Western Standard - CMS： Trades should be celebrated rather than shamed.

00:00:00.000 Transcription by CastingWords

00:00:30.000 Good day, welcome to The Cory Morgan Show.

00:00:46.200 We're on winter number five this year, I think it is.

00:00:49.280 If you're in the western prairies, you're getting yet another dump of snow, cold, miserable weather.

00:00:55.440 It's funny, though, watching legacy media outlets.

00:00:57.860 You know, CTV is the worst of the bunch. 0.94

00:00:59.220 I mean, they're brutal.

00:01:00.880 And just a couple of weeks ago when it was warm, they already came up with their summer weather map.

00:01:05.880 You know, they like having that map where it shows like a screaming, flaming red everywhere where it's like 18 or 19 degrees Celsius.

00:01:11.260 And trying to show how terrible the global warming is.

00:01:14.360 Reporting like crazy, of course, on the drought and the dryness.

00:01:16.820 And we're going to see rattlesnakes in Edmonton and who knows what else if this carries on.

00:01:20.800 But now, now, well, it's gone cold and wet.

00:01:23.600 It's going to go green and the dugouts are filling up and the snowpack is doing well.

00:01:28.060 So the water shortage might not happen.

00:01:31.240 So what are they on to now?

00:01:32.900 Well, this is their headline saying wet weather to plague provinces.

00:01:36.560 Yes, apparently we were all in a crisis because things were too dry.

00:01:40.460 But as soon as it gets a little too wet, now it's a plague.

00:01:42.860 It's a plague of wetness.

00:01:45.180 Terrible.

00:01:46.640 It's just they thrive on weather hysteria.

00:01:50.380 You know, it's snowing at the start of May in Alberta.

00:01:53.600 Anybody who's tried to schedule a camping trip on a May long weekend knows that's pretty much par for the course.

00:01:59.120 But still, the media has to make everything out to be a crisis, a weather event, a terrible climate change thing.

00:02:07.060 Good to see you all checking in there, guys.

00:02:08.620 Jordan Paradoxi, Mr. Stanley, lots of folks.

00:02:11.700 Yes, use the comment scroll.

00:02:13.380 Doug there.

00:02:15.420 Send those things out.

00:02:16.260 Get the questions my way, comments my way.

00:02:17.920 Send them my guests' way.

00:02:18.720 My guest today is going to be Shane Wenzel.

00:02:20.200 He's been on before.

00:02:20.980 He's written columns for us and some other publications.

00:02:23.980 And, of course, he is the head of Shane Homes.

00:02:26.540 Again, housing, homes, they're top of the list for items these days on the news and city councils, things like that, especially in Calgary.

00:02:34.300 But it's going on everywhere.

00:02:35.620 Let's talk to somebody who actually builds the things.

00:02:38.820 Get a better idea of what's going on.

00:02:40.560 How are we going to deal with this?

00:02:41.540 Because there is a shortage of homes.

00:02:42.400 There's no doubt about that.

00:02:43.660 Just what everybody's fighting about now is how we're going to deal with it.

00:02:47.140 So, I mean, this is a bit related.

00:02:48.880 I'm going to talk about that.

00:02:49.840 So, I mean, economic times, they've been tough since governments around the world decided to overreact and go bananas over COVID-19 in 2020.

00:02:58.520 It's a – they shut down aspects of the economy and they increased government deficit spending.

00:03:03.780 It was a recipe for mass inflation.

00:03:06.000 So, the outcome was as expected.

00:03:07.880 Of course, we had supply chain shortages that led to runs on consumer products, while the currency creation of countries around the world shot prices through the roof.

00:03:15.580 It's going to take at least a decade before we see stable economic activity again.

00:03:20.640 Now, today in Canada, we're suffering from a housing shortage.

00:03:23.400 And it wasn't just COVID policies that led to this, that contributed.

00:03:26.500 The pandemic was just the final economic straw on an issue that's building for a long time.

00:03:30.740 We've had environmental regulations gatekeeping local governments.

00:03:33.760 They've been hindering housing starts as they have this obsessive focus on building up rather than out.

00:03:37.960 And they've stunted natural urban growth.

00:03:40.300 And, of course, mass immigration has led to a huge increase in demand for housing as over a million people a year flow into the country.

00:03:46.540 Let's say – let's say Canada figures it all out and we're ready to get building.

00:03:51.160 Immigration, let's imagine, has been greatly reduced and is targeted.

00:03:54.360 City councils have stopped nasal gaining about rezoning, nasal gazing – nasal?

00:03:59.000 Naval gazing.

00:03:59.960 That's a tongue twister, isn't it?

00:04:00.980 But rezoning areas and began working on finding real ways to increase housing.

00:04:05.120 And the government somehow even managed to balance the budget and get inflation under control.

00:04:09.200 I know, a big imaginary world.

00:04:10.980 We'd still be left with a massive housing backlog to catch up on.

00:04:14.760 So the next question is going to be, who's going to build all these houses?

00:04:18.000 Well, in 2023 in Calgary, there were 30,500 job vacancies.

00:04:22.260 That's a lot of jobs, you know, vacant.

00:04:24.600 And nearly 7,600 of them were in construction.

00:04:26.760 And this trend is the same in every jurisdiction experiencing population growth.

00:04:31.800 While activists and politicians ramble about raising minimum wages and finding ways to offer relief to baristas trying to pay off student loans,

00:04:38.860 they don't speak up much on the bidding wars that are happening in the construction market for labor right now.

00:04:44.420 Young people should be directed where the work is, rather than trying to create markets where they don't exist.

00:04:49.660 We don't need more liberal arts graduates.

00:04:51.400 We need tradespeople. 1.00

00:04:52.880 There's been a stigma attached to the trades for decades.

00:04:55.480 And when I finished high school, I saw it myself.

00:04:57.900 I finished school in the late 80s.

00:04:59.840 I didn't have any idea what an apprentice was, even though I was finishing high school.

00:05:02.920 Do they not even teach you a little bit about that?

00:05:05.420 How do you even start in the trades if I'm interested?

00:05:07.680 But we were taught that your future is binary.

00:05:09.960 Either you graduate high school and go on to pursue a degree, or you're a janitor.

00:05:13.340 There was nothing in between.

00:05:14.840 Kids who underperformed academically, well, they might end up sent to a dreaded vocational school.

00:05:19.700 And they were considered objects of pity or shame.

00:05:21.700 The young folks who found themselves training for the trades, though, despite the lack of guidance from the educational system, usually did pretty well for themselves.

00:05:29.480 Instead of building up a debt of student loans, they went straight to the working world. 0.99

00:05:32.520 And if they got certified in a trade, well, they were pretty much set.

00:05:35.660 How many of you have seen any plumbers in the unemployment line lately?

00:05:38.300 Seen any electricians riding the bus to work?

00:05:40.700 Heard any carpenters complaining of being underemployed?

00:05:43.680 Journeymen in the trades are commanding high wages and good working conditions these days.

00:05:47.600 There have been ups and downs in the economy, but they've typically been always working, and they're enjoying the benefits of hyper-demand for their skills today.

00:05:54.460 Can the same be said for people holding a degree in interpretive dance or philosophy?

00:05:58.860 Usually the only thing you can say to those graduates is, yes, please use skim in my latte. Thank you.

00:06:04.040 Even if it isn't in a formal trade, there's many well-paying construction opportunities.

00:06:07.800 Heavy equipment operators, framers, drywallers, painters, they're all commanding high wages right now.

00:06:11.940 Even entry-level, unskilled construction laborers are being offered over $20 an hour to start in Calgary right now.

00:06:18.780 What's the pay scale for a person with a degree specializing in gender studies or intersectional South American poetry these days?

00:06:26.280 There's nothing wrong with any other job, for that matter, as well.

00:06:29.840 And looking at the listings online, I see janitors, the ones I mentioned earlier, they can make $20 an hour,

00:06:34.400 and who's to say they don't move on to develop a cleaning business and make a lot more?

00:06:37.420 We've allowed elitism to take over our education system.

00:06:42.260 A large number of teachers are embittered liberal arts graduates who entered the field in pursuit of good pay and a pension rather than a love of teaching.

00:06:48.980 They still harbor a disdain for the world that forced them to work at Pizza Hut for years before admitting their tribal music degree wasn't going to pay their bills.

00:06:57.100 While the students who went into the trades or went to the oil field, of course, were buying big trucks in their first homes.

00:07:00.880 They passed that attitude down to the students as they stigmatized non-academic career paths.

00:07:05.820 Even if unconsciously, Canada's education system has failed to create the skilled people we need for today's demands, and we're all paying the price for that now.

00:07:14.660 It'll take years before the students of today are ready to take on the labor needs of tomorrow, but there's no better time than now to start changing our paths.

00:07:21.360 AI, that's the big game changer, and it's going to be eliminating a lot of jobs.

00:07:24.960 It's foolish to direct students into fields vulnerable to AI replacement.

00:07:27.960 But it's going to be a long time before a robot's able to unplug your toilet, especially after Taco Tuesday, or wire a new lighting system into your house, or change the shingles.

00:07:37.920 Let's start preparing kids for career futures that are going to be in demand.

00:07:41.040 And that means dropping the stigma applied to non-academic paths, and in particular, in construction and trades.

00:07:48.280 All right.

00:07:49.320 It's not pissing and moaning out of me.

00:07:50.340 Let's see what's going on out there in the rest of the news world with our news editor, Dave Naylor.

00:07:55.480 If he's out there, here he comes.

00:07:57.320 Hey, Dave, how's it going?

00:07:58.320 Hey, Corey.

00:07:58.900 How are you doing?

00:07:59.560 Yeah, pretty good.

00:08:00.480 You know what?

00:08:00.920 I'm thinking if I had to become a plumber, I'd be retired by now.

00:08:04.800 Oh, yeah.

00:08:05.240 Like I said, you don't see them driving old beaters like we have and things like that.

00:08:08.740 They're doing pretty good.

00:08:09.960 Yeah, no kidding.

00:08:11.240 Did you get much snow out of your Prittis compound?

00:08:13.640 Oh, yeah.

00:08:14.660 Living in the foothills, there's a downside.

00:08:16.840 Even that close to Calgary, we get a hell of a lot more snow out there.

00:08:20.920 So the bees are going to be crabby and buried for a week or so.

00:08:24.000 Yeah, it was blizzarding down here a little while ago, but it seems to have stopped.

00:08:27.840 Hey, you know the big news this week was the announcement by Premier Smith on the sort of look-see into high-speed rail and other stuff in the province.

00:08:39.600 Just reading your tweets, Corey, I'm not quite sure.

00:08:41.840 I couldn't quite get where you stand on the situation.

00:08:44.940 You want to be concise?

00:08:47.780 I've been trying to be nuanced about it and everything. 1.00

00:08:51.960 It's stupid. 1.00

00:08:53.080 It's just stupid. 1.00

00:08:54.040 I'm sick of this coming up every few years. 1.00

00:08:56.640 Yeah, absolutely.

00:08:57.600 We don't have the population to support it, that's for sure.

00:09:01.200 But anyways, on to the news because it's a busy day and I've got more stuff coming up.

00:09:06.420 Right now, the website is being led off with an utterly brilliant, brilliant column.

00:09:11.080 I must say it's one of the best Nigel section has presented in a while on time to give permanent residents the right to vote.

00:09:21.840 City Council in Calgary last night approved a motion by 9 to 6 that they were going to look at advocating getting permanent residents the right to vote.

00:09:31.080 And I say that's a very good idea, even though, of course, you were against it, Corey, as you are.

00:09:40.840 National debt ceiling, we found out today, is now being raised to $2.1 trillion by our finance minister, Freeland.

00:09:49.120 That is an awful lot of zeros, as you can see there.

00:09:53.200 But it was a historic day today, Corey, and finally the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion is open and flowing.

00:10:01.720 We've got our own Paul Forseth with a column on how it wasn't really Trudeau's success, despite the fact I'm sure he'll probably claim it.

00:10:11.700 And we've got our energy reporter, Sean Polzer, sort of looking at the ins and outs of how it finally came to be

00:10:20.220 and finally got final approval by the Canadian energy regulator last night.

00:10:26.420 Corey, I've got a story just about to publish that I know is going to anger you.

00:10:30.180 Edmonton NDP MP Heather McPherson has introduced a private member's bill in the House of Commons

00:10:37.480 that will block Alberta leaving the Canadian pension plan.

00:10:41.560 So that's going to anger a lot of our readers too, Corey, because I think there's some support for it out there.

00:10:50.020 Well, hopefully it angers a lot of Edmonton voters, and this will be her last bloody term, and we'll wait and see.

00:10:56.740 The Trans Mountain, though, did Sean also cover?

00:10:59.540 Because I saw, I put myself through watching the NDP leadership debate in Alberta last week,

00:11:04.440 and our blessed Naheed Nenshi, the savior of the NDP, he took credit for getting the Trans Mountain built.

00:11:11.720 I don't know if he's been getting that credit elsewhere, but he actually said that during the debate.

00:11:16.040 I don't know if Sean caught that part or not.

00:11:18.120 Well, you know, Sean is an energy expert, and he's also a pipeline expert, but in his story today, there is no mention of Naheed Nenshi.

00:11:26.960 So I will remonstrate with him for missing that key fact.

00:11:31.640 Okay, well, we'll look further into it.

00:11:33.540 I'm sure Mr. Nenshi's fingerprints are somewhere in that thing.

00:11:36.900 I'm sure they are.

00:11:38.080 All right.

00:11:38.500 Thanks for the update, Dave, and we'll talk to you after the show.

00:11:41.540 Thanks, Corey.

00:11:41.960 And yeah, I wish I was kidding.

00:11:44.600 You know, this Trans Mountain pipeline, I mean, has been a debacle since day one.

00:11:49.380 It could have been built by private enterprise.

00:11:52.220 It was there.

00:11:53.360 All we needed was for the government to get out of the way.

00:11:56.860 Kinder Morgan wasn't first threatening, saying we're just going to walk out and close the door on this.

00:12:02.160 They were saying, please stop these endless court challenges.

00:12:05.520 Stop this ridiculous pile of regulations.

00:12:08.240 Make this secure.

00:12:09.140 We want to build this pipeline.

00:12:10.880 Fine, but Prime Minister Pinhead wouldn't do that.

00:12:14.200 The government of BC wouldn't do that.

00:12:16.900 All they did was throw up more and more roadblocks.

00:12:19.160 So like any good business people, Kinder Morgan said, well, fine, we're gone.

00:12:22.820 And they pushed it too far.

00:12:24.660 It puts lie to a lot of that myth that a lot of governments think, particularly when it comes to energy companies,

00:12:29.260 they think they're never going to leave.

00:12:30.660 They love that oil and gas is there, so they're not going to leave no matter what we do to them.

00:12:34.300 You know, Pierre proved that wrong when he drove them all out of Alberta back with the National Energy Program.

00:12:40.320 Our own premier, Stelmac, proved that wrong when he raised the royalty rates and energy companies moved their race south of the border.

00:12:47.320 And Justin Trudeau figured out that lesson all over again when he drove Kinder Morgan out.

00:12:52.020 And because we were really hooped, even liberal economists realizing we need to get that product to market,

00:12:57.840 they were forced to jump in and buy the thing.

00:13:01.080 And look at it.

00:13:01.680 Look at the disaster.

00:13:02.920 Four years too late.

00:13:05.300 Again, better late than never.

00:13:06.460 I'm happy this thing's flowing.

00:13:07.660 I really am.

00:13:08.300 We need to move that product. 0.93

00:13:09.880 And the budget, when we're talking, you know, it was started at $4.5 billion when private enterprise was looking to do it.

00:13:16.620 So far, they're looking at, and I'm sure these numbers will get adjusted, $35 billion.

00:13:22.060 That's insane.

00:13:23.560 It's insane.

00:13:25.260 Taxpayers got stuck on the hook, and they never would have had to spend a nickel if the government just would get out of the way.

00:13:32.440 So, yeah, he gets labeled as wacko Trudeau.

00:13:35.300 I don't know.

00:13:35.780 Some of the parliamentary stuff going on.

00:13:37.540 And, hey, I love using my nasty language. 0.95

00:13:39.880 I just called Trudeau a pinhead. 0.97

00:13:41.640 Fair enough.

00:13:42.040 But I'm a host on a show.

00:13:44.560 I'm a personality on Twitter.

00:13:46.560 Or, I'm not sure if it's that great for Polyev to get in there and jump on the wacko game.

00:13:50.960 I love watching it.

00:13:51.960 I've got to admit.

00:13:52.920 And I certainly don't feel much empathy for Trudeau.

00:13:55.080 But, I don't know.

00:13:56.860 Question Period's enough gong show as it is.

00:13:59.200 I don't know if it contributes.

00:14:00.900 I don't know if it harms either.

00:14:01.880 It's not like anything productive really comes out of Question Period at the best of times, even if they're being civil to each other.

00:14:07.300 You ask Trudeau something politely, you get a word salad.

00:14:10.100 You ask him something difficult, he runs out the door, and you get a junior minister responding who will give you another word salad.

00:14:15.840 So, I guess out of frustration, you might as well just start calling them names, because it's just not going anywhere.

00:14:22.100 It's political theater.

00:14:23.760 And Jay Borknick, one of our commenters there, says, you know, people like to look at a gong show.

00:14:27.420 That's true.

00:14:27.820 That's part of it, I guess.

00:14:28.640 I mean, part of the whole scene was, well, it made the headlines, right?

00:14:31.820 We saw more of the clash between the conservatives and the liberals, and it's in the news today.

00:14:36.720 I guess it's just questionable as to whether or not it's a productive way to get in the news or not.

00:14:41.680 Sometimes, you know, leave the name calling to me, guys.

00:14:43.720 I got it covered.

00:14:44.400 I'm good at it.

00:14:45.280 All right, let's get on to more serious talk, and it's something that's been dragging on and going on, well, in Canada, but in Calgary particularly lately, and that's why I wanted to reach out to Shane Wenzel from Shane Holmes, because, of course, we're talking now in Calgary.

00:14:58.380 It's been a big deal for people who are watching from out of province or out of the city.

00:15:01.500 It's been a week and some of hearings over blanket rezoning, and they're framing it that the way housing prices are going to be brought to affordability is if we just apply zoning, rezoning all the way across the entire city in a blanket manner.

00:15:15.060 And a lot of people don't agree with that, and they've been speaking up, but it sounds like it's going to go ahead.

00:15:19.780 Anyways, I want to talk to somebody who actually builds the things, not a bunch of busybodies on city council who managed to find their ways into those seats.

00:15:28.920 I'm not sure how.

00:15:29.620 So welcome back to the show, Shane.

00:15:31.460 I really appreciate you coming on to talk to us today.

00:15:34.100 Well, thanks for having me, Corey.

00:15:35.360 So I want to start with this zoning.

00:15:39.560 I mean, I've said before, I said when I first messaged you, I'm a little mixed, though.

00:15:43.260 There's some areas where there could be some room to change some zoning or not.

00:15:46.720 I know you might, you know, maybe people might not be happy if it's their house that's the one next to the new fourplex or things like that.

00:15:52.400 But this whole mess, I mean, they're going in a blanket way, and they're talking as if it's a panacea.

00:15:59.620 Would rezoning change, I guess, your ability to build a lot more homes to try and fill the need right now?

00:16:04.320 No, it wouldn't.

00:16:05.800 It wouldn't fill a gap anywhere, Corey.

00:16:09.020 The unfortunate part is, yeah, I'm of your opinion as well, is that, you know, the funds have already been accepted by city council.

00:16:16.560 So this is just pandering to the masses at this point.

00:16:20.700 And it's sad.

00:16:21.500 It really is because, you know, they have a process in place already that, you know, with the LAP process where they can at least take a look at it area by area

00:16:31.820 and designate zoning around higher traffic or, you know, public transit corridors where I think people would be perfectly fine with having that kind of density around them.

00:16:45.300 But, you know, for some reason, we need to blanket rezone an entire city.

00:16:50.020 And I think that just creates nothing but a mess, as we're seeing by the number of days it's taking for people to get through their panels.

00:16:58.440 Well, yeah, we've never quite seen anything like this.

00:17:00.740 I mean, there's always been means and accommodation for people to come into public hearings.

00:17:04.620 Our own sin, I guess, as citizens, we rarely go out to anything at City Hall.

00:17:08.780 We don't pay much attention to them.

00:17:10.460 But something happened this time.

00:17:12.000 I mean, 800 and some people signed up to speak out.

00:17:16.320 I don't think it's all just selfish homeowners, is it?

00:17:20.020 No, it isn't selfish homeowners.

00:17:22.600 Yeah, I mean, again, most people will purchase their home and they look at it as their nest egg at the end of their career, at the end of their life.

00:17:32.260 And if they can't maintain that, I think that's where a lot of the largest concern comes in.

00:17:38.040 But you also have concerns with, you know, with parking availability, traffic in the community and, of course, you know, short-term rentals is another bit of the topic as well.

00:17:50.540 You know, so I think people just want to protect the privacy that they have, but they want to protect the fabric of their neighborhood as much as they can as well.

00:17:58.000 So you're in business and, of course, the housing business.

00:18:02.400 We need more homes.

00:18:03.460 That's something almost everybody agrees on.

00:18:04.920 We need more.

00:18:06.040 Sure.

00:18:06.320 How best, I mean, just even in your own business interest, do you want to build them as fast and as plentifully, you know, and a decent quality as possible?

00:18:15.160 But what do you need to be able to do that then as quickly and reasonably as possible?

00:18:19.400 Like, what's a real solution?

00:18:21.120 Even, I know there's no overnight one, but how can we move towards that?

00:18:26.080 And that's the unfortunate part, Corey.

00:18:27.760 This is not a short-term fix.

00:18:29.120 This has been building up for a number of years, but, you know, if I had to start at the top level with the federal government, get the hell out of the business.

00:18:39.100 You know, I mean, they've created a tremendous amount of red tape over the years, but, you know, between all levels of government, you know, and it depends on what municipality you live in.

00:18:49.300 I mean, roughly 30% of the cost of a new home is related to the red tape, to the government fees.

00:18:58.100 So, I mean, they've got to start abating that and bringing it back in line rather than constantly going to the well.

00:19:05.460 But I think you also have to freeze immigration for a year or two and reset it back to normal levels because it's unsustainable the way it is right now.

00:19:15.160 But at the same time, you know, why can we not focus on bringing in skilled trades or professional services as part of our immigration plan?

00:19:24.720 I think that's one of the two of the best places to start.

00:19:29.180 But, you know, again, continuing on with the federal level, when we talk about infrastructure funds, which is tied back to, you know, everybody's favorite topic lately of the blanket rezoning in Calgary, stop it.

00:19:41.360 Don't tie infrastructure to that.

00:19:43.440 Quite honestly, the federal government should just set aside maybe five, six billion a year or for infrastructure for the municipalities, you know, so they can actually build that.

00:19:54.720 And no strings attached or, you know, the simpler way is leave the municipalities with one or two percent more of the taxes that they collect, because this is where the problem's coming in.

00:20:05.180 The municipalities just don't have the funds to keep up with the growth at times.

00:20:10.740 Yeah, I mean, it is a challenge, even well-meaning municipalities.

00:20:13.780 I mean, this growth just changes every model and blows it out of the water.

00:20:18.820 We've got an advantage in Calgary.

00:20:20.840 I mean, I've looked at that.

00:20:22.220 I've gone on about that a lot of times.

00:20:23.560 You know, there's areas like Vancouver, you're pretty constrained just by being stuck in a valley with an ocean on one side or Toronto, you're already built everything that's within, you know, many, many miles of the center.

00:20:33.620 But we have room to grow out, but instead we're demonizing it.

00:20:36.960 And I look in the United States, you know, the most affordable areas, even though they got good economies, you're looking at Houston and Austin, even though they're quite progressive or Phoenix, because they're letting people grow outward.

00:20:47.920 I mean, it's not the end of the world to build good, decent density, new neighborhoods, is it?

00:20:53.520 No, it's not.

00:20:54.440 But I mean, the areas that you described would probably fit the definition of urban sprawl, as the zealots like to claim we have here in Calgary.

00:21:02.220 And I've argued that for a number of years.

00:21:04.500 When you build one subdivision after another, after another, you actually don't have sprawl, especially when they're more dense than a lot of the neighborhoods within inner city Calgary.

00:21:15.160 So, you know, if you could get the zealots out of the way and they could finally admit that, you know, new suburbia actually fills a void for affordability, then, yeah, you could continue to make a dent in the housing shortage that we have here in Calgary.

00:21:31.060 Yeah, and I mean, that's something there's a bit of a myth, I mean, with a lot of people in Walden, for example, I mean, way down in South Calgary, for people who don't know it, but it's a new district.

00:21:42.620 But boy, it's hard to find single family dwellings in there.

00:21:45.280 There's a lot of townhouses, there's condos, there's duplexes, and why not?

00:21:50.100 But it's a new area.

00:21:51.140 It's technically sprawl, according to the zealots.

00:21:53.300 Well, yeah, but what they won't tell you is that it's about a 60-40 split in favor of single family, or in some cases, a 50-50 split when you go out to new suburbia.

00:22:06.520 You know, so they're much more dense to the point where they're, on average, let's say about 10 units per acre, whereas if I went to Charles Wood in Calgary, that would be about six units per acre.

00:22:18.400 So have we not resolved the problem with density targets in new suburbia yet?

00:22:24.300 Yeah, so let's see, though.

00:22:26.520 Part of the problem, as you said, we've got multiple levels of government, we've got multiple levels of problems.

00:22:31.240 My opening monologue was actually on how we aren't training up people in the trades or, you know, just in construction in general.

00:22:38.940 But that's going to be years to solve, even if we work towards it.

00:22:41.980 And as you pointed out, we do have a lot of people who want to immigrate.

00:22:45.900 Like, is there room for companies then, perhaps, to work with government and try to target labor coming in to fill the voids you need?

00:22:55.440 Like, that's the thing is governments, they try to fill the void for their political sake.

00:22:59.100 Like, you're looking more pragmatically.

00:23:01.420 You want to bring in people that can help build these units.

00:23:04.280 Do you think there's an appetite for that sort of dialogue?

00:23:07.380 I think there's an appetite for that dialogue, and hopefully on every level.

00:23:11.400 So, you know, what would really benefit us, especially in this industry, you know, a couple of things.

00:23:19.100 One, if, you know, federal, provincial would invest in, you know, trade schools.

00:23:25.520 And I'm not picking on what we have with SAIT or NAIT right now, but it doesn't take four to five years to give, say, accreditation to a drywall or a painter or a framer or a sider.

00:23:37.620 They need a four-, five-, six-month course, and that's where a trade school can fill a tremendous void.

00:23:44.500 And I think that would also resolve a problem with immigration and just giving them their equivalency based on their skill set so they're ready to go in Canada within months of arriving.

00:23:58.600 I guess so I'll kind of bounce around a little.

00:24:01.780 You spoke on regulation.

00:24:02.540 In Vancouver, I saw somebody put out a breakdown of a condo in Vancouver to build it from ground to finish.

00:24:07.980 It was just insane.

00:24:09.020 I think it was like an $800,000 condo, but it would have like $350,000 in just junk is the way I'm going to put it, junk.

00:24:17.080 Permits, applications.

00:24:18.900 I mean, this is not value-added stuff.

00:24:20.740 This is just government on government on government.

00:24:23.180 But the argument you get from people say, well, do you want to get rid of safety standards or fire standards and all that?

00:24:29.440 And suddenly you go down that rabbit hole of putting people at risk.

00:24:33.860 But, I mean, which regulations can we just get rid of?

00:24:36.400 Clearly, we can get rid of some.

00:24:38.820 Yeah, I don't know if we're getting rid of anything related to safety.

00:24:42.260 That's the problem.

00:24:43.480 Oh, that's just the argument.

00:24:44.580 I mean, if we go back 30, 40 years, we didn't have those in place then and we were still building houses that didn't catch fire or fall to the ground.

00:24:53.980 So, I think the problem is, Corey, is, you know, it's that thought or at least that attitude that, you know, it's only $1,000.

00:25:03.720 Well, you keep adding on $1,000 over 40 years before you know it, you're up $40,000 on the units when you buy them.

00:25:12.040 So, you know, and that's not fair.

00:25:14.100 I don't think a lot of those regulations need to be as stringent or they need to be as high as they are right now because they've also contributed to where we are today.

00:25:22.120 So, take them off.

00:25:23.760 I mean, there's tax on tax on tax.

00:25:25.820 But, you know, one of the things that's contributing to the problem is the new national building code as an example.

00:25:33.380 You know, it's like policymakers are trying to build a better mousetrap.

00:25:36.560 And, you know, I think you can reach a plateau where, you know, it's good enough for a while and you don't have to touch it.

00:25:44.700 And maybe that's just an old attitude to have or maybe it's just a better way of thinking.

00:25:49.340 But, you know, when I take a look at the national energy code and it's pushing us towards net zero in new homes, from where we are today, that would be another $30,000 attached to the sale price of a home.

00:26:01.820 Now, you want to amortize that over 25 years on a mortgage.

00:26:06.040 That's damn near $60,000 that the Canadians are paying out of their pocket just for their home.

00:26:11.340 Is that necessary?

00:26:13.860 Is it really making them much more energy efficient?

00:26:17.600 Or, quite honestly, why don't we give people a, you know, a tax break?

00:26:24.280 You know, give them a $30,000 tax break to renovate their homes.

00:26:28.600 You know, get rid of that old mid-efficient furnace that's not that mid-efficient anymore, that old hot water tank, those old single-pane windows.

00:26:35.920 Improve the attic insulation in their home.

00:26:39.940 And, you know, if we're going after GHG targets in this country, you'd probably resolve that in about two to three years.

00:26:46.260 You'd have a tremendous boom in the renovation industry from about $8 billion a year to $15 billion a year.

00:26:53.880 I think it's a win-win on everybody's side.

00:26:56.240 But I think that's how you can resolve the energy side of it.

00:26:59.260 But, God, don't add in another code that adds more to the houses and really resolves nothing.

00:27:06.720 Yeah, and that can help with the retrofitting.

00:27:08.520 And, I mean, some of it on your end.

00:27:10.240 I mean, you're in a competitive industry.

00:27:11.880 There's other builders trying to sell homes, too.

00:27:13.980 And a good selling point to people on a new home is, hey, your electric bill is going to come down by this much.

00:27:19.580 Or your heating bill.

00:27:20.540 I mean, if builders can build in more efficient or cost-effective ways to have the house, they're going to do it.

00:27:30.120 We're already there, Corey.

00:27:31.480 It all comes down to how people live.

00:27:33.080 If someone wants their temperature up at 19 degrees in their home every day, it's probably going to be more efficient than somebody who has it up at 22 degrees every day.

00:27:42.140 They're going to use less natural gas.

00:27:43.720 The furnace isn't going to be firing as often.

00:27:45.440 So, it's, you know, it's a great thought.

00:27:50.400 But sometimes, you know, it almost goes too far.

00:27:52.580 And we're not resolving anything at this point, in my opinion.

00:27:55.220 No, we don't need to legislate it.

00:27:57.980 Just leave people alone.

00:27:59.080 They want to save money.

00:28:00.300 Don't worry.

00:28:00.840 They'll do it.

00:28:02.800 But, well, I guess with this rezoning, it looks like, as we said, it's a done deal.

00:28:09.520 They already know what they want to do.

00:28:10.840 They're going to do it.

00:28:11.620 They're going through the motions right now.

00:28:13.480 So, can that toothpaste be put back in the tube, though?

00:28:17.340 I mean, we might change the council.

00:28:19.040 It's certainly looking promising in a year and change.

00:28:21.460 But, you know, a lot of gears will have started turning by the time that happens.

00:28:26.180 Will this damage be able to be undone?

00:28:29.680 I think the damage can be undone.

00:28:31.300 But I definitely think this is now an election issue.

00:28:34.460 And I think you'll have candidates running next fall just based on that.

00:28:38.800 We are going to reverse what this council has put through.

00:28:44.280 Well, and it'll be, I think, at least, I mean, it depends.

00:28:48.480 You get confirmation bias in the social media circles I run with and so on.

00:28:52.220 But it looks to me like that'll be a difficult,

00:28:54.240 the blanket zoning is going to be a difficult one to run on for those incumbents right now.

00:28:58.920 I mean, part of it, too, is that, you know,

00:29:01.740 homeowners are the ones who usually are the ones who donate to campaigns.

00:29:05.420 They're usually the ones who go out to vote.

00:29:07.820 The activists who are screaming about densification and such tend to be more transient renters.

00:29:13.120 I don't want to blanket, I can speak into blanketing, but everybody out there.

00:29:16.240 But you've got a strong voting bloc who's going to be pretty upset with this.

00:29:19.840 And I suspect they're going to want to see some change the next time around.

00:29:22.500 I suspect that as well, Corey.

00:29:24.080 But again, I think one of the fallacies that, you know, that these groups are working with is that,

00:29:29.960 you know, this money coming from the federal government is simply for infrastructure.

00:29:34.800 It has nothing to do with affordability of homes.

00:29:38.040 Nothing.

00:29:39.320 You could take and you could demolish a, you know, a million dollar, you know,

00:29:44.680 1950s bungalow in the inner city and you could stick four, maybe six townhome units on it.

00:29:51.960 You're still not going to get it cheaper than I can build it out in new suburbia.

00:29:55.720 But, you know, so it's really not tackling that issue.

00:29:58.980 And I guess that's why I end up on the opposite side of the fence at times is this is this money

00:30:04.220 from federal is just going to infrastructure, period.

00:30:08.140 It has nothing to do with bringing down the cost of housing.

00:30:12.160 No.

00:30:12.780 And, uh, but they sure like having those big announcements.

00:30:15.340 I mean, they don't want to go into nuts and bolts.

00:30:17.040 They want to stand hand in hand with a mayor, with a member of parliament and say,

00:30:20.560 look at all this money we're putting in to help you.

00:30:23.180 And anybody who opposes this is clearly a heartless person who just doesn't want affordable

00:30:27.220 housing.

00:30:27.740 It's political theater and unfortunately it's not serving anybody.

00:30:31.200 No, unfortunately it's not.

00:30:32.640 It's just, you know, it's, it's, it's a frustrating process to watch.

00:30:37.120 And I watched a number of, uh, number of people make their presentations and you can,

00:30:40.960 you can feel a lot of empathy for them.

00:30:42.860 Uh, they're strongly, strongly concerned and, uh, and I don't blame them.

00:30:46.840 Well, I, I appreciate, you know, your, your willingness to, to speak out and be candid,

00:30:52.100 you know, on these issues.

00:30:53.200 I mean, we, we see some backlash that comes and it's come towards your family before, even

00:30:57.060 for daring to speak, you know, on, on these things and such.

00:30:59.680 And, but the business community shouldn't be afraid to speak up on issues like this.

00:31:03.960 And like I said, I, I appreciate you adding, you know, an experienced voice to this.

00:31:07.640 So before I let you go, where can people find, I know you've been doing a lot of videos

00:31:10.980 lately.

00:31:11.320 Uh, you've written for a couple of publications, you're, you're getting pretty prolific, uh,

00:31:14.660 in between, you know, building all those houses.

00:31:16.700 Yeah.

00:31:17.140 Yeah.

00:31:17.340 I seem to find time to do all this, but it's, uh, it's fun and, uh, it's knowledge sharing,

00:31:21.740 but, uh, the easiest way to find me, I've kept it really simple is just, if you're on

00:31:26.460 social media, look for at Shane Wenzel and you're going to find me on most platforms.

00:31:31.480 Great.

00:31:31.920 Well, I, I appreciate you coming on to talk to us again, Shane, and, and, uh, the contributions

00:31:35.840 you make to the Western standard as well, uh, when you're writing things that I know you

00:31:39.380 are quite busy and, uh, hopefully in the long run, if we keep pushing common sense will

00:31:42.740 prevail and, uh, maybe, you know, the next generation doesn't have to give up all hope

00:31:46.500 on owning a home.

00:31:47.980 I hope so as well, Corey.

00:31:49.360 Thanks for having me on.

00:31:50.740 Thanks, Shane.

00:31:52.140 Yes, that was Shane Wenzel.

00:31:53.200 As he said, he's easy, as he said, it's very easy to find him.

00:31:55.660 Just look up Shane Wenzel on social media.

00:31:57.540 He's outspoken and prolific.

00:31:59.320 And as you can see, offers good reason to common sense, not as a grumpy as I am on covering all

00:32:05.180 those issues either.

00:32:06.160 So, you know, if you get tired of my vitriol and so on, Shane can offer a nice controlled

00:32:10.660 voice to talk about those things, but we need those discussions.

00:32:12.920 We need discussions from people in the industry, people, uh, looking at these things.

00:32:17.300 I saw somebody asking the question, um, uh, it was paradoxical about, uh, the infrastructure

00:32:22.340 ability to cope with densification.

00:32:24.760 And I think Shane and I talked a bit about that before too, because when you're talking

00:32:27.800 about rebuilding established areas and inner city areas, people forget there's some very

00:32:33.100 ancient infrastructure underground in those areas.

00:32:36.200 And it can be extremely costly to dig up and tap in and expand to try and, and manage.

00:32:42.560 I mean, if we're just talking utilities, even, uh, in an area, when you're putting a lot more

00:32:47.080 people into an area that was never originally designed to handle that many, when, when you're

00:32:51.560 getting into the, uh, outer areas of a city, you can build to, to deal with, uh, you know,

00:32:57.820 the growth that you're going to need in that area, uh, see, see that there's some of the

00:33:02.240 language, but fair enough, you know, it's a comment based show.

00:33:04.780 So I appreciate it.

00:33:05.460 Papillon or Papillon says, uh, Oh, Shane Holmes, were they responsible for part of the soulless

00:33:09.780 suburban sprawl?

00:33:12.020 Well, yeah, Shane Holmes is one of the builders that builds new homes for people out there.

00:33:16.200 Uh, and again, soulless suburban sprawl, what I call it is affordable new housing.

00:33:22.220 You know, before I left Calgary for Prittis, and that's part of what's going on too, you

00:33:25.660 see as, as they pressure things in the city, a lot of people, if they can, they flee.

00:33:30.260 So they just move out of the city anyways.

00:33:32.420 And, uh, I used to live in Highland Park in Calgary, which is a, uh, it was a pretty well

00:33:37.460 developed older, uh, urban area.

00:33:40.600 And, uh, a house behind us got, and we're talking, you know, 12, 14 years ago or something

00:33:45.380 got, got torn down, a good existing little bungalow.

00:33:48.100 And they built a duplex there, a duplex, a huge though duplex.

00:33:51.620 And those units, I think were 650,000 each year.

00:33:54.280 Remember back then you could get a house, a full out house in Calgary, especially in

00:33:58.420 that area, probably for more like $300,000.

00:34:00.900 So they took one $300,000 house out and, uh, put two, you know, $600,000 duplexes in who's

00:34:09.660 getting more affordable housing out of that.

00:34:11.600 I mean, if your goal is affordable housing, stuffing more people into those areas, isn't

00:34:17.440 doing it.

00:34:18.100 It isn't bringing it about.

00:34:19.520 Um, but we got a lot of, uh, again, the, the, the, the pitchforks are coming out, you

00:34:24.940 know, I, so, I mean, one of the things going on is there's the, it's starting this month,

00:34:27.940 the boycott Loblaws thing is going on.

00:34:30.600 Yes.

00:34:30.880 Yes.

00:34:31.080 There's the big internet movement, the big Reddit movement saying boycott Loblaws because

00:34:34.620 they've been gouging everybody on their groceries and we've got to boycott them.

00:34:37.260 It doesn't matter how many times, how many studies, how many inquiries come out out there.

00:34:43.600 Loblaws isn't gouging anybody.

00:34:45.340 You don't have to like them.

00:34:46.300 You don't have to like Galen Weston, but they, it's a public company and the numbers are there.

00:34:50.720 Their profit margins are under 4%.

00:34:53.460 That's it.

00:34:55.360 They're not gouging.

00:34:56.420 Grocery prices are going up.

00:34:58.200 That's true.

00:34:59.680 But it doesn't mean that Loblaws is the one making them go up.

00:35:03.080 In fact, it's quite competitive.

00:35:04.480 And that's with this boycott approval for one, it's just internet talk.

00:35:08.300 Boycotts don't work. 0.83

00:35:09.320 People are going to shop where it's most practical for them, where they get the better prices.

00:35:12.340 Typically, if you don't like Superstore, you can go to Walmart.

00:35:15.880 Don't like Walmart.

00:35:16.540 You can go to Safeway.

00:35:17.240 Don't like Safeway.

00:35:17.800 You can go to co-op.

00:35:19.400 There's a number of options out there.

00:35:21.960 And Loblaws, ironically, with Superstore and London Dierks tends to be often one of the cheapest

00:35:26.540 of them.

00:35:26.960 They don't have more room to come down.

00:35:28.740 People say, oh, but look at the, the salary that Galen West is taking.

00:35:33.340 Oh, he's worth billions.

00:35:34.900 I don't care.

00:35:36.160 I don't care.

00:35:37.000 I'm sick to death of politics of envy.

00:35:39.000 I couldn't give a rat's flying whatever.

00:35:41.740 How much Galen West is worth?

00:35:42.960 You know what?

00:35:43.320 If all those CEOs were down to a hundred thousand a year in salary, do you know how much it would

00:35:47.560 save you on your grocery bill?

00:35:49.400 About a dollar a month, maybe two.

00:35:51.860 That's not where it's happening.

00:35:53.140 So let's look where the real issue is happening.

00:35:55.700 And, uh, you know, so let's talk about bad policy though.

00:36:01.200 One of the areas, and it ties into the Trans Mountain finally being ready and coming up at,

00:36:06.600 uh, you know, what, seven times over budget once government took over.

00:36:10.680 And I was just appalled for almost not surprised, but appalled to see Premier Smith get up and

00:36:17.520 start talking about high speed rail in Alberta.

00:36:20.400 This is an idea that there are train fetishes, uh, fetishists out there.

00:36:24.720 That's really what they are.

00:36:25.580 They got a thing for trains.

00:36:26.840 They love trains.

00:36:27.760 They think they're great.

00:36:29.260 Good for you.

00:36:30.480 You love those things, but it doesn't mean they're economically feasible.

00:36:35.020 And they certainly aren't economically feasible everywhere.

00:36:39.180 Premier Smith's always loved trains.

00:36:40.340 She even had a restaurant in a train car for a while, but this is reeking of a pet project.

00:36:46.640 This got studied, I don't know, 12 years ago.

00:36:49.380 We spent a bunch of money.

00:36:50.760 We did a big study on it, and we found that high speed rail won't work in Alberta.

00:36:56.300 It doesn't work.

00:36:57.340 We would need, it felt at that time, a population of about 10 million people.

00:37:02.520 And, uh, the ticket prices, again, if you're guessing on it, if it got built, might be in

00:37:06.080 the range of $200 to get Calgary to Edmonton.

00:37:08.460 It just doesn't work.

00:37:10.040 People keep talking about, and I've been debating them online.

00:37:13.100 I don't believe in blindly following sea of things.

00:37:15.300 You see, that's where people got so upset with me, because I was critiquing Daniel Smith.

00:37:19.040 Well, I love a lot of what Premier Smith is doing.

00:37:21.760 I've been very supportive of it.

00:37:22.860 But this one's a stinker, guys. 0.87

00:37:24.560 This is bad news.

00:37:25.560 Do not start moving towards this.

00:37:27.440 We studied it. 0.99

00:37:28.360 They said it was crap. 1.00

00:37:29.500 Leave it alone. 1.00

00:37:30.700 But she won't.

00:37:32.060 And when they, the way they were talking so gushingly and everything, they say, we're

00:37:34.640 just studying it.

00:37:35.240 No, they're starting the groundwork to move towards this.

00:37:38.680 I get other people saying, oh, but look at how it works in Japan.

00:37:41.020 Look at how it works in France.

00:37:43.080 Uh-huh.

00:37:43.420 Yeah.

00:37:43.560 Well, let's look at that.

00:37:44.840 Japan has, what, 120 million people in an area that's only a little bit bigger than half

00:37:50.200 the size of Alberta.

00:37:51.440 That's a rather big difference.

00:37:53.320 We have four and some million, maybe getting more towards five.

00:37:58.040 Not even close, guys.

00:38:00.340 Meanwhile, France, same sort of thing.

00:38:02.240 I think they have 60 million and far, far more dense.

00:38:05.640 High-speed rail doesn't work for that.

00:38:07.700 Now, think of it, what if building that between Calgary and Edmonton, okay, and let's say

00:38:14.400 it costs $10 billion.

00:38:15.900 That means out of your pocket, right off the bat, and trust me, it'll cost more than that.

00:38:19.720 Think of expropriating all the land required.

00:38:22.860 Think of all of the battles that'll have to go on.

00:38:26.080 The court challenges the rest.

00:38:27.900 So let's say you got that right of way going.

00:38:30.140 Then you got the stations built.

00:38:33.500 You got all that done.

00:38:34.420 You got that train in.

00:38:35.040 And let's say it was even $10 billion, that means every man, woman, and child in Alberta

00:38:39.100 will be shelling out about $2,000 each just to have it built.

00:38:43.320 That's what the cost would come into.

00:38:45.120 And of course, not everybody pays taxes.

00:38:46.560 So realistically, if you're a middle-class taxpayer, it's more like you're going to be

00:38:50.320 shouldering about $3,000 of that.

00:38:52.320 And then you're going to have to pay a couple hundred to ride this thing.

00:38:56.400 Maybe, or it'll be subsidized down.

00:38:58.460 So you'll pay all the time, whether you ride it or not, and then get a relatively cheaper ticket.

00:39:03.300 We don't need this. 0.95

00:39:04.980 It's ridiculous. 0.96

00:39:06.900 Get on. 0.96

00:39:07.400 And people say, Highway 2, it's so crowded and nasty.

00:39:09.380 Yes, it is.

00:39:09.840 So expand it.

00:39:11.200 Look at the vehicles on Highway 2 in Alberta.

00:39:14.100 Not all of them are going all the way from Calgary to Edmonton.

00:39:17.020 Some of them are going Calgary to Panoka.

00:39:18.760 Some of them are going Panoka to Westlock, you know, and past Edmonton, things like that.

00:39:24.240 And they're people with vehicles.

00:39:25.260 They're people with families.

00:39:26.100 They're people with luggage.

00:39:26.960 If you really want to go through, okay, I'm going to go from Calgary to Edmonton to

00:39:31.360 visit Aunt Edna there, and I'll take the two kids.

00:39:34.240 So they'll say it's a family of four.

00:39:35.900 Okay, we're going to take an Uber and pay that price, or we'll drive to this train station

00:39:40.080 and pay for parking. 0.97

00:39:41.740 You know, check in, check our luggage, spend $100 a head.

00:39:45.180 So it's $400 one way to get the family up there without including the Uber and parking

00:39:49.280 costs.

00:39:50.340 And you get to the other side in Edmonton, maybe half an hour earlier than you would have

00:39:54.740 if you just bloody drove, even if it's a high-speed train, because you had to stop in Red Deer.

00:39:58.680 And then, then you got to get an Uber, get in that, go all the way to Aunt Edna's, and

00:40:02.820 then you're stuck without a vehicle for your visit, you know, and you got to listen to her

00:40:05.620 in terminal stories about her bad hip and things, and you can't even make an excuse saying, 0.95

00:40:09.920 I'm going to hop in the car and go to the liquor store because you took the train.

00:40:14.800 Look, guys, it's going to be a very limited market.

00:40:18.520 And then I've had others talk about, look at Via Rail in Canada.

00:40:21.680 It's a catastrophe.

00:40:22.840 It's heavily, heavily subsidized, and it's terrible service.

00:40:28.160 And then there's other people saying, well, that's because they have to share the tracks

00:40:30.860 with CP and they don't get priority routing and things like that.

00:40:33.620 Well, okay.

00:40:37.040 But then when we want to start talking about costs, when you're talking about, say, some

00:40:40.680 people are saying, well, we would just do Banff to Calgary on a conventional rail.

00:40:44.800 Oh, okay.

00:40:45.900 Well, then you got to share the track.

00:40:47.500 So it'll have the same problem as Via.

00:40:50.420 So you're dealing with CP because they own that track.

00:40:53.220 Or you build another track.

00:40:56.060 And again, for people not familiar with Alberta, drive between Calgary and Banff.

00:41:00.620 What have you got going on there?

00:41:01.920 For one, there's a whole bunch of mountains you're going to have to blast once you get

00:41:04.280 into the Canmore-Ekshaw region to get that track in there.

00:41:08.520 The other part is you're going through the Stony Reserve.

00:41:11.660 Yes.

00:41:12.500 A great big First Nation you have to get through. 1.00

00:41:14.720 And it's their land.

00:41:15.420 And they have every right to negotiate the best deal they can.

00:41:18.740 And again, if you're familiar with Calgary, we had a ring road that went through the Sutina

00:41:21.900 Reserve.

00:41:22.560 It took 40 years to negotiate that.

00:41:25.880 40 years.

00:41:26.600 It cost billions.

00:41:28.680 And that's just a chunk of ring road.

00:41:30.660 How much do you think the Stony is going to want to have a railroad track doubled through

00:41:35.600 their reserve?

00:41:37.000 It ain't going to come cheap.

00:41:38.460 Look, we don't want to rule out other areas of transportation.

00:41:41.440 We could talk about extending the LRT in Calgary.

00:41:44.140 It's not a real long shot anymore from the Northeast to get it to the airport, perhaps.

00:41:48.860 And people have talked about, well, what about to Cochrane?

00:41:51.180 Well, again, it's already moving up that way up Crowchild.

00:41:53.780 Keep creeping it up that way if you've got the demand.

00:41:55.700 And eventually you will have train transit going those ways.

00:41:58.660 But look in Calgary as well.

00:41:59.480 We've got the Green Line they're talking about.

00:42:01.360 The Green Line.

00:42:02.540 We've been talking about it for years.

00:42:04.240 And they've been ripping up downtown Calgary, doing utility, working crap on it for years.

00:42:08.300 And it keeps, you know, they won't make the budget bigger, which is five and some billion.

00:42:11.500 But what they keep doing is making the Green Line smaller.

00:42:14.280 So, I mean, eventually this thing's only going to be one station at the rate they're going.

00:42:18.760 And taxpayers are on the hook.

00:42:20.360 We've got to remember the world's changing, too.

00:42:22.240 Part of the problem with the Green Line, people don't work downtown like they used to.

00:42:25.300 The office buildings in Calgary are still nearly empty all over the place.

00:42:28.760 We've got 30% vacancy going on down here.

00:42:30.820 We've got another boondoggle going on that showed with Gondek a little while ago where they were converting an old office building into residential units.

00:42:40.740 And it turns out that the contractors aren't getting paid now.

00:42:43.940 And it's getting stalled.

00:42:45.280 And there's a big problem.

00:42:46.100 And, of course, the taxpayers are pumping millions into that as well.

00:42:48.740 Guys, people don't need to live downtown anymore.

00:42:52.000 We haven't had to since the fax machine.

00:42:53.720 That was kind of the beginning of the end.

00:42:54.980 You don't see the bike couriers running around with maps and documents from oil company building to oil company building.

00:43:00.920 In fact, a lot of people, that's one thing COVID changed all around, was people realizing, I don't have to be down there all the time.

00:43:08.040 I can work from home.

00:43:09.020 I can do a whole bunch of the stuff that I did at downtown on a laptop or on a computer in my house.

00:43:15.120 And they're doing that.

00:43:16.000 Maybe not full-time, but part-time.

00:43:17.980 So why are we building more infrastructure to suck everybody into a centralized city?

00:43:22.620 The reality is we're growing out.

00:43:24.820 Let's build to accommodate that.

00:43:27.400 Let's get realistic.

00:43:29.040 Let's look at, here's where, okay, to be fair, where some of the right can go a little wild at times.

00:43:34.280 Let's look at complete communities, I think is the term they often use.

00:43:37.760 You know, a new development that'll be on the outside of a city, but it's higher density.

00:43:40.960 And it also has a lot of the services built in for that because that way people don't have to commute into the center.

00:43:45.860 So make sure there's a school there, a medical facility there, retail space there, all of those things so they don't have to move as far.

00:43:53.080 Good stuff.

00:43:53.800 It's just good planning.

00:43:54.720 And it could sell.

00:43:56.600 But we've got to go out, not in, not up.

00:43:59.120 Again, the people, if you care about affordable housing, high density stinks.

00:44:05.600 Look to every high density city in North America.

00:44:08.580 It's easy.

00:44:08.920 It's great.

00:44:09.420 You can study these things online.

00:44:10.980 Look at the heavyweight high density cities.

00:44:13.100 Look at Manhattan.

00:44:14.200 Look at San Francisco.

00:44:17.620 Look at, look at Seattle.

00:44:20.220 High density.

00:44:21.140 Also expensive as all hell for renters and homeowners.

00:44:26.560 Isn't that kind of contrary?

00:44:27.680 But they've built up, yes, so it doesn't matter.

00:44:29.860 Because the areas where you can get affordable is where you build out.

00:44:33.100 You want to be affordable?

00:44:34.120 Las Vegas, Phoenix, Houston.

00:44:36.720 Even Tennessee is getting really good out there, you know?

00:44:39.080 These areas where they're not fixated on this anti-suburban lunacy.

00:44:44.700 They're just letting people build where they want to go.

00:44:46.820 Let people choose where they want to go.

00:44:50.860 It's, it's, they will go there.

00:44:53.620 But you've got to get out of the way.

00:44:55.100 It gets back to that Trans Mountain thing too, right?

00:44:56.940 This is an area, and that's what Shane kept talking about as well.

00:44:59.520 A lot of this, just get out of the way.

00:45:02.580 Consumers will choose what's right.

00:45:04.080 They'll choose what works best.

00:45:05.940 They'll choose fuel efficient green homes.

00:45:08.760 Why?

00:45:09.200 Maybe not because ideologically they want to save the world and become the next Greta Thunberg. 0.62

00:45:13.460 It could be just because they want to save some money on the heating bill, which is a good motivation.

00:45:18.200 And they'll save money on electric or whatever it is.

00:45:20.800 Hot water.

00:45:21.520 They will do the upgrades.

00:45:22.620 They will buy the houses that save the money on these things.

00:45:25.700 If a solar panel on a new house helps reduce some of your costs for water heating or supplements your energy a little, great.

00:45:32.400 If it works for you, go for it.

00:45:34.440 Don't have the government mandate it, though.

00:45:36.760 That's the problem. 1.00

00:45:38.100 And governments are all capable of bad, stupid ideas. 1.00

00:45:41.260 So I got to close on that. 1.00

00:45:42.820 It's important to hold even, in fact, especially the governments you like, the politicians you like, the ones you typically support.

00:45:51.340 You have to speak up and hold them responsible when they drift.

00:45:54.600 We'll always yell at Trudeau.

00:45:55.900 We'll always yell at Notley and Nenshi and the rest.

00:45:58.880 But don't forget to yell at Smith when she messes up, too.

00:46:01.720 Not yell at, but at least just say, hey, hey, hey, this is the wrong path.

00:46:05.420 Hold on.

00:46:06.040 Course correction.

00:46:07.320 You're supposed to be here for small government, not building giant infrastructure, boondoggle white elephants, which is what a high-speed rail will be.

00:46:15.160 It will be.

00:46:16.680 And she shouldn't have missed it.

00:46:17.500 She's got 100 irons in the fire already. 1.00

00:46:19.980 Why she took off on this deviation into rail lines, you got a lot more to deal with already.

00:46:26.120 Either way, that's the time and ranting I got today, guys.

00:46:29.300 And, hey, it's been interesting watching some of you guys debating in the comments zone.

00:46:33.420 I like seeing that.

00:46:34.240 I appreciate it.

00:46:35.140 One more time, I remind you by the end.

00:46:37.220 I forgot that earlier.

00:46:38.040 I usually do it at the news check-in.

00:46:39.580 Take out a subscription, westernstandard.news slash subscription.

00:46:42.820 Become a member.

00:46:43.540 It's $9.99 a month.

00:46:44.520 That's what funds us.

00:46:45.260 That's how we get by.

00:46:46.020 That's how the government stays out of us over here.

00:46:48.800 And if you've already subscribed, we appreciate it.

00:46:50.600 So thank you very much for tuning in today, guys.

00:46:53.840 Tune in next week.

00:46:54.900 We'll have another good show on the go.

00:46:56.820 And, well, I'll rant at you then.

00:46:59.400 Thanks.

00:47:05.140 We'll be right back.

Western Standard - May 01, 2024

CMS： Trades should be celebrated rather than shamed.

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