Aaron Paquette

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Mark Connolly, Elan MacDonald, and I working the live broadcast of the 2013 Edmonton municipal election.

Wishing the legendary Mark Connolly a happy and fulfilling retirement.

Mark has been the voice of the news for so many Edmontonians over so many years. SO MANY YEARS, MARK!

Well earned and well deserved, we will miss you.

Here’s Mark, Elan MacDonald, and I working the 2013 muni election!

“Virilio worried that people were transforming from vectors of lived experience into mere terminals of information.”

Always! :)

Angry Man Yells at Cloud.

Mike Nickel threatens copyright infringement.

Discomfort is not injustice

Can anyone recommend a spicy local news item this week? 🔥

Things have been pretty quiet.

/s

That doesn’t mean everyone will agree - that’s impossible, especially the bigger an issue is. But everyone is heard and all voices are taken into account.

And nothing is unchangeable.

Adjustments are constant, as they should be in a responsive system that seeks continuous improvement.

The opportunities are endless.

We have surveys, public hearings, open houses. Councillor emails and phone lines are always open. Social media is a fairly direct conduit.

The city puts out ads and puts up billboards, sends mailouts.

Public input is actively gathered.

(Did I mention we got the legal memo DAYS before the motion was put on the floor?)

Final:

When we brush these things off as “just politics” we abdicate our power in a democracy.

Playing games is playing games and sadly we equate it with the political process.

But it leads to disinformation, public confusion & ultimately wasted time & dollars.

You deserve infinitely better.

I don’t judge if folks make errors or forget things - this job is a lot.

What I do care about is accuracy in reporting once the facts are clear.

The way it is worded, it throws Council under the bus for a two part motion that was legally questionable in one half and redundant in the other.

Is good.

THAT’S WHY IT WAS ALREADY DIRECTED BY COUNCIL LAST YEAR.

The first part of the motion got pulled by the Councillor after being reminded of the similarities between what was on the floor and what was already directed previously.

So again, what chance did Council not take??

A mystery.

To finish off, the first part of the motion:

That Administration

1. initiate an update to Edmonton's 15 District Plans to prepare for city-wide growth to 1.5-1.75 million people based on detailed analysis and community input to guide growth and change in a context sensitive manner;

My concern is not a personal one.

It is incumbent on Councillors to deal honestly and fairly with all City issues - at least that’s my barometer.

I’m not saying that’s not happening here, but there is a disconnect between the official record and the interpretation of events after the fact.

So I was left wondering if this was an innocent error - or was it a cynical ploy to raise hopes of people who wouldn’t know this wasn’t possible in order to galvanize support from people who are concerned about development issues?

Because doubling down on the error is not a good look.

And I was left puzzled. What exactly was the opportunity Council had?

Even after hearing that it could put Edmontonians on the hook for lawsuits, that it didn’t align with the provincial legislation that guides and directs municipalities (the Municipal Government Act) this is still the statement?

Today, Council had an opportunity to pause and reflect on a planning approach that has clearly outpaced public trust, infrastructure, and enforcement. Unfortunately, that opportunity was missed. I brought forward a motion to implement a temporary moratorium on new infill development-not to stop growth, but to get it right. Edmonton's residents have been clear: they are not opposed to growth, but they are tired of being ignored in the process. This motion was about pressing pause, correcting course, and rebuilding confidence. Additionally, I called for a meaningful update to Edmonton's District Plans to reflect a city growing toward 2 million people. These plans must be informed by data, shaped by community voices, and grounded in the realities of each neighbourhood. The City's legal department shut me down. The desire of Edmonton residents to be heard and involved and engaged in what happens in their neighborhood continues to run up against City policy and process. Residents are tired of this, and so am I. This theme runs across city departments. There is always an excuse or a reason why adjustments cannot be made to give residents what they want.

Now, look. There is the possibility someone didn’t do their homework and didn’t know - that they weren’t prepared. Ok. That’s all right. Happy to let it go.

But then this was released:

The legal opinion and ruling:

The motion:

That Administration

2. enact a moratorium on development approvals for mid-block properties zoned RS
until the district plan work in Part 1 is complete.

I’m sorry, but trying to forward a motion that would open the city up to class action lawsuits and raise taxes on Edmontonians is, in my personal opinion, absolutely unhinged.

What a grasping, sad, knowingly doomed to fail move.

Writing is release.

Reading is renewal.

-

Unless it’s 600 pages of utility updates.

Paquette in an oilers jersey giving the thumbs up with the game in the tv behind him.

AMAZING GAME!!

Now it’s the best of three and it’s going to be WILD.

#EDMvsFLA
#Oilers

So the kid got it pretty quick.

“They’re actually lonely and scared, hey dad?”

Yeah. With the power to act on it without consequences.

For a while I thought the danger was greed.

But it’s disconnection from reality.

(see: insanity)

And if we don’t address it, it could be the root of collapse.

Spiritual disorientation.

When a person can buy anything except meaning, humility, or connection then they treat the world like it owes them those things.

Billionaires who build rockets but won’t pay taxes.

Who buy islands instead of supporting cities.

Demand admiration but fear ACCOUNTABILITY.

That’s when things get extremely dangerous.

When the only needs left are emotional, and the only tools left are economic - then you have the ability to imprint what is likely an emotionally unwell persona on public policy and discourse. And because you have the $$$ people take heed.

At the top of the mountain, what’s left?

Not hunger for food or security.

EMOTIONAL HUNGER.

Attention - Control - Immortality.

The gnawing need to be important and to shape the world in your image.

But … what image??

Chatting with my 10yo the other night about needs vs. wants.

Needs: food, water, shelter, safety, care.

Wants: everything else.

But what happens when your needs are endlessly met?

And your wants are instantly fulfilled?

I firmly believe that at a certain point in wealth accumulation - over a billion dollars as the metric - human capacity for empathy is at serious risk.

When removed from the reality of humanity or the planet, a certain sociopathy develops.

Let’s call it Altitude Sickness or Empathy Collapse.