A6 | NEWS OTHEGLOBEANDMAIL | MONDAY,NOVEMBER25,
T
he ranks of opponents to
Sidewalk Labs’ proposed
“smart city” on the Toronto
waterfront aren’t giving up their
fight now that its plans are scaled
back – and they’ve been taking
advice from some well-known
colleagues overseas.
Waterfront Toronto, Side-
walk’s government partner,
agreed last month to let the ur-
ban-planning company keep de-
veloping plans for the neighbour-
hood on a smaller scale than it
wanted. But its most vocal group
of detractors, who call them-
selves #BlockSidewalk, intend to
keep pushing back on the compa-
ny’s plan to build a sensor-laced,
technology-centric community
on the shore of Lake Ontario.
They believe the proposal has
given rise to enough concerns
about privacy, data collection and
public control over the past two
years that the Google affiliate is
the wrong partner for the project.
Even if Sidewalk stays, said
#BlockSidewalk’s JJ Fueser, “If we
sat on our hands and said we
were done, the project might
grow back again to its intended
scope.”
In the past few months,
they’ve found some formidable
allies – the activists who helped
stop Sidewalk’s sister company
Google from opening a startup
campus in Berlin a year ago.
“They really raised expectations
and pushed us to understand
what’s at stake,” said Ms. Fueser,
who’s led communications be-
tween the two cities.
The Berliners have long been
following Sidewalk’s plan and see
clear parallels between the two
projects: An Alphabet Inc. com-
pany that wants to profit from in-
novation while, they say, making
cities less livable for lower-in-
come residents.
The German activists claimed
victory last October when Google
backed away from the Berlin pro-
ject after two years of opposition.
That night, a band of activists
who oppose Big Tech’s dom-
inance raced to the former elec-
trical substation in the Kreuzberg
neighbourhood where it would
have been housed, popped bot-
tles of Rotkappchen sparkling
wine and began to spray paint a
banner declaring that their war
against the internet giant wasn’t
over.
“Solidarity from Berlin to SF, to
San Jose, to Rennes,” it read, con-
cluding: “To Toronto.”
In the two years since Sidewalk
first came to Toronto, opposition
to the ways Big Tech can reshape
cities has swelled. In New York,
for example, Amazon.com Inc.
pulled the plug on a second ma-
jor headquarters in Queens after
public hostility over potential tax
breaks and gentrification. The
campaign against Google in Ber-
lin has become regarded as one of
the major successful pushbacks
to this global phenomenon.The Berlin campus was an-
nounced in November, 2016, after
Google startup-campus success
in cities such as London and Tel
Aviv. In selecting Kreuzberg, it
hoped to set up in Berlin’s cruci-
ble of cool – a neighbourhood fil-
led with artists, punks and recent
immigrants.
One prominent faction of Ber-
lin activists focused on Google’s
data-gathering and centraliza-
tion of power online, with the
hope of putting more power in
the hands of users. Speaking to
The Globe and Mail over pizza
across the canal from the substa-
tion, one such activist described
their efforts as a multidisciplin-
ary attack from many angles.
(The activist was granted confi-
dentiality because of possible
professional retribution.)
Local anti-gentrification activ-
ists mobilized shortly after saving
a beloved nearby French bakery.
“Everybody comes together
here,” said Stefan Klein, an erst-
while music lawyer who now de-
fends tenants’ rights in Kreuzb-
erg. The community is already
filling with startups and short-
term rentals, he said, shootingrent up and displacing low-in-
come residents. He believes Goo-
gle could have accelerated this
process, while also getting the
pick of the startup litter for acqui-
sitions and hiring.
A diverse range of other
groups, from anarchists to con-
cerned neighbours, soon joined
the cause. Some opponents held
“noise parties” outside the sub-
station, banging drums and
bridge rails; some held protests
that drew hundreds; some briefly
held a sit-in on the premises. The
groups declined to engage with
the company at all, out of fear
that their conversation might be
used to convey an endorsement.
Mr. Klein’s group, GloReiche,
gained local support with bro-
chures and community meetings.
A loose band of digital-focused
activists, meanwhile, brought the
campaign online and into English- while slapping thousands of
stickers across the city telling
Google to scram.
Google declined to comment
for this story, instead forwarding
its October, 2018, news release
that announced it had given the
space in Berlin to two social-fo-
cused organizations after “dis-
cussions with nonprofits”
prompted it to rethink the space.
Sidewalk also declined to com-
ment.
Toronto activists banded to-
gether as #BlockSidewalk this
past February and soon began
communicating with Berlin’s dig-
ital-decentralization activists.
From them, Ms. Fueser said, “We
got the sense of, ‘Guys, it’s up to
you to put No on the table.’ ”
The Berliners’ ground game
became much easier to emulate,
Ms. Fueser said, once Sidewalk
published its now-scuttled draft
plan in June that sought mea-
sures well beyond Waterfront To-
ronto’s purview, including to
vastly expand its geographic in-
fluence.
Like the Berliners, they’ve set
up a central website to explain
their campaign, and are spending
time with people and groups who
would be affected by the project,
from nearby residents to water-
front sailing clubs to community
groups. Many are now concerned
that the project will only worsen
the city’s real estate crisis, even
with Sidewalk’s promise to build
the legally required minimum of
affordable housing.
Some Sidewalk opponents
have moved toward more con-
frontational approaches like
their colleagues in Berlin. A
group including members of the
Association of Community Orga-
nizations for Reform Now, which
supports low- and modest-in-
come families, recently walked
into Waterfront Toronto’s offices
and successfully demanded a
meeting with top executives to
discuss affordable housing and
mass surveillance.
There are differences between
Berlin and Toronto. Sidewalk’s
ambitions are bigger than a star-
tup campus and are planned for
an underdeveloped property
without the immediate presence
of a dense, progressive residential
neighbourhood. But the Berlin
organizers set off what could be-
come a global pushback against
digital giants’ physical encroach-
ment – and they hope their col-
leagues in Toronto can match
their success. “It’s a catastrophe
that’s happened,” Mr. Klein said.SidewalkprotestersfindalliesinGermany
Waterfrontproject’s
localcriticspartner
withactivistsinBerlin
whoshutdownGoogle’s
startupcampuslastyear
JOSHO’KANE
TECHNOLOGYREPORTER
BERLIN
ProtestersrallyoutsidetheUmspannwerkbuildinginBerlinonApril6,2018,whereGooglehadbeensetto
openastartupcampus.GermanactivistsclaimedvictorylastOctoberwhenGooglebackedawayfromthe
projectaftertwoyearsofopposition.SEANGALLUP/GETTYIMAGESVICTORIANDP Leader Jagmeet
Singh has tapped two MPs from
British Columbia to lead his
caucus’s behind-the-scenes
negotiations and work in the
House of Commons.
Peter Julian has been re-
appointed as the NDP House
leader and Rachel Blaney will
take on the role of party whip.
This will mark the fifth time
Mr. Julian has been the NDP’s
House leader in Parliament,
while Ms. Blaney served as
deputy whip for just more than
a year prior to the election.
The role of House leader takes
on added significance in a mi-
nority Parliament. They are
responsible for negotiating with
other parties on how work will
get done in the Commons.
The Trudeau Liberals will
have to work with at least one
other party to ensure their
government doesn’t topple, and
those negotiations will be bro-
kered between House leaders.
The whip is responsible for
caucus discipline and plays a key
role in the administrative func-
tions of party MPs.
Mr. Singh says he wanted
steady hands to help lead hisparty’s work in the minority
Parliament.
“Peter is among the most
experienced and committed
caucus members we have, and
Rachel has earned the respect of
people in and out of our cau-
cus,” Mr. Singh said.
“I will be relying on both of
them in these important lead-
ership roles as New Democrats
work to deliver for Canadians in
this minority Parliament.”
The party says other mem-
bers of the NDP shadow cabinet
will be announced in the com-
ing days.THECANADIANPRESSSINGHANNOUNCESAPPOINTMENTSOFHOUSELEADERANDPARTYWHIP
Alberta will open a trade office in
Houston in the new year in the
hopes that “eyeball-to-eyeball”
contact with Texas oil and gas
executives and investors will
help reverse a flow of capital, in-
vestment and people to the Unit-
ed States.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney
last week spent three days in
Texas, where he said a good
chunk of money that has left Al-
berta’s energy sector over the
past few years has ended up. It
has fuelled exploration in the Ea-
gle Ford and Permian shale ba-
sins, driven liquefied natural gas
exports in the Gulf of Mexico,
and created jobs, Mr. Kenney
said
He split his time between
Houston and Dallas where he
met with executive teams at oil
giants ExxonMobil and Chevron.
He also met with the heads of
global investment firms and oth-
er energy companies, though his
office would not provide details
citing commercial sensitivities.
“It is critically important to
develop actual eyeball-to-eyeball
relationships with these CEOs
and major investors who make
multibillion-dollar decisions that
affect thousands of jobs every
year. That’s why we’re down
here,” Mr. Kenney said.
Alberta’s new Houston office
will fall under the Department of
Economic Development, Trade
and Tourism, similar to provin-
cial trade set-ups in cities such as
Hong Kong, Beijing and London.
It will work in tandem with Al-
berta’s office in Washington.
Trade press secretary Justin
Brattinga said the idea of the
new office is to build relation-
ships with U.S.government and
industry, and pursue investment
opportunities for Alberta.
Mr. Brattinga said in an e-mail
that the office will also generate
investment leads for the prov-
ince and “seek partnerships of
mutual benefit” – something Mr.
Kenney made a point of during
his trip to Texas last week.
Earlier this year, a Texas realty
company cast its eye north, de-
luging Western Canadian busi-
nesses with brochures about the
Lone Star state.
Boasting about the state’s
booming economy, tax incen-
tives and ranch-style properties,
it offered to link prospective cli-
ents with banks, accountants
and lawyers to ease their move
to the U.S.
The company, Arrowstar, told
The Canadian Press in Septem-
ber it had helped about 40 Cana-
dian companies move to the
Houston area over the past 18
months, the majority of which
were oil and gas drillers.
Alberta’s energy sector is
awash with examples of compa-
nies moving south of the border.
Last month, energy giant En-
cana announced plans to move
its legal base from Canada to theU.S. Precision Drilling Corp., the
country’s largest contract drilling
company, now does 70 per cent
of its business outside Canada
and all of the company’s officers
are based in Houston.
Enter the new Texas trade of-
fice, Alberta’s second full office
in the U.S.
Along with developing rela-
tionships and trying to attract in-
vestment north, it will keep an
eye on the Texas energy industry,
advise the Albertagovernment
on sector trends and seek to in-
fluence oil and gas leaders in
Houston.
Mr. Kenney told media Friday
he was happy with his trip to
Texas and was encouraged to see
continued interest in job cre-
ation and investment in Alberta
and Western Canada, including
major investments in liquefied
natural gas and petrochemical
facilities.
“Some of these things are go-
ing to take years to get done, but
it’s very important we reach out
and let these huge global job cre-
ators know Alberta is open for
business,” he said.
Mr. Brattinga said no decisions
have been made yet on the new
office’s budget or staffing.
Texas is Alberta’s second-
largest trading partner, after Illi-
nois, with $13-billion in goods
and services flowing between the
two each year.With reports from Kelly Cryderman
and The Canadian PressAlbertaopeningTexastradeofficeto
pushforU.S.relationships,investment
EMMAGRANEY
The person tasked with the “back-breaking” job of rebuilding
Ontario’s Liberal Party will need both strong organizational
skills and the ability to adapt to an increasingly unpredictable
political landscape, according to experts preparing to watch
the party’s leadership race unfold.
The entry deadline for the Ontario Liberal leadership race –
set for Monday at 5 p.m. – will move the campaign into a key
phase ahead of a March 7 convention to select the new party
leader.
But the drama of the contest can’t hide the challenge await-
ing the person who is ultimately successful – rebuilding a par-
ty that oncegoverned Ontario for 16 years and is now ban-
ished to the political wilderness.
“This is going to be tough and a lot of it is going to be that
back-breaking work of going from church basement to liter-
ally someone’s living room probably,” said John Milloy, a for-
mer provincial Liberal cabinet minister who is now a Wilfrid
Laurier University political science professor. “There’s about 5
per cent glamour and 95 per cent hard work for whoever be-
comes leader.”
The Ontario Liberal Party suffered the worst defeat in its
history in 2018, losing official party status and prompting for-
mer premier and leader Kathleen Wynne’s resignation. The
party also finds itself deeply in debt.
The Liberals took on $10-million debt to help fund their
election campaign, reporting earlier this year that $9.3-mil-
lion of that amount had yet to be paid off.
Former cabinet ministers Steven Del Duca, Michael Coteau
and Mitzie Hunter are in the leadership contest, as are former
party candidates Kate Graham and Alvin Tedjo.
Mr. Milloy said the next lead-
er will have to split his or her
time between being on the
road rebuilding riding associ-
ations while also ensuring fun-
draising is under way to elimi-
nate the debt.
Politically, the new leader
will also need to help the party establish a new identity and
learn how to communicate with voters in a world where they
are constantly bombarded with information, he said.
“On the policy side, how do we make ourselves different
and offer that middle of the road voice Ontarians want?” he
said. “Politically, how do we reach them? Everyone realizes
the rules have changed.”
Mr. Milloy said the leadership race, which kicked off in Oc-
tober, has failed to garner much attention so far. He hopes
that will change now that the federal election is over.
“It’s been hard for the candidates to get traction,” he said.
“We’re living in a crazy world from Donald Trump to Brexit.
It’s hard to get heard these days.”
University of Western Ontario associate political science
professor Cristine de Clercy said the race has already taken an
unexpected turn even as it’s played out away from the lime-
light.
“On paper, [the Liberals] are the party that normally would
be best positioned to replace Mr. Ford’s government,” she
said. “The Liberal leadership contest ought to be highly com-
petitive. I thought we would see a large field of candidates.”THECANADIANPRESSNextOntarioLiberal
leaderfacestoughtaskof
rebuildingparty:experts
SHAWNJEFFORDSTORONTOTheOntarioLiberal
Partysufferedthe
worstdefeatinits
historyin2018.