$5 million

That's how much ex-mayor Jyoti Gondek wasted convening a panel of "experts" to come up with a new slogan for Calgary.  What did they conjure up after two years of navel gazing?  "Blue Sky City".  It used to be "Feel the Energy", but Gondek must have thought that moniker highlighted "evil oil".  So now, instead of looking down at the oceans of valuable oil right under our feet, we have to look up to the blue sky, where we'll find.....uh....um....clouds into which to stick our heads?  There's certainly no oil up there.

You could not make this up!

Let's not forget -- paging the dazzling genius Mark Carney! -- that Alberta's oil finances the entire country via transfer payments.  Without it, we'd be even poorer than we are, thanks to Carney's disastrous "green, net zero" agenda.

Someone needs to sit this "brilliant economist" down, ground his plane and tie him to a chair so he can be educated on how valuable our oil is.  As I have blogged countless times, we have to get it to tide water to sell to countries desperate for this resource.  But, thanks to the ludicrous NDP and the delusional, one-trick-pony Elizabeth May, we can't.

Never mind that Carney has the power to overrule provinces objections and hysterical native protests, he won't do it -- meaningless memoranda of understanding notwithstanding.  That was nothing but Kabuki theatre and a photo op.  It's a piece of paper that has no teeth and will not get a pipeline built, which is Carney's objective.

Keep it in the ground, are his watchwords!  How's that gonna work, now that the U.S. has taken over Venezuela's oil industry?  They produce the same heavy crude as does Alberta, so the U.S. will need much less of ours now.  Having ruined the auto industry, Carney is well on his way to destroying the oil one too.  This is very scary and very serious.

But back to the flood.  Why didn't Gondek fix the main water feeder for most of the city, as well as surrounding towns like Airdrie?  This is a complete failure of civic leaders, but I believe new mayor Jeromy Farkas will deal effectively with it -- unlike Gondek and the previous council.  In the meantime, 3,100 families will remain under a boil-water advisory.  

That $5 million would have been far better spent on water.  Great job, Jyoti!

Lots of fun in Calgary the other day.  

Gondek is the first incumbent mayor in memory to have been defeated after one term.  That tells you a lot about her incompetence.  Calgarians are not stupid.  They finally came to their senses -- even the ethnic community, which usually votes en block for any ethnic candidate on the ballot.

Thankfully, we live in Cochrane, so aren't affected.  When that same pipe burst two years ago, however, we lived in northwest and were affected.  So, Cochrane water managers, check our lines!