Alberta becoming Grit country? Say it ain't so
Already had 17 Liberals up in Edmonton already and the latest one from Ralph Klein's Calgary-Elbow riding makes 18. With four Liberal MLA's in the Calgary area now, and high dis-satisfaction with the Steady-Eddie Stelmach government from Mayor Bronco on down I would think we're ready for a political sea-change. We havn't had a Liberal government in Alberta since 1921. There's a lot of speculation from the scribes that the Calgary-Elbow by-election is a hint of things to come. They keep using the term "A strong message". Even the NDP seem satisfied with the results.
I see many reasons for it. Firstly the dis-satisfaction with Stelmach is real, although much has been instigated by Mayor Bronco and the underfunded school boards. Secondly the population is rapidly changing with folks who are more used to voting Red. Thirdly a Grit government would do much to dispel the perception that Alberta is Tory blue though and though and I think that's a desire of many who just want acceptance.
Trouble is as cheap as the PC's are, I don't think Kevin Taft is the answer. He's against P3 (public-private partnerships) schools. Most parents don't care where the money comes from or who's profiting, they just want their kids going to schools that are nearby and structurally sound. Same with hospitals and other health facilities. I don't think 100% gov't funding is wise or secure enough. I just not that generous with my tax dollars. Can't have contractors start projects and have the funding suddenly end mid-way through construction, left to rot. We see it with the all the interchange projects, the new LRT lines, hospitals and schools. When a private investor commits to a project, it's secure, but gov'ts have options to dry up, change minds, or have excuses. It's not fair and it ends up costing more. But now I'm ranting.
I see many reasons for it. Firstly the dis-satisfaction with Stelmach is real, although much has been instigated by Mayor Bronco and the underfunded school boards. Secondly the population is rapidly changing with folks who are more used to voting Red. Thirdly a Grit government would do much to dispel the perception that Alberta is Tory blue though and though and I think that's a desire of many who just want acceptance.
Trouble is as cheap as the PC's are, I don't think Kevin Taft is the answer. He's against P3 (public-private partnerships) schools. Most parents don't care where the money comes from or who's profiting, they just want their kids going to schools that are nearby and structurally sound. Same with hospitals and other health facilities. I don't think 100% gov't funding is wise or secure enough. I just not that generous with my tax dollars. Can't have contractors start projects and have the funding suddenly end mid-way through construction, left to rot. We see it with the all the interchange projects, the new LRT lines, hospitals and schools. When a private investor commits to a project, it's secure, but gov'ts have options to dry up, change minds, or have excuses. It's not fair and it ends up costing more. But now I'm ranting.