What do you think Alberta should invest in?

[Thales of Miletus]

What sort of project do you think would be both practical and beneficial.

Wind farms, Greenhouses, Tourism, Vehicle manufacturing, a Distribution hub, Medical research?

Alberta has to be more than Wheat and Oil imo.

[ExtraSlow]

None of the above.

[Nitro5]

Arms dealing. I'm pretty sure Africa will be a hot market for the foreseeable future

[roll_over]

Refineries

[schocker]

We already have wind farms, tourism, greenhouses and medical research.
We are in the completely wrong location for the others. I agree with refineries.

[Fly Fishin']

Legalization and taxation for da nation. Just saying, might as well make a profit.

[J.M.]

Cocaine production

[btimbit]

More breweries

[ZenOps]

Specialty pasta factory. I like me some pasta, and its a heck of a lot cheaper than an oil refinery.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[Thales of Miletus]

I have heard that Edmonton is being prepared to become a major distribution hub.

Goods coming in through Prince Rupert would be warehoused in Edmonton and then sent from there to retailers in the United States.

Years ago I heard that Patterson was buying up Rupert with that in mind.

imo Calgary should focus on beautifying and moving up the list of the best cities to live in.

Edmonton is a lost cause and will always be a truck stop. Edmonton should change it's City of Champions sign to Turd City.

[kertejud2]

Originally posted by btimbit
More breweries

This fucking guy...





Listen to this fucking guy.

[ExtraSlow]

Refineries are an awful investment. Plus wouldn't help us diversify away from petroleum, if that's the goal.

[themack89]

To me it looks like a natural transition would be towards becoming a Financial center. Already have all the offices and people with boat loads of money + connections.

That and Education + Medical Research. Already seem to be a little ahead there. But I guess that kind of stuff can only carry you so far.

[Arash Boodagh]

A native American winter wonder land vacation resort.
http://i.imgur.com/8RxdxWJ.jpg

Economic equality is the first thing Alberta should invest in.

[AG_Styles]

R&D in advancing Transportation, Education, Health and entertainment through technology.

We have great researchers and facilities at both UofA and UofC, but those fields are drastically underfunded as all the money simply goes into energy dev and research at this point in time.

The low taxation rate would make us viable and we shouldn't have to spend too much like Ontario and Quebec in tech sector subsidies (50%+ in those provinces. o.0).

But when all is said and done, everyone is going to forget all this talk about diversity the moment the boom comes again in a couple of years. Happens all the time.

[Thales of Miletus]

Originally posted by AG_Styles
R&D in advancing Transportation, Education, Health and entertainment through technology.

We have great researchers and facilities at both UofA and UofC, but those fields are drastically underfunded as all the money simply goes into energy dev and research at this point in time.

The low taxation rate would make us viable and we shouldn't have to spend too much like Ontario and Quebec in tech sector subsidies (50%+ in those provinces. o.0).

But when all is said and done, everyone is going to forget all this talk about diversity the moment the boom comes again in a couple of years. Happens all the time.

I think investment in free university would be a boom.

But the problem is that no one wants to stay in Alberta. Edmonton, in reality, is a terrible place. Winter and dirt 9 months a year, skeeters the rest. Calgary is a very nice city, so I think the investment in R and D should be made their.

What about a high speed rail line between Edmonton-Calgary-Banff?

Would it be possible to build an autobahn, or would our winters destroy it? You can't do 180kmph over a frost heave.

[AG_Styles]

As a researcher, the UofA is a vastly superior place to be compared to UofC. The funding, infrastructure, and support there are great. To damn about the climate.

The issue is that unless you're in og/energy, typical funding allows you to employ a research team that gets paid $14/hour - $24/hour (at the UofC and if you even get funded). No one is going to work for that amount when they can just answer phones at cenovus for double that, especially given the cost of living here.

It all comes down to properly funding talent because no one is going to do all this out of the goodness of their hearts.

That said, nothing will change because this will all be forgotten once the oil prices start going up again. Alberta will always be in this cycle.

[ZenOps]

Roads are expensive.

Technically speaking, Alberta and BC would be prime for quadcopter drone deliveries over hilly, mountain and desolate terrain. Delivering a pizza to the top of a mountain should not require someone to risk their live on a ridiculously long, windy road. It is insanity on many levels, we really only do it now because we did it back in the $1 per BBL oil days.

Could a pineapple in Nuvavut be delivered by drone? (without it freezing before it gets there) It just might work. Noone is going to build a road for an end community of a hundred people.

Assuming that oil will someday regain its previous track record, and probably hit $2000 per barrel - it just makes sense to start thinking not expending stupid amounts of energy on rudimentary things, like driving multiton delivery trucks up mountain passes to deliver two pound objects.

[MGCM]

u can make $28-$48/hour answering phones? :nut: wtf has the world come to.......

[cancer man]

Firearms, Tobacco and Alcohol.. (legalize prostitution and bigger casinos)

[AG_Styles]

Originally posted by MGCM
u can make $28-$48/hour answering phones? :nut: wtf has the world come to.......

One of the research jobs the UofC offered me was for a full time graphics programmer with 4+ years professional c#, Java and OpenGL programming experience, 2+ MySQL, along with 1+ maya and 3D studio max experience. They offered me a whopping non-negotiable $17/hour. I promptly said no. it's an unrealistic expectation and funding amount they have for their tech research there.

[BigMass]

world's largest indoor mall, amusement park, casino, hotel, theatre, etc. If you're going to have shitty weather for 9 months of the year, deal with it by building the best indoor facilities in the world that will attract tourism.

[Modelexis]

Calgary should introduce the "Purge" philosophy.

One day per year crime is legal.:devil:

[msommers]

Originally posted by AG_Styles
As a researcher, the UofA is a vastly superior place to be compared to UofC. The funding, infrastructure, and support there are great. To damn about the climate.

The issue is that unless you're in og/energy, typical funding allows you to employ a research team that gets paid $14/hour - $24/hour (at the UofC and if you even get funded). No one is going to work for that amount when they can just answer phones at cenovus for double that, especially given the cost of living here.

It all comes down to properly funding talent because no one is going to do all this out of the goodness of their hearts.

That said, nothing will change because this will all be forgotten once the oil prices start going up again. Alberta will always be in this cycle.

Bingo

We should go mass scale greenhouses of pot. And invest in pizzerias.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by Modelexis
Calgary should introduce the "Purge" philosophy.

One day per year crime is legal.:devil: Do you think you'd survive that day?

[icky2unk]

Originally posted by codetrap
Do you think you'd survive that day?

I'd take a nice vacation prior to and watch from the beach

[Canmorite]

Originally posted by Thales of Miletus

What about a high speed rail line between Edmonton-Calgary-Banff?


This. After driving to Louise Saturday and seeing multiple rollovers and other accidents, plus near misses, a rail line to the mountains would be amazing. Would take thousands of cars off the road per day as well.

Train to Louise to ski? Yes please!

[killramos]

Originally posted by codetrap
Do you think you'd survive that day?

Dont you know Modelexis is operator as fuck. based on what i have read in the Wynne thread he is basically Jason Bourne with a handgun.

http://toddalcott.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/protectedimage1.jpeg

As for investment maybe we should reopen the breweries... :dunno:

[01RedDX]

.

[heavyfuel]

Originally posted by cancer man
Firearms, Tobacco and Alcohol.. (legalize prostitution and bigger casinos)

Disposable income is needed for that to work, and it is rapidly eroding at the current time.



Originally posted by AG_Styles


One of the research jobs the UofC offered me was for a full time graphics programmer with 4+ years professional c#, Java and OpenGL programming experience, 2+ MySQL, along with 1+ maya and 3D studio max experience. They offered me a whopping non-negotiable $17/hour. I promptly said no. it's an unrealistic expectation and funding amount they have for their tech research there.

I've paid helpers more than that to haul garbage and most were complete fuckups, how companies expect to find and retain quality, trained staff for such pocket change never ceases to amaze me.


Originally posted by Modelexis
Calgary should introduce the "Purge" philosophy.

One day per year crime is legal.:devil:

Agreed, but I'd like to see you survive it lol

And FYI, it's not crime that is legal for 24 hours, it is simply murder.

Good luck.

[codetrap]

Alberta High Speed Rail Line not Feasible.. would require 10Million riders every year to break even...

To make this thing economically viable, it would have to cost less than $20 round trip, as that is what the average cost to drive to Edmonton & Back is with a family of 4, without having to rent a car or pay for a taxi. Evening driving my truck, with a family of 4, it cost me $120 in gas round trip to North of Edmonton...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/high-speed-rail-between-calgary-edmonton-not-feasible-finds-committee-1.2652342

[ExtraSlow]

People who will only work indoors often are paid less than so-called "lower" jobs that are outdoors, or dirty, or even worse, both.

Heavy, I actually spent a summer in your industry back when I was a student. I actually really liked that job.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by codetrap
Alberta High Speed Rail Line not Feasible.. would require 10Million riders every year to break even...

To make this thing economically viable, it would have to cost less than $20 round trip, as that is what the average cost to drive to Edmonton & Back is with a family of 4, without having to rent a car or pay for a taxi. Evening driving my truck, with a family of 4, it cost me $120 in gas round trip to North of Edmonton...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/high-speed-rail-between-calgary-edmonton-not-feasible-finds-committee-1.2652342

Check math. At .70$/l you'd need 64 mpg to make it there and back assuming a 400mile round trip.

It's more than likely 40-50$ average with current prices if we have 4 people in the car.

At a buck a litre, well you can do the math.

[themack89]

Yikes... Just comparing the cost of the actual transportation as the main deciding factor between building the rail or not is like pre-school thinking. Also with cost recovery from the actual operation of the rail.

Well networked economies are stronger in the long run!

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by AG_Styles

We have great researchers and facilities at both UofA and UofC, but those fields are drastically underfunded as all the money simply goes into energy dev and research at this point in time.

The Alberta gov wants people to pay for research that they want, rather than fostering research and development of new and novel ideas.

This will never change as long as we have the golden egg that is oil, because the PC's don't want to spend money (good times or bad) on anything they don't have to.

Which is a shame, considering some of the facilities and minds we have available in this province.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by Darkane
Check math. At .70$/l you'd need 64 mpg to make it there and back assuming a 400mile round trip.

It's more than likely 40-50$ average with current prices if we have 4 people in the car.

At a buck a litre, well you can do the math. The train would have to cost $20/person.. $80 for a family of 4. To offset the cost of driving my Mazda 3, with its 55L tank & 850km range.

Read the report. It's interesting.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1173385-high-speed-rail-transit-system-in-alberta-final.html

[ExtraSlow]

Considering the bus costs something like $40 each way for the cheapest fares, I don't see any way the train could be cheaper, unless it was massively subsidized both during construction and for each ticket.

[BavarianBeast]

Tom Baker Cancer Center Upgrade.

For fuck sakes get the ball rolling already.

[codetrap]

No, it's not realistic at all. The cost is too high, and the benefits, if any, are far too low. It's akin to flying to Edmonton from Calgary. I still specifically remember one trip I had to do 15 years ago when working for a contract where I dropped people off in Calgary, and then picked them up in Edmonton.. I can't imagine how it wouldn't effectively be the same thing with a high speed rail. Be there an hour before the train departs to get through security/boarding, travel for an hour, then another 30-60 minute delay in getting out of the rail complex in Edmonton, car rental et al...

Meanwhile, I've already driven the 300km in my Mazda for a fraction of the cost...

[dubhead]

Originally posted by Thales of Miletus


I think investment in free university would be a boom.



Free University is a wonderful idea as long as it is for useful degrees industry actually wants and not for the 70% of degrees current grads will never use.

[Thales of Miletus]

Originally posted by dubhead



Free University is a wonderful idea as long as it is for useful degrees industry actually wants and not for the 70% of degrees current grads will never use.

Maybe we should be building communities for the elderly.

When we are old, there is going to be no one to help care for us. We will have to care for ourselves.

[suntan]

Bring back Duo Week at the Maid.

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by suntan
Bring back Duo Week at the Maid. This is a type of stimulus that I think I could support.

[kolumbo69]

Nuclear power generation with a massive upgrade to the grid system.

[icky2unk]

Originally posted by Thales of Miletus


Maybe we should be building communities for the elderly.

When we are old, there is going to be no one to help care for us. We will have to care for ourselves.

Because we need 50000 art and psyc grads every year who end up working reception anyways at o&g. May as well learn something productive if you are going to do something.

[CapnCrunch]

It's perfect timing for Alberta to open up its arms to the gay porn industry.

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by dubhead



Free University is a wonderful idea as long as it is for useful degrees industry actually wants and not for the 70% of degrees current grads will never use.


Originally posted by icky2unk


Because we need 50000 art and psyc grads every year who end up working reception anyways at o&g. May as well learn something productive if you are going to do something.

University students don't care about getting a meaningful job that their degree helps them attain once done post secondary. This is not a problem with the system, this is a problem with the people. It is absurd. As I posted elsewhere, post secondary is a LIFESTYLE unto itself, no different than a musical genre has a lifestyle associated with it. You take bullshit classes about anything, talk about traveling the world because it somehow makes you a better human being, drink your life away, and then when you are 30 and done riding the coattails of your parents who worked to pay for that period of your life, start earning $45k/year.

[FraserB]

Or they just turn school into a career. Then once the gravy runs out, wonder why no one is hiring them since they are "overqualified".

[sexualbanana]

How about just education and infrastructure? It's less of a problem here (miraculously) than in a lot of places in North America (I'm looking at your America).

I like the FDR approach of investing in public projects as a means of creating jobs whilest making improvements to the foundations of the economy.

[ZenOps]

They could also fill in the gaps of OTA CBC coverage for Alberta

http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/_files/cbcrc/documents/dtv-maps/tn-0006-tve-ab.pdf

Technically, they had until Aug 1 2012 to switch to digital, but I'm not sure they all managed to do it.

Really, having a few extra TV towers and pumping up the signal on others (more wattage) would be a prudent idea. I mean really, what happens if a solar storm, or a failed launch knocks out a Canadian satellite or two, then people in remote areas are screwed royally.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBRT-DT

[Nitro5]

Originally posted by FraserB
Or they just turn school into a career. Then once the gravy runs out, wonder why no one is hiring them since they are "overqualified".

I wonder if The Link is still around U of C?

[JustinL]

We have excellent medical research facilities in Edmonton and have produced amazing products... the problem lies in that commercialization for these things is poorly supported and we just sell the idea to an American or German company to make the real money off it.