Contemplating Alberta electricity prices, consumers are usually not as cheerful looking as illustrated. Below: Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith; Edmonton-Mill Woods MLA Carl Benito, former premier Ed Stelmach. Now that the far-right Wildrose Party is poaching Alberta NDP policy, could we trust them to carry it out?Doubtful, but you can hardly
Continue readingTag: Ed Stelmach
David Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Kevin Taft follows Alberta’s money and finds out where it all went
Your blogger, with another doomed politician, this time the author of Follow the Money, Where is Alberta’s Wealth Going? Just in case you’re thinking of being sarcastic, the sign says “Red Deer Public Library.” Below, the cover of the book. Sooner or later, all conversations about the Alberta economy in
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Did Forlorn Friday’s leak of Snelgrove resignation sink ‘Super Saturday’ spoiler?
Somebody blabbed! Below: Stephen Carter, Tweeting; Mr. Carter’s Tweet. All across Alberta it was “Super Saturday” yesterday and throughout the province members of the eternally ruling Progressive Conservative Party were being nominated to run in the looming general election! Oh wow! Oh, Holy Cow… Guess what’s going to be all
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Lloyd Snelgrove’s Dinner with Danielle: far-right desperation or another Wildrose exodus?
Phone camera photo? Former Stelmach right-hand man Lloyd Snelgrove spotted with Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith in Calgary brewpub! Alberta politicians may not be exactly as illustrated. Below, the real Mr. Snelgrove (caught without his trademark goatee) and the real Ms. Smith. With election fever gripping the province and the far-right
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Sorry, an Order of Canada for Ralph Klein is not appropriate
Ralph Klein, as premier of Alberta. Below: Kevin Taft, an Order of Canada gong. Does the kind of man who would call immigrants to Alberta from Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada “bums” and “creeps” deserve the Order of Canada? Surely one would think not! But anything can happen in the
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: alberta tories holding a packed nomination week.
I have updated the list of nominated Alberta election candidates to include the following three Progressive Conservative nominees: Edmonton-Centre: Young lawyer Akash Khokhar defeated Nicole Martel to win the PC nomination. In the next election, Mr. Khokhar will face Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman, who has represented the constituency since 1997.
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: surveys show big-tent tories and ideologically polarized opposition.
A new survey released in the National Post by Forum Research Inc. shows Alberta’s Progressive Conservatives with 38% province-wide support and the opposition Wildrose Party sitting at 29%. This survey shows the Liberals at 14%, New Democratic Party at 13%, and the Alberta Party with 3% province-wide support. Danielle Smith
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Ex-MLA Shiraz Shariff gives Redford favourite Ken Hughes the bum’s rush in Tory nomination battle
Ken Hughes, back in the day as chair of the Alberta Health Services Board. He’s now Alberta’s newest unemployed person. Below: Shiraz Shariff, Joey Oberhoffner. As the beloved Scottish poet Rabbie Burns so famously observed, “the best-laid plans o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley.” The best-laid plans o’ mice,
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Federal Liberal adoption of Alberta Liberal voting rule is sure end badly
Your blogger with Alberta Liberal Leader Raj Sherman. Below: Federal Liberal Leader Bob Rae. If he loses his seat in the next provincial election, will Alberta Liberal Leader Raj Sherman run for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada?He can if he wants, if the timing works out. And
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Re-regulating electricity – a great issue for the Alberta New Democrats
An Alberta voter contemplates what’s likely to happen to electricity prices if “deregulation” continues. Below: Brian Mason, Dilbert. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t understand Alberta’s shocking electricity prices. You’re not supposed to. Sales of electricity in Alberta are now managed through what Dilbert calls a “confusopoly.” It’s a system
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: rookie photos of alberta mla’s retiring in 2012.
With an election expected to be held in the next few months and a new Premier setting a new tone, many long-time and not-so-long-time Members of Alberta’s Legislative Assembly have decided that now is time to retire or look for greener pastures. The nineteen MLAs not seeking re-election are former
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Glenn Taylor quits his day job – now he has a few weeks to save the Alberta Party
Your blogger with Alberta Party Leader Glenn Taylor just after his election last May. Mr. Taylor’s election, that is. All your blogger’s ever been elected as is a “local legend.” Below: Robin Campbell, Barry Madsen. With an election looming, it’s nice to see that Alberta Party Leader Glenn Taylor has
Continue readingCalgaryGrit: Alberta 2011 in Review
One of my favourite sayings is “If you don’t like the weather in Alberta, wait 30 minutes. If you don’t like the politicians, wait 30 years.” However, the sleepy world of Alberta politics has come alive in recent years and 2011 was no exception. A year ago, Ed Stelmach was
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: january kick-off: big changes or status-quo in 2012?
Fresh back into the new year, it would be easy to assume that January would be a slow month for most of Alberta’s elected officials as they ease back into their regular 80 hour work week. If the first month of recent years are any indication, January has tendency of
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: top 10 daveberta.ca posts for 2011.
As we enter 2012, I thought it would be useful to look back at the past year on this blog. Here is the list of the top 10 most viewed blog post on daveberta.ca in 2011. 1. Mapping Alberta’s Progressive Conservative leadership first-ballot vote results 2. Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Old Year assessment and New Year prediction: Alison Redford, Alberta Newsmaker o’ th’ Year, 2011 and 2012
Alison Redford meets the media minutes after her election in a Conservative Party members-only vote was announced in the wee hours of Oct. 2, 2011. Below: The unexpected results displayed. All politics end in tears, a wise man once observed, meaning that sooner or later, almost all political winners turn
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: looking back at 2011: alberta mla’s who made a difference.
Each year around this time, I compile a list of a handful of Members of Alberta’s Legislative Assembly who I believe deserve mentioning following their political performance over the past year. This is just my list, so please feel free to agree, disagree, or make your own suggestions in the
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: With a record like his, how could Alberta Health Services Chair Ken Hughes not run for office?
Ken Hughes on the night of Alison Redford’s victory. No idea what that passerby is looking at. Your blogger, perhaps. Behind her, former health minister Gene Zwozdesky tries to butter up Calgary Sun columnist Rick “Not The Dinger Any More” Bell. Well, of course he’s running for office. With a
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: merry christmas from the author of daveberta.ca.
A December sunset at Alberta's Legislative Assembly Building. Thank you to all the readers who continue to return to this blog each day and new readers who may have found this blog for the first time. I have had a lot of fun writing about the unique world of Alberta
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: What Alison Redford really needs: a smaller caucus
Members of former premier Ed Stelmach’s caucus discuss their differences in the Legislative Assembly. Is that Ron Liepert top right? Actual Conservative MLAs may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Premier Alison Redford; Tory defector Rob Anderson, in black. Alberta Premier Alison Redford needs to be praying hard that she
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