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Loss of local radio stations 'crushing': analyst | Alberta Primetime for July 10, 2026 — Transcript

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0:02Alberta Primetime with Michael Higgins.
0:05>> Welcome to Alberta Primetime. Ahead
0:07tonight, our Friday panel on concerns
0:09over the energy rebate application
0:12process. But first, big data landing in
0:15the industrial heartland.
0:17>> Sturgeon County
0:19has had an industrial zone for 40 years.
0:22And so the site that they're on is a
0:23site that had initially been intended
0:25for 12 refineries. So there's a a lot of
0:27social acceptance in the community for
0:29these kinds of developments.
0:31>> The premier on Alberta Primetime
0:32discussing Meta's plans for a massive
0:35data center north of Edmonton. A $13
0:37billion project that will see the parent
0:40company of Facebook and Instagram
0:41partnering with the Green Light
0:43Electricity Centre. A recently announced
0:46$4.6 billion
0:47natural gas-fired power plant. And
0:50joining us now is the mayor of Sturgeon
0:53County, Alana Nash. Mayor Nash, great to
0:56meet you. Thanks kindly for coming in.
0:58>> Pleasure to meet you as well, Michael.
0:59>> I have to say two massive developments
1:01pushing
1:02up close to $20 billion. Have to think
1:05you are the envy of your municipal
1:07counterparts.
1:09>> Uh well, for for some of them, yes.
1:12Development in the heartland and and as
1:14the premier mentioned, there's been
1:15major industrial development there for
1:17decades.
1:18But you know, council after council over
1:21over decades has has been challenged to
1:24get those approvals. It It's a It's a
1:26very special part of Alberta and a
1:29special part of Sturgeon County just
1:31because of the resources there, the salt
1:34caverns for storage, the water.
1:36You know, it is good ag land as well,
1:38but industry landed there years ago with
1:40Nutrien and and now we've got Pembina
1:42Wolf, NWR, Evonik, Can Do Rail.
1:46So this is this is another piece of the
1:49puzzle and it's certainly a good news
1:52story from an investment perspective.
1:54But it is a different sector than what
1:57we've seen before, which is why this
1:59announcement is I think being a bit more
2:01of a lightning rod than others.
2:03>> Okay, so what what did Sturgeon County
2:06then have to weigh when when a project
2:09of of of this nature, but also of this
2:11scale, land on your desks?
2:14>> Well, you know, we create the conditions
2:17to encourage site selectors to come and
2:20invest in the Industrial Heartland. And
2:22those conditions have been made through
2:23Land Use planning and approval processes
2:25that took place decades ago.
2:28And so we create the conditions and then
2:30site selectors come in and find those
2:32conditions and then they need to meet
2:34the regulatory requirements at the
2:36provincial level and at the federal
2:38level and then eventually at the
2:39municipal level to get those
2:41applications passed. And so that is the
2:44process for those investments and this
2:47one is no different.
2:48>> Did Did you have to Did you have to
2:50lobby for this? Did Did you have to
2:52provide incentives?
2:54>> No. In fact, you know, a lot of the
2:56investment in the Heartland does get
2:58provincial, federal,
3:01and even some
3:03municipal incentives. We have those
3:06programs that have been worked out
3:07meticulously based on the delta between
3:10our competitors landing businesses and
3:13and us landing what what needs to be
3:15brought in for us to be able to win.
3:18When it came to data centers, we did not
3:20need to offer any incentives because
3:23the the value proposition of what we
3:25bring to the table cannot necessarily be
3:27recreated anywhere else. So we we
3:29offered no incentives and for any of the
3:32infrastructure investments as far as
3:34waterline being brought in, road
3:36improvements needing to be made, those
3:38are all done at the expense of the
3:39developer.
3:40>> I'm I'm curious to know what your
3:41thoughts are on on other North American
3:44jurisdictions implementing
3:46moratoriums including in the states, but
3:48even more recently
3:50Hamilton in Ontario put a pause on
3:52development here just in the last few
3:54weeks. Does Does that Does Does their
3:57positioning resonate with you?
3:59>> I think it's important for the right
4:00project to be in the right place.
4:03And because this is zoned heavy
4:04industrial and this is a large
4:06industrial investment, I think it
4:09belongs where it's going. I think other
4:11jurisdictions are having issues when
4:14they potentially didn't have long-term
4:16multi-decade
4:18zoning and planning in place and
4:20infrastructure in place to be able to
4:22absorb the size of investment and the
4:25disruption that comes with multi-billion
4:27dollar investments. And we've been
4:29seeing that and doing that in the
4:31heartland for for decades and we get
4:33better every time at being able to
4:35iterate and reduce the the the
4:38challenges that come with big projects.
4:40So, I think we Well, we do have a
4:43world-class rare industrial
4:47cluster there. So, we don't necessarily
4:49have the same issues that we see
4:51becoming problematic in other
4:53jurisdictions.
4:54>> Sure, but you can even look at
4:55you know, a community like Guelph's.
4:57Residents there are They're They're
4:59raising concerns over water use, even
5:02noise.
5:03>> Those are valid concerns.
5:04>> And and how it's
5:06handled assessment-wise where the
5:08environment is concerned. If
5:11Does
5:12How you're set up, does that negate
5:13those concerns?
5:15>> No, so the the province even just
5:16brought in a designated industrial zone
5:19um
5:20program that we worked with them over
5:22the last uh few years to be able to
5:25create certainty through the investment
5:27cycle and through the site selection uh
5:30cycle and through the approval process.
5:33But, there are no corners being cut.
5:35What we did was just remove any
5:36redundancy between the the municipality
5:40and the provincial uh requirements for
5:43for different applications. But, I do
5:46just want to you know, as I I mentioned
5:48in our pre-discussion, you know,
5:50looking back to hydrogen, there was a
5:52federal strategy, and then there was a
5:53provincial strategy, and we struggled
5:55for almost 6 years to really see any
5:59slow uptick of that.
6:01>> Yes, but you know, the feds came out
6:04not that long ago with a federal
6:08artificial intelligence strategy. The
6:10province came out with an artificial
6:12intelligence strategy December of 2024.
6:15So, that became clear to us that that
6:17was a relevant sector, and in Sturgeon
6:19County, we believe in diversification
6:22across sectors to be able to stay
6:24resilient and sustainable. So, we
6:27approved data centers as a permitted use
6:30in that industrial heartland in April of
6:332025.
6:34And then in June,
6:37AESO, the Alberta Electric System
6:38Operators, determined how much power was
6:41available on the grid, and then there
6:43was an open call.
6:45That open call resulted in a number of
6:49people getting
6:51smaller allocations, at which point some
6:54of these applicants worked to secure the
6:56amount of power they needed for their
6:58investment. So, by August of 2025, AUC
7:02applications, Alberta Utilities
7:04Commission's applications,
7:06were filed for the Green Light
7:08Electricity Centre.
7:09The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
7:12application for the Green Light
7:14Electricity Centre was also filed. And
7:17then that's also when the Government of
7:18Alberta introduced the 2% levy for data
7:22centers. November of 2025, the IACC, so
7:25the federal impact decision issued
7:28noting no further assessments required.
7:31June of 2026, the AUC approval granted
7:34Green Light Electricity's Centre their
7:37permits.
7:38County allowed a master site development
7:40permit just for them to just to talk
7:42about what they wanted to do on the
7:44site. We issued topsoil permits and then
7:47in in July was when the final investment
7:51decisions were made. And it's it's not
7:53up until that final investment decision
7:55is made and public that we know then it
7:58is
7:59a program that is going to go through
8:01and at that time
8:03then the application was filed for the
8:05development permit at the county level.
8:07And that's when we share it publicly
8:09because then it becomes public
8:11information. Up till then it's private
8:13>> Yeah.
8:13>> industry on on their own land and and we
8:16have to respect
8:18land rights and privacy rights. And so
8:21this is the same process.
8:23>> It did not happen overnight, but it also
8:25didn't happen as long as as I said, you
8:27know, 5-10 years people know about Dow,
8:29but this is a new sector, but there were
8:31no show shortcuts and there were no
8:33incentives. This followed the exact same
8:37uh process federally, provincially,
8:40municipally as the other $40 billion of
8:42investment that has landed in Heartland.
8:44>> We're going over time, but I I do want
8:47to
8:48put one last question to you. This
8:50This is a huge project. It's it's
8:53different than what you've had in the
8:54past. So, being it that it's different,
8:58what kind of door does it open?
9:00>> The the fact that there is a hyperscaler
9:03coming in and it's and it's something
9:04buddy as big as Meta, I think will have
9:07a different uh uh
9:10landing in this jurisdiction because of
9:13our award-winning university,
9:16AltaML, Ami. When you have that type of
9:20acumen and know-how in the region, we
9:23will see the diversification
9:26across the value chain for for data
9:29centers and AI in a larger component
9:32here than I think what you'd see in
9:33other jurisdictions.
9:34>> More to come in the future. Mayor Naqvi,
9:35I appreciate you coming in today telling
9:37us about this. Thank you, kindly.
9:38>> Thank you. Thank you very much.
9:54>> From concern over the [music] energy
9:56rebate application process to radio
9:58station closures in Calgary, coping with
10:01costs on the Stampede grounds, and
10:04snooping through green cards.
10:06>> Our Primetime this week, Don Lazina
10:08joining us this evening. Tom Keenan,
10:10professor in the School of Architecture,
10:12Planning, and Landscape at the
10:13University of Calgary, the author of
10:15Technocreep, as well. And Darren Krause,
10:17editor and founder of Livewire Calgary.
10:19Good evening to you both, and let's
10:20begin with the Alberta government's
10:22newly launched energy rebate. It is a
10:25program providing many Albertans with
10:28$100, and it uh to receive it requires
10:31providing information including your
10:33social insurance number, tax information
10:35to prove you and your household make
10:38less than $225,000
10:40annually. You also need to verify your
10:42identity by providing your driver's
10:44license number, and the province wants
10:46your banking information so it can
10:47direct deposit the funds into your
10:49account. For some Albertans, that's a
10:51bit too much of an intrusion.
10:54>> It's just a grab for votes. It's a grab
10:56for information.
10:57>> Seems like too much work for $100,
10:59actually. So, I'm not going to bother.
11:01>> It's like a breach of security, sort of.
11:03I just wouldn't be comfortable with it.
11:04>> I don't think you want to be giving out
11:06all your information for 100 bucks.
11:09>> Adding to the uncertainty, the recent
11:11electors list data breach. But, the
11:13government says this application process
11:15is the only way to ensure the rebate is
11:18only going to those entitled to it.
11:21>> Our auditor general expects that if
11:22we're going to spend $350 million that
11:25we know where it's going, and we have
11:27fraud prevention in place.
11:28>> I understand that there are some
11:30Albertans who have found the interaction
11:32to be
11:34a little bit frustrating. I just ask for
11:35their patience.
11:36>> Now, about 10% of eligible Albertans
11:38have so far successfully applied for the
11:41rebate. Tom, you're a you're a
11:43cybersecurity expert. We've talked to
11:44you about that in the past before. How
11:46How concerned you feel Albertans should
11:48be about the the degree of personal
11:50information the government is gathering
11:51here?
11:53>> Okay, the Alberta government already
11:54knows your social insurance number. If
11:56you file taxes, they've got that.
11:59They've got your driver's license number
12:00because they issued your driver's
12:02license. Where people are getting antsy
12:04is the banking information. I thought a
12:06little bit about that and you know, why
12:08are you sensitive about that? Well,
12:09remember the truckers convoy and the
12:12federal government, which of course has
12:13everything on you, uh
12:16they froze bank accounts. So, maybe
12:17people are remembering that. There is an
12:20alternative way. You don't have to give
12:21your banking information, but that has
12:23its own problems. You have to take a
12:25photo of your driver's license, take a
12:27selfie and all that. A lot of people are
12:29saying, "Hey, for $100,000, I don't want
12:31to do that." I learned something
12:33interesting researching this. You can go
12:35online and find out what data banks the
12:38Alberta government has. So, I
12:40researched, you know, what would be in
12:41them.
12:42The bad news is there's 599 of them you
12:45have to go through.
12:47>> Oh my. And now, Darren, surprise some
12:49Albertans are are reacting with
12:51skepticism, while others
12:54some are not even bothering. It's 100
12:56bucks.
12:59>> Uh you know what? I'm not surprised at
13:01all. The data grab is actually a pretty
13:03standard thing today, but not
13:05necessarily when the government is
13:06trying to give you money back. Quite
13:08often, these types of programs or these
13:10types of
13:11rebates are are collected or are are
13:14doled out after you do your federal
13:17income tax and the province quite often
13:19has information related to those. So,
13:22but for me, it's more about the amount.
13:25I mean, Ralph Klein gave us 400 bucks 20
13:28years ago. 20 years ago. When I first
13:31mentioned to my wife the amount without
13:33the the rebate without knowing the
13:35amount, I said, "Hey, maybe this is a
13:38little bit of extra vacation money." And
13:40then when I found out the amount, I I
13:42said I said, "Why would we even bother?"
13:44So, yeah, I understand the skepticism.
13:47Many of the folks said exactly the same
13:49things that I'm feeling about this
13:50rebate.
13:51>> All right. Next up, the ever-evolving
13:55media landscape.
13:56>> Thank you to everyone who contributed to
13:58the station over the years, especially
14:00our listeners.
14:01>> Sportsnet 960 and 660 News Radio Calgary
14:05among six Rogers Media-owned stations
14:08shuttered across the country this week
14:10cutting 230 jobs.
14:12>> Yeah, I'm going to miss it. It's the end
14:14of an era.
14:15>> That's a disgrace. That's what I think.
14:17>> But what's the
14:19alternative? There's nothing.
14:21>> The company says that it is the result
14:23of declining audience and revenue
14:25trends.
14:28>> Rogers has built themselves quite the
14:29little empire. The market is becoming
14:32more and more concentrated and the idea
14:35of regional outlets for TV, for radio,
14:38for newspapers
14:39is becoming more and more limited.
14:41>> Former CTV Calgary meteorologist David
14:44Spence also spent a decade at 660 and
14:47calls it a loss for a market seeking out
14:49local news.
14:51>> It's a loss of a credible news voice
14:54in an age where social media seems to be
14:57becoming more dominant in the news
14:59landscape with information that cannot
15:01always be trusted.
15:02>> The decision leaves the Flames, the
15:04Hitmen, the Wranglers without radio
15:06broadcast. The Flames say they were
15:08blindsided and have no current plans
15:11moving forward. Darren, having having
15:13migrated a number of years ago into the
15:16the digital news landscape, how how are
15:18you looking on these latest radio
15:20station closures?
15:23>> Well,
15:23>> think it's pretty crushing, especially
15:24from a sports standpoint. We can lament
15:27the loss of 660 news. However, there
15:29still is a fair amount of local news
15:31coverage. Sports reporting, however, is
15:34something that is virtually non-existent
15:36in Calgary. And until now, any sports
15:38coverage really only includes the
15:40Flames, Stampeders, and the Hitmen. So,
15:42at a time when we need more local
15:44stories filling the airwaves or the
15:46digital media space, as is my case,
15:49large con- conglomerates
15:51continue to cut it back, often replacing
15:53it with boilerplate homogeneous news
15:55content that no one watches or listens
15:57to. And to that end, they continue the
16:00demise of legacy media in a
16:02self-fulfilling prophecy. And that's
16:04really frustrating.
16:05>> Uh Tom, you have a a history that goes
16:08way back in radio.
16:09Uh what do you make of the impact
16:11station closures like this have on on
16:13the community? How concerning is it for
16:15you?
16:17>> Well, I go back to Columbia University's
16:18radio station WCRN and FM, New York. And
16:22we carried every Columbia sport, even
16:24baseball. And believe me, you need a
16:26good color commentator to make baseball
16:28interesting on the radio. Uh you know,
16:31there goes the Circle Line boat around
16:32Manhattan again, that type of thing. So,
16:35uh to some extent, most people I think
16:37are trying to watch things on
16:38television. But there's an interesting
16:39tech angle here. If you're buying a new
16:42car, take a look down, it may not have
16:44an AM radio. Tesla, bunch of other BMW,
16:49Volvo, Volkswagen have removed AM
16:52receivers at least from some of their
16:54vehicles. And funnily enough, there's
16:57proposed legislation in the US to
16:59reverse that. It's called the AM radio
17:02for every vehicle act. And it's a
17:05bipartisan bill. It says, "Hey, look, AM
17:07radio is free. It works if the internet
17:10is down. And in an emergency, it might
17:13be the best way to get out emergency
17:15information."
17:16>> Indeed. Okay, gents, time for us to a
17:18bit of a break, but when we come back,
17:20budgeting for a day of fun at the
17:22Stampede and why some Edmontonian's are
17:25finding oops tags on their green cards.
17:28More from our Primetime this week panel
17:30in a moment.
17:42Welcome back to the Calgary Stampede
17:44winding down this weekend. 10 days of
17:46rides, rodeo action, and one-of-a-kind
17:49treats. Temptations that uh could test
17:52the budget.
17:54>> We got the taco in a bag. This one's
17:56$17.
17:57>> Mac and cheese. It was just over $20.
17:59>> For the two, it's 50 bucks. $35 for the
18:02turkey leg.
18:03>> Uh this particular couple stuck to one
18:05item each to avoid breaking the bank. A
18:07trade-off that doesn't end at the
18:09Stampede gates as they're not planning
18:11any elaborate trips this summer.
18:14>> The way the economy is and
18:16yeah, it's not worth it.
18:17>> The decision reflects a broader trend.
18:19CIBC polling found 65% of Canadians are
18:23prioritizing
18:24uh saving over spending. And uh for the
18:2739% planning to travel, they'll be
18:29sticking closer to home or within
18:31Canada. And for those making Stampede
18:33their destination, there are ways to
18:35stretch the dollar.
18:37>> If you come on a free day, you can not
18:39spend a dime. You know, you are allowed
18:40to bring in food. You are allowed to
18:41bring in your own water bottles.
18:43>> Sun hat just for that one splurge and
18:44then just know where the other options
18:46are for cheaper [music] options.
18:47>> Uh free admission on family day saw a
18:49crowd of nearly 164,000
18:52passing through the gates. Darren and uh
18:54in in in covering this year's Stampede,
18:56Live Wire Calgary's been tracking the
18:58numbers. What what's the read on where
19:002026 attendance is heading?
19:04>> Well, right now, I mean, there there was
19:06a good bump yesterday, uh and it is sort
19:09of tracking back towards where last year
19:12was, but my 16 or my soon-to-be
19:1416-year-old son went with some friends,
19:16and they got in on on TC Energy
19:18Community Day for free. But, once he
19:20spent 30 bucks for a Philly cheese dog
19:23um and a drink, he was nearly tapped for
19:25cash. They didn't want to go on any
19:26rides because they didn't want to wait
19:28in in and at like in a line for an hour.
19:31And I asked why they didn't stay later
19:32and watch some of the Coke Stage bands,
19:34and they said there there wasn't any
19:36good bands to watch. And this is from a
19:38kid who has been asking to go to the
19:40Stampede for a couple of weeks prior to
19:42it opening. So, I I think it was really
19:44captured in the lead up there. The cost
19:47of the Stampede grounds, uh the lineups
19:49that people are seeing on the Stampede
19:51grounds, you know, given that there are
19:54other summer options, I think that well,
19:57ones that are better on the pocketbook,
19:58I think the Stampede is starting to feel
20:00the pinch in that respect.
20:02>> Tom, what's what's to be made of I I
20:04think that one person said $35 turkey
20:06leg? What what's what's that say about
20:08the
20:09the state of the economy? And maybe even
20:11where families are left in filling the
20:14summer with fun and festivities.
20:17>> The Stampede is a place you go to
20:18overpay for food that you wouldn't get
20:20anywhere and probably wouldn't want
20:22anywhere. So, you can get a barbecue rib
20:25cookie, cookie shaped stuff with rib
20:27meat, candy pickles, little pickles on a
20:30stick dipped in hard candy, uh bacon
20:33fried Mars bars, and uh Area 51 taco
20:37burger that looks like a UFO. Now, years
20:39ago, a new two teenagers, one was
20:42selling corn dogs down there, one was
20:44doing ice cream. They got bored, so they
20:46crossed over and they made deep fried
20:48ice cream. So, I think they probably
20:50invented that. I'll give you my own
20:51strategy. I went down on the seniors'
20:53day, what the heck, and I went in, saw
20:56the art show, and I got a $15 plus tip
20:59plus a wine, and that was my total
21:01Stampede spending this year.
21:04>> All righty. Okay. Uh gents, one more
21:06topic for us.
21:07And and it's an Edmonton project that
21:09involves getting up close and personal
21:11with residents' trash. A special team of
21:14city employees spending early mornings
21:16searching green carts.
21:22>> We do see
21:24some garbage and some recycling
21:26particularly.
21:27So, we are taking an education approach
21:29first.
21:30>> Which involves oops tags for things that
21:33don't belong like food packaging.
21:35>> When someone's opening like a granola
21:38bar or
21:40a fruit roll-up or any type of food,
21:43they associate the packaging with that
21:44food. One of our educators found food
21:47scraps cart that was full of unopened
21:50Pringles cans.
21:53>> As for the response of residents?
21:56>> I feel good so people will aware more so
21:59they will get a sticker so maybe they
22:01will start the same practice.
22:03>> I really don't know for sure if they
22:04should go through it. They're a little
22:06odd but people need to be educated about
22:09it.
22:10>> A little odd. Now, if homeowners receive
22:12a second tag, there is a chance
22:14collectors may not pick it up. Tom, a
22:16commendable approach. What what's to be
22:18made of this as a as a means of ensuring
22:20those green carts are properly used?
22:23>> Well, Calgary did this a few years ago.
22:25It's a job nobody would really want,
22:27right? And we got a tag because there
22:30was a tuna fish can in there and they
22:32didn't like that. So, you know, the
22:34reason I understand composting only
22:36works if everything is pure but they do
22:39have ways to sort it down there.
22:41Interestingly,
22:43down in Toronto, there was a proposal
22:45for a smart community called Quayside.
22:48One of the things that killed it, was
22:50proposed by Google, was automated
22:52analysis of your trash and recycling and
22:55it going into a database. So, I
22:57immediately thought, are they keeping a
23:00a
23:00of people who don't do this right? And
23:03the answer is they must if they're going
23:04to give you an extra penalty on your
23:06second offense, they must keep track of
23:08your first offense. Famous story though,
23:11a guy in the States got really angry
23:13about these trash people. He saved up a
23:16whole month's worth of urine. He filled
23:18his bin with it. It dumped all over the
23:21garbage men. The excuse is really mad.
23:24The citizen got so mad, they banned him
23:26from collection for 1 year.
23:29>> Darren, you get last word. How how do
23:30you think you'd respond if if you found
23:32one of these folks rummaging through
23:34your green cart?
23:36>> Well, I mean, as long as they're taking
23:38out the stuff that, you know, that
23:39shouldn't be in there, which we're
23:40pretty good good about it. I guess I've
23:42got no real problems. Uh, you know, I I
23:45question the education aspect of this,
23:48but uh, hey, you know what? Interesting
23:50to see what the data says uh at the
23:52other end.
23:53>> Yeah, well, maybe have to follow it up.
23:54Okay, gents, we're out of time. We got
23:56to leave it there. Great to see you.
23:57Have a great weekend.
24:00>> You too.
24:12>> That is our [music] program for tonight.
24:14Remember, you can always have a say.
24:15Email us anytime at
24:17[email protected].
24:20Have a great evening and a great weekend
24:22everyone from all of us at Alberta
24:24Primetime. Thank you for watching and
24:26join us again next time.
25:06>> Mhm.

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