While BC was burning, BOMA Calgary members were communicating their thoughts on Calgary’s election issues as seen from the perspective of an industry member.  In our survey, which was available in June through mid-August, BOMA member were asked to indicate if they thought Calgary was a better place to live and to do business since the 2007 election.  You might say it was their commentary on how they percieved the civic leaders’ collective performance.

I will summarize the findings of the survey, which was anwered by 11% of members, and therefore is statisically valid.

1. When you reflect upon the overall quality of life in Calgary today versus 2007, the time of the last election, do you think our city is a better place to live?

• 29.1% Said yes.
• 36.7% Said no.
• 25.3% Said no change. (But this could mean no change from “good” or “bad” depending on perception.)

2. Thinking about the business climate today versus three years ago, (E.g. municipal tax rates, “red tape”, investment climate, etc.), do you think Calgary is a better city now in which to conduct business than in 2007?

• It’s Better 7.6%
• It’s Worse 50.6%
• No change – it’s still OK 20.3%
• No change – it’s still poor 12.7%

3. Thinking about the spending priorities and fiscal management of the City of Calgary today versus three years ago, do you think Calgary is better managed than in 2007?

• Yes – 10.1%
• No – 73.4%
• No Change – 7.6%

4. In your opinion, what is the number 1 competency the new mayor and City Council should possess?

• Solid finanical management – 29.1%
• Inspiring leadership – 8.9%
• Prinicpled decision making – 6.3%
• Clear vision, plan and priorities – 27.8%
• Good communications and listening skills – 3.8%
• Transperency and Accountability – 7.6%
• Courage to make tough choices – 6.3%
• High level strategic thinking – 10.1%

So there you have it.  This is what members said.  But it was not all bad news and it is incumbent upon me to report the positives as well.  Most notably there was a perceived and significant increase in Public Safety. (Thank you Chief Hanson)  As well, there were modest gains in terms of environmental management, housing affordability (probably more due to the tanking of  the economy than any deliberate action of Council), and improvements in transportation, mostly interchanges and West LRT.

But in the open-ended questions, respondents noted that the red tape at City Hall is very cumbersome and the administration is more of a barrier to creativity and innovation by industry rather than an enabler.  There were the predictable negative comments about tax burden, but more significantly there was concern over the value received for that tax dollar, and the lack of real or genuine accountability for those expenditures.  Lastly, the respondents indicated they did not beleive that Council was accessible enough, nor was there meaningful opportunities to provide Council with input.  Several respondents complained about Aldermen not returning calls, letters, email, etc. 

So, candidates, there you have it.  This is what industry members had to say about where we are after 3 years of the current City Council.

I suspect that platforms will roll out after Labour Day and in the run down to the election, it will be interesting to see what comes out from the aspiring Council Members.  Fluff or substance.  I want much less of the former and a whole lot of the latter.  I think my vote is important.  Do they?

The BOMA Canada National Conference and Exhibition, September 14-16 in Toronto, is following the lead of the Canadian commercial real estate and property management industry and “Getting Back to Business”. Make sure you plan to attend a BOMEX® packed with education and industry networking that will help you succeed and thrive in the future.

The BOMEX® 2010 education program offers a greater number and variety of hot-topic sessions than ever before seen at the event. Some of the scheduled presentations offering valuable information and insight to delegates include:

• It’s the Law. Where Accessibility is Headed in Canada
• BOMA BESt Update
• Rooftop Solar Panels
• Measurement and Verification in Action
• Building Information Modeling: A Digital Building for Owners
• Moving to Alternative Refrigerants – Understanding Your Options

Click here for the full BOMEX® Conference Program.

We want to showcase those initiatives of our members. Let us know what solutions you’re pursuing in your buildings and organizations to reduce costs and address the concerns of tenants and the public!

This week, BOMA member, ExactET publicly announced its support of the principles of BOMA BESt.

Both BOMA (Building Managers and Owners Association) and ExactET share a commitment to the principles of conservation and efficient water management.

Now, ExactET’s innovative climate controlled irrigation technology can be utilized by commercial property owners and managers who wish to certify under BOMA BESt or to improve their existing certification. Read more…

We want to know, send us your green news!

These two short clips help to explain how social media and Twitter work.

Social Media in Plain English

Twitter in Plain English

Different social media platforms work better for different activities – whether it is networking for work, with friends, or keeping up on trends and information.

Just keeping it simple. In the information chaos, it’s good to start with a foundation.

This might explain why I am discussing the BOMA International 2010 Convention and Every Building Show so long after it ended. Yes, it feels like yesterday, but in reality it was over two weeks ago. But if time is moving for you as it is moving for me, you won’t mind at all.

I was privileged to be able to attend this year’s BOMA International Convention in Long Beach California (don’t fret, the weather wasn’t that amazing) and I enjoyed the keynote address by Ben Stein the most (hilarious, especially since I couldn’t help but hear Bueller. Bueller. Bueller. as he spoke).

I do not work in property management directly, so I don’t know which sessions might appeal to you most. Instead of trying to capture them, I’ll defer the experts:

The first bulletin out directly after the conference gives a short summary. Or watch the videos of the conference from the various sessions.  The longer summary is here – with pictures! See that one titled ‘The Best of the Best Honored at the TOBY Awards?’ Canadian buildings were featured in many of the categories, and came away winners in Vancouver and Ottawa. It’s tough competition out there, so congrats to the winners and the nominees (who put in a lot of hard work to make the cut!). The TOBY Awards was a great closing event for the conference.

It was an interesting conference and many connections were made. I think the summary will give you an idea of what it was all about. Maybe next year you can come along?

In terms of financial management and spending priorities of City Council, an alarming 75% believe Calgary is worse off than in 2007 and 6% think things have improved.

What are survey respondents looking for by way of the single most important competency in Calgary’s next mayor?  The early results are clear (there were 9 choices of competencies): 31% said solid financial management skills, 25% said clear vision, plan and priorities, 14% said high-level, strategic thinking and 10% said transparency and accountability in decision making.

The survey is still open and there is time to submit your opinions.  Click here to take the survey.

What is on your mind as relates to the forthcoming municipal election.  Repond to the BOMA Survey.

Calgary will have a municipal election in mid-October and now is the time to ferret out the issues and start putting the questions to the candidates, especially those seeking the mayor’s chair.

BOMA will support the Calgary Chamber of Commerce who will be producing an all-candidates forum in late September or early October.  BOMA has put together a survey 2010 Municipal Election Survey aimed at gathering industry-members’ opinions as to what are the key issues that the candidates should address.

Elections are time when the tough questions should be asked. And as electors, we should get real answers.  Too many wannabe politicians are prone to speaking in 15-second sound bites, or strings of cliches such as there is no message in their words, just noise.  I remain hopeful, and probably naively so, but I hope that amongst the 11 or so mayoralty candidates there will be at least one inspiring leader, one individual who has a strong vision for Calgary’s future and all it can be; one who can successfully and enthusiastically communicate that vision such that it becomes clear to every Calgarian what then has to be done and they pull together to make our city great.

Help shape Calgary’s future.  Answer our survey.  Click here to begin.

The median monthly parking rate in Calgary was nearly $120 per month more than Toronto.  How could this be?  What makes Calgary parking more expensive than other cities?  Edmonton, by comparison, reported a median monthly cost of $275 USD.  Quite possibly the simple explanation is supply and demand.  Calgary has been artificially limiting the supply of parking through many of its restrictive development policies, and as a consequence has in effect engineered this problem.  On the capacity side, Calgary has failed to expand its public transportation network at a pace to match the growth of the city.  These two facts combine to create the “perfect storm” of exceedingly high prices.

Calgary could allieviate some of the supply/demand issues by increasing the capacity of its public transit system.  To its credit, the City has been doing this – purchasing more buses, approving LRT expansion (the West LRT leg is presently under construction with a completion date targeted as 2012).  But it is too little, too late and the prospect of catching up in a timely way is slim.

With 5 million square feet of new office supplycoming on-stream in the next 18 months, much of it with limited parking, it is probable that the parking situation will get worse, much worse, and therefore much more expensive.

There is a glimmer of hope:  This October the city will have a municpal election.  One way or the other, we will have a new mayor and a number of new faces on City Council.  Perhaps we will have a much needed, long over-due injection of strategic intelligence and the new Council will act to rid the community of failed policies such as those restrictive ones related to parking.

I am the eternal optimist, but will it happen?  Big question.

CPS Business NewsJune2010 (PDF)