I don’t what that means, but I still like the web site a whole lot.  For one, the design is crisp and the information is presented in a great format.  It runs on Word Press (open source software makes me happy).

The only downside is that it makes the re-design at regina.ca look really awkward.  Oh well, one out of two ain’t bad.

I also have a few other things up my sleeve, including the next issue of the magazine and a beginner’s guide to starting a street publication with open source technology.  Stay tuned….

Now if only we’d vote…

My love affair with Regina’s Transition Area is coming to an end and I am soon moving into the General Hospital Area.  While the General Hospital Area is beautiful, funky and vibrant, I can not help but feel a little bit guilty and a little bit sad.  This marks the end of an era – I have lived in and around downtown Regina for years and have never lived outside of the Transition Area.  These are very sad days….

Keep watching this spot – I am shooting a video to serve as something of a goodbye to the Transition Area.  And, I will ‘premiere’ it here when it is ready to go…

I am not ready to formally announce what is going to happen to this site, but the changes will be fairly drastic.   While the blog is currently a large part of this site’s content, we are going to roll out some new features over the next few months.  Keep on the lookout for these exciting changes!

Joyce Green says that could be a sign of citizen satisfaction with the status quo, but it is more likely a symptom of voter alienation in an unhealthy system.

“People are detached — maybe from municipal politics, but I would say more generally all of our formal political processes,” she said. “In a democracy, this is a terrible thing. We ought to be having important public discussions about public policy … (and) we’re not.”

So far, this campaign has been incredibly quiet and nobody seems all that willing to ’stir the pot’.  Several races have been uncontested, including the City Council race for Ward 4, in which Michael Fougere has been acclaimed.

I have been shocked at how little interest the citizens of Regina are showing in this election campaign.  And, frankly, I am even more amazed that candidates have not shown a willingness to discuss important issues and create controversy.

Take the City of Regina’s draconian Tag Day Permit law.  This law makes it illegal to panhandle in the City of Regina.  Despite the facts that this law is completely discriminatory and that it seeks to criminalize visible poverty, not one single candidate has gone on the record as being against it.

As for the youth, based on my experience, the 18 – 25 year old crowd could not care less about this municipal election.  In all my years interested in the political system, I have never seen that age group so detached from civic politics – few youth  even know there is an election going on, and even fewer plan on voting.  This is a bad sign, not only for City Council, but for the future of Canadian democracy.

Think about it – one day, this current 18 – 25 year old demographic will take control over Canada’s political system.  What will happen if they are not informed voters?  What will happen if this apathy (or withdrawal in disgust) continues?  Will our elections have turnouts of less than 40%?  Will taking 20% of eligible voters be enough to form a majority government in Canada?  Will our democratic system break down completely?

I would like to open three questions up to all of you.  Why are so many voters alienated?  What can be done to combat voter alienation?  And, if this trend towards alienation continues, what does the future of Canadian democracy look like?