Western Standard

00:00:00.000 Good day.

00:00:29.220 Hey, welcome to The Cory Morgan Show.

00:00:31.080 This is our last one before July, end of the summer.

00:00:34.740 I'm liking it.

00:00:35.800 The political parties, of course, are all on their summer holidays now,

00:00:39.660 but the news doesn't stop.

00:00:41.440 Lots to cover, lots to go on about, lots to rant about,

00:00:44.680 even if the legislatures aren't sitting.

00:00:47.420 The show is live, as we can see.

00:00:49.240 I see no sense left, and he's sharp checking in already.

00:00:52.220 Use that comment scroll.

00:00:53.380 Send things my way, ideas, notions, comments, debate with each other.

00:00:56.320 We're just trying to stay somewhat civil with each other anyways.

00:01:00.600 So I'm going to have Mike Thomas on in a little while.

00:01:03.060 He's a Western Standard columnist.

00:01:04.620 You guys should be familiar with him.

00:01:05.820 He writes on real estate, some business stuff, and a lot of civic issues.

00:01:09.460 And we're going to be hearing a lot from Mike,

00:01:10.840 as it's an election year coming up in the municipal world.

00:01:13.700 There's always some kind of election or another going on,

00:01:15.800 and Mike's stuff is going to be very important in these months to come.

00:01:19.380 As well, I'll be checking in with Dave.

00:01:21.720 He's been a hard one to catch lately, it seems.

00:01:23.520 He's bouncing around all over the place,

00:01:25.180 but I've got him in for a news check-in.

00:01:26.820 But I've got to go off on a rant before that starts.

00:01:29.200 Something else people were watching probably saw.

00:01:31.420 There was a number of by-elections the other day in Alberta, three of them.

00:01:37.620 Now, Olds, Didsbury, Three Hills, for those not as familiar with it,

00:01:40.260 it's arguably the constituency with the strongest support

00:01:43.040 for Western independence in Canada.

00:01:44.780 In 1982, it became the first constituency to elect an overt independence candidate

00:01:49.900 when they selected Gord Kessler as an MLA in a by-election.

00:01:53.120 It's a rural constituency with a strong conservative-leaning base.

00:01:57.420 If there's anywhere that an independence candidate would do well in Western Canada,

00:02:01.720 it's that constituency.

00:02:03.600 So in a by-election this week, Alberta Republican Lardy Party leader Cam Davies

00:02:08.560 was solidly trounced in Olds, Didsbury, Three Hills,

00:02:11.460 garnering an embarrassing 17.7% support.

00:02:14.440 Even the NDP beat them.

00:02:16.620 The movement for Western independence has been enjoying a surge of support

00:02:19.940 since Eastern Canada rewarded the Liberals with a larger government last April.

00:02:24.200 Polls have indicated, I mean, they're all over,

00:02:25.780 but around 30% of Albertans are looking at considering a vote for independence

00:02:29.580 if they get the opportunity to do so in a referendum.

00:02:32.100 The lackluster electoral showing from the Republican Party of Alberta

00:02:36.140 just dumped a cold bucket of water on the independence movement,

00:02:38.740 just as the political doldrums of summer are about to hit.

00:02:41.400 I mean, with that support sitting at around 30% in the province,

00:02:44.960 it's likely closer to 50% or more in a constituency like Olds, Didsbury, Three Hills.

00:02:50.420 Being in a by-election as well offered independent supporters an opportunity

00:02:53.120 to send a message by voting for an independence candidate

00:02:55.460 without risking unseating the government.

00:02:57.360 It was the best electoral opportunity for an independence candidate

00:03:00.400 seen in an Alberta election since the 1980s.

00:03:03.660 So why did the Republican Party fare so poorly?

00:03:06.340 Well, there's a few reasons.

00:03:07.140 To begin with, they named themselves the Republican Party.

00:03:10.600 Why embrace a distinctively American brand in an Albertan party?

00:03:15.760 Independent supporters want to celebrate and build Alberta and its identity.

00:03:19.460 We're not looking to dissolve into a larger one south of the border.

00:03:22.880 The Republican moniker divides an already fragile support base.

00:03:26.000 Some independent supporters like the idea of joining the U.S.,

00:03:28.340 while some have no use for it.

00:03:30.060 That prevented independent supporters from coalescing around one party.

00:03:33.600 The party's self-appointed leader, Cam Davies, has a checkered past in Alberta politics.

00:03:38.580 He was neck deep in the now infamous Kamikaze leadership campaign debacle

00:03:42.080 when Jason Kenney won the UCP leadership.

00:03:44.920 Davies threw others involved in the affair under the bus

00:03:47.060 and found himself fined by Elections Alberta for his misdeeds.

00:03:50.820 His history doesn't exactly exude trustworthiness,

00:03:53.200 and his personal presentation has been off-putting for many people.

00:03:56.180 He just doesn't rub folks the right way.

00:03:58.500 The campaign also seemed to be more focused on a personal vendetta

00:04:02.060 against Daniel Smith and the UCP rather than the merits of Alberta independents.

00:04:06.100 I mean, many Alberta independent supporters don't have a problem with Smith

00:04:08.680 and weren't drawn in by the constant sniping from Cam and the Republicans.

00:04:12.420 The party itself was transformed from the morbid Buffalo party only a few months ago, 0.81

00:04:16.400 yet somehow garnered an astonishing amount of funds in a short time.

00:04:19.860 That sets off alarm bells for many people.

00:04:22.000 It'd be interesting to see other financials withstand the inevitable audits to come.

00:04:26.320 And having no established base of support yet,

00:04:28.980 but having an oddly full bank account,

00:04:31.180 the Republican Party spent heavily on advertising

00:04:33.160 and had what appeared to be a paid groups of door knockers

00:04:36.060 dropped into constituencies rather than organic volunteers like other parties have.

00:04:40.040 That didn't resonate well with voters at the doors,

00:04:42.680 and the election results proved that out.

00:04:44.540 The party also branded itself in liberal red,

00:04:47.740 and their campaign signs were almost indistinguishable

00:04:49.760 at a glance from federal liberal signs seen only a few months ago.

00:04:52.900 Embracing the brand appearance of the most loathed party in the province

00:04:55.820 demonstrates either utter strategic ineptitude

00:04:58.620 or a penchant for electoral self-destruction.

00:05:01.480 The campaign really was so bad,

00:05:03.700 it made people wonder if it wasn't being thrown on purpose.

00:05:06.580 The party had also gotten a hold of phone numbers and email lists for people,

00:05:10.140 and they were auto-dialing the cell phones of Albertans,

00:05:12.580 an annoyance tactic that couldn't have helped them.

00:05:14.840 And now they also ran in the other two Edmonton by-elections being held.

00:05:17.540 There was no expectation they would do well there,

00:05:19.820 but they still managed to underwhelm with 3.6% support in one of them,

00:05:23.720 and it's a ghastly 0.7% support in the other.

00:05:28.180 The only term to describe that sort of electoral showing 0.99

00:05:30.580 in spite of all the spending is pathetic. 0.91

00:05:33.280 Voters didn't reject the concept of independence in the by-elections, 0.98

00:05:36.700 they rejected Cam Davies and his weird little party.

00:05:39.900 Unfortunately, federalists are using the defeat of Davies

00:05:42.140 as a barometer of Alberta's support for independence.

00:05:44.900 Whether independent supporters like it or not,

00:05:46.580 Davies became the face of the movement for a short time,

00:05:48.720 and he served it poorly.

00:05:50.760 With a referendum on independence likely to be held within a year,

00:05:53.240 independent supporters just had a tough job made even tougher by the Alberta Republicans.

00:05:58.160 Well, let's just hope a lesson was learned.

00:06:00.660 With a referendum campaign, a party isn't needed.

00:06:02.980 In fact, as we saw with Davies' efforts,

00:06:05.000 the parties actually can make things worse.

00:06:07.740 Independent supporters must coalesce around advocacy groups

00:06:10.900 and act individually to build the base for winning a referendum vote.

00:06:13.640 They can't afford to waste time and money on independence parties

00:06:16.040 and only divide the movement and fail.

00:06:17.540 Perhaps the Republicans provide an example of the futility of a party approach

00:06:22.100 early enough to have taught the lesson in time to recover from it.

00:06:24.760 Now, let's just hope they go away

00:06:25.940 so the real independence movement can get to work

00:06:28.180 because they've got a lot to do.

00:06:30.080 All right.

00:06:30.960 That's what's got me going.

00:06:31.720 Let's see what else is going on there.

00:06:32.740 Hey, Dave.

00:06:33.480 Not a member of the Cam Davies fan club, I take it. 0.92

00:06:35.620 No, he's a weasel. 0.90

00:06:36.920 A weasel?

00:06:37.500 Weasel.

00:06:38.080 Weasel.

00:06:38.700 I know there's no shortage of those in the political world,

00:06:40.780 but he stands out.

00:06:41.720 So, quick checklist.

00:06:43.000 You're an award-winning, sorry, best-selling author?

00:06:46.400 Yeah.

00:06:47.560 An award-winning beekeeper?

00:06:50.040 Somewhat.

00:06:50.520 I've got that third-place ribbon of the Millerville Fair.

00:06:52.640 That's an award.

00:06:53.400 You won it.

00:06:54.060 Yeah.

00:06:54.540 And now you're expanding your business empire, I see.

00:06:57.520 You're going into the chapstick business.

00:06:59.240 Chapstick.

00:06:59.720 So, yes, beeswax lip balms I make.

00:07:02.500 Well, I had all that beeswax built up.

00:07:03.820 What are you supposed to do with it?

00:07:05.080 You know, a few candles, I guess.

00:07:06.880 But no, look at those Burt's Bees things. 0.54

00:07:08.580 They're like seven bucks for a tube.

00:07:10.180 Yeah.

00:07:10.640 So, yeah, we're trying that.

00:07:11.680 So, I've made a mess of wax and everything all over the counter at home,

00:07:13.900 and Jane's pissed off at it. 1.00

00:07:14.900 So, how much are you going to be selling yours for?

00:07:16.400 I figured I'd know yet.

00:07:17.060 We'll let the market decide.

00:07:18.060 I don't think a lot of it's just going to be gifts for, you know,

00:07:19.820 our B&B guests or what would that be.

00:07:22.020 Colleagues?

00:07:22.340 Maybe I get chap lips.

00:07:23.500 I could bring some, by the way, for sure.

00:07:24.800 There you go.

00:07:25.780 Sell it at the end of your driveway during this.

00:07:32.400 As they pass by, because they have the sun, right?

00:07:34.720 True enough.

00:07:35.440 And we get no shortage of cyclists.

00:07:36.860 Exactly.

00:07:37.600 I mean, chap butts on it.

00:07:39.260 Anyways, I wish you good luck.

00:07:40.440 Oh, thanks.

00:07:41.220 Good luck.

00:07:43.520 I keep busy.

00:07:44.940 You do.

00:07:45.480 You do.

00:07:45.960 You like the world's most interesting guy.

00:07:48.440 Lots of good stuff on the website this morning, if I do say so myself.

00:07:52.940 Alberta Energy Regulators released their yearly report on how energy is doing in Alberta.

00:07:57.480 And, as you might expect, we're booming.

00:07:59.980 Record production, record money, whether it's helium or lithium or hydrogen or bitumen.

00:08:07.180 Whatever it is, we're getting it out of the ground and we're selling it.

00:08:11.480 So, that's all good.

00:08:12.260 I read that story on the standard.

00:08:13.540 I mean, our natural gas reserve numbers are actually going up.

00:08:17.400 So, I mean, this is something interesting for people who are not familiar with the oil field.

00:08:20.620 I mean, yes, we're producing, but as we find and prove more resources, the amount's actually getting larger.

00:08:25.780 Yeah, and we went from 15th in the world for LNG supply to 9th.

00:08:29.720 Yeah.

00:08:30.040 So, and we still only have that one part to export it.

00:08:33.280 So, imagine what we could do if we actually got some stuff built.

00:08:36.480 Let's imagine.

00:08:37.760 A good story out of Ottawa today.

00:08:41.020 There used to be a trade grant for men and women who were thinking about getting in the trades.

00:08:46.260 And if you identified as a woman, you got double the amount of money because they were trying to attract more women to the trades. 0.96

00:08:54.220 But all they took as whatever sex you were going for was just self-identification.

00:08:59.840 Of course.

00:09:00.420 So, you can't question somebody.

00:09:01.560 No.

00:09:01.840 So, if you're thinking, hey, a woman gets double, I think I'll just identify as a woman today and click that box. 0.81

00:09:08.300 So, apparently, lots of people have been ripping off the government that way.

00:09:12.060 Gender benders. 0.99

00:09:12.960 Who would have seen that coming?

00:09:14.120 Yeah.

00:09:14.520 A high school teacher in Edmonton by the name of Jimmy Bueno has been charged with a whole bunch of child sex offenses.

00:09:23.120 And as the cops descended on the school to arrest him, they found he's fled the country.

00:09:27.460 No bueno.

00:09:28.280 So, no bueno.

00:09:29.160 So, he's, well, hopefully in a country where we can extra done.

00:09:36.780 Interesting energy type story.

00:09:40.160 The province is spending $5 million to build a direct air carbon capture where this thing will just sit in a field in Innisfail and suck carbon dioxide out of the air.

00:09:52.900 Sounds interesting.

00:09:54.020 If it works.

00:09:54.680 Interesting.

00:09:55.200 Where are they going to put it?

00:09:56.200 Somewhere near Innisfail in the field.

00:09:57.540 Well, I meant the carbon.

00:09:58.440 Oh, then they're going to take it wherever they bury it underground.

00:10:01.640 We can pipeline it into Quebec.

00:10:03.320 Yeah, exactly.

00:10:04.480 Set up a big fan at the Quebec border and blowing it that way.

00:10:09.140 And the Labor Board, the Federal Labor Board, has upheld a firing of an employment insurance operator who is bitching about Black Lives Matter and saying stuff like,

00:10:22.880 when do white people get their own day and, and saying what you said, the Kamloops school thing was a hoax.

00:10:30.180 Yeah, I'm not so big on the White Lives Matter, I'm not so big on the White Lives Matter, do you? 0.78

00:10:33.000 Yeah, that's kind of so fair.

00:10:34.260 But yeah.

00:10:34.880 So anyways, the Board said that that wasn't creating a very good work atmosphere and they fired him.

00:10:42.520 Or I think it was.

00:10:43.580 It's one of those difficult areas.

00:10:44.800 I mean, you got a public presentation of a person or, you know, a reflection on the place.

00:10:49.680 But at the same time, it's political correctness overriding the ability of, so you speak.

00:10:54.000 Thank goodness we don't have an HR department.

00:10:56.160 No.

00:10:56.500 Well, a political correctness isn't really a problem around here, typically, as long as the mics aren't hot. 1.00

00:11:00.340 Exactly.

00:11:02.540 That's all you got to do?

00:11:03.500 That's it, man.

00:11:04.140 Isn't that enough?

00:11:04.960 As we're coming into July, no, as you said, the site is busy.

00:11:08.940 The news doesn't stop.

00:11:09.900 It doesn't stop.

00:11:11.180 Right.

00:11:11.480 Just a slow day would be acceptable.

00:11:13.640 Well, you're bouncing around traveling.

00:11:15.460 You were in Banff for the G7, living in luxury.

00:11:17.620 You were eating steaks in Israel a little while ago.

00:11:20.480 Living in luxury.

00:11:23.200 That's a bad thing.

00:11:23.720 They made us walk down the mountain because they wouldn't let us park at the Banff Center.

00:11:28.620 We had to walk down Tunnel Mountain.

00:11:29.980 People pay a lot of money to be able to go up and walk down those mountains.

00:11:32.880 I don't.

00:11:33.580 I'm not one of them, though.

00:11:35.440 Okay.

00:11:36.040 Well, I'll let you get back to your desk and recover from the hiking.

00:11:39.100 And I appreciate the updates, Dave.

00:11:40.900 You bet, Corey.

00:11:41.800 Great on.

00:11:42.360 Thanks.

00:11:43.420 That is our news editor, Dave Naylor.

00:11:45.260 And yes, lots of stuff going up there.

00:11:47.200 It's a busy site.

00:11:48.120 Well, you see it looks like a new face behind me on the screen there making his premier appearance

00:11:52.500 as well in the newsroom.

00:11:53.740 That nice thing with the glass, literal glass wall behind us here at the Western Standard.

00:11:57.920 Look, the reason we've got no reporters, the reason Dave's busily trying to keep all those

00:12:01.560 stories up and running is because you guys have been subscribing.

00:12:05.000 So be sure to get on there, westernstandard.news slash subscription.

00:12:08.100 We don't take those tax dollars.

00:12:09.520 We're independent.

00:12:10.320 We answer to you.

00:12:11.980 $10 a month, $100 for a year.

00:12:13.560 Guys, if you've already subscribed, we really do appreciate it.

00:12:16.900 And if you haven't yet, get on there.

00:12:19.620 It's just like a newspaper subscription and it helps cover things.

00:12:22.880 So let's have a look at things through the comment scroll.

00:12:25.380 What's going on out there?

00:12:27.100 E-Sharp kind of checking in from Saskatchewan.

00:12:30.660 Perry Dorsey saying the fact that they went on a summer holiday tells you how little they

00:12:34.040 care about Canadians.

00:12:35.260 And how small that crisis to the yellow man to the south.

00:12:38.600 Well, he's more orange, I think, but all the same is all smoking mirrors and BS from

00:12:41.680 the liberals.

00:12:42.720 Though, to be fair, a little bit fair, you know, and I beat on politicians regularly.

00:12:47.720 That's part of what I do.

00:12:50.640 We do point out that it's a holiday over summer because the legislatures aren't sitting.

00:12:56.280 But most of them are actually pretty busy over the summer months.

00:12:59.780 They've got to stay on the ground.

00:13:01.620 They've got to go to public events.

00:13:03.160 They've got to make appearances, do their things.

00:13:06.120 I mean, some of them just kind of mail it in, but a lot of them really work quite hard

00:13:09.640 through those months, too.

00:13:10.640 Now, whether they're working on anything that actually benefits us, well, that's a whole

00:13:13.460 separate discussion all together, isn't it?

00:13:16.140 But, you know, the legislatures do have to break now and then.

00:13:22.780 I mean, one of the things is kind of good.

00:13:24.500 When they aren't sitting, there's less chance that they can do much more damage to us.

00:13:27.360 So they tend to find ways.

00:13:29.240 Let's see.

00:13:29.880 A-log 74.

00:13:31.160 Our question is, Kearney just joined the EU without the rest of the provinces voting

00:13:35.920 on another $250 billion pact.

00:13:38.100 Yeah, I know there's a big spending thing through NATO, and Kearney certainly has a big interest

00:13:42.580 in Europe over North America in a lot of ways.

00:13:45.660 He seems to be wanting to pull us tighter over there.

00:13:47.760 But no, we haven't informally or formally joined the EU yet.

00:13:51.660 But he really is pushing in that direction, isn't he?

00:13:54.120 And, well, there's a lot of things, good things and bad things with the European Union, I

00:14:00.020 guess, for the most part.

00:14:01.300 I don't want them.

00:14:02.000 I mean, we're working hard enough to break out of the Federation, or at least I am.

00:14:04.880 Why would I want to get mixed up in yet another group of countries across a big pond to make

00:14:09.800 it even all the more complicated?

00:14:11.400 All right, well, let's get on to my guest here.

00:14:12.760 I got in studio Mike Thomas.

00:14:14.280 You've read a lot of his stuff in the Western Standard, and we've got him here.

00:14:18.560 How's it going, Mike?

00:14:19.160 Pretty good.

00:14:19.960 Corey, how are you doing?

00:14:21.140 Good.

00:14:21.980 Good.

00:14:22.240 I like summer, so I'm actually, you know, as far as I go with my grumpiness, I'm in a

00:14:26.040 good mood right now.

00:14:26.840 Given the weather we've had the last couple of days, it's actually warm out there today.

00:14:30.520 Yeah, well, for people, I think it's been ideal weather.

00:14:33.340 You know, that low to mid 20 degree area.

00:14:35.540 I like it at 30 and about, but Jane disagrees vehemently with that.

00:14:41.100 But all the same, this is good weather.

00:14:42.700 Well, next time you can go to Arizona and leave her at home. 0.99

00:14:47.400 You know, I can give myself a crap. 0.98

00:14:49.120 I don't need help. 0.99

00:14:49.840 You don't need me.

00:14:50.520 Right on.

00:14:52.440 Well, again, I appreciate you coming in.

00:14:54.320 So, I mean, just reminding everybody, we're coming into a municipal election year.

00:15:00.300 October 20th.

00:15:02.200 Yes.

00:15:02.700 Yeah.

00:15:03.100 I mean, we should be paying attention to these things all the time, but we don't.

00:15:08.280 This, you know, for the next few months really should be the time people should be kind of

00:15:11.480 scrutinizing those candidates.

00:15:12.620 Well, Stampede Week is usually when the elections really hit the streets, so to speak, because

00:15:19.360 there's so many receptions and the candidates and the wannabes are at every single one of

00:15:26.200 them.

00:15:26.360 And then they disappear totally in August for the most part, because council doesn't sit

00:15:32.140 in August, take the month off.

00:15:33.940 Um, but the, uh, the shift in, in council will hit the fan on Labor Day that, that weekend

00:15:42.040 was just boom.

00:15:43.080 Away they go.

00:15:43.720 Yeah.

00:15:44.260 Yeah.

00:15:44.480 It's just full board campaign time after that.

00:15:47.000 Yeah.

00:15:47.180 Uh, so something, I mean, a recent piece of yours and you got a lot of them, but just

00:15:50.600 one that caught my eye cause it's a pet peeve of mine.

00:15:52.600 I've been watching those poor businesses in Marta Loop for people not familiar with it.

00:15:56.500 It's kind of, it was a nice little neighborhood.

00:15:58.480 It was a little corner of kind of older city, but businesses around nice little houses and

00:16:04.720 they have taken it on upon, upon themselves to rebuild it and they have destroyed that area.

00:16:09.760 Well, you know, and I mean, Marta Loop is not that far from where they messed up like

00:16:15.400 a Bennett high school.

00:16:16.780 That's another, um, but the city's on this rampage of densification that, um, I'm convinced

00:16:25.500 it's because of federal money.

00:16:27.240 Uh, they, they signed an agreement with the, uh, housing accelerator fund that I've gone

00:16:32.940 through and looked at and Calgary got $228 million, uh, in the agreement plus bonus money

00:16:40.000 for every multifamily permit, billing permit it issues.

00:16:45.500 So they got, I think it was something like $22 million in bonuses a couple of weeks ago.

00:16:50.820 So the, and the same thing in Edmonton, the same deal going on out there.

00:16:54.380 Um, so they're just indiscriminately putting up, uh, multifamily housing.

00:17:02.880 Um, I mean, we need housing that's, that's clear about that, but, um, to do what they've

00:17:09.380 done in Marta Loop is, is atrocious.

00:17:11.600 It doesn't need to be done there.

00:17:13.260 Um, but the planners have it in their heads that there's these things called main streets

00:17:18.460 and 33rd Avenue, um, which runs from, if you're familiar with Calgary, 14th Street West

00:17:24.480 to Crochow Trail is a very heavily, uh, traveled route.

00:17:29.460 There are many roads that go across Crochow Trail, so you have to use that.

00:17:32.080 Yeah.

00:17:32.320 Yeah.

00:17:32.720 And so their, their dictum, for lack of a better word, is that they just want to densify the

00:17:40.180 hell out of, uh, of those main streets.

00:17:42.500 And they take into account, they do not take into account, um, the, the, it's, what I'm

00:17:52.000 trying to say is, they don't care what neighborhood it's in, is what I'm trying to say.

00:17:55.440 Um, and Marta Loop is, is, is a, like you said, it was a heritage.

00:17:58.400 I've been born and raised in Calgary.

00:17:59.640 I used to hang around there.

00:18:00.620 I went to, like, I've been at high school.

00:18:02.620 Um, so I'm very familiar with the area and it was a really cool, neat neighborhood.

00:18:06.700 It was a character.

00:18:07.460 Yes, it did.

00:18:08.040 A place, if you want to do an in-city day trip, you could go down there, check out, you know,

00:18:12.000 Casablanca Video or some of the other restaurants.

00:18:13.880 All those places, the old, uh, the theater.

00:18:16.120 I remember going to the Marta Theater to see movies there.

00:18:19.680 Um, but, so they wanted to, they got to clean up Marta Loop, they said.

00:18:26.620 But what they're really doing is they're putting infrastructure in that'll handle 26-story

00:18:32.340 apartment buildings.

00:18:33.760 And, and that takes a lot of, a lot of work.

00:18:36.400 And that's very old infrastructure in there, obviously.

00:18:39.060 I don't think it's been changed since 1950.

00:18:40.740 I don't know.

00:18:42.000 Um, but, uh, they just messed it up so badly.

00:18:47.460 And it's, it's not going to take 18 months longer than what they said it would take because

00:18:51.400 they get down there and they go, boy, this is a big mess.

00:18:54.460 Um, and so, um, I know people are saying, well, how come it takes so long?

00:19:00.560 Is it any different in Calgary in terms of other projects?

00:19:03.480 Um, I don't know.

00:19:05.300 I don't, I, I'm not an expert at construction.

00:19:08.540 I'm just an expert at criticizing you.

00:19:10.400 Yeah.

00:19:10.640 Well, that's part of what I wanted to get into though.

00:19:12.800 I mean, can Calgary get anything done in decent timelines?

00:19:15.560 Because the issue with Marta Loop wasn't just the construction.

00:19:17.840 They started over two years ago.

00:19:20.180 They've ripped up this, this tree block area of streets.

00:19:22.700 These businesses are going broke because people are avoiding the area like the plague.

00:19:26.500 And they still aren't done.

00:19:27.820 And I've been out there recently.

00:19:29.360 I have to drive the city all the time.

00:19:31.440 It's not that different.

00:19:32.340 They widened the sidewalks a little, put in some planters.

00:19:34.880 I'm guessing it's underground utilities.

00:19:36.360 It's all the underground stuff that's split.

00:19:38.660 How can they take so long?

00:19:40.020 Well, you know, I don't know if they take longer in Calgary than say they would do longer

00:19:46.340 than in Edna's.

00:19:46.780 So this is a municipal problem altogether.

00:19:49.100 Yeah.

00:19:49.280 So, uh, I mean, I'm, I'm going to get, I mean, certainly it's not that the people working

00:19:55.220 not at street level are not to blame for this.

00:19:58.200 I mean, the story I wrote when, uh, the, the guy from, uh, Diner Deluxe, Vince said that

00:20:04.260 he was getting more information from the guys digging the holes than he was from city hall.

00:20:09.140 And therein, I think lies the problem because it's not necessarily, I mean, you're going to

00:20:14.160 run into problems digging that deep into old infrastructure.

00:20:16.840 You're just going to have it.

00:20:17.720 You don't really know what's there till you get there.

00:20:20.280 So that's, I, I'll, I'll give you that.

00:20:22.720 But communication is the problem.

00:20:25.660 The city of Calgary is just terrible at, at communications.

00:20:30.380 Um, they seem to think, and I, I sit through all kinds of different things.

00:20:34.500 I've talked to the bunch of the people involved in all these, these, uh, new developments who

00:20:39.820 said that the city hosted these events, um, to, to get input and stuff like that.

00:20:46.080 And most of the every, just everybody I talked to says that they didn't, they didn't listen.

00:20:51.060 Yeah.

00:20:51.640 You know, they lectured, they don't listen.

00:20:53.220 They go through the motions.

00:20:54.160 Yeah.

00:20:54.360 They go through the motions and then they go back to city hall and they, uh, a report

00:20:58.020 came out, uh, I can't remember if it was yesterday or last week, uh, about what a great job the

00:21:03.980 city does in, in, uh, interacting with Calgarians and it's bull, total bull. 0.84

00:21:11.640 Yes.

00:21:12.140 And so I think, I mean, I, I think probably if they had a, a martyr loop Marshall, uh, for

00:21:19.460 the city, um, who went, went around the neighborhood every Monday morning, the Monday morning Marshall.

00:21:26.340 Oh, there you go.

00:21:27.380 I like that.

00:21:27.880 You should get that comp's position.

00:21:29.140 I'm going to write that down.

00:21:30.680 Um, and just say, look, we've run into a problem over here and it's going to take a little bit

00:21:34.900 longer, but they're not doing that.

00:21:36.440 But if you tell people, look, it's going to take a little bit longer.

00:21:40.400 Sorry about that.

00:21:41.560 Um, how can we, what, what can we do to help you or whatever?

00:21:45.080 Yeah.

00:21:45.440 Uh, people go, oh, okay, at least you're telling me.

00:21:47.680 And that's the big problem is they don't communicate it.

00:21:51.920 So this, I mean, as much as it's a big, big project for the people down there,

00:21:55.940 this is a drop in the bucket compared to, I'm going to bring up the monster, the green 0.99

00:21:59.420 line, because that's going to be coming up in this election a lot.

00:22:02.520 That monster has been going on for years now.

00:22:05.580 It's an LRT expansion project that keeps growing in size and then shrinking, but the

00:22:10.120 budget just keeps exploding and they haven't bought, they haven't laid a mile of track yet.

00:22:14.740 No.

00:22:15.240 Uh, there's a groundbreaking ceremony tomorrow.

00:22:18.300 Yeah.

00:22:18.540 Well, if they move at the speed they did with Marta loop, my great grandchildren won't see

00:22:21.280 this thing.

00:22:21.780 No, they won't.

00:22:22.580 Um, I don't know what the timeline is on that.

00:22:25.160 I've written quite a bit about it and I haven't seen that because they, they haven't

00:22:28.240 decided, I only decided a little while ago that when they're, when they're going to

00:22:31.540 start, uh, building the thing.

00:22:34.000 But, um, the difference there, I think initially anyway, is it's really not heavily populated

00:22:40.620 where this thing is going and there's no deep, uh, if you're a bunch of light industrial

00:22:45.480 and.

00:22:46.060 Yeah.

00:22:46.420 So it'll, I think it'll go quickly by city standards.

00:22:50.000 Um, so what, cause you've got bigger properties and some of them aren't, yeah, there's, but

00:22:54.960 no, it's, it's, it's easy.

00:22:56.700 I think it's at least five years away.

00:22:58.380 I'm not sure.

00:22:59.940 Um, and, and I'm not a big fan of the green line.

00:23:02.400 I don't know.

00:23:03.240 Uh, I don't know why they, why they did that.

00:23:06.940 I have, I really don't understand it.

00:23:09.140 Well, so getting on, I'll get more into your specialty is you've written on for decades

00:23:13.140 or real estate housing.

00:23:15.160 It's again, going to be an issue.

00:23:16.440 The blanket rezoning, the candidates for mayor and council are already shooting at each other

00:23:21.820 over the blanket rezoning and such.

00:23:23.920 Where do you think hopefully this campaign will go to work towards maybe a better council

00:23:27.960 and mayor for a little while?

00:23:28.860 Well, um, in terms of, of whether or not they're going to be able to, uh, repeal the, the blanket

00:23:38.240 zoning, I don't know.

00:23:39.880 Um, or you do, how do you compensate people who have now, you know, a 16 unit condo or a

00:23:49.520 row house next to, nor your single family home?

00:23:51.980 I mean, they should quit it.

00:23:55.360 But again, it goes back to the housing accelerator, because, um, it's all multifamily homes that

00:24:02.220 are come under that blanket zoning and the city gets bonus money for permits issue.

00:24:07.840 Um, they get bonus money for multifamily anywhere in the city, but including in there.

00:24:13.300 And that was part of the, it's in the agreement.

00:24:15.520 I've read it.

00:24:16.020 It says, uh, no multifamily, uh, no changing the zoning, no money.

00:24:21.840 Well, it's one of those areas that says the federal government is really

00:24:24.340 indirectly, but still directly meddling in municipal affairs because they dangle the

00:24:28.820 money and they'll play that.

00:24:31.140 I mean, uh, you know, if the city doesn't utilize those dollars, you know, the other

00:24:34.640 politicians will say, well, look at that.

00:24:35.860 They left money on the table.

00:24:37.100 They're throwing away the federal dollars that were handed out to you.

00:24:40.300 It's an ugly political game they play.

00:24:42.560 Well, it is.

00:24:43.480 Um, the, uh, you know, I mean, the money, the taxpayers money, that's the luck because

00:24:47.980 it's still all hours.

00:24:48.860 No matter how you look.

00:24:49.620 Yeah.

00:24:49.840 Cause Edmonton, uh, bought into it as well.

00:24:53.380 And now, um, on Monday at Edmonton city council, there is a petition or a motion going forward

00:25:01.960 to adjust their blanket upselling so that they can't put big 16, uh, unit row houses in the 0.70

00:25:11.540 middle of the street.

00:25:12.320 If they want them, you got to put them on the corner, which, which is probably, I mean, it's,

00:25:18.840 it's a concession to single family people.

00:25:21.780 Um, the, if they're, if the homes, the row houses, if they're on the corner, then the

00:25:28.080 people probably aren't parking in the middle of the street because I mean, all the issues

00:25:32.260 that go with that, it's incredible.

00:25:33.620 So whether or not that, I think it's going to get passed because, uh, you mentioned the

00:25:38.180 election, um, the, the, the whole thing about the, uh, three of the, three of the mayor,

00:25:45.300 mayor candidates announced today, this week, they were going to repeal it if they were

00:25:51.500 reelected, um, which leaves two people who haven't mentioned it.

00:25:55.320 And one of them is Jody Gondek who wouldn't even give a thought to repealing it.

00:26:00.200 No.

00:26:00.420 And the thesis is probably the other one.

00:26:02.120 The thesis is the other one.

00:26:02.960 And, um, I don't, he wouldn't either.

00:26:06.400 He's a, he's a old civil servant who, uh, you know, um, so what's going to happen with

00:26:14.240 it?

00:26:14.340 I don't know.

00:26:15.180 Can they repeal it?

00:26:16.480 I don't know.

00:26:17.180 What are the ramifications?

00:26:18.340 I mean, it's, uh, but it's interesting that they're all making it, uh, an, an election issue.

00:26:26.940 Yeah.

00:26:27.320 Yeah.

00:26:27.840 And it's, it's part of, well, now that it's already been in, I mean, people have to look at what

00:26:31.560 happens.

00:26:31.900 Well, if those companies have already invested or started the planning or purchased properties,

00:26:35.940 the city could be very liable if they get run pulled.

00:26:39.340 Well, no.

00:26:40.500 Um, or they can't, they won't be able to cancel any permits that have been issued.

00:26:43.800 That's what I mean.

00:26:44.280 Yeah.

00:26:44.560 Okay.

00:26:44.840 You know, with the years that are already in motion.

00:26:46.640 Yeah.

00:26:46.980 And, and you know what?

00:26:47.780 And that's, that's another thing.

00:26:49.660 Um, they're talking about using this thing to solve our housing crisis.

00:26:54.840 We don't have a housing crisis in Calgary.

00:26:57.300 We have an affordability crisis in Calgary.

00:27:00.820 Um, we've got, there, there are more active list listings on the Calgary real estate board

00:27:05.740 website right now than there have been in three or four years.

00:27:09.000 My people are listing their houses that they're selling them.

00:27:12.440 They want to get out of them.

00:27:13.420 So that puts product on the market.

00:27:15.740 But what we don't have is enough, uh, non-market housing and, and all of this stuff that's being

00:27:23.740 built under the blanket zoning, uh, by law, none of it is market housing.

00:27:29.620 There's no stipulation in there for somebody to go in there and say, okay, I want a permit

00:27:34.680 for this real house for 16 units.

00:27:36.860 They go, yeah, here you go.

00:27:38.020 Uh, but they don't say, oh, no, no, no, wait, you got 16, four of them have to be non-market,

00:27:42.420 which would just make, make it even a bigger problem for them.

00:27:46.500 But that's the issue with me is that they're, uh, none of this stuff that they're building

00:27:52.040 under that bylaw is affordable housing.

00:27:55.440 I mean, you're, if, if you go into, let's say Mount Royal and knock down a $2 million house

00:28:00.900 that you want to put row homes in there, what do you think?

00:28:03.640 Those are going to sell for, you know, that's like the infills of the inner city.

00:28:07.740 Before I left Calgary, it was 12 years ago and I lived in Highland Park, an older area.

00:28:12.100 A lot of the infills were going in and then some neighbors did that in the corner, tore

00:28:16.180 down the house, put up to a big giant gray duplex and they sold for 600,000 each half

00:28:22.460 a duplex for 600,000 in an area where you could buy a whole house for 400,000 at that

00:28:26.820 time.

00:28:27.180 Well, if you're not making things more affordable, you just go a couple of blocks south here

00:28:30.360 into lower Mount Royal and it's a mess like that.

00:28:33.120 It's an absolute disaster area.

00:28:36.180 Well, I mean, there's lots to cover and the housing is, is your beep, but still in general,

00:28:40.080 so is civic.

00:28:40.620 And I just, I wanted to bring it in, you know, kicking off this, this season, cause we really

00:28:43.840 need people to be watching you, your stories.

00:28:45.420 They're going to be important in this, this next few months.

00:28:48.400 What do you see or what are you anticipating covering in this election as it starts ramping up?

00:28:52.700 You know, well, the, the stages is, are, are being set.

00:28:58.820 There are going to be a minimum of six new phases on council.

00:29:05.160 Because I've got, and I got a list here to the people who've said they're not running.

00:29:09.720 And a question mark with Sean Chu.

00:29:11.920 I'm not sure if that could make a seven, but.

00:29:15.180 Sean can win if he wanted to.

00:29:16.800 I don't, I don't know.

00:29:18.080 I have no, I'm not going to wager on anybody.

00:29:23.040 Um, but if you look at it, one, two, three, four, five, six of them voted for blanket up zoning.

00:29:30.820 And now all of a sudden they're not running.

00:29:32.920 So now whether or not that's got anything to do with it, I don't know.

00:29:35.680 I'd like to think so that they learned their lesson.

00:29:38.480 And they're getting out of the voters and they're getting the heck out before they get checked.

00:29:41.120 Yeah.

00:29:41.700 Yeah.

00:29:41.860 Um, so, so anyway, there's a minimum of six, maybe seven new phases to, to run for council.

00:29:50.960 We got five people running for mayor. 0.99

00:29:52.940 I don't think there'll be any more.

00:29:54.540 Um, there might be a couple of counselors yet to, to, uh, throw their hat into the ring. 1.00

00:30:00.120 I don't know.

00:30:01.340 Um, I think that, that it's going to be, I say this every year, the most important election

00:30:09.760 in, in Calgary's history, but this one is, is, is, um, the warring, I mean, it's a split

00:30:15.860 council.

00:30:16.580 It is so divided.

00:30:18.020 It isn't funny.

00:30:19.100 I mean, I, I was in council yesterday watching them talk about, uh, they were, a notice of

00:30:25.620 motion came in about, is the city of Calgary infringing on responsibilities that are the

00:30:31.080 Alberta government or the federal government?

00:30:32.760 And, and, and it was brought to, uh, to council by Sonia Sharp, who was running for mayor.

00:30:39.100 And, um, there's this great big argument going on in this split council.

00:30:45.060 No, we have to do everything we possibly can, regardless of whose responsibility it is.

00:30:50.320 And, and, and that, that was the, the pro blanket zoning people.

00:30:55.360 The self-important ones, I think, the city, the city state almost.

00:30:59.700 They're, they're, they don't, I, I don't think they think of themselves as counselors

00:31:05.140 first.

00:31:06.240 That's, that's their second job.

00:31:07.980 Their first job is to, to manipulate and, and, and do whatever they can to get people

00:31:14.640 to live they want the way they want them to live.

00:31:16.720 Social engineering.

00:31:17.480 Yeah.

00:31:17.700 Social engineering, the DEI stuff, all of that stuff.

00:31:21.220 Um, there's, uh, two guys on council that are really bad at that.

00:31:25.140 And that's Cora and Walcott, uh, both of whom are bailing.

00:31:29.220 Yeah.

00:31:29.800 Um, and, uh, so those seats are open.

00:31:33.840 Where I'm going with this, I think is, is that, um, traditionally turnout in the civic election

00:31:41.340 in Calgary is, is terrible.

00:31:43.220 I think it's like 16 or 20% or something like that.

00:31:46.480 Um, so you get what you don't ask for.

00:31:50.320 Uh, if you don't go in there and tell them you, I vote, I'm voting for you.

00:31:55.040 You, you, a big turnout will shake this council up.

00:31:58.600 Um, it didn't shake them up when they had the big, big public hearing because they had

00:32:03.260 that, all that money from the liberals behind them.

00:32:06.120 But, um, I think Calgary, I hope Calgarians are more aware of what's going on because of 1.00

00:32:14.060 the nature of this current council, which has done so many stupid things. 0.99

00:32:18.220 So maybe, I don't know. 0.98

00:32:20.140 Uh, and that's, that's the big issue is get, get off your duff and make a plan to, to check

00:32:26.980 out all of the people who were running, uh, and check them out really well in terms of

00:32:32.860 the type of person you want to have in the government.

00:32:35.360 And don't just read their, their, uh, election literature.

00:32:39.700 Yeah.

00:32:40.160 I mean, find what, what job did they have before this or what job did they have now that they're

00:32:45.280 prepared to leave, to go to council?

00:32:47.740 Um, uh, where they've worked in the past can tell you a lot more about them than I promised

00:32:54.000 to, uh, piece you in every pond, you know?

00:32:56.740 So, well, we only get one crack at it every four years.

00:32:59.520 So if there's any time they're actually going to listen to you, it's this next five months

00:33:03.180 because they're all trying to win the job. 0.99

00:33:06.080 So, I mean, it's kind of, as you say, it's, it's, it's on you to get off your butt and pay 0.90

00:33:09.980 attention and make a good choice because you're stuck with them for four years after that. 0.96

00:33:13.600 Yep.

00:33:14.520 Well, we'll be covering it and you'll be covering it and, uh, you know, informing people as

00:33:18.280 much as you can, uh, before the election day comes.

00:33:21.020 Well, there's, um, you know, I'm a little annoyed that they're not going to be in council in

00:33:26.560 August because we'll have nothing to bitch about. 0.96

00:33:29.380 Oh, I'm sure there's always, we always could find something to go bitch about, but, uh, 1.00

00:33:35.000 have you got anything in the cooker for your next, uh, article coming up?

00:33:38.760 Uh, I, I got a couple of things, but I don't want to, uh, blow them out right now because,

00:33:43.420 um, I just, I got some reports from the city that look a little silly that have to, well,

00:33:50.740 and it goes back to the blanket zoning and how proud they are that they've issued a record

00:33:55.420 amount of building permits in the last couple of years.

00:33:58.200 Uh, Calgary home builders have been leading the country, um, with, with home building and

00:34:03.460 the city's taking all the credit and which is really silly because the population growth

00:34:08.420 in Calgary has been 90,000, a hundred thousand people coming here from, uh, Ontario and BC.

00:34:15.060 And they've got people coming from BC and Ontario where the average housing is a million dollars.

00:34:22.480 That's the average price.

00:34:23.720 So they're bringing big bucks here and they're just buying brand new houses.

00:34:27.100 Yeah.

00:34:27.440 And so the builders are going in and the city's going good for us.

00:34:30.720 Just a minute.

00:34:32.200 Uh, they've loved to pat themselves on the back.

00:34:34.160 Yeah.

00:34:34.600 All right.

00:34:35.000 Well, thanks for coming in to talk.

00:34:36.120 Thank you, Corey.

00:34:36.640 Great to see you.

00:34:37.200 Anytime.

00:34:37.960 Looking forward to the stories in the months to come.

00:34:41.000 Great.

00:34:41.360 I'll, I'll look after you then.

00:34:43.040 Right.

00:34:43.360 All right.

00:34:44.360 All right.

00:34:44.800 Good to see you, Mike.

00:34:45.440 Take care.

00:34:46.600 Yes.

00:34:47.400 Mike Thomas.

00:34:48.000 It's been a while since he's been on.

00:34:49.200 Overdue and, uh, yes, covering the municipal bead, he sits through those caught off of city

00:34:55.360 council meetings and reads those Everdell reports.

00:34:58.120 So you don't have to, because there is a lot of important stuff in both, but, uh, you

00:35:03.200 know, it's gotta be summarized for a lot of us to, to digest and make our choices.

00:35:07.080 But this is the year for Edmonton, Calgary.

00:35:09.520 I'm in a rural area.

00:35:10.800 I got a, you know, a local counselor and we have a reeve and she, yeah, she's been all

00:35:15.740 right.

00:35:15.980 I'm not going to complain about her, but she gets, uh, acclaimed every time.

00:35:21.020 Like they don't even have people running against them.

00:35:23.660 Once they're an incumbent, they realize that you just can't knock off an incumbent.

00:35:26.220 So they, people don't even run against them.

00:35:28.140 We really, really overlook our municipal level of government.

00:35:32.780 They tax the heck out of you.

00:35:34.380 They impact your life on so many levels.

00:35:37.020 As Mike said, you can see the frustration in them.

00:35:39.340 It's one of the dismal turnouts. 0.99

00:35:41.260 These guys, they bleed you dry and they regulate the crap out of you. 0.97

00:35:46.060 You should get up once every four years and get out and vote. 0.97

00:35:50.780 And, uh, I know it gets frustrating.

00:35:53.420 You say, well, you vote, you put them in.

00:35:54.780 It turns out they lied and they didn't do any of the things they said they promised.

00:35:57.740 And yeah, that happens, but that means you got to go out the second time and fire them.

00:36:01.340 See, part of the problem with, uh, you know, many of the problems, but with municipal governments,

00:36:08.300 again, is that they get in once they're in that incumbent is in there.

00:36:11.900 It is difficult to dislodge them and, uh, get them out.

00:36:18.300 So they take it for granted that we won't trouble ourselves to fire them.

00:36:23.740 The thing with democracy that people don't like, and it's a right left thing.

00:36:27.420 It's, it's, it's a complacency thing.

00:36:28.940 It's apathy.

00:36:29.900 It puts the responsibility on us.

00:36:32.700 We have to take part in it.

00:36:35.980 And we don't like to, we make excuses not to, you know, the people say my vote doesn't count.

00:36:40.460 My vote doesn't matter.

00:36:41.340 Well, not if you don't bother.

00:36:43.100 No, it doesn't.

00:36:44.940 And they say, oh, vote.

00:36:46.060 I get the same thing.

00:36:46.700 True. 0.89

00:36:47.020 Well then fire them. 0.99

00:36:48.460 Next one does it again. 1.00

00:36:49.340 Fire them again.

00:36:50.220 I promise you a lot of politicians actually want to get the job for more than four years.

00:36:55.500 But if they know that you won't get rid of them, if, if, if they 0.97

00:36:58.700 fed you a bunch of crap, well then they're not going to change anything. 0.98

00:37:03.500 And that's whether it's Edmonton, Calgary, but we've got the whole province going into 0.99

00:37:06.700 a race and as dull as it sounds, something that's different this time in Alberta 0.69

00:37:12.380 is that we've got the party system going on.

00:37:14.940 We've got a number of parties.

00:37:16.060 I think they've been having some challenges.

00:37:17.580 I had the fellow from a better Calgary come on and talk about things, but it is the first

00:37:23.820 time parties have been in.

00:37:24.780 And I got a feeling, not even a feeling, it's clear they need a little more time to flesh out

00:37:28.700 and get the feel of this system all together and become more functional.

00:37:33.020 So the parties are a part of this election.

00:37:34.860 I think they're going to be a bigger part of elections down the road, but right now they're

00:37:40.940 kind of in a bit of disarray and trying to establish themselves.

00:37:43.420 And most people can't, can't name them.

00:37:45.980 So they don't know who's doing what.

00:37:50.380 Let's see here.

00:37:51.260 Some of this stuff going on.

00:37:55.740 Dave covered a lot of this, stole my thunder on a bunch of things.

00:37:58.540 Here's an interesting one speaking of cover-ups and things that come out in, uh, uh, federal

00:38:05.100 government is, uh, the business development bank invokes solicitor client privilege and

00:38:09.900 censoring all records regarding executive donations to the liberal party.

00:38:14.620 Yeah.

00:38:14.940 So basically senior people with a government funded agency are donating money back to the

00:38:21.100 party members in the government.

00:38:22.380 I mean, it's money laundering basically guys.

00:38:24.140 And now they've just invoked solicitor client privilege to say, we will never tell you how much

00:38:28.220 money we gave.

00:38:29.340 It sounds like, uh, the bank's chair was also the financial agent for, uh, transport

00:38:34.540 minister, Christia Freeland who used to be finance minister.

00:38:37.580 Boy, it's an inbred ugly sort of thing.

00:38:40.940 I see some questions in the, in the debate going on.

00:38:44.060 Uh, yes.

00:38:44.540 Whether I'm a, uh, farmer beekeeper, I guess I call it flying livestock.

00:38:49.420 Uh, yes, I keep bees and I did own a pub.

00:38:52.620 Uh, but a question asked whether I, I support, uh, independence.

00:38:57.340 Yes.

00:38:58.460 I've been very open about that.

00:39:00.060 If there's a referendum, I'm voting.

00:39:01.340 Yes.

00:39:01.580 I want the referendum.

00:39:02.700 I want a yes, no vote.

00:39:03.660 That's how we got to keep it clear.

00:39:04.700 That's how we have to do it.

00:39:06.140 And when the time comes, I'm going to vote.

00:39:07.420 Yes.

00:39:07.660 Now, whether or not enough Albertans actually vote.

00:39:10.540 Yes.

00:39:10.780 At that time, we got a long ways to go.

00:39:13.340 We got to get a lot of realism back into this movement.

00:39:17.820 I, I, I, there's a lot of, uh, uh, confirmation bias on our own part.

00:39:23.580 Thinking there's a heck of a lot more support there than there is.

00:39:27.340 And is there, it's growing, it's stronger than it's ever been, but we have not nearly

00:39:31.900 cultivated and expanded it to the point of well past 50%, uh, percent that we need.

00:39:37.980 And that's where I got annoyed with the oxygen that went towards this weird Republican party

00:39:43.020 thing that didn't bring us any closer to it than where we had been.

00:39:47.900 And, uh, there's some people pushing, thinking that, uh, you know, that the UCP and premier

00:39:52.940 Smith should take on a full out independent stance.

00:39:55.420 Now I don't agree with that for a couple of reasons.

00:39:57.260 Uh, one of which is just, they weren't elected on that.

00:40:01.100 That was not what they campaigned on.

00:40:02.540 That's a big, huge personal sort of decision for every person to make, which is why I think

00:40:07.740 it's too important for the parties to make.

00:40:09.020 That's why I should go to a referendum rather than do a party.

00:40:12.620 Uh, but a party shouldn't take that kind of stance without actually having gone to the voters on.

00:40:17.260 It's not something that big as well.

00:40:20.860 As I said, the support is not strong enough for independence yet to do that.

00:40:26.220 If the UCP took on a full out, full independence stance as a party,

00:40:31.740 Nancy would become the next premier.

00:40:33.980 Simple as that.

00:40:35.340 Uh, there would be no, uh, winning in the next election because it's just not there yet.

00:40:42.540 It's not the place for a party.

00:40:44.780 This is a question that should go to Albertans.

00:40:46.700 And what the UCP has done has given us the ability, which is perfect.

00:40:50.140 They've given us the means to start a referendum, to campaign and hold it and let Albertans decide.

00:40:56.940 They shouldn't need to do any more than that.

00:40:59.420 Now Smith has started this Alberta next thing, which I'm not so thrilled about.

00:41:03.260 I, I mean, it keeps things in the discussion fine, but it sounds a lot like Jason Kenney's

00:41:09.180 fair deal panel.

00:41:10.460 What I see from a lot of politicians that they take things and they kick them down the road.

00:41:15.180 So let's have a whole bunch of hearings and then never actually do anything about it.

00:41:19.180 The fair deal panel came up with things like talking about a pension plan, talking about

00:41:22.460 a police force.

00:41:23.340 That stuff was done, what, seven years ago, eight years ago.

00:41:26.060 None of this is here yet.

00:41:27.100 So why do we need another, you know, Alberta next thing to come up and talk some more? 1.00

00:41:33.500 I'm tired of listening to gums flap.

00:41:35.660 I want to see some action.

00:41:37.740 And there has been some, maybe a bit fair.

00:41:40.300 One of the discussions, one of the things Smith was talking about, you know, was the police force

00:41:44.140 thing.

00:41:44.620 Well, let's, uh, boy, they must be constructing new housing somewhere nearby.

00:41:49.660 I'm not sure if that's coming through to you guys, uh, which she's been taking an incremental

00:41:55.260 approach, which has been interesting with that.

00:41:57.260 And, uh, you know, we're seeing municipalities, Grand Prairie, others where they took on municipal

00:42:02.540 forces and got rid of the RCMP coverage.

00:42:04.780 And we're seeing more sheriffs, Alberta sheriffs moving in.

00:42:07.820 So I think they're basically just squeezing the RCMP out rather than making one big blanket

00:42:12.140 change.

00:42:12.620 You know what different paths to the same end.

00:42:14.940 I'm fine with that.

00:42:16.460 I mean, as long as it gets the job done, uh, but, uh, it's going to take a while.

00:42:22.060 The pension plan, I think the provincial government blew it.

00:42:24.460 They, they didn't sell it well.

00:42:26.700 And, uh, now the report came out recently.

00:42:29.020 It didn't look good for them that the government, uh, sat on because they did a whole big survey

00:42:33.500 on Albertans with the Alberta pension plan idea and their own survey found at that time.

00:42:38.540 And I think it's changed since then, but still at that time, about 63% of Albertans didn't

00:42:43.980 want to go to an Alberta pension plan, which means they sold it badly because we like with

00:42:49.020 so many other things federally, we get robbed in the pension plan.

00:42:52.140 We get a raw deal on it.

00:42:53.100 We get a bad deal on it and selling the better deal of an Alberta pension should be a thing

00:42:59.900 we can do if you do it right, but they didn't.

00:43:04.220 And now we're paying for that because we should be well on our way towards when they obviously

00:43:07.980 haven't given up on the plan.

00:43:09.420 And I think that's a bit of what they're going to throw onto this part of what these hearings

00:43:13.100 or whatever you want to call it, town halls that are going to be traveling around and,

00:43:16.300 and, and doing that.

00:43:17.100 The thing that Smith's getting into at this Alberta next, they're going to be talking about

00:43:20.860 the pension plan.

00:43:21.260 They're going to be talking about putting other things to a referendum question as well as

00:43:24.780 independence, independence that would probably have to come citizens initiated.

00:43:28.220 Okay, fine.

00:43:29.180 But they might put some other things on the ballot that they're going to get out of this

00:43:31.980 hearing.

00:43:32.220 So there might be a pension question on there as well as an independence question.

00:43:36.140 I'm not sure yet if that's a good or a bad thing for the independence movement, to be honest.

00:43:39.260 It causes some distraction, but it moves in the right direction.

00:43:42.140 And I like direct democracy.

00:43:43.660 I like the idea of having more citizens voting directly on some of the bigger policies rather

00:43:48.060 than leaving it just to the politicians themselves, but we'll see.

00:43:51.740 Speaking of spending and some of the other talk.

00:43:53.420 Yeah.

00:43:53.660 You know, it's news that's breaking.

00:43:54.780 I'm kind of, you know, running out of time to hit them all, but yeah, NATO and Canada.

00:43:58.780 Now Carney's promised to spend 5% of GDP on defense by 2035.

00:44:02.860 Now Canada has been riding the coattails of other countries for decades and spent what?

00:44:08.140 1.6% of our GDP on defense.

00:44:10.700 I mean, we wouldn't even get to 2% as we're supposed to.

00:44:14.620 Now he's making the late ball way to 5%.

00:44:16.940 Might be a good thing, I guess.

00:44:18.220 It shows us paying our bills on the international front, but boy, he's, he's not wasting time.

00:44:23.420 What I get worried about is where's the money going to come from?

00:44:26.060 I think getting up to two would be good.

00:44:27.820 It was good.

00:44:29.340 Maybe five is good.

00:44:30.220 I'll leave the jury out on that.

00:44:33.180 But I worry.

00:44:36.060 He sure is spending and spending and spending.

00:44:37.980 Where is he going to get the money?

00:44:38.940 I worry about another national energy program.

00:44:40.700 All right, before I get going, there's going to be, speaking of the UCP and things, he was on

00:44:44.620 last week, the guest, Eric Bouchard.

00:44:47.180 He's the MLA for Fish Creek, Calgary, UCP MLA.

00:44:50.060 He's got a sovereignty town hall tonight that's being held.

00:44:52.940 It's called the courage to listen.

00:44:54.540 I think it's at the courage to listen.ca.

00:44:56.300 I don't know if they have tickets left or not, but I'm going to drop by and check that out and listen

00:44:59.580 to it.

00:44:59.820 There's a lot of interesting speakers and stuff going on in Calgary.

00:45:02.540 So I'll be out there in the audience.

00:45:03.580 I'm not speaking at one of these things for a change.

00:45:05.340 And hey, Albertans Day is going to be in Mirror, Alberta at Chris Scott's Whistle Stop Cafe.

00:45:11.820 I'm going to be set up out there as well, actually.

00:45:14.220 I'm going to, I'm looking forward to it.

00:45:15.420 Always good food there.

00:45:16.700 Great people.

00:45:17.660 Very interesting.

00:45:18.300 Tamara Leach is going to be playing.

00:45:20.300 And Christina Anderson is going to be speaking there about all things.

00:45:23.100 So if you're looking for something to do in Alberta and central Alberta,

00:45:25.900 Mirror, Alberta, Whistle Stop Cafe.

00:45:28.060 I'll see you there if I can.

00:45:30.780 Pipeline is going to be on tonight.

00:45:32.140 And Nigel with his other shows, I think coming on Friday.

00:45:35.900 Just keep watching all our channels, guys.

00:45:37.900 Lots more to cover.

00:45:38.940 We'll be carrying on throughout this summer to make sure you're up to date on the news.

00:45:42.860 So thanks for tuning in today, guys, and we'll see you on the next one.

00:46:02.140 We'll see you on the next one.

00:46:15.180 Bye.

00:46:15.340 Bye.

CORY MORGAN SHOW： Alberta Republicans set back the independence movement

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