An Open Letter to the
Government of the Province of Alberta
Attention: Honourable
Premier Allison Redford
Re: Taxpayer concerns
Over the past several months, I have been talking with and
listening to many citizens all over Alberta, who have been asking questions and
expressing concerns over the proposed Edmonton Downtown Arena District project.
The funding plans for this project will have a large impact on both the
residents of Edmonton and all taxpayers in Alberta, who feel strongly that
their voices are not being heard by Edmonton City Council.
With global economic conditions in their current state,
taxpayer funds should be directed towards those things required to keep society
stable. Alberta residents are literally funding the vast majority of this development
yet will receive no profits. All profits are being diverted to a billionaire
with a reported net worth of an estimated $2.8 billion dollars.[i]
I urge the Government of Alberta to deny funds from the Community Revitalization Levy program
that have been requested towards this project. The CRL is nothing more than a tax shift that future generations
will be required to pick up. All over North America these types of projects
have been pitched to taxpayers, and in the end they almost always fail. The New
York Times reported on June 26th 2012 the following:[ii]
“Surprised local taxpayers from Stockton, Calif., to Scranton, Pa., are
finding themselves obligated for parking garages, hockey arenas and other
enterprises that can no longer pay their debts.”
There is no reason to believe that the City of Edmonton’s
proposal will have some secret miracle attached to it that none of the others
have had.
Recently, Councilor Kerry Diotte initiated an informal
survey with respect to this issue, with the following results:
“We found that 68% of
respondents want a new arena built in Edmonton. However, a significant
number tell us they either want a new financial framework than the one
currently proposed, or don't want a new arena built at all. The majority of
respondents also indicated the City should not consider using provincial MSI
money to fund the remaining $100 million.”
Additional Issues
The MGA (Municipal
Government Act) states that 10% of the population is required for
requesting a petition, but only eligible voters are allowed to sign that.
According to the City of Edmonton website, the last civic election only showed
a turnout of 33.4% of voters. Less than 200,000 people out of almost 600,000 eligible,
suggesting people feel their voices do not count.
With the population exceeding 800,000 people, the petition
would require more than 80,000 signatures. Since the trend is for people to not
care, how can these numbers realistically ever be achieved? The rules need to be changed in order to
show citizens that their voices actually do count.
I would suggest a different formula is needed. Using
Edmonton as an example, maybe something like 25% of the last election turnout
would be a more workable number. (Example: 25% of 200,000 voters require 50,000
eligible voters to sign the petition.) Again, these petitions are only to
request that a vote be held on the matter. Also, petitions filed by residents
should supersede those filed “after the fact” by Council.
Additionally, I understand the Province is looking to make
some changes prior to the 2013 civic election in Edmonton, with respect to
going to a 4 year term from a 3 year term. I see this as an opportunity for the
Province to prove to the residents that they do listen.
If there ever was a time to change the Elections Act to include clauses that deal with ‘election
promises’, this would be it. Those running for public office must clearly
understand that the things they promise must be honored. There is zero
tolerance in the defense of “Oh, I really didn’t understand the ….. before I
said that”. If you do not understand something then you should not be talking
about it and making promises.
Politicians must understand they have a huge responsibility
in managing taxpayer dollars. When our basic service requirements for safe
roads and infrastructures are being put on the backburner in order for taxpayer
dollars to be diverted for the “nice to have” things, something is terribly
wrong with the system. It may only be a dollar here and a dollar there but if
you only have 100 dollars and there are 150 projects all taking one dollar from
you…
There is a reason why the global world economy is in the
state it is, we do not need to be adding to the problem. Everyone has to
budget, and live within their means. We are not in a time where we can afford the luxuries.
As a final note, I have heard there will be discussions with
the major cities, where one of the items is dealing with allowing cities the
power of taxation. I strongly object to this, especially considering the current
City Council in Edmonton. It is my belief they do not understand the impact
their decisions will have on the future, and just expect taxpayers to keep
handing money over. Allowing the imposition of even more taxes is just wrong.
Thank you for your understanding in these matters.
Gary McCallum
Email contact: CommonSenseSociety@live.com
Cc: Provincial parties and Edmonton City Councilors
Fax to: Premiers Office 780-427-1349
Alberta
Liberals 780-427-3697 780-414-1125
Alberta NDP
780-415-0701
Wild Rose
780-638-3506
Email to: linda.sloan@edmonton.ca; kim.krushell@edmonton.ca;
dave.loken@edmonton.ca; ed.gibbons@edmonton.ca; karen.leibovici@edmonton.ca;
jane.batty@edmonton.ca; tony.caterina@edmonton.ca; ben.henderson@edmonton.ca;
bryan.anderson@edmonton.ca; don.iveson@edmonton.ca; kerry.diotte@edmonton.ca;
amarjeet.sohi@edmonton.ca; Stephen.Mandel@edmonton.ca
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