Beiseker's Finances & the AUMA

I am most concerned about our villages financial problems. 

The property tax hike this year was, in my opinion, too high. Now we are being told that our village has operated at a deficit for many years! 

During my term as mayor of Beiseker this village never ran a deficit! It is true that we chose not to fully address our Tangible Capital Assets and their depreciation. Which means that if the new airport runway surface suddenly crumbled, every piece of village equipment suddenly broke down, and every water pipe and sewer pipe in the ground sprung a leak all on the same day, the village would be in strife! 

The chances of that happening are slim and nil! Several years ago, the provincial government decided that it would be good idea for municipalities to create a slush fund to pay for replacements of our equipment and infrastructure, and account for the depreciation of its assets.  It might've been a good idea for larger municipalities - but for small ones like ours, it was totally ridiculous. If you take into account the depreciation and replacement of our tangible capital assets, the village would be in a deficit!  However, in my term as mayor the village always paid its bills and we actually ran a very small surplus!  

I think Village Council is getting some bad advice. I think they need to reread the entire Municipal Government Act and the auditor's reports from the last 10 years. Although I was one of five councilors, I was still hurt when I read that the former council was insinuated as being irresponsible in Beiseker's finances.  We did no such thing!

The AUMA Convention:

Every fall the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association holds a convention. They been held in Calgary, Edmonton, and recently again in Red Deer. Our village council has decided not to go to the convention this fall.  I think this is a very shortsighted decision, and needs to be readdressed! 

The convention gives municipalities the chance to address government officials in person directly. There is even a session which permits municipal leaders to directly address the many newly elected cabinet ministers involved in their operation! 

With the recent change of government, Beiseker needs to be seen and heard at this convention! Maybe just one councilor and the CAO should go, but someone needs to represent our village there!

Hong Kong Protests

Many years ago my wife and I visited Hong Kong. We found it to be a exciting and vibrant city. It was under British rule that back then. 

Since the Chinese government took over the British protectorate things have become tense and have recently boiled over in the form of demonstrations. I fear for the safety of those people living in Hong Kong!  The Chinese have demonstrated in Tienanmen Square that they are ruthless in suppressing any opposition to the official government. I fear thousands could be killed or seriously hurt if the Chinese army invades Hong Kong!

Calgary's Olympic Legacy

It appears quite clear to me that Calgarians are not willing to support the facilities left from the 1988 Olympics.  

They turned down a bid to bring the 2026 Games to Calgary which would have rejuvenated those facilities.  They're refusing to help the bobsled track and the ski jump towers are already slated to be demolished.   I think the writing is on the wall!  Calgary has changed dramatically and Calgarians will no longer support these kind of facilities.  I think the bobsled track, the ski jump towers, and the other former Olympic facilities should be demolished.  The Olympic Oval may be the exception as long as the university is maintaining it.  

Let Calgarians move on to whatever they're moving on to!  The "NO" campaigners in the Olympic Plebiscite will have suggestions on where Calgary should go from here! 

Canada vs. China!

First they arrest a couple of Canadians on business in China, then they re-sentence another from a jail term to death!  Then the outlaw imports of some Canadian crops.  Now they claim our pork and beef is bad and not allowed into their markets. 

All of this because we arrested some Chinese national on the request of American authorities because we had no choice under extradition laws signed by Canada and the USA!  Am I fairly accurate so far?  

China will not back down!  I suggest that the Canadian Government financially help all those affected by this ridiculous squabble then help them go out and find other markets!  Maybe the Americans should help us here since it was their idea to arrest this Chinese national in the first place.

What's the Deal with Single-Use Plastics?

I'm having trouble understanding this single use plastic fruhaha. 

If there is an oil spill, the oil companies are held responsible. If there is a sewer backup the municipality is held responsible. So why aren't the manufacturers of all these plastic bags, straws, eating utensils, and other single-use plastics held responsible for all this plastic clogging our oceans?  

Also, around the world there has got to be thousands of petro chemists working hard changing oil into all these useful items. Why can't some of them be employed by the manufacturers to change the single-use plastic products back to oil? Seems only logical that if you can change oil into something else you should be able to change that something else back into oil!