Bridging Our Way to a Better City
By: Charlie Clark, Councillor, City of Saskatoon Many cities have nicknames. New York is the “Big Apple.” Calgary is “Cowtown.” Brandon is “Wheat City.” And Saskatoon is the “City of Bridges.” At first blush, that label seems counter-intuitive. After all, Saskatoon sits smack-dab in the middle of the western Canadian prairie. But, Saskatoon is home [...]
Field of Dreams (Part II)
By: Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation Whenever I point to the Jets Stadium and the establishment of the Vauxhall Baseball Academy as an example of a very successful local and rural infrastructure investment that has yielded some great economic development and social dividends, the response is overwhelmingly positive. Often, it’s outright [...]
Building Vibrant Cities
By: Stephanie Shewchuk, Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation When the Economist Intelligence Unit released the latest version of its Global Liveability Report two weeks ago, three Canadian cities were listed in the top five of the 140 cities surveyed. The Global Liveability Report, which originated as a means of testing whether Human Resource departments needed [...]
Newer and Better
By: Ann Pham, Communication Coordinator, Canada West Foundation I recently returned for a visit to my old university campus. I almost didn’t recognize where I was. It’s only been two years since I graduated from the University of Calgary, but so much has changed. Buildings have sprouted in the field where my friends and I [...]
Edmonton’s Innovative Approach Turns Waste into Revenue
By: Simon Farbrother, City Manager, City of Edmonton The City of Edmonton is becoming well known for its highly integrated and sustainable waste management system. This system is built on a vision that views waste differently—not as something useless but as a resource. Currently, the City of Edmonton is diverting up to 60% of all [...]
It’s Alive!
By: Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation This year, my son Mitchell graduated out of Mr. Green’s grade three class. Like his two older sisters before him, dad was called upon once again to help with Mr. Green’s “special” grade three science project—building a two-foot long bridge using only popsicle sticks, cardboard, [...]
Different Dimensions of the Penny Tax
By: Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation In late February/early March, Casey Vander Ploeg introduced the idea of a Penny Tax in the “1¢ Solution to a Billion Dollar Problem” series on www.letstoc.ca, igniting much interest around the community. Continuing the conversation, this blog is an expansion of that idea, delving to [...]
Something New for a 125th Anniversary: Sustaining Public Infrastructure
By: Konrad Siu (P.Eng., FCSCE), along with Dr. Robert Driver (P.Eng., MCSCE) and Dr. Jeffrey DiBattista (P.Eng., MCSCE), Co-chairs of the 125th Annual CSCE Conference The annual conference marking the 125th anniversary of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE), running from June 6-9, 2012, will offer an exciting venue and numerous opportunities to learn [...]
Sustainable Infrastructure Investment Critical to the Economy
By: Michael Atkinson, President, Canadian Construction Association (CCA) There is little doubt about the need for safe, reliable, and efficient core infrastructure, both for the safety of Canadians and the competitiveness of the Canadian economy. The Canadian Construction Association, which represents the non-residential construction industry, has worked diligently to ensure that infrastructure remains a key [...]
