Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach and Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky get ready to fight the latest outbreak of political prairie fire. Actual Alberta politicians may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Stephen Duckett.The forest fire burning north of F…
Continue readingTag: Ed Stelmach
daveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: alison redford distancing herself from premier stelmach.
“She’s taking the same position as Raj Sherman, who’s now -I don’t know what he is now, an Independent? -and I believe David Eggen who is also an NDP candidate (and) is asking for the same.” “You’d have to ask why she took the position. Obviously, some of the leadership candidates are going to try […]
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Zwozdesky parries Duckett: Does anyone seriously believe this is ‘just another’ allegation?
Alberta Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky parries a thrust by former Alberta Health Services CEO Stephen Duckett. Alberta politicians and other public figures may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Mr. Zwozdesky and Dr. Duckett as they look to one …
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: a look at the candidates lining up in the race to replace ed stelmach.
The candidates lining up to replace Premier Ed Stelmach as leader of the PC Party have been campaigning for months, yet what should be the hottest political leadership contest of the year has so far been a quiet affair. Will it take the summer months to heat up this contest, or will Albertans wait until […]
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Long-shot candidacy by Employment Minister ‘Landslide Lukaszuk’ reappears on Alberta’s radar screen
Tougher than you thought: Premier Lukaszuk convenes his first Conservative cabinet meeting. … Alberta politicians may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Lukaszuk, Greystoke.Alberta Employment and Immigration Minister Thomas Lukaszuk was in the…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: confused premier stelmach blames teachers for lay-offs.
Only months before he rides into his political sunset, a confused Premier Ed Stelmach blamed the Alberta Teachers’ Association for the school board budget shortfalls that may lead to the lay-off of over 1,000 teachers. Reacting to a protest that attracted hundreds of parents to the Legislature last weekend, Premier Stelmach told reporters that his […]
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Build schools and lay off teachers? Hey, it’s the Alberta way!
New school. Lots of students. No teachers. What’s your problem? Below: Ed Stelmach, Dave Hancock.Does it seem odd to you that Alberta’s Conservative government would be spending more than half a billion dollars to build new schools at the same t…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alberta Liberals’ open nomination scheme will not fix the party’s existential crisis
Alberta Liberals follow party leader Dr. David Swann down a street in Calgary. Alberta political party supporters may not be exactly as illustrated. (Photo grabbed from sveinnbirkir.tumblr.com/.) Below: the real Dr. Swann, Dr. Raj Sherman.Are they nuts…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: New Alberta Party leader’s challenge is to turn a New Age blip into lasting political phenomenon
Your blogger discusses the state of Alberta (pun intended) with Alberta Party Leader Glenn Taylor. Below: Randy Royer.In the end, the Alberta Party’s leadership vote yesterday came down to a choice between old-style plebeian NDP politics and old-styl…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: This just in: New Alberta Party leader gives speech; old leader sings Over the Rainbow (really!)
Outgoing Acting Alberta Party Leader Sue Huff sings Somewhere, Over the Rainbow, I’m not making this up! Below: First ballot leadership vote victor Glenn Taylor.I went to the Alberta Party convention this weekend. I ate the cookie (chocolate chip) an…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: PC leadership tipsheet: Mar to win, Morton to place, surprises possible
Punters at the track: These guys all know that in a horserace, anything can happen, and, plus, you ought to dress well just in case it does!This column appeared in yesterday’s edition of the Saint City News.With the federal election out of the way, t…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Well-financed Rick Orman candidacy a grave setback to Ted Morton’s hopes
Beulah, peel me a grape! Alberta Conservative candidate Rick Orman aloft, with grapes on a silver tray and friends. This photo appeared in my in-box, source unknown. Below: Ted Morton.Question: Who wins when Ted Morton and Rick Orman battle it out for …
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: premier ed stelmach plays good cop as school boards reluctantly forced to play bad cop.
Have you heard this one before? Another round of province good cop, reluctant school board bad cop happened yesterday. Good cop Premier Ed Stelmach announced $550 million for new school construction and renovation just as reluctant bad cop Edmonton Public School Board became the latest school board to announce major staff layoffs (the board is […]
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Don’t you get it? ‘Apparently not’ is the only safe conclusion as Alberta launches tardy STD campaign
Don’t you get it? Screen shot from provincial syphilis warning website. Below: Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky, former health minister Ron Liepert.At the risk of belabouring the point, while it is a good thing the government of Alberta and Alberta Hea…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Does WikiLeaks oopsie reveal secret Tory scheme to soak Alberta taxpayers to enrich private utility companies? Oh, probably
Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to … transmit electricity. Below: Brian Mason, Murray Smith.A good rule in public relations is never to let the story you tell one group stray too far from the story you tell another.A government…
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alberta Notes: Ed Stelmach, the George Chuvalo of Canadian politics, doesn’t go down one more time
George Chuvalo, the Ed Stelmach of boxing, still on his feet while being beaten by Muhammad Ali. Below, Mr. Stelmach, Rick Orman, photo snatched from the Edmonton Journal, which won’t mind because they’re making money linking to my blog, and the fo…
Continue readingStraight Outta Edmonton: Premier Stelmach Places Conditions on Fort Chip Visit
Premier Ed Stelmach has delayed his visit to Fort Chipewyan. Before traveling to the hamlet and listening to the health concerns of residents, the Premier is now requiring the community’s leadership to sign on to the parameters of a baseline health study. However, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation — the
Continue readingStraight Outta Edmonton: Premier Stelmach Places Conditions on Fort Chip Visit
Premier Ed Stelmach has delayed his visit to Fort Chipewyan. Before traveling to the hamlet and listening to the health concerns of residents, the Premier is now requiring the community’s leadership to sign on to the parameters of a baseline health study. However, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation — the
Continue readingStraight Outta Edmonton: Premier Stelmach Places Conditions on Fort Chip Visit
Premier Ed Stelmach has delayed his visit to Fort Chipewyan.
Before traveling to the hamlet and listening to the health concerns of residents, the Premier is now requiring the community’s leadership to sign on to the parameters of a baseline health study. However, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation — the second largest First Nations’ community in Fort Chipewyan — has refused to sign on, arguing that what the province has proposed is inadequate and does not address the concerns of residents.
For years, Premier Stelmach refused to acknowledge Fort Chipewyan’s health concerns or travel to the community. Initially, the Premier claimed health concerns were entirely unfounded, concocted by ‘silk-suited’ environmentalists and the media. However, after health and pollution studies seemed to confirm the concerns of residents — as well as a visit by Hollywood film director James Cameron — the Premier backtracked from his initial position.
Instead, the Premier claimed that he took the community’s concerns seriously and had in fact actually visited Fort Chipewyan. When these claims were scrutinized, Stelmach once again backtracked stating that he had never actually been to Fort Chipewyan, but had traveled to Northern Alberta. After questions began to emerge over the Premier’s priorities, Stelmach vowed to travel to Fort Chipewyan, meet with residents directly, and demonstrate his commitment towards addressing the community’s concerns.
Now, that commitment is once again being questioned as the Premier has placed conditions on his visit, requiring Fort Chipewyan’s leadership to endorse a study many find inadequate. Whether this is an attempt to prevent what will surely be a high profile event or a public relations management strategy, Premier Stelmach’s decision to delay his visit does not demonstrate a genuine commitment to address the community’s concerns.
At this point, there’s likely little that will.
Continue readingFive of Five: Life is Bigger than Politics
News was released today that former Alberta Premier Ralph Klein is suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This is a horrible disease that has no cure and robs the body and brain of oxygen. It doesn’t have good outcomes.It got me thinking…
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