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I know what you didn't do this summer
 Posted 8/25/2010 12:30:00 PM
With ''Crap''-ital X, Heritage Days, Taste of Edmonton and the Street Performers festivals with lower than average turnouts this year, I'm wondering – whats going on?
I have a full on hatred for the changes Northlands made to our annual festival when they dissed our Klondike theme and went with a 'drinking and listening to loud music' theme. I haven’t been back except as a volunteer. My kids all went before and after and agree with me that it is nowhere near as much fun.
Heritage Days is so cool – I think its a diamond in the shiny rocks of festivals in a festival city. Has anyone who goes there ever had a bad experience (that didn’t come from you neglecting your sunblock and/or water)? The Food bank lives and breathes off of events like that. Damn shame to let them down.
Taste of Edmonton – I don’t know ...
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Terry McKinnon
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Blood Suckers Paradise
Posted 8/18/2010 1:11:00 AM
The wet summer and the cooler evenings are making it perfect - for mosquitoes! Anyone who has tried to enjoy any bit of outdoor fun this summer has noticed the proliferation of parasites perforating their ... dang, ran out of p words... Seriously though, what does it take for the city to fog the varmints? The dragonflies are pretty, swooping all over my yard, but they can only do so much. The city says it doesn't fog the little suckers until the mosquito traps that they put out catch 100 bugs. Well, I don't know where they put the traps, but if they used my back yard, they would fill up pretty quick. Even with a liberal spraying of Off, my son and I had to abort an evening berry pick this week. All of those luscious raspberries sitting out there rotting in the sun, with no one to pick ...
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Terry McKinnon
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Election Heats Up
Posted 8/7/2010 3:21:00 PM
It was really great to have the experience of sitting down for coffee with the four candidates for Ward 11. Next, I'd like to meet up with the mayor and his would be replacements. I really hope Chinwe gets his wish and the candidates have an all candidate debate - that would be awesome.
What was equally awesome was the news that Don Koziak is coming back into the mayoral race with the airport closure (or non closure as he would have it) as his number one campaign issue. With the city doing everything they can to bypass the will of the electorate on the municipal airport, this is a welcome affront to their plans. For the record, I don't have a strong reason for keeping the airport open except for this - the people have been polled twice. They have said time and time again that they want the ...
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Terry McKinnon
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Candidate Profiles for Ward 11 - Kerry Diotte
Posted 7/30/2010 12:01:00 AM
To be completely honest and to give my best as a community blogger, trying to keep some manner of integrity, I have to tell you...
I hate this guy.
I hate his pomp, his swagger, I hate his opinions, I hate his little snarl. And, I hate that on name recognition alone, he stands a very good chance of beating out the three other candidates vying for the seat in Ward 11.
Everyone knows Kerry Diotte from his opinion columns and his coverage of politics in the Edmonton Sun. He has been encouraged by his readers and his fans to run for mayor or city council because they say 'he gets it'. He was taken off his assignment covering the Alberta legislature for allowing a scoop to get past him. He's suing the Sun for that too - he says that it ruined his life. It was devastating. It made ...
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Terry McKinnon
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Candidate Profiles for Ward 11 - Vishal Luthra
Posted 7/29/2010 8:01:00 AM
It turns out my mystery man, Vishal Luthra was not being much of a mystery - I just wasn't finding him for some reason. For the record, Vishal was not ignoring me as I had posted. He got a hold of me at Main Street Tim Horton's...
VL: "Is that the one with the fire hall across the road?"
CB: "There's a fire hall across from there?"
Yeah, I've lived here for 15 years and I didn't know that. Good thing though, if that Timmies ever caught fire there's only so much I could do. Unless I had two extra larges that morning...
Vishal is actually anything but hiding - he is the first candidate to put signs up, he made a public appearance at Canada Day - he's out there.
Compared to the other candidates, Luthra doesn't have a big profile - not a lot of people will know ...
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Terry McKinnon
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Candidate Profiles for Ward 11 - Chinwe Okelu
Posted 7/16/2010 6:10:00 AM
2004 was the first time I met Chinwe Okelu. He and I were each running for city council in Ward 6. Chinwe was then running his third election, I my first. At the time, I was impressed by his physical condition and his tenacity.
It takes a lot to run a marathon. It takes more to run a campaign. It takes money, it takes energy, it takes sacrifice. To be unsuccessful can be devastating. Here is a candidate who is now in his fifth election - four times he's been defeated and four times he comes back swinging.
I spoke to Chinwe at what has now become Community Blogger HQ - you guessed it - Tim Hortons.
The very first thing I noticed is that somehow, Chinwe has gotten younger. I was positive I had his age wrong. My memory is that in 2004 he was 76. Seeing him now, ...
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Terry McKinnon
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Candidate Profiles for Ward 11 - Shane Bergdahl
Posted 7/9/2010 5:56:00 AM
I was surprised that city council voted to expand the current number of wards from 6 to 12. It really takes the mathematical advantage away from the incumbent. It is absolutely better for you and I as voters - the individuals will be much more accountable to the electorate. Because he was the first one to have the good taste to contact your friendly neighbourhood community blogger, I chose Shane Bergdahl as my first candidate to interview for the brand spanking new Ward 11.
We met in a Tim Hortons. You gotta love it!
Shane Bergdahl, supplied.
Shane is a communities first candidate. You would be hard pressed to find a more accomplished community leader. His resume includes:
- Current Chair of the Mill Woods Presidents' Council (MWPC)
- Current Chair of the Mill Woods Canada Day Celebration
- Past President of the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL)
- ...
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Terry McKinnon
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Tell me why I have to be a Powerslave?
Posted 6/30/2010 10:37:00 AM
That's a bit of a random comment, but for those of you who love Iron Maiden, you know the reference and were probably there on Saturday night. I have been to heavy metal concerts before (just barely) but I had never been on the floor before. It was wild, wooly and ear blowing. There was of course the obligatory pot smokers, stage jumpers (some guys did this the whole concert!!) and there was rock - and lots of it.
Veteran head bangers, Iron Maiden brought a bunch of new stuff peppered with some of their oldies. I was disappointed that they didn't play my faves - Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Powerslave - but I was MOST disappointed by the morons throwing their shoes on the stage. I'm pretty sure the airheads were trying to knock drummer Nicko McBrain's cabbage patch doll off his drum set, but all they ...
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Terry McKinnon
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