Petermackayteacher

Hey all, I hope that I'm not getting too Calgary obsessive these days. If I am, there's a (I hope understandable) reason for it: my wife and I are about to move to Calgary to teach there, but more importantly to be there when our twin grandkids arrive in the fall!

But regarding what's going on in Calgary - maybe I'm crazy, but I see some parallels between the hilarious Trump/algea/pool disaster in the States and what is currently going on in the YYC.

Down in the States Trump's poll numbers are collapsing, primarily because his idiotic war with Iran and the choking off of oil exports through the straight of Hormuz has led to runaway inflation. So ol'Trump tried to turn the public's attention to the White House reflecting pool and and his "fix" for the algae problems in those troubled waters. Let's just say that things have not gone smoothly, and that algae-troubled reflecting pool has become everglades-north as a result, at great public cost.

Danielle Smith has been facing some of the same difficulties: high global oil prices have been a boon to Alberta's provincial coffers but Albertans aren't feeling the benefits. The inflation hit has been painful. On top of that our hospital emergency rooms are collapsing (at least two people have died in our ERs without being seen by medical staff in the last several months), the government has stopped tracking the number of people who die waiting for diagnostic testing or specialist referrals, over a quarter of a million Albertans don't have a family doctor, and Danielle Smith's attempt to introduce private/pay-for-treatment health care (what they call "dual practice") is getting fierce pushback from the Alberta Medical Association, AUPE, and medical experts and advocates.

So in true Trumpian-style Danielle Smith and her chorus of acolytes decided to redirect the public's attention to something - anything - that would get Albertans thinking about something other than inflation and health care. And what did they choose? Late night partying during the Calgary Stampede! Basically, they wanted to accuse Calgary Mayor Farkas and Calgary City Council of being the "fun police" and preventing people from having a good time.

But hoo-boy, it sure looks like they picked the WRONG Mayor and they chose the WRONG distraction. Because Jeromy Farkas is putting up QUITE A FIGHT and he makes a very strong case that measures being put in place by the City of Calgary are reasonable and very, very defensible.

Anyhoo, I've gone on long enough. I'll let Mayor Farkas explain:

It's time to cut through the bu****it about the Cowboys tent. Stampede succeeds because Calgarians welcome millions of people into our city. That goodwill matters. A few operators do not get to treat neighbours like garbage and damage the reputation of an event that belongs to all of us.

By now you've seen the coordinated smear campaign from out-of-town politicians. They think you're stupid and want you to believe that we're somehow cancelling Stampede by asking the big tents to use the same rules in place at Coachella, Lollapooloza and all the other world class festivals.

That's the first piece of bu****it. We're not talking about Stampede at all. We're talking about a few off-site tents that have been treating their neighbors like garbage.

Here's the truth. In the last few years, the tents were given a special exemption way above and beyond what was in place up until about 2019. People living near these tents were told to call 311 and wait. Their windows shook and broke. Their shelves rattled. Music ran on weeknights until 2 or 3 a.m. They dealt with property damage, public disorder, and excessive intoxication outside their homes.

Thousands of Calgarians raised their concerns. And just like when we repealed blanket rezoning, the city chose to listen to the people rather than answer to the money.

The second piece of bu****it is that Calgary's rules suck compared to everywhere else. In fact, the changes are modest. There's no change on weekends. But on weeknights, concerts now need to wrap up by 1230am. Even with this change, it means that Calgary still allows outdoor music later than anywhere else in North America.

The third piece of bu****it is that this was done last minute. This wasn't a last minute change. The big tents knew in February that their exemption was under review. Cowboys was told again in May. Their exemption depended on managing noise, safety, and impacts on nearby residents. They did not meet that standard.

But what isn't bu****it is that as your mayor I'm fighting for you. I want you to know that a permit is not a licence to bully a neighbourhood. It is not a profit guarantee. I was elected to stand up for Calgarians, not to take orders from wealthy donors, lobbyists, or politicians protecting their friends.

I am more than happy to seek compromise and work with operators who respect Calgarians. But I answer to the nurse on an early shift, the parent getting kids ready for school, and the worker who needs sleep.

So no. We are not cancelling Stampede. We are protecting it. Stampede succeeds because Calgarians welcome millions of people into our city. That goodwill matters. A few operators do not get to damage the reputation of an event that belongs to all of us.

If you want to do business in Calgary, respect the people who live next door.

It's still PRIDE month folks, and these 28 seconds are pure poetry. Happy PRIDE!