovered.

The City of Calgary has waste diversion targets that are almost comedic when juxtaposed with on the ground action. While European cities are implementing intelligent sorting and diversion strategies, achieving 95%+ diversion from landfills, our unused resources (aka waste) are going to Straight to Hell.

Mini/Micro Homes: 21st Century Sustainable Home Ownership Options

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 20:38:00 +0000

We’ve seen a steady drop in family size since WWII, yet according tohe Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., the average Canadian house size has increased from 800 square feet in 1945 to well over 2,200 today. And somehow or another, Canadians are also supporting an $8 billion a year self-storage industry to store the toys and knick-knacks that won’t fit in their growing houses. ~Ashley Lubyk

Home Ownership Matters to Everyone on Facebook

Eggpocrisy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:46:00 +0000

The logo for Edmonton City Council's new food strategy ironically incorporates an egg. (image below)

While Edmonton City Council is heralding this great new local food plan, their bylaw officers are simultaneously attempting to seize Crystal Sherris' hens, as you can read here.

Every Person in Calgary

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:05:00 +0000

This is a dot map of every person in Calgary.

Brandon Martin-Anderson created the project to map every person in Canada and the US, using census data. Here's the original project.

ATB Whole-Brainer No Brainer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:13:00 +0000

The NHL had a Make Whole proposal. ATB might want to look into that.

The ATB Sparks propaganda:

Meet our whole-brainers.

In Alberta, you don't have to choose between mountains or prairie, culture or community—you can find it all within our borders.

At ATB, we're like that too. In every corner of the province, you'll find an ATB associate with knowledge, know-how, common sense, and creativity. This unique mix means they're not right-brainers or left-brainers—they're whole-brainers, and we take a whole lot of pride in their ability to help Albertans and Alberta businesses achieve great things.

The "Whole-brainers" are not all quite there...

The Official Whitehouse response to DeathStar Petition

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 22:59:00 +0000

Link to

The Official Whitehouse response to DeathStar Petition