Ed Stelmach & Rent Control

An interesting thing is happening in Cowtown of late. People aren't suddenly embracing the "free market" like they once did. It's most notable in rent control

I don't really believe in rent control. I think that landlords need to have the right to recoup money they invest in their property. And, for every slum landlord, I'm quite sure there is a slum tenant. No one seems to ever mention "slum tenants".

The issue of rent controls is before the government and no one is to blame but the landlords themselves. When you live in a free market/capitalism 50% is being a good consumer, the other 50% is being a good vendor, or in this case, landlord.

The landlords upset with the possible rent controls shouldn't be lobbying the government, but their own. The landlords that push through rent increases of 100% or the landlords that toss out single moms in the street to make way for a couple with a high income create the problem. To quote Gordon Gekko, "greed is good". But a logical thinker also thinks of more than just greed, but the future & of the entire situation.

And the effects of this are being felt on the Stelmach government. There is talk that they Con's may actually fall in Calgary. When the last budget was pushed through, it did not resonate so well with Calgarians. They felt not enough was done, but I think people are unrealistic. You cannot rectify what was the literal starvation Calgary has endured over the past 15 years through the Klein government.

Calgary is now a city. A real city. All cities have good things (and this place IS a good place). And all cities have problems. Problems that rednecks and hayseeds in small towns don't understand. There is far too much influence from the rural areas in Calgary vs the cities. Yet Calgary is the source of much of the money.

In the future, I suspect you'll see a real divide between the prairie and C-town. Both socially & politically, which will make for some interesting times out here.

Welcome to cityhood Calgary. Hayseeds need not apply.