25-H101 Civic Politics in the Age of Incoherence – Keith Gerein

Please note: Individual sessions of this course will be recorded and available to registered students for up to 14 days after the session ends. 

The course is envisioned as an 8-hour program providing an overview of the machinations of civic governance in Edmonton and Alberta, at a time of heightened political, economic and social tension. As we head into a civic election year, it is an ideal time to focus on the politics of municipal finances, infrastructure, urban development, intergovernmental relations, police governance and the introduction of political parties to the election process. Among other topics, participants will be asked to consider what responsibility civic taxpayers have toward addressing social services and health needs, how cities can become more financially sustainable and whether partisanship should be more formalized at City Hall.
Instructor: Keith Gerein

Born and raised in Calgary (but we won’t hold that against him), Keith Gerein has been with the Edmonton Journal for 23 years covering a wide variety of news beats including provincial politics and health care, and spent time in Afghanistan in 2011 as an embedded reporter. In 2018, Keith took on his latest role as an opinion columnist, covering Edmonton issues with a focus on City Hall. He is also the Journal’s coordinator of features and investigations. In 2021, Keith completed a fellowship at Massey College in Toronto, a program that included study on urban issues and Canadian heritage.