Canmore population to double? Legal battle?

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Revenues? Ya, we'll have some sponsored forums, and the rest will be ads that you have to scroll around your screen to find the x button, and the x button also takes you to the ad. It's, like, foolproof.

Adding new users? No...that's the best part: It'll be the same 28 people having the same conversations over and over for decades.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Adding new users? No...that's the best part: It'll be the same 28 people having the same conversations over and over for decades.

And we'll all get really good at it.

[stazzy33]

Originally Posted by Sliver

lol. Fair Future Canmore is literally comprised and funded by rando second homeowners. It's a small place. Many people wear several hats. One Canmore councilor owns the Float tank place. One is a yoga instructor. Etc. Etc. That's not a conflict; the town's economy is too small for people to have one full-time job.

Karpat isn't paid to be on Fair Future. I have no stake in anything any developer does. We're a group of like-minded people pushing back (and winning) against a tax. I've put in a few thousand bucks. A bunch of my friends have, too. It is grassroots. When they were first posting about this on Facebook I even thought it was a scam. I had to talk to them because it was so grassroots as to seem a little po-dunk for my tastes. But, sure enough, it's just normal average Joes that make up this group. We have little meetings and we're basically a group of pissed off dorks that feel the Town and its people were pushing an unfair tax onto our group and scapegoating us for problems of their own creation.

And...we...keep...winning. Because we're right.

Are you equally annoyed that the Town is using taxpayer dollars to pay over a million in legal and administrative fees as well as hiring a PR firm to smear second homeowners and promote "unicorns" (aka old white people who are virtuous just because they've lived in Canmore longer than others)? That's what I find ridiculous. I think individuals can spend their own money on pushing back against a government who is spending others' money to penalize one group and elevate another.

But, yeah. FFC is grassroots. I know because I'm a member and I know the other members. It's as grassroots as it gets. We - as a group - pinch our pennies like crazy so we don't have to do another cash call and most of our efforts involve letter writing and correcting misinformation spread by the Town and Canmorons online and in the RMO and Herald. We aren't funded by anybody but ourselves.

LOL it's not grassroots, it's literally funded by Dave Taylor and Three Sisters Mountain Village. Jessica Karpat, who was with QPD until it recently dissolved is now TSMV's Senior Director Strategy and Community Development. Don't be that disingenuous.

Also to be fair, you didn't win, the courts found in favour of the Town but said they had to delay a year. The program was only changed when the Province stepped in, which surprise, was due to pressure from the developers, most prominently TSMV.

Marilina's Mandate Letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs

[PaperBagger'14]

The best thing to happen to Canmore is pricing former citizens out of ownership. Have you met anyone who was born in Canmore? Insufferable. We need to put the more back into Canmore (yes Sliver your group can use that slogan).

[Fuzz]

Maybe we can hive off a chunk for Sliver and their ilk, and call it Canless, and they con do whatever they want while us Canmorons continue being awesome.


Canless would be downstream of the sewage treatment plant.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Maybe we can hive off a chunk for Sliver and their ilk, and call it Canless, and they con do whatever they want while us Canmorons continue being awesome.


Canless would be downstream of the sewage treatment plant.

Certainly are morons.

[Locke]

You know if the Canmorons wanted to double their population they should just be gettin' it on!! The old fashioned way!

[Fuzz]

Except the children can't afford to continue to live there, so that strategy fails for the reasons we are debating.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Except the children can't afford to continue to live there, so that strategy fails for the reasons we are debating.

That sounds like their parents' fault. Not doing a very good job in their position of responsibility.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by stazzy33

LOL it's not grassroots, it's literally funded by Dave Taylor and Three Sisters Mountain Village. Jessica Karpat, who was with QPD until it recently dissolved is now TSMV's Senior Director Strategy and Community Development. Don't be that disingenuous.

Also to be fair, you didn't win, the courts found in favour of the Town but said they had to delay a year. The program was only changed when the Province stepped in, which surprise, was due to pressure from the developers, most prominently TSMV.

Marilina's Mandate Letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs

Please don't be an absolute liar. FFC is funded by its members like me. I have the receipt to prove it and so do my friends.

And yes, Jessica recently took a step up in her career because she's incredibly capable.

And yes, we did win due to all of our lobbying and pushing back against the Town and it's spiteful residents. I'm still at a grand total of paying $0 for this tax. We won in court to prevent it from starting in 2025. We appealed future implementation of the tax in December 2025 and are currently awaiting the verdict on that. And on January 6 of this year, Town Council unanimously voted against charging the tax on Albertans.

We've won by every measure conceivable. We're not paying the tax. The Town spent a million for nothing. WTF are you talking about over here?

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Except the children can't afford to continue to live there, so that strategy fails for the reasons we are debating.

…because you need more houses while eliminating external demand

[Weitz]

Petitions must be the flavour of the day. A petition opposing a new campground came around my place today.

Is there petition fatigue these days?

[fotze2]

Oh ya, I could use another round of this thread. Just let me get my pants down. Fuzz, you know how to make the call.

[Fuzz]

Sure, why not. There is a fun bike trail there, and we know those rank bottom of the barrel on priorities, below golf fairways and dog parks, so may as well remove another one.


I'm sure when it's tinder dry none of the tent campers will ever accidentally start a fire that wipes out the southwest side of the valley.

Town is ####ed anyway, do whatever.

[Bill Bumface]

It's like the new immigrants voting for Trump. Everyone wants the door closed behind them.

[Fuzz]

Not at all, I've never had a problem with people moving there to live, work, and contribute to the community. That's what it needs.


I don't think this tent thing is a terrible idea, but it's glamping, so essentially very low density vacation rentals. It's kinda adding rooms for the summer months. Not exactly a huge contribution to the community.

[Locke]

This is brilliant, we should just surround Canmore with Tent Cities so it feels like they're under siege.

I was thinking of lashing together a bunch of decommissioned houseboats on one of the nearby lakes...instant housing! It'd be awesome!!

[woob]

Canmore's vacancy tax gets appeal court's approval

Canmore’s vacancy tax has survived another legal challenge.

Alberta’s Court of Appeal dismissed an attempt by second homeowners to halt the tax brought in by the Town of Canmore.

In its 12-page ruling, the province’s highest court stated it found the appellants' arguments “unreasonable.”

Canmore Mayor Sean Krausert called it a “good day” for the community.

I think it's silly that AB residents get an exemption though. That's likely where all the second owners come from.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by woob

Canmore's vacancy tax gets appeal court's approval



I think it's silly that AB residents get an exemption though. That's likely where all the second owners come from.

There was a big push about 25 years ago selling a bunch of condos as investment properties to the Brits. I assume the town has some idea of the mix now, but who knows.

[woob]

Yeah valid. I probably should have said over half, as that’s likely.