Opinion pitches💥

Opinion pitches💥

July 05, 2022

Have no fear, Opinion pitches are here!

Hear ye, hear ye! Opinion pitches are here!

Hi all!I hope everybody had a great long weekend, and have recovered from the Stranger Things finale!We have some sad news in the Opinion section today. Due to personal reasons, Taylor felt she couldn't give the section the time it needed, and has decided to resign from her position as the Opinion Editor. Because of this, the position will be opening shortly if anyone is interested. Here are this week's pitches! Just let me know which one you'd like and what your take on it will be. And, of course, if you have any pitches of your own, feel free to let me know!As always you can reach Taylor or myself anytime at [email protected], [email protected] over Slack!xoxo, Katie

City to spend $4.7 million more on snow clearing this winterI think we can all agree that the snow clearing last winter was abysmal at best. After months of complaints about bad clearing that left sidewalks covered in ice, and windrows insanely high, Edmonton has committed to spending more to ensure roads and sidewalks are adequately cleared. Talk about what you think the money should be spent on, and how Edmonton can improve its clearing!

Edmonton

Edmonton City Council voted unanimously to ask the provincial government to support the building of a hub in Chinatown to combat the rising levels of crime. If constructed, the hub would hold social workers, firefighters, and peace officers right in the heart of the city centre. Would the hub actually help residents of downtown Edmonton, or would it just exacerbate the issues already present there? What happens if the provincial government won’t support this plan?

Unemployment rates have dropped, but many positions are still vacantEverywhere you go, it seems like businesses are hiring and are struggling to get by without staff. At the same time, in Canada, unemployment rates are at an all time low at 5.1 per cent. Are people really not looking to work, or are there deeper reasons as to why Canadians aren’t applying? Has the COVID-19 pandemic caused people to be pickier about what jobs they apply for?

Albertan government increases support for incoming UkrainiansJason Kenney announced that the UCP would expand the aid currently available to Ukrainian refugees. Included in this plan are six months of child care support and financial assistance for basic living expenses, like food and rent. With the rise of inflation, will these expanded aids be enough to help incoming Ukrainian people?

City council decided that they won’t be setting up city-run homeless camps this summer. After discussing their options, councillors decided it would be too costly, and that there isn’t enough time to set them before winter. Are there any options the city should consider? How will this impact the rising homeless population?