PHOTOS: Well, that’s one way to “bend the cost curve” … premier Ralph Klein’s way. The old Calgary General Hospital begins to fall an instant after the dynamite was triggered on Oct. 4, 1998, the Klein PC Government’s approach to health care infrastructure. Within seconds, Calgary’s only downtown hospital had
Continue readingTag: Alberta NDP
Alberta Politics: Don’t laugh or scream, but Jason Kenney is the Hillary Clinton of Alberta politics
PHOTOS: Hillary Clinton, grim faced, gives her concession speech on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016. Below: Jason Kenney, who, it is predicted here, will in future be seen as the Hillary Clinton of Alberta; Sandra Jansen and Donna Kennedy-Glans, the two women who dropped out of the Progressive Conservative Party’s leadership
Continue readingAlberta Politics: If Alberta PCs can’t ensure basic rules around inclusivity and harassment, they’re not fit to govern: Rachel Notley
PHOTOS: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley at yesterday afternoon’s press conference in the Legislature media room. Below: U.S. President Elect Donald Trump and his unsuccessful Democratic Party challenger, Hillary Clinton (Photo by Gage Skidmore, Flickr). When a few journalists showed up in the Legislature’s media room yesterday afternoon for Rachel Notley’s
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Both women in the race to lead the Alberta PC Party drop out; one cites harassment and intimidation
PHOTOS: Sandra Jansen, MLA for Calgary-North West, who dropped out of the race to lead the Alberta PCs yesterday. Below: Donna Kennedy-Glans, former Calgary MLA, who did the same thing; political strategist Stephen Carter; PC candidate Jason Kenney. The story is not likely to get the attention it deserves amid
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The game’s afoot: Jason Kenney buses unfamiliar faces in camo caps to Tory youth meeting at Red Deer PC convention
PHOTOS: Candidates for the Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership in Red Deer, from left to right, Stephen Khan, Jason Kenney, Byron Nelson, Richard Starke, Sandra Jansen and Donna Kennedy-Glans (photo by Dana Popadynetz, used with permission). Below: Stephen Harper, as seen at the PC policy convention in Red Deer, and one
Continue readingAlberta Politics: In the debate over home schooling and ‘parents’ rights,’ we need to remember children have rights too
PHOTOS: Alberta Education Minister David Eggen. Below: Wildrose Opposition Leader Brian Jean and film director and former American evangelical Frank Schaeffer (Salon photo). Controversy in Alberta over the provincial government’s decision to withdraw funding and accreditation from a private Christian school association that oversaw about a third of the province’s
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The question must be asked: Was Brad Wall’s party being paid to undermine Alberta’s NDP?
PHOTOS: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, not looking quite like himself, were still smiling and standing side by side at the start of the July 2015 premiers’ meeting in St. John’s. A week later? Now? Not so much. Below: Mr. Wall as we’ve come to know
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Database shows how schools, cities, charities, plus media and Alberta firms bankroll Brad Wall’s Saskatchewan Party
PHOTOS: Premier Brad Wall, whose Saskatchewan Party has been receiving donations from such taxpayer-supported institutions as municipalities, a health region, public libraries, school boards, universities, colleges, a Crown corporation and registered charities. Below: Progress Alberta Executive Director Duncan Kinney; blogger and non-New Democrat Dave Cournoyer; and former Wildrose Party leader
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Brian Jean goes full Trump for the Wildrose masses: Total disaster! We need to Make Alberta Great Again! Believe me!
PHOTOS: I tell you, it’s a total disaster! Believe me! Brian Jean speaks with members after his Trump-like Friday evening speech at the Wildrose Party’s 2016 AGM in Red Deer (CBC photo). Below: Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, whose former speech-writers may soon be able to find productive work
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Is the Sky Blue? Conservatives crush in Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner by-election
It is 10:20 p.m. and Conservative Party candidate Glen Motz has cruised to a crushing victory in the Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner federal by-election. With 190 of 223 polls reporting, Mr. Motz had earned 69.3 percent of the vote, which is slightly higher… Continue Reading →
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Pigs will fly before the fantasy that Ottawa’s carbon tax ‘invades provincial jurisdiction’ will ever persuade a court
PHOTOS: Who says Jason Kenney is full of baloney? These guys do! And they’re the Fathers of Confederation! Below: PC leadership candidate Mr. Kenney; federal Liberal Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr, MP for Calgary Centre; and Brian Jean, leader of the Wildrose Opposition in the Alberta Legislature (Wildrose.ca photo). Ottawa’s
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: PCs don’t need the Wildrose to win, NDP should watch their Liberal flank
Uneventful weeks have become rare in Alberta politics and this week in particular has been uniquely interesting. We started with the release of political party fundraising data from Elections Alberta showing the NDP raised more funds in the last quarter than… Continue Reading →
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta right now: The state of the province, its parties, and its oil after 1 year without Stephen Harper
PHOTOS: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley addresses supporters for her “state of the province” speech in Calgary’s Jack Singer Concert Hall yesterday. (Photo from the Premier of Alberta’s Flickr account.) Below: Would-be Progressive Conservative leader Jason Kenney and current Wildrose Party Leader Brian Jean. It was so busy in political Alberta
Continue readingAlberta Politics: This just in from Elections Alberta: New Democrats out-raise Wildrose Party and PCs combined in 3rd Quarter
ILLUSTRATIONS: The Alberta fund-raising horse race. From left to right, Wildrose leader Brian Jean, NDP Leader and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and PC interim Leader Ric McIver. Below: The real Ms. Notley, Mr. Jean, Mr. McIver and PC leadership contender Jason Kenney. Never mind the gloomy mainstream narrative – Alberta’s
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Alberta NDP raised more money than the Wildrose Party in Q3 of 2016
Elections Alberta has released the results of political party fundraising from the third quarter of 2016 and it shows that the Alberta NDP raised more money than the Wildrose Party for the first time since the second quarter of 2015. This marks the… Continue Reading →
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Death of former premier Jim Prentice resonates painfully throughout Alberta’s small political community
PHOTOS: Former Alberta Premier Jim Prentice, who perished in an airplane crash in British Columbia Thursday night, in a characteristic pose. Below: More shots of Mr. Prentice doing what he was best at, making personal contact with potential supporters. Its vast geography notwithstanding, by population Alberta is not that big
Continue readingAlberta Politics: It’s official: Sandra Jansen is now running for the Progressive Conservative leadership
PHOTOS: Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Sandra Jansen, in hat, in the Calgary Pride Parade, photo grabbed from her campaign website. Interestingly, the same photo was used on a Rebel Media page attacking Ms. Jansen. Below: PC leadership front-runner Jason Kenney, political strategist Stephen Carter, who will be working for Ms.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Where’s Pat Paulsen, now that America needs him? And why didn’t Jason Kenney phone Brian Jean?
PHOTOS: Pat Paulsen and Bobby Kennedy. Below: Mr. Paulsen in 1970 … and in focus, putative PC leadership candidate Sandra Jansen and Wildrose Party Leader Brian Jean. Where’s Pat Paulsen, now that America needs him? Or, to put this another way, seeing as Mr. Paulsen permanently departed this vale of
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Five years ago today, Alison Redford was sworn in as premier of Alberta … and the wheels fell off the Tory bus
PHOTOS: Alison Redford takes the oath of office as Alberta’s 14th premier. Below: Ms. Redford speaks her first words as premier of Alberta and is greeted by enthusiastic well-wishers as she walks through the Legislature’s Rotunda. Bottom: Gary Mar, whom Ms. Redford defeated for the leadership of the PC party
Continue readingAlberta Politics: A compelling counter-narrative: Are Justin Trudeau and Rachel Notley singing from the same hymn book?
PHOTOS: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Chris Schwarz, Premier of Alberta/Flickr). Below: Brad Wall, Saskatchewan’s cranky premier; a tease from the Calgary Herald’s web page that maybe, just maybe, swings and misses; SAIT journalism instructor and former Calgary Herald reporter Jim Cunningham. CALGARY Was Prime
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