EdmTrekker
Senior Member
I only think of Bed and Breakfast
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- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
EdmTrekker
Senior Member
I hope this goes to the Design Committee (assumes significant exterior change).
thommyjo
Senior Member
Sure. But happy hour cultures and the lively downtowns we love often see a huge amount of office workers that put in 50-80hr weeks, which adds longevity to the evenings and street life vs a mass exodus of government workers that will rarely hit their minimum hours.
IanO
Superstar
TAS
Senior Member
I'm living downtown in a nearly 200 unit building and I come and go several times a day. The amount of food delivery service folks or people dropping off packages daily that I witness just in my building is significant. I'm actually amazed.
So that seems to be the culture in part which cuts down on dt people walking around.
When I walk around dt, I also see a lot of vehicles with individuals delivering food or packages elsewhere. It makes me wonder if we have free 2 hour dt curb parking, how many spots would be taken up just by the people I mentioned. Sometimes the cars are just waiting outside a restaurant waiting for pickup or possibly even their next customer call.
CplKlinger
Senior Member
I've worked in a couple of GoA ministries, and so far everyone I've gotten to know has lived within the Henday. When I worked in an office by the Leg, there just wasn't enough time to walk to where the restaurants/pubs are during lunch, and, like Cat mentioned, after work most people had to go home to help with their kids, cook supper, etc. They're there to do their job, amd outside of work it's a given they'll put their families and personal lives ahead of spending money downtown. That's why we need to focus on getting more people living there and attracting more events, instead of spending millions on unnecessary lease costs in an attempt to squeeze money out of workers for the local businesses. As a taxpayer, I want the best bang for my buck, and that means going with the option that saves government money while also creating an environment that is consistently vibrant and active during all hours - including evenings and weekends.
CplKlinger
Senior Member
Dude, Alberta defines overtime as anything above 8 hours a day or 44 hours a week.* So we should be paying millions more in leases and a buttload of overtime, and destroy any semblance of a work-life balance just to prop up someone's unsustainable business model? That sounds great, because we know the province is dying to spend even more money on employees. Or would they be doing all that extra work for free? Their job is to fulfill their job description, not spend money.
I'm sorry to be snarky, but I'm so tired of people feeling entitled to *my* paycheque, and getting mad at me for having the audacity to spend within my means. I signed a contract stating that my work week is 36.25 hours, and that means I get paid for 36.25 hours. I don't get paid overtime—almost nobody in the GOA does nowadays—and I'm sure not sticking around for three or five extra hours just to have the experience of ordering skip the dishes to my office when that same bill would buy me a week's worth of ingredients for home cooked meals.
Need I remind you that the costs of food, shelter, and pretty much every other basic necessity spiked by around 30% during the pandemic? That's according to RBC's chief economist. My damn wage sure didn't. So instead of setting aside what little bit is left over once I pay all my bills and buy groceries, I'm now supposed to spend it just to be a good, patriotic, proud resident? That's insulting. And I'm one of the lucky ones because I don't have a family to support. There are public servants who only scrape by in duel income households, and some even rely on food banks. The burden of downtown revitalization cannot be placed on their shoulders.
If businesses want more consistent traffic, we need more people living downtown, or they need to find better ways of attracting suburbanites. That's just how it is. People have families, people have bills, and people have lives to live.
* https://www.alberta.ca/overtime-hours-overtime-pay
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Gronk!
Senior Member
4th St Promenade should be pedestrian-only during weekends, and possibly every evening if doable. But maybe that can wait until the VLW LRT construction is completed.
Friendmonton
Active Member
Last weekend I took my visiting mother-in-law on Sunday afternoon to Credo. In the 15 minutes we sat outside, two mentally unwell people walked passed us shouting and swinging their arms. Hard to enjoy the sunshine when you’re on your guard.
policyenthusiast
Active Member
I will say that one positive element of the election is that DT and homelessness in the region are being brought under a serious microscope. Whether by supports or enforcement, it looks like things are going to change over the next term.
thommyjo
Senior Member
But this is true, arguably much bigger of a thing, in any major downtown too. Don’t thinks it explains our culture vs others. I find we have almost no delivery drivers/bikers vs most cities honestly. Not uncommon in Vancouver to see 5-15 of those guys chilling in sidewalks together. Never see that here.
thommyjo
Senior Member
I’m not suggesting we need government workers to prop up businesses downtown.
I’m suggesting that the work culture of government jobs vs startups/finance/law/tech are pretty different and the former is much of our DT workforce. I’m also not making a moral claim on work/life balance, time with family, etc.
Jobs and workers that require more grind, networking, attract driven young people without kids, and pay higher salaries are what make many downtowns lively. If we swapped out 5000 gov workers for 5000 google employees, or investment bankers, you’d see a difference in time people leave work, busyness of restaurants/bars, and activity downtown. Attracting more non gov workers downtown is key.
Same way a college town has better campus vibes than a big city commuter uni like the UofA/Macewan.
David A
Senior Member
I really don't think private businesses are making the decision to have workers return to the office more based on some desire to support the downtown or downtown businesses, although that may be a result.
It is also be better for vibrancy if those working downtown do not pack up at 4:00 or 4:30. I am not sure how much of that is government vs. private sector workers, but I suspect it is more of the former.
It is also be better for vibrancy if those working downtown do not pack up at 4:00 or 4:30. I am not sure how much of that is government vs. private sector workers, but I suspect it is more of the former.
policyenthusiast
Active Member
Ian in Taproot:
“Whenever you have that swath of land, everybody looks at it every day, saying, ‘There’s such an opportunity there,‘” Ian O’Donnell, development manager at Westrich Pacific, told Taproot. “Most cities in Canada don’t have that size of land, or areas around a park that are just sitting vacant, and so the opportunity is incredible, and it’s wonderful to see that the private sector has responded.”
Warehouse Park, other incentives spur up to 1,800 housing units downtown
Several developers say the “black hole” created by the many surface parking lots that surround Warehouse Park downtown is finally set to change, with up to 1,800 housing units proposed.“Whenever you have that swath of land, everybody looks at it every day, saying, ‘There’s such an opportunity there,‘” Ian O’Donnell, development manager at Westrich Pacific, told Taproot. “Most cities in Canada don’t have that size of land, or areas around a park that are just sitting vacant, and so the opportunity is incredible, and it’s wonderful to see that the private sector has responded.”
TAS
Senior Member
Yesterday was deadline for first round of student housing incentive applications. City is looking to move quickly on this and have decisions within 3 weeks I think I read.
It is possible a second round won't be needed if the money is fully allocated in this first round - big projects like Falcon 2 could possibly secure a good portion of it.
Again, if lots of interest, maybe city should consider some more money into this fund.
Looking forward to seeing the list of recipients - I'd also like to see full list of projects not successful and where they are.
Oh, and if OEG receives any more government money like from this fund, my head will explode from anger.
It is possible a second round won't be needed if the money is fully allocated in this first round - big projects like Falcon 2 could possibly secure a good portion of it.
Again, if lots of interest, maybe city should consider some more money into this fund.
Looking forward to seeing the list of recipients - I'd also like to see full list of projects not successful and where they are.
Oh, and if OEG receives any more government money like from this fund, my head will explode from anger.