Head Tale

A Tale of Two Cities: Comparing The Most Recent #yqr & #yyc Mayoral Elections #yqrvotes

You could probably do this for any two cities in Canada but since I lived in Calgary and am now back in Regina, those are the two cities I’m most familiar with.

And they truly are two cities that share many similarities – oil & gas-based economies creating boom times, comprised of many people of solid prairie stock (including the fact that the number of Sask-expats living in Calgary means it often gets called “Saskatchewan’s third largest city”) and quickly changing demographics.

As the Regina election developed over the past few months, I couldn’t help but notice the strong similarities between the top candidates in each of their most recent mayoral races as well.

In Calgary’s 2010 race, the top contenders were Ric McIver, a businessman and long-time city councilor; Barb Higgins, a well-known personality from the local arts & entertainment scene with a business education and Naheed Nenshi, a highly educated member of a visible minority group with a special interest in municipal governance.

In Regina’s 2012 race, the top contenders were Michael Fougere, a businessman and long-time city councilor; Marian Donnelly, a well-known personality from the local arts & entertainment scene with a business education and Meka Okochi, a highly educated member of a visible minority group with a special interest in municipal governance.

There was even a major building project as the top local issue in each election – construction of an airport tunnel in Calgary, construction of a new football stadium in Regina (although I don’t remember the YYC Airport Authority wading into the fray!)

In both races, the long-time city councilors were the initial front-runners but that’s where the stories diverge…

As has been well-documented, Naheed Nenshi came from a distant third-place in the last couple months of the race by using social media, a swell of grassroots support and a focus on a post-partisan approach to politics that led to him winning the top job and becoming Canada’s first Muslim mayor.

In Regina, there would be no similar come-from-behind victory for Okochi. Instead, Fougere, the initial front-runner held that position for the entirety of the race right up until election night when he was declared the winner.

So, the question I find myself asking, for all the similarities, what was different?

Calgary has a reputation as a conservative city but the reality is that Regina is probably both more broadly conservative and more deeply conservative in many ways than Cowtown at the present time.
This is partly because Calgary is both a much more ethnically diverse city than Regina but also a more youthful and more well-educated city as well. (There’s a good chance that Calgary Centre could give Canada it’s second Green Party MP in an upcoming by-election. Chris Turner is the author of the best non-fiction book I read last year, a regular on many of the same community web sites I visit and so I’ll take off my NDP-supporter hat for second and say that I hope he succeeds!)
These analogies aren’t perfect – comparing Donnelly to Higgins because both were in the “entertainment” field is a bit of a stretch. Donnelly is more “arts & culture” in her background whereas Higgins was more “infotainment” in her background as a well-known Calgary supper news anchor.
For that reason, if the race had developed differently, there’s a good chance that Okochi would’ve been the person I supported rather than Donnelly. Don’t tell anyone but my pencil even hovered over Okochi’s name for just the briefest of seconds as I filled out my ballot!
I didn’t intend for this post to be “why did Fougere win in Regina instead of Okochi while Naheed won in Calgary instead of McIver?” but another sad reality is that I think Regina’s probably not as open to the idea of a person who’s a visible minority in the top chair – both because of the lower level of ethnic diversity in Regina generally but also unfortunately, because Regina has been identified as one of the most racist cities in Canada (and that’s a serious charge and I can’t find the citation. I think there was a study a couple years ago that found Prince Albert as the most racist city in Canada and Regina was right up there too – maybe #3? Again, even wondering how you define “most racist” but whatever Regina’s “rank” in this terrible category, it is a part of our reality.)
In Regina, the highly popular out-going mayor was outspoken in his support of Fougere whereas in Calgary, my memory is that their highly popular outgoing mayor didn’t anoint a successor in the same way.
Calgary 2010 had 15 candidates running but only three got more than 1% of the vote.
Regina 2012 had 8 candidates running but in our city, a fourth, Dr. Liz Brass, managed to be the only other contender to get more than 1% of the vote. Her 5% of the vote would’ve have been enough to vault Okochi past Donnelly or Donnelly past Fougere even if all had broken for a single other candidate. But her strong campaign did add a different dynamic that didn’t exist in Calgary’s three-way race.
Final rankings in Calgary 2010: Nenshi: 40%, McIver: 32%, Higgins: 26%
Final rankings in Regina 2012 : Fougere: 42%, Donnelly: 32%, Okochi: 18%

¶ Posted 25 October 2012 § Politics § Saskatchewan ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: alberta, saskatchewan

An Exercise in Responsive Local Democracy #yqrvotes #yqr #tweetocracy

Today’s the municipal election. As I posted yesterday, I’d long ago made my decision about who I would support as Mayor. But I was still undecided about who I would support for my local councillor.

My choices aren’t really that different as far as I can see – the current Councillor is Chris Szarka, a well-known former Roughrider who’s currently running a company that builds houses.

The challenger, Jerry Flegel, is a long-time Regina councillor who was defeated by Szarka in the last election (probably a lot based simply on name recognition for the Rider.) While Szarka builds houses, Flegel sells them as a realtor for Century 21. Both are pro-stadium and both seem to have political views that are quite different from mine – Szarka re-tweets Mitt Romney while Flegel just seems to be a guy who’s more pro-business rather than pro-community – at least as I define it.

I was leaning towards Flegel since Szarka has been even less visible than most city councillors tend to be during his first term. But last night, inspired by someone who posted that they’d put a something about the election on their Facebook page and ended up getting a call from Jerry Flegel when word got back to him, I decided to try a similar experiment directly asking each candidate for their acknowledgement to garner my support.

Shortly after midnight, I posted the following on Twitter…

Although this may seem like a “waste” of my vote, I thought it was actually a great way to test exactly how responsive each of the candidates would be, something of potential value even if my own values don’t appear to align with either of theirs (which is how you’d normally decide who to vote for.)

Within half an hour, I received the following response…

Yay Jerry – that was fast (not sure why the screen grab says 10am, I’m sure this reply came within half an hour of my first post just after midnight.)

Except there was a wrinkle I hadn’t expected. Flegel was the first to respond but hadn’t done what I’d asked – an equally valuable part of being a responsive politician.

I briefly thought about responding to say “What you can do for me is re-tweet my original post like I asked so I can go ahead and vote for you with a justification in my mind.”

But instead, I let it go and headed to bed. And woke up the next morning to this…no editorial comment, no added hash tags, no MT, just a straight RT from the “Canuck Truck”…

I almost want to give Flegel a generational pass – he’s an older gentleman so, to generalize a bit, probably not as familiar with Twitter conventions as his much younger opponent and he might not have gleaned that I was asking for a direct RT (even though his offer of help was more generous and open than what I got from Szarka.)

But in the end, it’s not that big of a deal either way. I voted for Szarka, Shea voted for Flegel so we cancelled out each other’s votes and whoever wins, the world goes on! Not sure if this is an issue for either of them but we desperately need an overpass at 9th and Pasqua – traffic is backed up for miles every day at rush hour. Unbelievable – you’d think you were in Toronto instead of Regina when you see it!

¶ Posted 24 October 2012 § Politics § Saskatchewan § Technology ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: saskatchewan, twitter

“This Is Our City” – Marian Donnelly for #yqr Mayor #yqrvotes

For one reason or another, I haven’t written much about the Regina Civic Election. And now, just like that, it’s here.

I’m happy to announce that tomorrow, I will be supporting Marian Donnelly for Mayor of Regina. I hope you will too!

I’ve known Marian since my first job with the Sask Publishers Group when she was Executive Director of the Sask Recording Industry Association (now SaskMusic). Her accomplishments in that role are documented on her site – from increasing funding and staffing to implementing a range of new, innovative programs. I particularly remember the Flatland Music Festival, a great (free!) showcase for many of the province’s up-and-coming and established musical acts.

Since then, Marian completed her MBA and became a strong presence in the local business community – as a University lecturer as well as the driving force behind the Creative City Centre. (If you read Richard Florida’s works, you know that a leader who can develop a Creative City is what you want for your city to be as successful as possible.)

For all of you stadium folks, Marian is also pro-stadium just like the other two leading contenders but suggests that a more balanced, less rushed approach should be taken.

Polls are showing Micheal Fougere in the lead with Donnelly in second place and Meka Okochi in third. But with 25% of poll respondents undecided/undeclared and all kinds of variance in Regina’s historic voting patterns (not to mention variance in our weather!), anything can happen.

It’ll be an exciting day!

¶ Posted 23 October 2012 § Politics § Saskatchewan ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: saskatchewan

@ryanMeili Monday – Will Buyer’s Remorse Play A Role in The #skndpldr Race?

Buyer’s remorse is defined as:

the sense of regret [people feel] after having made a purchase. It is frequently associated with the purchase of an expensive item such as a car or house. It may stem from fear of making the wrong choice, guilt over extravagance, or a suspicion of having been overly influenced by the seller.

Sometimes buyer’s remorse occurs immediately after a purchase; sometimes it takes time to sink in and that’s why there’s probably no better phrase to describe how many NDP members felt after the 2009 Leadership Race and then the subsequent 2011 provincial election which saw the NDP tie with the 1982 NDP for the party’s lowest number of seats won since 1934.

I heard the first signs of buyer’s remorse happening immediately during voting day at the convention. After the floor shows and nomination speeches were over, I overheard one person say to another: “I’ve made a terrible mistake. I voted in advance and I voted from Dwain Lingenfelter.”

There were many other members saying similar things that day – that they didn’t realise what a strong resume Ryan had. Or how much his personality impressed them. Or that they had put their chosen candidate first but wish they’d ranked Ryan higher on their preferential ballot.

I don’t have the same anecdotal evidence for what people were saying after the 2011 election but I suspect those feelings of buyer’s remorse recurred for many. (I do know it was at the forefront of my mind back then.)

Of course, my post after the provincial election imagining how things may have gone had Meili won instead of Lingenfelter was clearly labeled as a work of speculative fiction. In reality, it’s impossible to say how the results may have been different had Ryan won instead – the NDP may have done better, they may have done the same or, in all honesty, they could’ve done worse.

But what would’ve been different is that the Sask NDP would’ve had a leader in place who would’ve been well-positioned to begin re-building the party at that point rather than three years later, which is where the party finds itself now.

Re-building from a more disadvantaged position than 2011 will be the first and perhaps biggest challenge for whichever of the four leadership candidates is ultimately victorious.

All four candidates bring similar tools to the table – youth, energy, intelligence – and all are more than capable of leading the re-build. But Ryan, as the only former leadership candidate and one whose potential many only saw too late, has an advantage in this regard that none of the others do.

Will buyer’s remorse be a factor in the election this time? Only time will tell…

¶ Posted 22 October 2012 § MemoryLane § Politics § Saskatchewan ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: history, saskatchewan

Lifting Back the Veil on Secret Mormon Rituals

As if Mitt Romney hasn’t been damaged enough by secret camera videos, this clip just came out, only a couple weeks before the US election, which claims to peel back the veil on secret Mormon rituals which demonstrate, among other things, how a Romney Presidency would eliminate any barriers between church and state.

Of course, to me, the funniest part of this being released is – who cares? I think any barriers between personal religious beliefs and professional obligations as a public servant are already being severely tested by all the “regular” Christians who hold office, especially in the US but increasingly in Canada as well.

Plus, watching this video, I can’t help but think all religions have their weird rituals that are totally nonsensical to outsiders or non-believers. I remember a conversation with one person I know – a Baptist who was a regular church-goer, a strong believer, prayed for people to be healed, all that stuff.

And yet, when Mormonism came up, he was able to explain in minute detail why the Mormon religion was ludicrous, based on outrageously unbelievable stories and full of logical holes.

The cognitive dissonance was truly astounding.

Still, I’m not above hoping that anti-Mormonism prejudice of “real” Christians helps play a role in the defeat of Mitt Romney! 😉

¶ Posted 21 October 2012 § Politics § United States § Video § Wisdom ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: atheism, unitedstates

Saturday Snap – The Four Senses

The RPL Staff Day was yesterday. The planning committee skipped this fundraiser last year but this year, gift baskets provided by each unit/branch were part of a silent auction to raise funds for the United Way once again.

The Outreach Unit where I work came up with the idea of a “Four Senses” basket where each of the four staff members would contribute something representing one of the four senses leaving out sight. (Clever, eh?)

I was “sound” so picked up a few noise makers, a toy flute and stuff like that. I hope whoever won our basket especially enjoys the whoopee cushion! 😉

¶ Posted 20 October 2012 § SaturdaySnap § Work ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: health

Friday Fun Link – Theory of Evolution Explained

Such a great video. Every science classroom should view this on day one…

¶ Posted 19 October 2012 § FridayFunLink § Video § Wisdom ‡ Comments (0) °

“Binders Full of Women” – The Musical Version

Also this.

¶ Posted 18 October 2012 § Humour § Meme § Politics § PopCulture § United States § Video ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: history, unitedstates

Eulogy for Uncle Ken

Shea’s uncle passed away last week, rather suddenly after a year-long battle with cancer (that’s a weird way to describe it but that’s how it went.)

Shea and I were honoured to be asked to do the eulogy by his widow and since we happened to be in Weyburn last weekend, we were able to go out to Creelman to hear some stories from Ken’s family to help me write it. (This was useful as I didn’t know him nearly as well as the three other family members I’ve been able to eulogize in the past.)

Eulogy for Ken Thompson

There are a lot of ideas about what the true purpose of life is. Some believe we’re on this planet to make as many friends as we can or to make as much money as possible. Some think that we need to accomplish something that will leave a legacy and some think that the best legacy a person can leave is their family.

No matter what you believe the purpose of life to be, one thing that will help you to succeed is if you approach life as something to be enjoyed. And in talking with his family the past week and hearing many of the stories about him, it’s very clear that Ken was somebody who not only enjoyed life but helped the people around him enjoy life too.

For example, Elsie shared the story of how her and Ken met. She was on a date with someone else and they went to pick up Ken who didn’t have his license at the time. She was immediately attracted to Ken who was clearly a much more interesting, fun-loving fellow than her “boring” date.

And when you talk about enjoying life, there’s perhaps no better example than the story of Ken, making sure that James, Deana and Marsh got rides in a helicopter when a seismic crew operated out of their farm when the kids were younger. I’m sure the kids all looked like this but the pilot said it was Ken’s eyes that were the most like saucers during his ride!

Enjoying life can mean enjoying specific things and Ken really enjoyed…ice water. (You thought we were going to say something else, didn’t you?) But many of Ken’s funniest stories seem to involve ice water – from the time he decided to waterski – not too long after the ice had melted on a northern lake. Joan says she’d never seen someone actually turn blue before but she saw it that time!

And we all know how much Ken loved ice fishing. He loved it so much he would stay out right to the very end of the season. Deana remembers the story of being with her dad and his truck starting to go through the ice. He calmly told her to stand on the seat and not get wet from the rising water while he went to get someone to pull the truck out of the ice. (She also remembers being told *not* to tell her mom about that so perhaps Elsie wouldn’t have thought of that as an enjoyable experience in the same way that Ken and Deana did.)

James has many fond memories of hunting with his dad. Ken never turned down a hunting trip and was known to be a great shot who even bagged two beer, sorry, I mean, *deer* with a single bullet one time!

We slipped up in that last section when we said “beer” instead of “deer” but it was an honest mistake as Ken’s love of beer was well-known. Many of his most memorable stories involve beer – whether it was Dennis telling of the night Ken got left behind in the bar while they were living in Calgary. Ken had to walk many miles home, arriving just in time to watch Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. I guess you could say that was “one small step for man, one giant hike for Ken!”

Ken enjoyed visiting Stoughton Bar. One time he enjoyed it so much that him and a buddy ended up getting in the wrong car and since the keys were in the ignition, bringing that one home instead of Elsie’s! When Elsie arrived home, she asked Ken where her car was and only then did he realise what had happened. A quick trip back to town, a swap was made and the owner of the other car was never the wiser.

Jason and I have a favourite story about Ken and beer as well. When we got married in Creelman, a friend in Calgary who worked at a brewery offered us a free keg. Uncle Ken was so excited, he showed up at mom and dad’s farm with a mug that can only be described as keg-sized!

Unfortunately, the beer we’d been given was not his cherished Molson Canadian and it was pretty clear it didn’t agree with him. On the other hand, Joan’s flower bed bloomed particularly well the following year!

Although Ken loved his beer, that shouldn’t define him in our memories. He also loved camping and fishing and hunting as well as all the time spent over many years farming with Lloyd and more recently with James. He was extremely mechanical and could fix anything. He loved to tease people and especially kids. The first thing Marsh and I both said when asked for stories about Ken was how he always told us we were having “gopher meat” when we had supper at his house, no matter what Elsie was actually serving (although I have to say Elsie always made great tasting gopher meat!) He traveled often with many hunting and camping trips north. He lived in Calgary visited BC and California and even took a trip to Hawaii as a young man although we suspect if he hit the beach, it was in jeans and cowboy boots!

They say that you don’t truly enjoy life until you realise how short it can be. Although Ken had lived a full, enjoyable life, in some ways, the last year after he got his cancer diagnosis when he really embraced life in a new way. He booked a seasonal site at Moosomin Regional Park and bought a pontoon boat which he enjoyed immensely.

We started off by saying that there are a number of things that people think are the purpose of life. Ken accomplished many of them. He had numerous friends, many of whom knew him as “Jackpine”. He wasn’t a millionaire (at least as far as I know!) but he always had enough money to raise his family, buy a case of beer and, after his mineral rights came in a few years back, spend money a bit more freely. It’s true there won’t be any statues erected to his legacy (unless Molson realises they’ve lost a great customer) but Ken does leave a legacy in terms of his family who will carry his memory with them going forward.

Life is short. The minute you’re born, you begin dying and you never know how much time you have. Ken’s life is a reminder that we all need to enjoy the time that we have, the experiences we’re offered and the people we get to share it with.

Here’s to Ken…

¶ Posted 17 October 2012 § Family § MemoryLane § Sad § Saskatchewan § Shea § Wisdom ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: health, language, parents

Google Street Views Now Allows You To View Underwater Locations Including Two In Hawaii

Google Street View (Ocean View?) now allows you to “swim” through various underwater locations including Hanauma Bay on Oahu where I fell in love with snorkeling as a kid and Molokini Crater which was one of many highlights during our Hawaii trip last January.

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