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Are the “Thirtysomething Generation” falling out of love with Red Deer?

Published

8 years ago

4 minute read

Are the Thirtysomethings falling out of love with Red Deer?

The thirties are the new twenties. Young people are waiting longer to get married and start families. At one time being 30 and single was not cool, but now it is the accepted norm. Has the city of Red Deer changed with the times?

Red Deer has several areas of the dreaded “rush hour” disease, like bigger more metropolitan cities. 32 Street at 7:45 is horrible, Gaetz Ave, at 5:00 is nightmarish. If these thirtysomethings were looking for the big city metropolitan lifestyle, they would have moved to Calgary and Edmonton. One thirty something mother, previously from Calgary, mentioned her love of Red Deer while in her twenties, and early thirties starting a family, but now in her mid-thirties, she loves her neighbourhood but has fallen out of love with the city.

Another thirty something parent, has found it distressing, having to be commuting all the time. There is seldom enough time to pick up and drop off her school age, sports playing children. It no longer takes only 5 minutes to go to the school, go home and have supper and then another 5 minutes to drive to a sports facility. Collicutt Center is off 32Street, one of the worst streets for rush hour traffic, and downtown, home to many sports facilities, is notorious for rush hour traffic after school and games.

These thirty something parents live on the south side of the river, and on paper it looks like short distances and easy commutes but in reality it has the issues of big city traffic.

When the city completes all 5 high schools along 30 Avenue, expands Collicutt Center, off 32 street and 30 avenue, especially after finding the Dawe Centre too old to twin, and after all the shopping centres along 30 Avenue are completed the residents living in the southeast will think they are living along the Deerfoot in Calgary.

If we expand on this issue, and also look at the north side of the river, it becomes increasingly apparent why the population decreased by almost 800 residents, last year just on that side, alone. While the south side has to deal with rush hour traffic over short distances, the north side has to deal with cross city rush hour traffic. While approximately one third of city residents live north of the river they do not have a high school and only the Dawe recreational complex. The south side, do not forget, has 6 indoor ice rinks, 3 aquatic centres, and will have 6 high schools, and there is no plans to resolve this issue, even with the opening up of almost 3,000 acres for development on the north side of the city.

Thirtysomething parents are also increasingly being relied on to look after their aging parents. This older generation, including yours truly, are living longer, and if they cannot live independently, there is little chance that they will be living in Red Deer. Many have started throwing in the towel, and checking out of the city.

Last year while the population of Red Deer shrank by 900 plus residents, towns like Blackfalds and Penhold grew. School registrations may have stagnated in Red Deer, but grew in areas beyond the city limits.

Has Red Deer abandoned the thirty something families, and is that why the thirty somethings have fallen out of love with Red Deer? Will this issue be addressed during the upcoming municipal election? Maybe, it is not for me to say.
Thank you.

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Broken ‘equalization’ program bad for all provinces

Business

Broken ‘equalization’ program bad for all provinces

Published on November 21, 2024

By

From the Fraser Institute

By Alex Whalen  and Tegan Hill

Back in the summer at a meeting in Halifax, several provincial premiers discussed a lawsuit meant to force the federal government to make changes to Canada’s equalization program. The suit—filed by Newfoundland and Labrador and backed by British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta—effectively argues that the current formula isn’t fair. But while the question of “fairness” can be subjective, its clear the equalization program is broken.

In theory, the program equalizes the ability of provinces to deliver reasonably comparable services at a reasonably comparable level of taxation. Any province’s ability to pay is based on its “fiscal capacity”—that is, its ability to raise revenue.

This year, equalization payments will total a projected $25.3 billion with all provinces except B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan to receive some money. Whether due to higher incomes, higher employment or other factors, these three provinces have a greater ability to collect government revenue so they will not receive equalization.

However, contrary to the intent of the program, as recently as 2021, equalization program costs increased despite a decline in the fiscal capacity of oil-producing provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. In other words, the fiscal capacity gap among provinces was shrinking, yet recipient provinces still received a larger equalization payment.

Why? Because a “fixed-growth rule,” introduced by the Harper government in 2009, ensures that payments grow roughly in line with the economy—even if the gap between richer and poorer provinces shrinks. The result? Total equalization payments (before adjusting for inflation) increased by 19 per cent between 2015/16 and 2020/21 despite the gap in fiscal capacities between provinces shrinking during this time.

Moreover, the structure of the equalization program is also causing problems, even for recipient provinces, because it generates strong disincentives to natural resource development and the resulting economic growth because the program “claws back” equalization dollars when provinces raise revenue from natural resource development. Despite some changes to reduce this problem, one study estimated that a recipient province wishing to increase its natural resource revenues by a modest 10 per cent could face up to a 97 per cent claw back in equalization payments.

Put simply, provinces that generally do not receive equalization such as Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan have been punished for developing their resources, whereas recipient provinces such as Quebec and in the Maritimes have been rewarded for not developing theirs.

Finally, the current program design also encourages recipient provinces to maintain high personal and business income tax rates. While higher tax rates can reduce the incentive to work, invest and be productive, they also raise the national standard average tax rate, which is used in the equalization allocation formula. Therefore, provinces are incentivized to maintain high and economically damaging tax rates to maximize equalization payments.

Unless premiers push for reforms that will improve economic incentives and contain program costs, all provinces—recipient and non-recipient—will suffer the consequences.

Authors:

Alex Whalen  and Tegan Hill
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National

Liberals, NDP admit closed-door meetings took place in attempt to delay Canada’s next election

Published on November 12, 2024

By

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Pushing back the date would preserve the pensions of some of the MPs who could be voted out of office in October 2025.

Aides to the cabinet of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that MPs from the Liberal and New Democratic Party (NDP) did indeed hold closed-door “briefings” to rewrite Canada’s elections laws so that they could push back the date of the next election.

The closed-door talks between the NDP and Liberals confirmed the aides included a revision that would guarantee some of its 28 MPs, including three of Trudeau’s cabinet members, would get a pension.

Allen Sutherland, who serves as the assistant cabinet secretary, testified before the House of Commons affairs committee that the changes to the Elections Act were discussed in the meetings.

“We attended a meeting where the substance of that proposal was discussed,” he said, adding that his “understanding is the briefing was primarily oral.”

According to Sutherland, as reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, it was only NDP and Liberal MPs who attended the secret meetings regarding changes to Canada’s Elections Act via Bill C-65, An Act to Amend the Canada Elections Act before the bill was introduced in March.

As reported by LifeSiteNews before, the Liberals were hoping to delay the 2025 federal election by a few days in what many see as a stunt to secure pensions for MPs who are projected to lose their seats. Approximately 80 MPs would qualify for pensions should they sit as MPs until at least October 27, 2025, which is the newly proposed election date. The election date is currently set for October 20, 2025.

Sutherland noted when asked by Conservative MP Luc Berthold that he recalled little from the meetings, but he did confirm he attended “two meetings of that kind.”

“Didn’t you find it unusual that a discussion about amending the Elections Act included only two political parties and excluded the others?” Berthold asked.

Sutherland responded, “It’s important to understand what my role was in those meetings which was simply to provide background information.”

“My role was to provide information,” replied Sutherland, who added he could not provide the exact dates of the meetings.

MPs must serve at least six years to qualify for a pension that pays $77,900 a year. Should an election be called today, many MPs would fall short of reaching the six years, hence Bill C-65 was introduced by the Liberals and NDP.

The Liberals have claimed that pushing back the next election date is not over pensions but due to “trying to observe religious holidays,” as noted by Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen.

“Conservatives voted against this bill,” Berthold said, as they are “confident of winning re-election. We don’t need this change.”

Trudeau’s popularity is at a all-time low, but he has refused to step down as PM, call an early election, or even step aside as Liberal Party leader.

As for the amendments to elections laws, they come after months of polling in favour of the Conservative Party under the leadership of Pierre Poilievre.

A recent poll found that 70 percent of Canadians believe the country is “broken” as Trudeau focuses on less critical issues. Similarly, in January, most Canadians reported that they are worse off financially since Trudeau took office.

Additionally, a January poll showed that 46 percent of Canadians expressed a desire for the federal election to take place sooner rather than the latest mandated date in the fall of 2025.

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