Quote:
Originally Posted by powderjunkie
Corruption is more prevalent in prov/fed gov'ts because the approvals processes are quite different. Ministers have broader powers to approve things without passing through parliament. But there is also rigorous bureaucracy that generally keeps things in check. But of course its not perfect.
City councillors don't have much power to push things through individually under the table. Pretty much all transactions of significance come through council for a free and open vote. Administration can't do too much without council approval/direction. So you need 7-8 councillors to approve anything.
No idea what your point is on the pools and golf course. The golf course is being a free and open and accessible park. It's fair to debate whether that is better or worse than a pay to play amenity that is capacity capped and only open half the year. There is a related land sale at the corner of 33rd and Sarcee Rd that a lot of people are not happy about. Were 8 councillors bribed to approve it? I suppose it's possible...except there is typically a bidding process on any land sale, so there's gonna be another half-dozen people in admin to bribe. Again, no process is perfect; some weird things can slip through...like Cowboys paving over Millenium Park (though I actually think there might be a conspiracy there related to the new arena).
But most often its simply diverging priorities at play when these things happen. Councillors often prioritize things I think are stupid. whadyagonnado.
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The issue for things like the pool/rec center and a golf course is how you take public property or spaces and privatize them for private profit. I am a capitalist so this isn't an anti development/ profit mentality. But it's definitely clear more is going on behind the scenes then the city just worrying about saving a few dollars on some capital and operating expenses on.
The specific area in question for the golf course was sold for an asking price of $12 million but it doesn't appear that the final price is available. If my memory serves me correct, it's a space that can have approx 400 units of housing, for $12 mil? Seems light doesn't? In Marda Loop basic corner lots where 3-4 row homes would go for well over $1 mil and exceed $1.5 without batting an eye. Literally developers begging sellers and waiting for old ladies to die.
If you drive around that area you see insane levels of development and growth but you also see the cheapest garbage known to man being built there with significant costs being dropped onto future taxpayers. Lack of parking options, lack of storage spaces, lack of proper green/blue/black cart space. Back alleys littered with an insane amount of carts. Huge multi floor complexes being built out of wood, right up against older homes. The kicker is that non of this garbage is cheap, it's actually insanely priced for what your getting and developers are making an absolute fortune for selling HUGE future liabilities to people with this shaddy crap where they bankrupt their numbered companies to avoid lawsuits. You got city inspectors signing off on improperly insulated homes and HVAC systems that fail or are shut down by ATCO 2 years later cause they were not up to code. I am sure CP user EVERLAST can provide some additional horror stories as he has seen them all up close.
Lot's of monkey business and kickbacks going on if people are actually honest about it.