Alright. Since Edmonton City Council is sticking its neck out for active transportation (including bike lanes) I'm making a commitment to commute responsibly this entire year. +
Some stats: I live approx. 6km from work. I have a home office and an employer who requires me to be "in the office" 2 days per week (to teach). If I go into the office more than that, it's by choice. I love my colleagues. I'm lucky. Very lucky.+
I live in the River Valley and my workplace is uphill in the mornings (approx 21 minutes on bike). My commute home is downhill (15 minutes). +
Transit is an option (bus to LRT). But it's about 3 times as long as it takes me to bike. +
In the summer months, I bike to work 4/5 days per week. This involves 9km each way, factoring in my kids' day camp drop-off and pick-up. (Yes, they biked to camp, too.)+
During the school year, I can half that distance (~12km total per day). I drop kids off at 830 and pick up at 330.
I bike for 4 reasons: exercise, cost, efficiency (time), and environment.+
I've never biked in winter before, so this will be challenging.+
I will log my thoughts in this thread. Is it worth the hassle? What seasonal adjustments will I make? Will I cave and stay home or drive my car in the winter? Stay tuned to find out. #yegbike
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And, again, Jason Kenney laid the path for Smith. It's a small step from his denigration of the Supreme Court of Canada as a tool of the Laurentian elite, to Smith's plans to politicize the courts.
Our 7 year-old wanted to attend today's committee meeting on @DShepYEG's private member's bill, The Anti-Racism Act (Bill 204). So I took her. Here are her random reactions. 🧵#ableg
[Here's some background on the bill👇. Keep in mind: she's 7, and I had never once spoken to her about race-based data before the hearing.
I scribbled her whispered comments as the hearing went on, and a few as we drove to her Kid Ninja class. This is pretty close to verbatim.]
Why are most of the people of colour in the gallery and on the videoconferencing [instead of at the committee table]?
[Short pause]
How come they can eat and we can't?
[Long Pause]
I mean, there's plenty of room up there at the table. [Thank goodness my mask covered my 🤣.]
In many ways, the convoy & occupations are as much a rejection of Conservatism as they are of Liberalism. Let me explain.+
A lot of convoyeurs have given up on the Conservative Party of Canada (and populist provincial parties like the UCP) as a vehicle for their dissent. They'd rather take to the roads & streets than organize for those parties.+
Some have turned to insurrection because they've given up on the hope that the Conservative Party will form government in Canada. And, even if they do, they question whether the CPC will really represent their interests.+
It's disturbing to see so many CPC MPs supporting the occupation of the nation's capital. Beyond the immorality, their divisive political strategy is sadly misguided. +
Convoy sympathizers have zero respect for prep school populists like these. And that's a big reason why we find ourselves in this mess. +
The lack of trust between convoyeurs & politicians is obvious. When Conservative MPs & right wing MLAs clamour for selfies with the occupiers, watch the reaction by the latter. They openly mock the politicians once they leave. +
FWIW, I've never considered red tories to be simply "moderate conservatives" or "socially progressive conservatives." To me, the ideology is a much more complex amalgam of principles.
This isn't the only way to conceive of the conservative family. But here's what we sketched out in the first edition of Inside Canadian Politics.