We need to keep politics out of elections: That sums up recent comments made by Edmonton City Councillor Michael Oshry. The west Edmonton councillor has waded into the 32-candidate by-election race in southeast Edmonton’s Ward 12, questionin…
Continue readingAuthor: Dave Cournoyer
daveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: My name is Dave Cournoyer and I love winter in Edmonton
Last week I had the pleasure of participating in the Make Something Edmonton community jury that sifted through the many applications for this year’s Winter Project Accelerator Grant. It was a fun experience and I was excited to learn about …
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Thank goodness we didn’t build that Firewall!
Fifteen years ago, in Jan. 2001, six prominent Conservative lobbyists and university professors, including future Prime Minister Stephen Harper and provincial cabinet minister Ted Morton, penned the Firewall Manifesto. Prime Minister Jean ChretienR…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Notley spreads out the workload in new expanded NDP cabinet
Alberta’s provincial cabinet grew by six today as Premier Rachel Notley announced an early 2016 cabinet shuffle. These appointments bring the size of Alberta’s cabinet up to 19, which is larger than the initial 12 cabinet ministers appointed af…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Three days left to support the Pride Tape kickstarter
1,083 backers have stepped up to donate $70.073 in support the Pride Tape kickstarter campaign since it was started in December 2015. Launched by the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services at the University of Alberta and supported by Ca…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: They did what?! Reaction to the NDP Royalty Review from across the political spectrum
Here is what energy industry executives, progressive advocates and opposition politicians had to say about the Royalty Review panel report released on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016: “Our new royalty framework recognizes the economic context of Alberta’s e…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Rachel Notley boosts her credentials as a pragmatist by accepting Tory royalty rates
If you were looking for evidence that Alberta Premier Rachel Notley is a pragmatist, we saw it yesterday. Backed by the members of the Royalty Review Panel, Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd and the 16 New Democratic Party MLAs from the Calgary regi…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: How to break from the pack in a 32 candidate by-election race
Thirty-two candidates will be listed on the ballot in the Feb. 22 by-election to fill Edmonton City Council’s Ward 12. With this many candidates on the ballot, it could be challenging for voters to choose who would best represent them on… Cont…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: 6 reasons why Alberta history will be kind to Ed Stelmach
Five years ago today, Ed Stelmach began the process of quietly stepping out of the political spotlight by announcing his resignation as Premier of Alberta after nearly five years in the office. The mild-mannered farmer from the Village of Andrew d…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Oil Pipeline still King in Notley’s Interprovincial Agenda
Three years ago this week, Conservative Premier Alison Redford took to the airwaves to warn Albertans about the ominous “bitumen bubble.” Ms. Redford warned that a pipeline bottleneck and a dramatic drop in the price of oil would rob the… Continu…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Delaying Alberta Liberal leadership vote until 2017 a good idea but does it break the party’s bylaws?
The Alberta Liberals have decided to postpone the selection of their next party leader until spring 2017. The party had originally scheduled to hold a leadership vote in April 2016. The only current Liberal MLA, Calgary’s David Swann, has de…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: A Rookie Crew: Eleven Alberta MLAs to watch in 2016
The past few years in Alberta politics have reminded us that politics can be an extraordinarily unpredictable and forecasting the future can be a very tricky business for political pundits. Aside from the obvious choices of Premier Rachel Notley, Finan…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Albertans are more progressive than you might think. I’m not surprised.
A new report, “The Quiet Majority“, released by a new group called Progress Alberta shows that we Albertans may be more progressive than we believe we are. According to a survey conducted by Abacus Data, when Albertans were asked whethe…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: On your mark, get set… go! By-elections to kick off 2016 in Alberta politics
Although we are still years away from the next round of municipal, provincial and federal elections in Alberta, a handful of provincial and municipal by-elections will be held in the first half of 2016.
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Merry Christmas to all.
As we wind down politics for the holiday season, I hope that everyone has an opportunity to reflect, relax and spend quality time with their friends, families and loved ones. Merry Christmas.
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: 2015 was a great year for Progressive Politics in Alberta
It was an exciting year to be a progressive in Alberta. May 5, 2015 marked the first time since the 1930s that a conservative party did not win a provincial election in Alberta. The defeat of the Progressive Conservative government, which had… Cont…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Alberta’s Tories Poised to Sweep Election in Spring 2016
December 17, 2015 By: Dirk Pranter, Provincial Affairs columnist, Calgary Sunherald One year after nearly the entire official opposition crossed the floor to join Alberta’s Progressive Conservatives, the 44 year long governing party is expected…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Twenty-one candidates now running in Edmonton’s Ward 12 by-election
There are now 21 candidates who have registered their intentions to run in Edmonton City Council’s Ward 12 by-election, which is scheduled to be held on Feb. 22, 2016. I am told with certainty that there are at least two or three… Continue Re…
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