We have received notification that the Feds are looking at boundary changes to add more federal ridings across this great land of ours.
During the last provincial election more seats were added provincially as well.
It just never ends and we, the taxpayers, just keep dolling out the cash to support the infrastructure. When you think about it, our elected officials at all levels are what a corporation would call the board of directors. There are deputy ministers and so on who do all the work and they are not elected. There is not a multi-billion dollar company in the world that could operate with a board of directors the size of our provincial or federal caucuses.
Instead of constantly adding seats and expense we should be cutting back. I can’t imagine why we need 87 seats in Alberta? Two MLAs in Red Deer? Excessive to say the least.
Now, federally, Alberta will be represented by 34 MPs — 10 in Calgary alone. You think about the hundreds of MPs flying back and forth across the country and the MLAs adding up the clicks across the province and we can’t begin to imagine the expense. I’m guessing we could cut the elected officials in half and no one would notice the difference other than there would be a lot of office space for rent.
The proposed new federal “Foothills riding” will run north to south from just south of Canmore all along the foothills down to the US border. It will include Okotoks, High River, Crowsnest Pass, Pincher Creek and Cardston.
We are currently in the Macleod riding, but our MP Ted Menzies will end up in the Bow River riding which will include Fort Macleod, Claresholm and go east just past Brooks. The ridings are based on approximately 100,000 population.
Tax Freedom Day will just keep getting further down the calendar until a financial crisis forces our elected officials to show some restraint.
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It is Stampede time and the weather could not be better. Wow, 185,000 people on one day this past weekend. Record crowds are happening mostly due to the great weather and the 100th Anniversary doesn't hurt as well. I'm thinking of attending the grounds one day this week, are you.
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The Okotoks Dawgs are on the road this week. One stop will be in Regina where the leagues number one team is waiting for them. Go Dawgs!
