A Big Black Cloud

On Canada Day, if anyone was outside after 6:30pm in Red Deer and area you couldn't miss the big black cloud that came from an oilfield transport company fire. Some people went to watch, but I decided to let the fire department(s) do their job tried to find out more information from home.

I access most of my news from the internet. In theory it should be the quickest way to get information out and ready to read. I don't bother with TV unless its a big national event and I only listen to radio in the car. I subscribe to the Advocate but I only have time to read a few articles a day. Call me ADHD but the internet satisfies my need for news.

So, there was plenty of pictures and broadcasts on Twitter and Facebook. But I couldn't get the full story. While social media is great for getting the news out, it not really accurate. This is why there is still a need for traditional media. We need professional reporters who are able to investigate a situation and give us an accurate portrayal.

There has been a lot of lamenting about losing the TV station. We've had a number of radion station fill the void, but they are music centred and I find that their news departments are lacking. Its also very hard to check like 8 different radio stations. The Advocate has moved to a pay format for local information but I didn't get any information about the fire until the next morning when I got the paper. Maybe I didn't check back late enough. This fire didn't even register a hit on the national media.

Its hard to find out what is going on in Central Alberta. This saddens me. We have a drawing area of close to 200,000 people. In Canada, this is not a small population centre, although it does get dwarfed by the two 1 million people centres to the north and south of us. There is a lot of things going on here in Central Alberta. But very little is being said about it. I wonder if an all news/talk radio station would work for Red Deer and area. As a news/political junkie, I would listen to it. I wonder if anyone else would.

Paying for quality

The Red Deer Advocate, the local daily paper announced last week  that it was making its online local content available by subscription. Paying for internet content has always bothered some people. After all, we pay our internet bill like our cable bill and we have to put up with advertising right? But the internet is different than traditional media. You still have to pay the staff, and you have to pay them competitively. In order to pay staff, you need to make money (and lets face it, profit is also a factor) and paying 5cents a hit in advertising doesn't exactly equal a lot of money.

So I will pay for online subscriptions. Its like a traditional magazine. And internet subscriptions tend to be substantially cheaper than magazines. But I think the most important thing when it comes to paying for internet content is that it has to demonstrate quality. Since there is so much competition with free sources, the paid source needs to be substantially better than the free source. I see a lot of internet sites that ask for subscriptions or 'donations' and I give to very few. The truth is that the free sources out there are of just as good of quality.

So the Advocate has just raised the bar for itself. If it wants to attract readers (and not loose the ones it has) it has to make sure that the local news that is available online is just as good, if not better, than what is in print. And to be honest, most of their online local content wasn't that good before it went subscriper based - it was better in the newspaper. Other media sources in town are already boasting that they will keep their local online information. The gauntlet has been dropped. So what I hope is that the Advocate will rise to the challenge and Red Deer will see better online information available.

The City Market - Change is good?

So I finally got out to explore the Red Deer City Market yesterday. We went last weekend, but we were only able to run and grab our sausage on a bun and then we ran back to the car without getting too soaked. With the nicer weather yesterday, we were able to hang out a bit. My son got to go for a bounce in the bouncy castle, we got our breakfast (all 3 of us - sausage on a bun) and I saw an old teacher. We didn't have a whole lot of time, but we got to look around a bit, and I always enjoy that.

The market has a certain vibe to it. Most Red Deerians like to check it out and many make it part of their summer Saturday morning routine. Everyone has particular vendors they like to visit and those vendors are missed if they aren't there. Its unusual not to bump into at least one person you know. The market is an important part of Red Deer and area culture.
Now there is talk of making the market year round. They want to put the market indoors at the old bus barns west of downtown. Now, I like the location choice, its a chance to revitalize a scenic but underused area of the city. Right now the debate in council is centred around ownership. But we need to keep an eye on the overall vision. We need to make it a market that Red Deerians will want to visit. Part of the attraction of the current market for me is that its only available in the summer. Outside. Most Albertans (and Canadians for that matter) try and take advantage of as much outdoor time as possible once the snow melts and tempuratures make it comfortable to stay outside without a moonsuit.

Making the market year round will also affect the vendors. Many vendors have full time shops and jobs, and make the summer sacrifice to get their name out and make a little extra money. How will making the market year round change their business planning? Will this keep away some vendors that are currently staples at the market but who just don't have the energy to do this year round?

The City Market is an important cultural part of our city. Even if you don't go every weekend, its something most Red Deerians go to at least once from May long weekend to Thanksgiving. So, I will be keep a close eye on this debate, and encourage everyone else. Because sometimes decisions are made that do not work for the majority if the majority do not raise their voices.

Enough with the rain!

I've been trying to figure out what to post in my blog, its been a while. I have been busy, but I've also lost a bit of motivation. But motivation comes from the heart. I was thinking of posting some comments on the Vancouver riots, but that's about Vancouver. I want to write about Red Deer. So instead, I'll do something very Canadian and complain about the weather.

Red Deer is beautiful in the summer time. Its a very green city. I used to live in Oriole Park when I was growing up and going down Taylor Hill towards downtown was always a favorite site. Its a sea of green with some buildings popping out. Now, we're certainly having a green summer, but we only need so much rain! The river is overflowing. I have to stay inside most of the time. When we do go outside in the fleeting moments of sunshine, there is water everywhere! There is so much to do outdoors during the summer and yet we can't do that much because of the frakkin rain!

We want to go to the City Market and then I want to go to Fort Normandeau. I really hope that the rain holds off for a little bit this morning and afternoon. We stayed inside long enough during the winter time, now its time to get outside!

An affront to democracy

Yesterday during the throne speech a page stood up during the middle of the speech holding up a small poster shaped like a stop sign that said 'Stop Harper'. Now, this young lady got her 5 minutes of fame, which is far more than she of got. But before this is put to rest, I want to add my comments about this event.

For those few people who follow my blog know that I do not like a Harper government. He has no hidden agenda, with his majority government he's going to implement as much of his neo-conservative values as he can get away with. He's going to get rid of the Canada Wheat Board - a market insturment which gives us a distinct advantage over the Americans when selling our grains. He's going to make life difficult for our national broadcaster, the CBC. He's going to cut social services in favor of tax cuts. He's going to do very little about the environment. I went to  the UofC when Harper was teaching there, there were a group of Neo-conservatives that were preaching exactly all that. Now Harper has tried to minimize these issues and make his platform about Canadian families and fiscal stewardship. Sure, he has some ideas to help families, but I would prefer that he would not gut the institutions that I as a Canadian value.

But Harper still won a majority in the last election. For now, Canadians want to give Mr Harper a try. It is up to the opposition parties and Canadians who oppose Mr Harper engage in the democratic discourse. If there is a neo-conservative plank he is trying to implement, then we need to make our voices heard. We need to ensure that the opposition puts itself in a position so that in 4 years Mr. Harper is running against someone else who is a viable alternative to become Prime Minister.

But what the page did was out of pure arrogance. She rejected the fact that Canadians actually want Mr Harper to govern and she pissed on the floor of the Senate. She sullied the honorable position and trust that are bestowed onto the young pages. She showed that she is a spoiled brat who who thinks she knows better than anyone else in Canada what is right for this country. Some people called her courageous. She afterall gave up a job serving the most powerful people in this country. But I see her as a spotlight stealer, using a position of trust to represent a point of view that did not win the last election. She is a sore loser.

Now, I have to admit, while I talk the talk of wanting to replace Harper, I haven't done much to make that a reality. I live in a very solid Conservative riding. I have to admit, I don't know right now what I can do in Red Deer to bring attention to any alternative to the Tories. I have this blog, but I am certainly not in any position to set myself up as a candidate in the next election. I don't even have a political party that speaks to my own values. Right now though, I want to focus on local issues. With a young family, this is what is near and dear to my heart. And over these 4 years hopefully my voice can be added to the opposition discourse.

The College and The City - futures intertwined?

Now, I'm not an alumni of Red Deer College (RDC), but there is no denying that the college is an important part of this city. I've been to day camps there as a kid, saw many a performance in the Arts Centre, used its library when I was in University and visiting home, know countless family and friends who have attended (and some even graduated!) and have been to community events hosted there since I have returned to the city. The recent additions are excellent (although sometimes a bit confusing to navigate) and enhance the College as an important part of our community.

The community as a whole is excited about the Donald School of Business being located in a downtown campus. Indeed, I think this is a good idea for the downtown. But I have a bigger question I can't figure out: Why do we specifically need a business school in Red Deer?

Taking a look at the classified ads in the Red Deer Advocate and it is obvious that the jobs in Red Deer centre around 3 areas - Service sector, oil & gas and trades. The Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada is predicting huge shortages of skilled workers in the oilfield. The oilfield is a very important part of Red Deer's economy. These companies in Red Deer seem to fall within two categories though - small local businesses or field offices of major international companies.

Now, marketing and accounting are good skills to have, I'm just not sure how relevant they are in a city which outsources those things to Calgary or Edmonton or beyond. There is a demand for Human Resource professionals in this city, but most companies in Red Deer only need one or two (if any) of these trained professionals. Again, a lot of the HR staff appear to come out of... Calgary or Edmonton. Maybe the College has the idea that if they train the people in Red Deer, the companies will keep them in the city. But I'm not sure that 'if you build it, they will come' will work in this situation.

Red Deer has a demand for skilled workers. But I think the demand is for the trades (something that RDC does very well already) or for technical diplomas. In Alberta, NAIT and SAIT seem to have almost a monopoly on these diplomas. But Red Deer needs these workers now and we're having to send people away to other cities for 2 years in the hope that once they complete, they'll return to Red Deer.

I think a downtown campus is a good idea, but instead of business classes, why not other social sciences? There will always be some demand for Bachelor of Arts. Ok, I'm a little biased, as a BA graduate in Sociology. But I see the Donald of School of Business training people so that they can move to other cities. And then we're shipping away students who could be employed in Red Deer to Calgary or Edmonton to be trained. It doesn't really make sense to me.

Degree granting status has been a dream of RDC and this community for years. Many people dream that RDC will someday be RDU. The current administration at the College still hopes for this, but is realistic.We're right smack in the middle of two major Universities and two smaller ones. But the diploma classes at NAIT and SAIT are always full. It would be great if the College could look at offering diplomas like Civil, Mechanical or Welding Engineering Technology. We need these jobs here and not everyone can move to attend NAIT or SAIT. And not all programs can be offered by distance.

I welcome a discussion on this. Is the Donald School of Business going to fill an important gap in this City? Or should the college be looking at other options?

Just random

You know, sometimes you just don't feel 'inspired' but discipline kicks in and you feel like you just have to write something. That's tonight. So here are some random thoughts.

Tomorrow is my son's 4th birthday. I won't post any pics of him on a public blog, but those who are friends of me on Facebook know how cute he is!

The other day the police report a possible attempted kidnapping in Blackfalds. Turns out to be a misunderstanding. Not sure how an elementary school child would misunderstand such a thing, but thankfuly, everything worked out. Probably a bit embarrassing for the accussed though.

Going to Rotary Park for Ben's birthday tomorrow. Good deal, $28 bucks to rent the picnic shelter in Rotary Park. Close to a great playground. Free firewood. Mmmm, hotdog roast.

Cloudy most of the week. The week before that we had gale force winds. Can we PLEASE see some sun?!?

The Alberta Party is electing their leader this weekend. And somehow life goes on. In related news, the Alberta Liberal Party is also having a leadership contest and again, nobody cares. Progressives need to stop just talking and actually work together to find a good leader.

We had the ultra-sound for our newest child this week. So cool to see its feet! And we got a good profile picture too.

Ben was born in Vietnam by emergency c-section. I still remember very well the first time I saw him. I shared that story to Ben tonight and he thought it was funny. Especially when I told him that the first thing he did when he saw me was stick out his tongue. There is actually quite a story about Ben's birth. I'll try and share some other post.

My wife and I are into 'How I met your Mother' DVD series. The protoganists are the same age as me, so I can relate. Except all the gratuitous sex.

Work has been busy. But at least by the end of the week, I felt I had crossed more off my list than what I started with. Now comes next week!

Ok, I think that's good for my random thoughts tonight. Going to go watch How I met your Mother. And then tomorrow, its a 4 year old birthday party!

City Hall Open House - A chance to participate

Democracy is much more than elections. It is about participation, about getting involved in your community. One of the easiest ways to get involved is at the municipal level. The politicians and decision makers are much accessible. Red Deer is doing a good job at ensuring that our local decision makers are accessible and the City Hall Open House (On May 18, 2011) is a great example of this.

It was obvious that they planned for a small event and they got a small crowd. But this did ensure that City Hall staff, councilors, managers and the Mayor were easily accessible. I wish more people would participate in these events. Its a great opportunity to learn more about how our city operates. And some staff were genuinely there to listen to feedback. Its a place to ensure your voice is heard.

Red Deer has so much going for it. Its easy to get around, it has amazing recreation facilities and the infrastructure is kept in pretty good shape. I was able to share this tonight with city staff and counselors. I found out why we are still stuck with a city hall that was built for a city of 40,000 people. My wife was amazed that 36% of the city's budget is spent on policing and emergency services. And city staff, like myself are very proud of our park system.

I had an interesting discussion with another citizen who wants to enhance our facilities for competitive sport. Now, I am purely a recreatational user. I have no idea if my children will be interested in competitive sport. He said that recreational users will use competitive facilities but competitive users can't use recreational facilities. I see his point, but I am unsure if we have the density to fully use competitive facilities. But I think we should try and prioritize a full use aquatics centre. We just need to make sure we can afford it.

So I hope the city hosts more of these events and that Red Deerians will seize on this opportunity to learn more about the services in our city and provide feedback to city staff and politicians.

Giving up on the Federal Liberals

Since I was 18 years old I have been a member of the Federal Liberal party. During the late 90's and early 2000's I was very active in the Young Liberals, both provincial and federal. I was a Liberal in Alberta and I was proud of it. But things have changed. It was a gradual change, not one event changed the party in Alberta, but since Paul Martin, I feel the federal party has given up on Alberta. And Albertans have given on the Liberal Party.

This election exemplifies it. In Red Deer they needed to parachute in a candidate from Edmonton - Andrew Lineker. A guy who placed 7 out of 8 in the Edmonton mayoral election. While he might have good credentials in another riding, he has none in Red Deer (although I doubt it since he place so low in the Edmonton mayoral). Now, I understand the need for a parachute candidates, but Red Deer is a major city in Alberta. Our city council is actually quite progressive. But the party has done nothing to build up support here. I have talked to my old friends and they agree that besides for a few targetted ridings in Calgary and Edmonton, the Liberals are not nominating quality candidates.

Now, to be a candidate is not an easy thing. My hat goes off to anyone who tries their hand at it. But, as my years of training in the Young Liberals have shown me, some people make good candidates, others don't. Campaigning is certainly a skill you can learn, but as the people's representative you need to have a vision that matches the people you wish to represent. People need to buy into that vision because it speaks to them.

Earl Dreeshen is a good candidate. But he follows the Tory party line far too closely (although I'm not sure if he has a choice). Harper runs counter to what I believe this country can accomplish, so I cannot vote for him. Ignatieff is alright and if there was a worthwhile candidate here in Red Deer, I would consider voting Liberal again. Now, like a lot of Canadians Layton has caught my attention. I can at least stomach his vision, although I am not sure what he will do economically, especially with our most important economic engine - the oil sands. But the NDP candidate here in Red Deer, Stuart Sommerville, appears to be a pleasant young man. I haven't been able to go to the forums but I've been reading what he has to say and it works for me.

So for this election, I believe I am going to vote NDP. Now, this won't have any effect on the results in Red Deer. The tories have a lock here. But I am still expressing my voice. And I am saying 'GET A CLUE LIBERAL PARTY OF CANADA!'.

Finally a reboot!

I let this blog languish for a while. I just couldn't find the inspiration to write. But I've been contemplating my values for the last while and I knew that in order to better follow what I believe, I needed to express myself. The final kick in the pants came when I heard a radio host that I quite like to listen (Chad Daniels from the Zed Drive Home) say that he wasn't going to vote. Finally, my muse woke up. Now I just gotta keep it talking.

I made a really good decision to move from Edmonton to Red Deer. For my career, it was a definite step up. For my family, it was a step in tune to our values. The other night I took my boy swimming at the Dawe Centre. I was a bit nervouse that we would be pushed out by swimming lessons and adults trying to do laps in the pool. But the renos at the Dawe have done wonders for the old place. I wasn't the only dad bringing his child at 6pm on a weeknight. Ben even played ball with a boy his age. Yes, the swimming lessons were present, but it felt like a family place. In Edmonton I wasn't far from Grant McEwan, but the times I went swimming, we were the only family in the pool. Other places we went were dominated by teenagers that failed to see the toddler in the wading end of the pool. But even the Collicut Centre has plenty of young kids playing with their parents while the teenagers enjoy the wave pool.

So I want to contribute back to Red Deer. I want to get the discussion going about this great city. I'm going to try and write something at least once a week. I'm also on Twitter @trvthseeker78. Red Deer is not alone in this big country and small world, so I welcome those from around the world to also contribute. We should all be proud of where we are from, and this is why I am writing.

'Do what you gotta do, and always have a plan b'

An older friend once told me 'Jason, you need two things in life to succeed, discipline and a plan b'. Now I have held these words of wisdom close to my heart. But I would not consider myself a 'disciplined' person. For those very few people that follow this blog, you will notice that.

These past two months have been hectic. I had my name in two different job competitions, I have been trying to list and sell my condo and I have had to deal with a number of other personal issues (including the birh of my nephew - that was cool!). I found out this week that I got one of the positions and this requires me to move my family to Red Deer. We are quite happy with the new position and the prospect of moving 150km south to where I grew up. On my walks to work this week my mind is going through everything we need to do in the next two weeks before I transfer positions. But it is clear that there things that I have to do (like finding a place to sleep while we wait for the family to move down), and there are other things that I have no control over (like selling my condo). So I decided this week to update these words to live by to 'Do what you gotta do, and always have a plan b'.

I drive my wife crazy with all my planning. For any given situation, I often have plans b to q. But you never know what life is going to throw your way. You need to be prepared and you have to be flexible. There are also things you need to do in order to move your life forward. You need to make decisions and you need to stand by them. I can't expect to get a new job without applying and I can't expect my house to clean itself. Sometimes you can procrastinate, but sometimes you just have to do it if you want to move forward.

I don't know yet what I want to do with this blog. My current topic of 'Alberta culture' just isn't inspiring me. I am debating to move onto one of two topics. One is Red Deer current events. I could find very few blogs related to Red Deer. The other topic I have been contemplating is comic books. I enjoy superhero comic books, and I am a casual reader. So I am debating whether or not to start writing about comic books from the stand point of a casual reader.

So as my life gets into order I need to make a decision about this blog. I enjoy blogging. I like people reading my stuff and commenting on it. But if I want people to read my blog, then I need write in my blog. I just gotta find a way to do it.