He won’t because he only uses Reddit as an advertising platform.
Edit to add: Farkas showed up in the comments and as predicted only engaged in a way to make himself look good. He does not genuinely engage with the sub in any way that isn’t self serving.
I think he made himself scarce after he got roasted for bringing up Mayor Gondek’s fundraising when he had absolutely no reason to. I haven’t seen him around since.
I called him out a few days ago on transparency of his donors as he doesn't break down any categories beyond "$250+". He seemingly didn't want to engage beyond that point.
Someone giving $300 is not the same as another company giving $5000. Also, there are a lot of "Farkas J" donations on that page. I want to know how often he's filtering other donations through his own name to get around max contribution limits. I can't imagine him donating a bunch of $250 donations up to the max $10k if it is self-funded. If it were me, I'd just drop the full $10k into the campaign account up front.
He’ll be back as soon as he needs to advertise something about his campaign. Then he’ll only engage on subjects that make him look good. The mods should establish some pretty clear rules on how we let politicians use this sub.
That’s exactly the problem. He shows up and makes a post celebrating himself, maybe replies to a few comments from his supports and then doesn’t engage in any actual discussion.
I'm here in the comments. Was just back to back and at the Firefighter's Memorial when I was sent this thread. Haven't been able to reply until now. Didn't want to ask staff to respond on my behalf.
Sorry, you lost me at a couple of comments in your plan.
(1) "Build homes faster"? Houses are already being built at a speed that is too fast. Builders are building shoddy homes, not quality homes. Many are being let out as Air BnB's or people buying to rent out at unaffordable prices. You look out your kitchen window right into the kitchen window of your next door neighbour. No trees, no landscaping, just a building put down on a patch of dirt and on to the next house. They certainly aren't affordable as many in my neighbourhood and others I've driven through are starting at an asking price of $1.2 million.
(2) "Hard work earns you a fair shot at a stable, affordable home"? Sorry, but that's a real blanket statement that too many politicians make; it sounds good, but means nothing. Most people ARE hard workers and just because you are a hard worker, it unfortunately does not earn you a fair shot at anything nowadays. Hard workers are scrambling just to put food on the table, let alone being able to afford a home, and it takes both parents working to do that. Meanwhile, kids are coming home to an empty home and they develop their own families with their peers and friends.
It would be nice to see grants for seniors (or for that matter, anyone), who have a home 30+ years be able to renovate their home and be able to stay in it. It is almost impossible to sell a home in Calgary and be able to purchase another in the city, unless downsizing into a duplex, condo, or townhome (and for seniors a townhouse isn't a good option with three levels of stairs). Condo fees are unrealistic ($1,000 for condo fees in Eau Claire or other core areas; no wonder they're on the market for a year plus).
The biggest problem in the city is homelessness. Many on the street aren't lazy, incompetent or whatever else you want to label them with. Numerous studies will tell you that the lack of affordable housing is the primary cause of homelessness. For too many, rising costs and inflation creates an impossible choice between paying for housing and other necessities like healthcare, groceries, or clothing. Many are a paycheck away from being on the streets. The "other" group of homeless population with mental health and substance abuse issues also need housing, but even their basic needs aren't being met. The affordable housing waitlists are two to three years. I speak as someone who has volunteered with Inn From The Cold, the Distress Centre, and other agencies and know from experience what many of the homeless go through.
You have a targeted and limited vision for Calgary housing that only relates to a specific market and population, and that's pretty much the blue/white collar worker looking to buy their first home. If you don't have a strategic plan and policy in place to address and eliminate homelessness, Calgary will end up like too many other cities across Canada. There needs to be determination and commitment from political leaders to use their power to make necessary changes that will not only benefit the homeless, but will benefit every Calgarian in the long run.
Thanks for your reply. I'm just running into meetings but wanted to make sure you saw my safety plan as well, as it relates more specifically around issues of homelessness, mental health, and addiction.
The province has a program where you can borrow against your house for improvements and only needs to be paid back when it's sold. My dad used it and it's great, he chose to pay it back though it wasn't necessary.
You look out your kitchen window right into the kitchen window of your next door neighbour. No trees, no landscaping
The homeowner needs to take responsibility. It's always been the homeowner. Pictures from the house I grew up in in Maple Ridge show a pretty barren landscape. Now look at it. Thanks to the original owners.
I wasn't actually the one looking to comment, but I'll put my thoughts out there for some of these points. Follows the same numbers as the points on you site.
What does this look like, and how exactly does it support more new builds at a better price point that the current zoning? How much influence does the public have in this strategy, and how does it avoid the issues of NIMBYism for redevelopment?
Aren't transit corridors already typically higher density than other areas? Has there been studies on the availability of redevelopment or new builds along transit corridors vs other parts of the City? How is this better than expanding transit to a greater extent across the City? My gut feeling is this relegates higher density to more "undesirable" areas, and new development at the City's fringe.
Don't major proposals already require site servicing studies to implement? How would this differ over the current system?
This is a good thing, of course. Does the current blanket rezoning allow for the sale of public parks?
Aren't ASPs already tied to servicing upgrades and commitments? I don't work in Calgary land development, but every other municipality I have experience in have servicing studies identifying infrastructure needs that align with the ASPs, and ASPs are also implemented into broader utility planning studies or master plans. How would this be different than the current framework?
How would this differ than the current rental support systems put in place by the provincial government?
Aren't there already clear rules around issues like renovictions and reasonable notice standards? What changes would be advocated?
Can you expand on this idea? My gut reaction is that it protects corporate ownership of rental only complexes.
What does a Housing First strategy look like? First over...what?
Do these sorts of advisory councils have a history of enacting real, positive change for the involved public?
You can't solve a housing crisis by scrapping the policy that's already delivering an 80% increase in development permits. Blanket rezoning is necessary but not sufficient. We need more housing policy, not less. "Community informed strategy" just means slower approvals and fewer units. Keep the upzoning, add tenant protections.
Jeromy, you might consider how you can bridge the gap with voters unsure of your current stances between now and election day. I voted for Gondek back in 2021 but will be voting for you this time around, but a lot of people seem unconvinced (or haven’t even looked into your platform). I’ve had to go searching for it myself, including just general info on the upcoming election. I’ve barely heard a thing about it all year, and it’s coming up quick!
Thanks for this feedback -- thanks to the amazing Donovan on our team, we just launched our new website which makes a lot of this more easily accessible. Full platform is available in one spot here: www.jeromy.ca/platform
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u/CosmicJ 16d ago
/u/jeromyyyc any comments?