Tweet“Our party was elected to keep building Alberta — to focus our spending on the priorities that you told me were important, and that is exactly what we’ll do.” – Premier Alison Redford in an email to Progressive Conservative Party supporters on January 23, 2013 Premier Alison Redford will star
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Alberta Diary: Uh-oh! Premier Alison Redford wants to have a ‘conversation’ with us
Fireside chats? Alberta Premier Alison Redford as she’ll likely see herself while softening up the province’s citizens for the March 7 Budget Speech on CTV tonight. Below: Ms. Redford as Albertans may see her. Below that: the real Ms. Redford; Conference Board Chief Economist Glen Hodgson. Oh dear. Premier Alison
Continue readingAlberta Diary: A tsunami of Tory troubles? Naw, the Alberta universe is unfolding as it should…
All we want are the facts, Ma’am. A couple of investigators hired by Alberta Chief Electoral Officer O. (for Olaf) Brian Fjeldheim prepare to go through the files of friends, relatives and employees of billionaire Daryl Katz who may or may not have donated money to the Redford Tories. Actual
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Governing myself accordingly, five years later – edstelmach.ca.
TweetFive years ago today, on January 8, 2008, I sent out an email that changed my life, and this blog, in more ways than I would have ever imagined: Right before Christmas, I received a letter in the mail from Tyler Shandro, a lawyer from the Calgary-based law firm Walsh
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Everythinggate: Perfect storm lands Alberta premier in shark-infested waters!
As a perfect storm blows, Alison Redford’s strategic brain trust parries Opposition attacks about the conduct of her government. The premier is in the centre of the boat, wearing a cowboy hat. Actual Alberta politicians may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Your blogger with Paul Martin; queue-jumping inquiry chief John Vertes. As the political …
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Cone of Silence won’t make Albertans any less angry at expense account shenanigans
Alberta Health Minister Fred Horne, at right, and a representative of the media go inside the Cone of Silence to discuss the latest health care expense account revelations. Alberta politicians may not appear exactly as illustrated, but, boy, Maxwell Smart sure looks like Dalton McGuinty! Below: Premier Redford’s sister Lynn, CBC reporter Charles Rusnell and …
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Something was rotten in the former Calgary Health Region.
TweetIntrepid CBC investigative journalist Charles Rusnell has uncovered another swath of illegal political donations made to Alberta’s Progressive Conservative Party: Lynn Redford, sister of Alberta Premier Alison Redford, attended Progressive C…
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Perfesser Dave explains negative TV advertising and the job-killing Tory carbon tax
Zap! You’re frozen! … In the dark! The Harper Tories’ latest TV advertising attack on NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair. Perfesser Dave, below, explains why Prime Minister Stephen Harper will do the same thing he’s accusing Mr. Mulcair of planning if he manages to get re-elected. Below Perfesser Dave: Robert Stanfield, the underwear guy, Allan Fotheringham …
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Disappointed Wildrosers sit outside as Redford Tories abandon Klein-era financing.
TweetAlberta’s opposition parties are traditionally notorious for being unforgiving towards leaders who fail to meet or beat electoral expectations. Take for example former Edmonton Mayor Laurence Decore, who after leading his Liberal Party to it…
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Tip for Tories: a grownup conversation about debt will pay political dividends
The House that Ralph built. Alberta mismanaged by market fundamentalists may not appear exactly as illustrated, but close enough. Below: Peter Lougheed, Alison Redford, Ralph Klein. As Alberta’s Tories gather today in Calgary to celebrate Peter Lougheed leading them out of the Social Credit wilderness 41 years ago, they will expend plenty of energy feuding …
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Welcome to Alberta’s Wild West, where the market sets the value of your vote
Drug store billionaire Daryl Katz, right, discusses his plans for a new Edmonton hockey arena with a representative of the Alberta government. Since Wild West hockey barons may not appear exactly as illustrated, a photo of the real Mr. Katz is shown below. (CBC Photo, circa 2008.) Look, people, this
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Alberta Premier Alison Redford gets warm reception in union lions’ den
Alison Redford speaks to the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees’ convention in Edmonton yesterday. (AUPE photo.) Below: Ms. Redford with AUPE President Guy Smith. Is she trying to build an alliance with public service unions? It’s tempting to say Alberta Premier Alison Redford walked boldly into the lions’ den yesterday
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Map: Alberta cabinet ministers catch the international travel bug.
Tweet“The Redford government spent more than half a million dollars on its trip to the London Olympics earlier this year, including about $113,000 in hotel rooms that were not used…” – Edmonton Journal reporter Keith Gerein According to the Journal, the $518,280 trip sent 29 Albertans to London including Tory
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Are storm clouds forming in Alberta Premier Alison Redford’s sunny skies?
Alberta Premier Alison Redford, left, gives a member of her caucus his marching orders. Alberta politicians may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: The real Ms. Redford, Stephen Carter. Alberta Premier Alison Redford would appear to be unassailable. A recent cross-Canada poll by Angus Reid found her to be the
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Can Christy Clark and Alison Redford find common ground on the Northern Gateway Pipeline?
TweetBritish Columbia Premier Christy Clark sent Alberta Premier Alison Redford an email yesterday asking if they could meet in Calgary next weekend. While they appear to be cut from similar ideological cloth, the two conservative Premiers have clashed in the media over the construction of the controversial Enbridge Northern Gateway
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Alberta NDP’s Brian Mason lays claim to Tory Peter Lougheed’s legacy
Free of his moustache, Alberta NDP Leader Brian Mason addresses his party’s 50th annual convention in Edmonton yesterday. Below: Federal NDP Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair, who also spoke yesterday; former Alberta Conservative Premier Peter Lougheed. Freshly shorn of his trademark moustache, Alberta New Democratic Party Leader Brian Mason made the
Continue readingAlberta Diary: The only sector where you can’t have a union is the only one with no health and safety rules? Explain, please…
Alabama farm workers in 1935 – not so different from Alabamberta farmworkers in 2012. Below: Premier Alison Redford. LETHBRIDGE, Alberta Literally everybody – and that includes Alberta Premier Alison Redford – knows that permitting an industry to “voluntarily” self-regulate the health and safety of its own workers amounts to a
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Some musings on the death of Peter Lougheed, founder of Alberta’s Tory dynasty
Peter Lougheed on the campaign trail in 1971. (Glenbow Archives Photo) TORONTO Peter Lougheed was the last Alberta Conservative leader worthy of the title. By that I mean the premier who in 1971 founded the Conservative dynasty that rules the province to this day was a member of the now
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: new alberta health services chairperson’s tory and wildrose connections.
TweetThe President and Co-CEO of a billion dollar oil and gas transportation and trucking company headquartered in Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith‘s Highwood constituency has been appointed as the new chairperson of Alberta Health Services. The previous board chair, Ken Hughes is now Energy Minister and the Progressive Conservative MLA
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: is edmonton’s former capital health board being targeted by a calgary-led witch-hunt?
TweetAre executives of the former Calgary Health Region, now comfortably occupying senior positions at Alberta Health Services, campaigning to discredit the work done by executives of Edmonton’s now-defunct Capital Health Region? AHS President and CEO Chris Eagle announced earlier this week that, following the Allaudin Merali expense-claims scandal, an Ernst
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