Apparently uncertain how to respond to news Greta Thunberg will soon visit Alberta, the Kenney Government seems to have opted for adolescent sarcasm as an appropriate counter to the 16-year-Old Swedish environmental activist’s message. “We trust that Ms. Thunberg will recognize Alberta’s leading human rights and environmental standards,” said Premier
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Alberta Politics: Greta Thunberg heads for Wild Rose Country: first chance for the UCP’s War Roomers to mess up big time!
Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish activist who seems to have turned the world upside down by mobilizing young people to do something about global climate change, tweeted last night that she is on her way to Alberta. At this is written, while there was lots of excited chatter on social
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Want to bust your Alberta union? Your government will give you one hour’s free legal advice!
Credit where credit is due, the Kenney Government’s new Employee Labour Relations Support Program does answer questions from union members who write in and ask them. Leastways, the nascent Bust-Your-Union Line that was announced by United Conservative Party Labour Minister Jason Copping on Oct. 1 did respond to my query about
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments leads Audreys Books Edmonton Fiction Bestsellers List for week ended Oct. 6
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold in Edmonton during the week ended Oct. 6, 2019. The lists are compiled by Audreys Books and provided by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. EDMONTON FICTION BESTSELLERS 1. The Testaments – Margaret Atwood 2. The Eater of Dreams –
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta’s UCP Government sets up Energy War Room as private corporation to dodge freedom of information requests
It turns out the so-called Canadian Energy Centre, as the Kenney Government’s $30-million subsidized lobbying campaign for the petroleum industry is now to be known, has been set up as a private corporation. Previously commonly referred to by both friends and foes as the Energy War Room, the new corporation
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Tom Olsen and the Wreckage: Jason Kenney’s ‘War Room’ is going to need more than just hurtin’ songs!
Former journalist Tom Olsen, for much of the past decade a self employed PR man who rarely strayed far from the gravitational field of Conservative power in Alberta, was named yesterday by Energy Minister Sonya Savage as the successful candidate to lead the United Conservative Party’s “War Room.” Perhaps Mr.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: There was actually something new in the leader’s debate Monday — alas, it’s not a good thing
The United States’ two-party political setup may not be much of a template for actual democracy, but at least it has lots of potential for interesting leaders’ debates. A televised leaders’ debate in a vibrant multi-party democracy like Canada? Not so much. For one thing, you have to invite the
Continue readingAlberta Politics: What was Rachel Notley suggesting when she said she’s not committed to voting for Jagmeet Singh’s New Democrats?
Responding to former Alberta NDP premier Rachel Notley’s remark last week that she hasn’t committed to voting for Jagmeet Singh’s New Democrats in her own federal riding, a young Albertan named Reakash Walters tweeted from Ontario: “I have never felt so out of touch from Alberta politics than right at
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Environmental Defence study concludes Canada’s emissions would soar if CAPP’s wish list were granted
Research published this morning by Environmental Defence Canada concludes adoption of the powerful Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers lobby group’s election wish list would increase Canadian greenhouse gas emissions by 116 million tonnes of CO² by 2030. “In that scenario, Canada’s oil and gas sector would be emitting 311 million
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Partisan signs in the Alberta Legislature Building’s windows? No rules, no problem!
Who knew? It turns out anyone can stick up anything they like in the windows of the stately and historic Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton and they won’t be breaking any rules. This even includes Matt Wolf, Jason Kenney’s personal twitter troll, formally known as the Alberta premier’s director of
Continue readingAlberta Politics: ‘How can we help you bust your union?’ Alberta Government launches ‘employee support program’
The Government of Alberta launched its promised “Employee Labour Relations Support Program” yesterday. Apparently they’ll not only tell you how to certify a union, they’ll tell you how to decertify one too! Busting a union used to be easier back in the days of the old Progressive Conservatives, who weren’t
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Andrew Scheer’s big National Energy Corridor idea sure sounds a lot like NEP 2.0
Now that we are in the midst of a closely fought federal election campaign, it’s interesting to see the Conservative Party of Canada is open at least to some of the ideas of prime minister Trudeau. I speak, of course, of prime minister Pierre Trudeau and the National Energy Program
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The UCP takes a powder as 4,000, and maybe a lot more, Climate Action strikers gather at Alberta’s Legislature
I don’t know if the thousands of young Climate Action Strike protesters who gathered on the frigid doorstep of the Alberta Legislature yesterday frighten Premier Jason Kenney and his angry fossil fuel warriors, but they ought to. Yes, the fired-up but well-behaved crowd of truants and their supporters in Alberta’s
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Appointment of Stephen Mandel to AHS board proves failure’s no barrier to success in Jason Kenney’s Alberta
Who says Premier Jason Kenney can’t unite Albertans? Sometime today, Mr. Kenney will appoint Stephen Mandel to the governing board of Alberta Health Services. Well, the announcement will be made by Health Minister Tyler Shandro. Late yesterday, as the word of the appointment leaked out, moans of despair could be
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Court’s decision to turn off Alberta’s turn-off-the-taps law should surprise no one
Alberta’s so-called turn-off-the-taps law was pretty obviously unconstitutional when Rachel Notley’s New Democratic Party passed it and it continued to be unconstitutional when Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party had it proclaimed into law. So yesterday’s ruling of the Federal Court of Canada granting British Columbia a temporary injunction blocking application
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The students are revolting – and so is Trustee Michael Janz as far as Alberta’s education minister is concerned
The students are revolting – and as far as Alberta’s education minister is concerned, at least one of the school trustees is too. This Friday, students from all over the Edmonton area will abandon their classes to participate in the global strike for climate action. Alberta’s United Conservative Party Government,
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Ecojustice throws down the gauntlet; Kenney, in New York, responds with bravado; stand by for legal action in 30 days
The Ecojustice Canada Society threw down the gauntlet yesterday and the sound of it landing may well reverberate around the country. It was certainly heard here in Alberta. The respected Vancouver-based environmental litigation charity handed an ultimatum to Premier Jason Kenney’s “public inquiry into anti-Alberta energy campaigns” on Tuesday. Its
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Where’s the crisis austerity is supposed to fix? Not necessarily in the numbers the government’s consultant crunched
In the decade between 2008 and last year, the number of civil servants in Alberta on a per capita basis fell by 5 per cent. In the same period, Alberta’s population grew by almost 20 per cent. I know, I know, that isn’t what your heard. You certainly didn’t read
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Jason Kenney’s fuming response to Amnesty International was not the adversaries’ first go-round
Returned to power after four years, Alberta’s Conservative party is governing pretty much as you’d expect from a government that, as Talleyrand supposedly said of the restored House of Bourbon, has learned nothing and forgotten nothing. Consider the matter of the controversial letter from the head of Amnesty International Canada
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Guest Post by John Ashton: New approaches essential to counter Jason Kenney’s planned war on labour
John Ashton has served as a staff member on 26 NDP campaigns. He is co-author with former Alberta NDP leader Ray Martin of “Made in Alberta: The Ray Martin Story.” In this guest post published while your blogger is at a conference, Mr. Ashton argues the report on Alberta’s fiscal
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