I have a problem with "Lorne says the city had no problem borrowing for big projects in the past and they should do that now."
Yes, They did that in the Past, But they also used the "old Bait and switch".
If they had actually used the money for the projects that they asked them for, we would have had:
1) The Whitemud finished,
2) The LRT would be at where it is now, 30 yrs ago,
3) The Henday would have been completed over 10 years ago.
4) Calgary Trail/Gateway BLVD further along than it is
5) The City Roads that they asked to Upgrade/Fix would have been done
6) 118th Ave, 95th to Rexall / Northlands, in the last 5 years finally removed the old Railbed & Railway ties from the Streetcar system that was the transit system from my daughter's, Great Grand Parent's time...

This city has a history of using money from one big project to fund, other Pet Projects that the other levels of Governments would not. NOW that the Provincial and Federal Governments REQUIRE that the money they supply for projects, GO to those PROJECTS. The Bait and Switch practice has been forced to end...

Have a Nice Day

Dear Mr. Layton
During the Global supper hour news on Monday you shared that you had received many messages in support of Mr. Lynden Dorval and critical of his firing. You invited those with opposing views to respond and on Tuesday shared that only one message had been received expressing an opposite point of view.
Just to set the record straight, there are many of us who believe that Mr. Dorval was justifiably terminated. My wife told me not to bother to respond because it was a waste of time. I tend to agree with her in that any opposing viewpoints on this issue have simply been shouted down and those expressing those opinions have been labeled as bean counters lacking in common sense or worse. You did much the same on Tuesday when you simply dismissed the email you received and suggested the writer watch a video of disgruntled teachers presenting their views to the Board.
Just to set the record straight, I am not an employee of Edmonton Public. I do believe that the issue of student assessment is extremely important but that the discussion over the past few months has been long on heated rhetoric and short on reflection and reason. “No zeroes” has become a convenient little sound bite and many of those commenting on it show little or no understanding of what it means or what it looks like in practice. I am disappointed that the media have done such a poor job in reporting on this issue. What has happened reminds me of the party game where one person whispers a message into the ear of the person next to him and that continues down the line to the end where the last person repeats what he’s heard to the group. Most often the message is garbled beyond recognition. I can easily see how the term “no zeroes” can be misinterpreted and that’s why I dislike the term itself. Many believe that students don’t have to complete work and are simply given a free pass which is entirely untrue. A teacher who works in a large Edmonton high school has put on the handout to his students: You are expected to write all assessments. If any Major Summative Assessments are not complete, you may receive a final mark of incomplete and not receive credit for the class. This doesn’t sound like a free pass to me. In the end, Alberta has very high standards, students must write Diploma exams, and all students are held to standards outlined in the Alberta Programs of Study. You meet those standards or you don’t pass.
If you really want to know more about the issue you might want to take a look at the website for the Alberta Assessment Consortium at www.aac.ab.ca. The have a link on the front page to a few pieces of information on no-zero policies. You may wish to look at the blog of Mr. John Scammell at http://thescamdog.wordpress.com/. John is a great math teacher who has written and posted his work on assessment. Of course, that takes a little time and a little thought and most people seem content just to revel in their outrage – even if it’s based on little or no understanding.
There are many great teachers doing great work in Edmonton schools. I am disappointed and disillusioned that the curmudgeons and disgruntled have received so much publicity. I feel passionately about public education and know that most teachers, administrators and boards are working very hard to continually improve. We just don’t hear about that work.
Sincerely,
Harry Wagner, Edmonton