2010 Mayors Race

[Bill Bumface]

McIver released his vision for the future today:

[SebC]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

McIver released his vision for the future today:

Way too much population density...

This is more like it.

[shermanator]

So let's compare the two $25 million dollar bridges shall we?





I don't get the ire being drawn for the Peace Bridge, when the second bridge, for the same price and being done through an open design process, gets none.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by shermanator

So let's compare the two $25 million dollar bridges shall we?





I don't get the ire being drawn for the Peace Bridge, when the second bridge, for the same price and being done through an open design process, gets none.

Looking at those two pics makes me like the fingertrap even more. The other one looks skeletal. Like some cheap, bare bones bridge. At least the fingertrap looks like something. A little colour. A little design.

The whining about the fingertrap just comes off as mass hysteria. Like people don't even know why they're mad. They just read or heard that there's a bridge that's "ugly" and it cost $25 million, so they want to be pissed off because their neighbour is pissed off about it. Who even knows how much a regular bridge costs?

[Byrns]

Originally Posted by shermanator

So let's compare the two $25 million dollar bridges shall we?





I don't get the ire being drawn for the Peace Bridge, when the second bridge, for the same price and being done through an open design process, gets none.

This
http://www.calgaryherald.com/enterta...991/story.html

[CaptainCrunch]

Neither bridge floats my boat, but at least there was open competition for the second bridge.

[nik-]

I don't see the problem with giving a bridge contract to a renowned architect known internationally for his pedestrian bridges. It's not like it was handed to some half ass company owned by the mayor's brother or something.

The funny thing is that the contest winning bridge looks like a ripoff of Calatrava's arch and cable designs.

[SebC]

You know before the contracts were awarded, I would have probably prefered a design competition for both bridges. But now I'd rather have Calavatra choose a design than the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation.

The one they chose doesn't do many of the things I would have liked. It's doesn't have a viewing platform towards downtown or access to the tip of the island, it has a hard t-intersection for access to the island, it doesn't make me want to see it or cross it, and it's not visually interesting from any angle.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by nik-

I don't see the problem with giving a bridge contract to a renowned architect known internationally for his pedestrian bridges. It's not like it was handed to some half ass company owned by the mayor's brother or something.

The funny thing is that the contest winning bridge looks like a ripoff of Calatrava's arch and cable designs.

Originally Posted by SebC

You know before the contracts were awarded, I would have probably prefered a design competition for both bridges. But now I'd rather have Calavatra choose a design than the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation.

The one they chose doesn't do many of the things I would have liked. It's doesn't have a viewing platform towards downtown or access to the tip of the island, it has a hard t-intersection for access to the island, it doesn't make me want to see it or cross it, and it's not visually interesting from any angle.

Agreed, I'm all for the design competitions but it was clearly a good idea to have Calatrava produce the first bridge for us.

You would have thought it would have motivated the CMLC to get something real interesting on the east bridge but they underwhelmed with their selection. Much like the dissapointing selection of the winning bid for the King Eddy/Cantos project.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Neither bridge floats my boat, but at least there was open competition for the second bridge.

Agreed. Neither bridges are overly stellar; and I like the fact that one was an open competition, and one was pre-selected. I might draw fire for that comment, but I don't care. I'm happy an actual, world-renkown bridge designer was chosen to do one of our bridges, whether people like the bridge itself or not.

The CMLC's decision on the second bridge was dissapointing. As for the Cantos project, I can tell everybody right now, CMLC wasn't the only deciding factor in the Cantos project.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Wrong, the tender was put out for any steel companies to quote the work. Guess what? The Canadian company that bid was more expensive than the European one that was awarded the contract!

But hey, we'll just take digs at anything that isn't built right here in Canada ("they took 'er jerbs!). Even though the world has clearly moved beyond such infantile concepts (David Parker of the Herald is another terrible offender of this).

Wouldnt surprise me if the Europeans subsidize their steel industry to remain competitive.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Wouldnt surprise me if the Europeans subsidize their steel industry to remain competitive.

And our government subsidizes Bombardier to compete with the likes of Embraer.

It's a fact of global business, and sometimes the countries try to duke it out in an international court of law. But I don't think anything much has ever come of it.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

And our government subsidizes Bombardier to compete with the likes of Embraer.

It's a fact of global business, and sometimes the countries try to duke it out in an international court of law. But I don't think anything much has ever come of it.

Brazil subsidizes Embraer, so we subsidize Bombardier. We don't subsidize steel producers and fabricators like the europeans do. So yeah, they took our jobs.

[Bigtime]

You mean they took 'er jerbs?

So why does our government subsidize Bombardier against the Brazilians, and not our steel industries against the Europeans?

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

You mean they took 'er jerbs?

So why does our government subsidize Bombardier against the Brazilians, and not our steel industries against the Europeans?

Gotta appease the Quebecers!

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Gotta appease the Quebecers!

I wasn't going to say it, but I was baiting my question a little...

Not too get more off topic, but I much prefer the Embraer regional jets to the Bombardier ones. Much more comfortable and nice to fly on.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

You mean they took 'er jerbs?

So why does our government subsidize Bombardier against the Brazilians, and not our steel industries against the Europeans?

We can't afford to subsidize every industry because someone else is doing it. Theres a reason the euro block of countries is so far in debt.

[Bigtime]

We've strayed pretty far off topic on this, so let me steer it back.

Druh Farrell's twitter feed from a few minutes ago said that council has voted to approve the funds for the 2nd phase of the Devonian Gardens.

Thoughts?

[frinkprof]

Apparently former Ward 6 Alderman Craig Burrows will announce that he is running for mayor tomorrow as per this article:

http://www.calgarysun.com/news/colum.../13978101.html

This room is starting to get pretty crowded.

[SebC]

Gotta wonder if a guy who lost his re-election bid as an alderman has any chance at all.