Patrick.1980
Active Member
Anyone but UCP would work for me. Voting NDP next election.
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- Thread starter Surrealplaces
- Start date
Stephen Ave
Active Member
Daniel Smith and her rural posse aren’t going to do anything for Calgary. She might try and promise things for Calgary over the next 6 months, but it’s too late she’s already showing her true colours.
Anyhow, like somebody said, this is the 21st-century we need to get rid of Alberta’s redneck image.
Anyhow, like somebody said, this is the 21st-century we need to get rid of Alberta’s redneck image.
UrbanWarrior
Senior Member
Seconded.
NDP for me. Any other party would just be throwing my vote away. Also support a significant majority of their policies, so that helps.
Mountain Man
Senior Member
NDP for me.
JonnyCanuck
Senior Member
Yeah .. I heard that and I think she has lost all credibility. The only reason we are this far past the pandemic (if not quite over it), is that 83% of Canadians have at least one vaccination. If only the sick and elderly were vaccinated as Smith was proposing, we would probably be still faced with lockdowns and restrictions in some form. It was a national health policy that the provinces took their cues from and the only way it was going to work is if each province followed the guidance. We don't need to look back in the rear view mirror on this subject. It solves nothing.
Zoom
Active Member
The NDP defeating the united right would get a lot of media attention. The national narrative, for Alberta would start to change.
As much as the national media likes to focus on the redneck stereotype of Alberta, the same national media would also love to run with the story of left defeating the united, right here in Alberta.
Mountain Man
Senior Member
It got a lot of attention last time, would expect the same these days. I can't wait to see Danielle Smith get flamed by the national media and the UCP have another crisis lol.
DougB
Active Member
What would the NDP do for Calgary? Driving away investment and handing out more money to coddled public sector unions would be regessive even if it helped to counter "Alberta’s redneck image." This is likely the last non-renewable royalty windfall and devoting anything less than 100% of the surplus to debt repayment would set the province up for future fiscal oblivion.
One of the reasons AB's economy is prospering right now is comparatively low housing costs and taxes. Accept it or not, the key to economic diversification is attracting talent and investment, not engaging in risky industrial policies or over-funding health and education.
Smith needs to act like a leader instead of a talk show host. I'll reserve judgement until she passes a budget that hopefully restrains spending growth to far less than inflation plus population grow. All of the anti-vax talk is a massive distraction that has no other implications.
Chinook Arch
Active Member
Having a redneck image isn't going to attract talent. I agree on the low cost of housing, but not necessarily on the taxes. Other parts of Canada are attracting talent too, despite having higher taxes. The mindset that low taxes attract talent is 25 years out of date. Young, educated or 'talented' people want services.
I also agree that this may be the last good run or one of the last good runs from oil and gas revenue, but in the future we need to figure a way to live and grow without it. With the NDP in, the debt will increase, and later on a right leaning group will be elected who will cut services, but pay on the debt, later after that a left leaning group will probably be back in as people want more services. That's the cycle most other provinces have, and we're headed that way. I'm good with that cycle, I'm just not good with a right wing, redneck nutjob running things.
And it's not like the UCP did a great job with the province's money. They cut health services, but spent millions on a war room that did nothing, and there's also the money they spent on Keystone.
DougB
Active Member
If the "redneck" image is so toxic, how come Calgary has doubled in population every 20-25 years and long held the title as Canada's most educated large city? Calgary will always be a target for people who lean left and establishment types from out East. Anyone who relies on stereotypes has little to offer, so if they want to stay away, that is no loss to Calgary.
The mindset that low taxes and housing costs do not attract talent was only really true during the stimulus fueled 2008-2021 period. Calgary has lead Canada in growth for much of the last 50 years, much like the US sun-belt has significantly outgrown the rest of the country.
zagox
Active Member
“Progressive urban tech hub within redneck-run jurisdiction” has worked out well for Austin and Miami but it would be less than ideal to attract talented young people
Silence&Motion
Senior Member
If you just have a deep loathing for public sector unions and a religious devotion to debt repayment, then you're a conservative through and through. You'll just have to accept that your political tribe is now run by people who wear tinfoil hats and who are primarily interested in virtue signalling their anger toward Ottawa, the World Economic Forum, healthcare workers, cities, etc.
Chinook Arch
Active Member
The reason Calgary has grown so much over the past decades and has held the title of Canada’s most educated city (I believe Ottawa is actually first) is because of massive booms and boat loads of high paying jobs. Calgary has never really had to work to attract or keep young talented people.
This isn’t going to be the case going forward as the oil industry is only going to diminish over time, and we’ve already seen that in the last seven years as Calgary‘s growth has been slower.
Low taxes probably factor in somewhat in attracting people but I would argue that low housing costs, and Calgary’s proximity to the Rockies combined with jobs are much bigger factors.
In the end it’s all going to come down to jobs, and if the jobs aren’t there doesn’t matter about low housing costs or the Rockies.
Calgary has been pretty successful at attracting different businesses throughout this recent downturn, but much of that is due to the already available skilled workforce due to recent layoffs.
That won’t keep going forever. We need to groom a whole new crop of young educated people who want to stay in Calgary or to move here so we can continue to attract new business. Having someone like Danielle Smith in power is not going to cut it.
I’m not saying the government shouldn’t be responsible with our money, as we need a good business climate to attract businesses. But we’re going to need more than just low taxes to attract businesses of the future. Those businesses are going to need skilled talented labour educated here or to move here.
The story is going to be in this election, look at the people who vote for Danielle Smith, and compare them to the people who vote against her. In which group will you find the young talented educated people?
adamyyc
Active Member
Would be great if Brooks - Medicine Hat could do us all a favour tonight!
CalgaryTiger
Senior Member
Spoiler Alert - They didn't.