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oh. Daniel Smith is offering “help” to us poor, suffering Edmontonians. Not the new hospital or his $330 million that Calgary is getting for the arena. Just good advice.
This gives a whole new meaning to the old satirical saying, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you.”
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Rod McLeod, Edmonton
The city’s problem is waste
What’s interesting is that both Mayor Sohee and Rachel Notley are singing from the exact same songbook about Edmonton’s financial woes. The chorus says, “It’s all the state’s fault for not giving us what we want. How can we spend money if you don’t give us what we want?”
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There is no income problem in this city. I have a big expense problem. If you’re familiar with Community Insights research, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Who and how many people are calling for the complete destruction and redevelopment of the area around Rossdale? Who and how many people are calling for the complete destruction and redevelopment of the area north of White Avenue along the End of Steel? Is that what you’re looking for?
The operating budget for the next three years is expected to increase capital project financing by $60 million, external service costs by $155 million, and debt by $178 million (this is based on the City’s proprietary data available online). (obtained from the operating budget plan) ). This also doesn’t appear to include the now-staggering $250 million to replace aging buses and LRT vehicles.
Larry Kassian, Edmonton
UCP cannot manage their own problems
When I read the headline “State eager to help cities: Smith,” I thought maybe this was an announcement of much-needed state funding for local governments. Having worked in local government for more than 30 years before recently retiring, I was challenged to budget for a wide range of citizen services while receiving less than 10% of our combined federal, state, and city tax revenue. I know the challenges. But no, it was an offer to help the City of Edmonton manage city government.
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Let’s take a look at UCP’s track record for ‘good management’. Billions of dollars of profiteering from the Keystone Pipeline. Purchase Tylenol for children. costly privatization and repatriation of medical laboratories; ongoing feuds with doctors, nurses, and other health care providers; A moratorium on renewable energy projects and tough new regulations that put billions of dollars of investment and countless jobs at risk. The rise in electricity prices has been incorrectly blamed on the draft clean electricity regulations. Promoting the Alberta Pension Plan. EVs are subject to a $200 tax for “overweight,” even though the tax does not apply to heavier ICE pickup trucks. Mr. Smith continues to fight the federal government, most recently seeking to prevent the federal government from enacting a 3.3-cent increase in carbon taxes and a 4-cent increase from the state.
Mark Brostrom, St. Albert
Pensions behind electoral changes
Re. “Tax increase for you, salary increase for members of Congress” March 28th
This article explores how the Liberal Party is seeking to amend the Electoral Act to extend by an additional week October 20, 2025, the last day that current law states the next election must be called. It talks about whether there are any. Their excuse is that it is the first day of Diwali.
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There are simpler solutions than changing the law. Select one of the approximately 570 days remaining between now and then. A pointless election was held two years early in 2021, so it shouldn’t hurt to adjust a few days in advance here.
Unless, of course, the real reason is that 80 MPs would need to retake their seats to receive their gold-plated pensions, which would be impossible if the elections were postponed by a week. Mr. Trudeau?
Robert McCullough, Edmonton
Repeal the tax — but not the UCP tax
Premier Smith attended the Ax the Tax rally and at first thought it was about Alberta’s $0.04 per liter fuel tax increase, which goes into effect on April 1. That was a mistake. It was about an increase in the federal tax of $0.03 per liter of fuel.
Let me be clear: the UCP tax is a good tax, and the federal tax is a bad tax. I understand now.
Stephen Crocker, Edmonton
Changes in truck driver training welcomed
Re. “State resolves truck driver shortage by reviewing training,” March 28
After years of struggling within the Essential Entry Level Training (MELT) program, I’m glad to see change coming.
This created financial and time barriers for new drivers and created an artificial shortage of employees in a popular and fun industry. Unable to find enough drivers, wages and costs rose. Competition arose, forcing prices to rise, and many in the industry still had to turn away shipments due to a lack of workers.
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Government-appointed final test evaluators were so strict in their evaluations that even after completing a 6-8 week course, new drivers failed twice or even three times, forcing them to pay dearly for each evaluation. I understand what you are looking for. We worked with women’s groups and they faced the same problem. This also happened to our people.
We went back to the old system and placed all new hire candidates with experienced drivers, giving them time to build confidence. Then we tried a different tactic. It was to send them to smaller centers, Camrose and Vegreville, for a final test. And guess what? They usually passed. All of these trainees have become reliable, reliable, and safe members of Encore.
Don Lucas, owner of Encore Trucking, Edmonton.
Smith’s criticism of the carbon tax is exaggerated
The words “immoral,” “reckless,” and “inhumane” typically refer to things like war and genocide, wanton environmental destruction fueled by corporate greed, and the oppression and enslavement of indigenous peoples by corrupt dictators. It is a powerful word applied to the most heinous of human activities.
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However, Prime Minister Smith used these words to describe a carbon tax due to the general consensus that it is the most affordable and effective incentive for consumers to reduce their carbon footprint. For the majority of Canadians, the rebates outweigh the costs.
Immoral? reckless? Inhumane? Not likely. Ignoring the growing climate crisis, trying to hijack the CPP, funneling public funds deep into private pockets, removing safeguards for elderly care, undermining the integrity of public education and health care, Rocky despite public policy. How about reviving open-pit coal mines in the mountains? Repulsion? Smith’s heated rhetoric better describes her own government’s policies.
DP Dufresne, Edmonton
More security needed at LRT stops
I used the LRT Valley Line’s 102 Street stop on Saturday. Two of the heating huts in the glass station building were occupied by homeless people. There were 3-4 people in each hut. They moved lighters and pipes, all higher than the kite.
There were 8-10 more homeless people on the train platform outside the shack, all of them bumping into each other, walking around, getting on the train, and getting off the train again. Apparently they have money to buy drugs.
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I have visited more than a dozen countries by train, but I have never encountered anything like this. Perhaps this left-wing Liberal/NDP city could take $5-6 million out of the bike lane project and install some visual security on these platforms. It’s really just a cesspool sometimes.
Wayne Noga, Edmonton
Fuel usage is nothing like orange juice
Re. “Carbon Tax Is Economics 101” Letters, March 30
I strongly disagree with Ian Kellogg. It makes no sense to compare the amount of petroleum products used and the amount of orange juice purchased. Purchasing juice is strictly voluntary, so if the price increases, less juice will be purchased. Consumption of petroleum products depends almost entirely on demand, and demand does not decrease significantly when prices rise.
Sure, people might cancel their vacation trips, but otherwise people tend to keep their homes cool in the winter, so they don’t have to worry about heating cars, trucks, planes, trains, ships, etc. Demand from construction machinery remains unchanged. Summers are getting warmer and heating and cooling costs are rising.
Art Davison, Sherwood Park
Letters welcome
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https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/letters/tuesdays-letters-smiths-help-for-edmonton-just-talk