Hugh MacDonald: A serious loss to the Alberta Liberals. Below: Edmonton-Gold Bar NDP candidate Marlin Schmidt.The planned departure of Hugh MacDonald from the crumbling Alberta Liberal Party became official yesterday when paid reporters finally tracked…
Continue readingAuthor: David J. Climenhaga
David Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Will Gary Mar reinvent the Alberta Tories? Fat chance!
Gary Mar at the wheel of the new, improved, “reinvented” Alberta Conservative Party. Alberta politicians and the parties they lead may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Mr. Mar, Ralph Klein and a Tory electoral strategist speaking with an A…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Suddenly, a search for a Liberal candidate in Edmonton-Goldbar as Hugh MacDonald prepares to pull the plug on politics
Hugh MacDonald with your blogger at the Sept. 10 Liberal leadership vote. Everything is exactly as it appears.With wild-eyed Alberta Liberal party officials about to launch an unexpected search for a candidate in Edmonton-Goldbar, about the last safe G…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Rust never sleeps … and neither do tar sands nuclear power boosters
Grande Prairie, or some other northwestern town in Alberta’s Peace Country, as it’s sure to be portrayed by the nuclear industry. Not exactly as illustrated, but then, these things never turn out to be exactly as illustrated, do they? GRANDE PRAIRIE,…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Where will Gary run? A good question to ask on the campaign trail…
Conservative front-runner Gary Mar may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Mr. Mar announcing his plans to run for Tory leader on March 17 in Edmonton; Ron Liepert, looking very much as if he didn’t want to be photographed, at Mr. Mar’s annou…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: The Top Ten reasons to worry about Premier Gary Mar
Gary Mar exactly as he appeared at a recent Conservative leadership forum, as some guy looks on. Your blogger is on the road, has limited Internet access and needs to keep it short…. so, perhaps we can explore this theme in greater detail soon. P…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: The Top Ten reasons to worry about Premier Gary Mar
Gary Mar exactly as he appeared at a recent Conservative leadership forum, as some guy looks on. Your blogger is on the road, has limited Internet access and needs to keep it short…. so, perhaps we can explore this theme in greater detail soon. Photo…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Why those drat blamed cowboy poets make me so darned ornery
Your blogger, centre, at the June 1994 gathering of cowboy poets in Pincher Creek, wondering why they reckoned him for a city slicker. Online Alberta political commentators may not have appeared exactly as illustrated. Below: A couple of actual Alberta…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: U.S. opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline: it’s not what you think it is
The headquarters control room of the Keystone XL pipeline: caution, pipeline operations may not be exactly as illustrated, on this blog or on those run by the Alberta government. Below: The Keystone pipeline as environmentalists see it. Below that: the…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: The Alberta Tory leadership race, Round 2: Still close … but not too close to call
The final moments of the Progressive Conservative leadership race: politically engaged Albertans may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Remaining candidates Gary Mar, Alison Redford and Doug Horner.With two weeks of electioneering to go until th…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: The ‘Freddy Lee’ Loser Factor: Albertans plain didn’t like a sneak
Finalists Gary Mar, Alison Redford and Doug Horner. The remaining Alberta Progressive Conservative candidates are, well, pretty much exactly as illustrated! Below: Dr. Freddy Lee Morton.Never mind the winner. Yeah, Calgary lawyer Gary Mar got way more …
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: You can vote today to promote and legitimize Tory domination of Alberta – or you can Just Say No!
Leadership voting day in Alberta. Warning: Alberta political scenes may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Ted Morton and Alison Redford, doing deals?“The danger,” some Calgary political scientist solemnly intoned in last night’s on-line editi…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Tomorrow’s episode of Alberta’s Next Top Premier will see someone voted off the island!
A crowd of Albertans solemnly awaits word of the outcome of the first ballot in the Tory leadership race. Typical Albertans may not always appear as illustrated. Then again, maybe they will… Below: Ted Morton, Doug Horner and Alison Redford. Where’…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Tory president rips release of party membership list to Environics, says leaker broke signed confidentiality agreement
Luuuuucy! You’ve got some ’splainin’ to do! PC Party president Bill Smith, left, is seeking an explanation of how the party’s confidential membership list fell into the hands of the gutter press and a pollster. Alberta political officials may n…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Who gave pollster Environics that Tory Party membership list, why, and with whose permission?
Your private information: Guarded by dedicated professionals with state-of-the-art equipment. Alberta political information security watchdogs may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Gary Mar.On the face of it, yesterday morning’s surprising Edmont…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: The Strange Case of Dr. Morton and Mr. Lee … not to mention that of Mr. Sparrow
Dr. Morton and Mr. Lee. Note that Alberta political aspirants may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Ryan Sparrow with some guy on a plane; the real Freddy Lee.Having been accused of getting up to something with a real government of Alberta email ac…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Raj Sherman chosen to lead Alberta Liberals: ‘This will end badly…’
The Liberal crowd at its height today, as Raj Sherman gave his victory speech. Below: Dr. Sherman gestures hopefully a few moments before his first-ballot victory was announced; Herald columnist Don Braid.Who has the most to fear from the election of R…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: On This Day in History: The Cheney-Morton Axis – This right-wing nut didn’t fall far from the Dick
Dr. Ted Morton, Wyomingite, Los Angelino and Albertan. Below, Dr. Morton as “Freddy Lee.” Below that, high-risk gun nut Dick Cheney.By strange coincidence – perhaps – this post ran on this day one year ago exactly. Under the circumstances, it see…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Ted Morton says everybody does it? Well, stand up straight Alberta, and listen to your mother!
Do what your mama tells you! Below: My Mom, circa 1937; Ted Morton; Charles Rusnell.It’s been a few hours now since a CBC investigative reporter revealed that front-running Conservative leadership candidate Ted Morton used a fake name on a real gover…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alberta Tory popularity sure to dip when a leader is chosen; dispatches from the leadership front lines
Million-dollar Morty with Dime-less Dave: What trouble awaits the Conservative frontrunner on the morrow? You’ll have to tune in to the CBC to find out. Below: Reporter Charles Rusnell, Raj Sherman, Hugh MacDonald and Rick Orman.With the Alberta Prog…
Continue reading