Cam's Soft Spots
There are a few key points that hit close to home for me.
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY
It all comes down to money.
We need to start holding people accountable, and possibly re-think how we are going about taking on contractors as delays, questionable work hours, re-do's, and confusion have lead the public to want answers.
Grande Prairie's procurement laws on awarding jobs currently runs off a grading system where if you pass a certain percentage on the grade and you are the lowest bid then you get the job. This seems fair, however a large percentage of the grade is put on overall price and a smaller percentage is put on the companies reputation. Contractors also know that the city has money set aside for projects and will often under bid and over charge. It is time to hold people accountable, look at how we are awarding contracts, and be willing to consider other options (i.e..Engineering firm takes care of asset).
Responsible spending with a forward focus is what we need now. We need a change.
We need to start holding people accountable, and possibly re-think how we are going about taking on contractors as delays, questionable work hours, re-do's, and confusion have lead the public to want answers.
Grande Prairie's procurement laws on awarding jobs currently runs off a grading system where if you pass a certain percentage on the grade and you are the lowest bid then you get the job. This seems fair, however a large percentage of the grade is put on overall price and a smaller percentage is put on the companies reputation. Contractors also know that the city has money set aside for projects and will often under bid and over charge. It is time to hold people accountable, look at how we are awarding contracts, and be willing to consider other options (i.e..Engineering firm takes care of asset).
Responsible spending with a forward focus is what we need now. We need a change.
REGIONAL PERFORMING AND MEDIA ARTS CENTRE
With beautification under way downtown and one major entertainment facility on the drawing board, it is important to have someone on council with professional experience, knowledge, and training in the entertainment field to ask the right questions and properly advise on strategies for success before spending tax payer's money.
Every great city has a great performance centre and Grande Prairie should be no different. However, the current report on costs for building, maintaining, and running the facility combined with the lack of participation between arts organizations in the city leaves room for concern. The concern being how can we ask the next 25 years of Grande Prairie citizens to front the bill for a facility that is estimated to lose around 1.6 million dollars/year (See attached Herald Tribune Article) while costing 4.6 million/year.
Of course this can be viewed as a major investment towards the future (which I am all for), it could lead to a trickle down affect for other arts organizations (which I am all for), and possibly lead to a rejuvenation of the arts department at GPRC (which I am all for), however there is no plan for it to succeed. There needs to be effort put into developing a long term plan for the success of the Performing Arts Centre, otherwise we will be left paying a lot of money and asking was it worth it?
One major way citizens could show the desire and need for a major arts centre is to go to local events. If local events sell out consistently then it will demonstrate a need for bigger shows/events. Currently that is not the case and one reason is due to a lack of, or inability to properly promote their event.
Every great city has a great performance centre and Grande Prairie should be no different. However, the current report on costs for building, maintaining, and running the facility combined with the lack of participation between arts organizations in the city leaves room for concern. The concern being how can we ask the next 25 years of Grande Prairie citizens to front the bill for a facility that is estimated to lose around 1.6 million dollars/year (See attached Herald Tribune Article) while costing 4.6 million/year.
Of course this can be viewed as a major investment towards the future (which I am all for), it could lead to a trickle down affect for other arts organizations (which I am all for), and possibly lead to a rejuvenation of the arts department at GPRC (which I am all for), however there is no plan for it to succeed. There needs to be effort put into developing a long term plan for the success of the Performing Arts Centre, otherwise we will be left paying a lot of money and asking was it worth it?
One major way citizens could show the desire and need for a major arts centre is to go to local events. If local events sell out consistently then it will demonstrate a need for bigger shows/events. Currently that is not the case and one reason is due to a lack of, or inability to properly promote their event.
Event promotion
People often complain that there is little to do in Grande Prairie, and the fact is that isn't true. City council received 6000 invitations for events last year alone! Obviously there is a lot going on but why don't we know about it all? And the better question is how do we tell everyone about it?
I think this should be something that the city takes seriously and starts to look for solutions to solve this issue. It is unrealistic for a small event to put hundreds or thousands of dollars into advertising for their events. We need to find a way to get the word out about what is happening in the community. I think that is where the city can come in.
The city has the ability to be the leaders in event promotion simply by promoting events themselves and letting people know that its happening. Maybe have a calendar that people can put their events on for free and promote (for a few years) that this is taking place. If citizens start to think of the city as the place to go for their information than we are doing something right!
I think this should be something that the city takes seriously and starts to look for solutions to solve this issue. It is unrealistic for a small event to put hundreds or thousands of dollars into advertising for their events. We need to find a way to get the word out about what is happening in the community. I think that is where the city can come in.
The city has the ability to be the leaders in event promotion simply by promoting events themselves and letting people know that its happening. Maybe have a calendar that people can put their events on for free and promote (for a few years) that this is taking place. If citizens start to think of the city as the place to go for their information than we are doing something right!
Intermunicipal Collaboration
We all benefit from working together. I am very happy to see talks taking place between municipalities in the Peace Region to better find ways to benefit everyone through collaboration and partnerships. Facilities like the proposed Performance Arts Centre, or major sports facilities cannot happen without the combined efforts of all municipalities of the peace region and a continued effort needs to be put forward to make sure that all parties are heard and appreciated for their contribution to the development of an ever growing northern Alberta.
Technology and Loneliness
One trend coming to light in recent years is the increased number of people identifying as 'lonely'. CBC did a report on an increased number of people living alone and/or preferring to be single leading to more cases of loneliness and depression. The term 'Netflix and Chill' has become common place and people are being seen less and less outside of their work or homes which is troubling.
As humans we need interaction with each other. The internet and technology is quickly leading us towards a world connected and yet we are a community detached. Emoticons were invented to try and speak our emotion through text, but words are only a small portion of communication, over 80% of communication is non-verbal body language and chemical release. What this means is that we need to see each other and feel each other to properly communicate what we are saying and to release positive chemicals into our bodies. The constant 'ding' of cell phones is slowly turning us into Serotonin driven addicts waiting to feel desired and cared for through a device. This has to change.
We need to find a way to stay connected physically, emotionally, and spiritually to each other once again and I believe it is time we open up the conversation lines about how to make that happen. The winters here are long and lack of vitamin d depression is a real thing that we need to confront and be open about. Suicide is a major issue. Lets start talking and find a way to feel truly connected again.
As humans we need interaction with each other. The internet and technology is quickly leading us towards a world connected and yet we are a community detached. Emoticons were invented to try and speak our emotion through text, but words are only a small portion of communication, over 80% of communication is non-verbal body language and chemical release. What this means is that we need to see each other and feel each other to properly communicate what we are saying and to release positive chemicals into our bodies. The constant 'ding' of cell phones is slowly turning us into Serotonin driven addicts waiting to feel desired and cared for through a device. This has to change.
We need to find a way to stay connected physically, emotionally, and spiritually to each other once again and I believe it is time we open up the conversation lines about how to make that happen. The winters here are long and lack of vitamin d depression is a real thing that we need to confront and be open about. Suicide is a major issue. Lets start talking and find a way to feel truly connected again.