For those of you just tuning in, yep, I’m supporting Nenshi for Mayor of Calgary. I don’t have time to blog about all the reasons (hey, blame the term paper schedule!) but this video pretty much says it all:
Purple Revolution Music Video from Chris Hsiung on Vimeo.
More info on Nenshi can be found at www.nenshi.ca – go check it out, then get out there on Monday and vote! (23,791 of us already have!)
… is there nothing they won’t do?
(Calgary libraries are facing cuts too. Make it an election issue!)
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| Yes, that’s @trasie trending in Calgary – my fifteen seconds of fame. (Everything’s faster on Twitter.) |
Day 6’s challenge is to Link to a Blogger in Your Niche, and my recommendation is for the site CalgaryPolitics.com. This is actually a group of bloggers writing about the Calgary General Election (that’s #yycvote on Twitter if you’d like to join us). There’s been some great posts on the site, including today’s post “Does a new mayor matter if we ignore the other 14 races?” and details on the upcoming Twibates (that’s debates on Twitter for you non-tweeters out there). If you’re even nominally interested in Calgary politics, this is the site for you!
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| Xander helping Alderman Ceci cut the ribbon on the Calgary Peace Pole, September 2009. |
Out of all the changes that happened when I became a single mom in March 2008, I didn’t think “not buying a car” would have the most impact. Joining Calgary Carshare has led to all kinds of changes: less shopping (especially in big-box stores), more transit/walking/biking (especially because Xander’s school and out-of-school-care are so close) and more volunteering (first as a member and then as a board member). Xander is a big fan of carsharing and we have a great time discussing alternative transportation models (including my “retirement home”: a rainbow-coloured school-bus that runs on recycled french fry oil – his proposal, not mine).
Take Them With You
Xander comes to board meetings with me, he volunteers at tables/events with me, and he comes to protests with me. He’ll be attending the Nenshi for Mayor orientation later this week and he’s requested his own tshirt so he can participate in events. He’s a familiar face at Bow Cliff Seniors, where his Wii-skills and weeding-skills are in demand. Sometimes I don’t attend things because he’s with me, or I reschedule them for times when he’s in school, after-school care or with his father, but most of the time he’s there with me. And I know this works first hand: I have several memories of volunteering with both my parents!
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| Xander and I at the Calgary Anti-Prorogation Rally, January 2010. |
Explain Things So They Understand Why
Kids have questions and we (sometimes) have answers. Tell the truth, but in a way that your kids understand. Talk about why you feel something is right/wrong and why others don’t. And be honest when you don’t have the answers; kids can sense when you’re putting them on. Encourage them to do their own research and form their own opinions.
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| Come join the parade! |
(or “what we really should be talking about”)
The challenge for Day 4 is to write a list post that relates to my purpose statement. As my purpose statement identifies politics as an area of focus, and as we’re now 64 days away from the Calgary General Election, here’s my list of the top five posts I’d like* to write before election day:
1. The Peace Bridge
The Peace Bridge is the most controversial and misunderstood projects undertaken by the city, and it’s also the lightening rod that many candidates are using to rally support.
2. Plan It
Like many CivicCampers, I spent time last fall in council chambers as the council listened to presentations on Plan It, the document that would guide our city’s growth for decades to come. And, like many CivicCampers, I felt betrayed by a last-minute backroom deal that made developers’ interests more weight then that of citizens.
3. FCSS
FCSS Calgary (Family and Community Support Services) is a municipal/provincial program that funds nonprofits that do a variety of things (including Bow Cliff Seniors). If the FCSS stat re: social return on investment (that for every dollar spent on prevention the city saves six to thirteen dollars in other costs) is true, why aren’t we putting more into prevention? The city has two roles here: increase the dollar amount it funds (currently required to fund 20%, they actually fund 25% of annual budget) and they can lobby the province for additional funding for the entire program.
4. Transportation for All
Better transit – not just trains. “Next Bus” real time technology. (Come on, even Winnipeg has this one!) Smaller buses and routes that come more than once an hour during “non-peak” hours – and redefining “non-peak” hours to be more then “when people aren’t traveling downtown to work”. Resources for Access Calgary so it can provide more services (especially as the population needing their services grows). And, of course, an obligatory “carsharing rocks” moment.
5. Housing options
Obviously the city needs to get its act together on secondary suites. But I’m sure they can also find ways to support non-marketing housing options (like co-ops and cohousing) and develop more TOD (transit-orientation development) projects that include mixed-use and mixed-income housing. Again, the aging population will be a critical factor to consider: changing needs, increased population and a need for greater community involvement should all play a part.
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* That’s not saying I will, but I’ll likely be tweeting about them!
