Another visually riveting moment in the history of Alberta Health Services – from left to right, CEO Chris Eagle, Health Minister Fred Horne and just-appointed Deputy Health Minister Janet Davidson at yesterday’s news conference in Edmonton, exactly as illustrated. Below: NDP Leader Brian Mason speaks for the opposition; new AHS
Continue readingTag: Ralph Klein
Alberta Diary: Adieu to Mark Lisac, hello to Ric Dolphin – not exactly the same kettle of fish!
The estimable Mark Lisac, at left, interviews Ted Morton, the worst premier Alberta never had, back in 2011. Below: Insight Into Government Publisher Ric Dolphin, photo grabbed from his Twitter account. Mark Lisac’s Insight Into Government newsletter was always worth reading. This retro-style, subscription-only publication – which was emphatically not
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Regional planning, an idea whose time has come again, whether Redwater likes it or not!
The region covered by Alberta’s Capital Region Board. Below: St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse, Redwater Mayor Mel Smith and Sturgeon County Mayor Don Rigney. ST. ALBERT The Town of Redwater has petitioned Alberta’s Municipal Affairs Minister to be allowed to quit the Capital Region Board – a plea that no
Continue readingcalgaryliberal.com: Reboot Alberta
I’m not a fan of engagement for engagement’s sake. It is a vacuous activity with few, if any, results. Every political activity must have a purpose and this draws my angst about Reboot Alberta. It doesn’t have a purpose. If the goal is to grow a progressive presence in the
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Twenty years since Alberta’s epic 1993 election.
TweetToday marks the 20th anniversary of Alberta’s 1993 election, known in Tory political circles as “the miracle on the Prairies” and to others as the election that interrupted the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals (in which the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Wayne Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings). This election was Alberta’s most
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Cashing in on Disaster Tourism: Rob Ford’s a boon to bloggers, if no one else
Your blogger drops pearls of political wisdom on the Toronto City Hall media. Below: Same fellow, outside the office of Mayor Rob Ford. Below that: Conservative Calgary talk radio host Dave Rutherford, said to be musing about running against Naheed Nenshi for mayor of Calgary. TORONTO If you ask me,
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: The confusing reinvention of Alberta’s Natural Governing Party.
TweetSuccess comes with challenges, and for Alberta’s Progressive Conservatives, forty-two years of electoral success has come with its own unique set of challenges. One of the PC Party’s biggest successes has been its ability to reinvent itself over its more than four decades in power. It is sometimes difficult to
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Fake tuition freeze flops after Redford’s $147 million budget cut.
Tweet“We’ve been very clear that we will not be balancing the budget on the backs of students,” Premier Alison Redford told the media at a press conference yesterday. This statement is only partially true. The provincial government is not balancing the budget this year. Gathered to re-announced what Deputy Premier
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Blame Ralph Klein for Redford Government’s messy regional planning crisis
Representatives of Edmonton region municipalities discuss regional planning issues at a recent meeting. Actual municipal reps may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Municipal Affairs Minister Doug Griffiths; Ralph Klein with Steve West. The foundations of the regional planning crisis that prompted a frustrated Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Doug Griffiths
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Wicked Witch war of words: ‘Has Thatcher bashing crossed a line?’ Well, er… no!
The Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. Below, Ezra Levant in an orange wig with a can of Orange Crush mocks Jack Layton’s funeral. RIP or give it a rest? Oh my – quelle horreur! – naughty Britons still appalled by the depredations visited upon their
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Bitumen bubble deflates as Redford visits Washington D.C.
TweetRemember the “Bitumen Bubble?” The “bitumen bubble” spin was unleashed by Premier Alison Redford during her January 24, 2013 televised address that claimed our province was in the midst of a fiscal crisis caused by the so-called “bitumen bubble” — the difference between the price Alberta can get for its
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Michael Harris takes aim at Stephen Harper’s thugocracy: There is little that Stephen Harper has done that other prime ministers before him have not. But no one has used closure, time allocation, committee secrecy or omnibus legislation to a degree that renders Parliament
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: How should we remember Ralph Klein?
Condolences and praise poured in for former Alberta Premier Ralph Klein, who passed away on Friday, March 29, at the age of 70. “We remember what a force of personality he was, how driven he was, how motivated he was, how straightforward he was, and that we trusted him implicitly.”
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Ralph Klein’s recipe for Oriental Hoisin Chicken (from a 1995 Cookbook).
TweetSince Ralph Klein passed away last week, numerous people have emailed me with their stories about his time politics and reactions to legacy in Premier. The responses varied from loving to hostile, but easily the oddest email I received over the weekend was from a former Progressive Conservative constituency association
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Why is Ralph Klein Greater Dead Than He Was Alive?
They’re all lining up to heap praise upon old Ralph now that he’s dead. They sure didn’t seem to be so reverential to him while he lived. Yes, Ralph Klein did balance the provincial government’s books. Yes, Ralph Klein did pay off the provincial government’s debts. Yes those were both
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Hate to say this.. but things like this happen in 3′s, it seems
Former Alberta Premier Ralph Klein passed away a couple of days ago at the age of 70 – not unexpected, as media reported a couple of weeks back that his condition was grave. Now,we have word that Peter Kormos, former NDP MPP for Niagara/Welland, passed away this AM suddenly at
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Ralph’s World
After the passing of Peter Lougheed last year, another Alberta PC titan is gone, with Ralph Klein passing away at the age of 70. Although it is customary to offer tributes and praise at times like this, many of my motivations for getting involved in politics grew from a strong
Continue readingMontreal Simon: The Not So Great Legacy of Ralph Klein
They say you are not supposed to speak ill of the dead. So I'd rather not say anything about the life and legacy of Ralph Klein.But unfortunately we live in a very sick democracy. A country corrupted by leaders like Stephen Harper.So when I see the MSM falling over themselves to see
Continue readingcalgaryliberal.com: Ralph Klein died today.
Surrounded by friends and family he passed away earlier today. While many of his policies were controversial and his legacy will be debated… the measure of him by all people, parties, and partisans will be the same. He was a hell of a guy. A mix between passion, hard nosed
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Ralph Phillip Klein (1942-2013).
TweetVarious news media are reporting that Ralph Klein has passed away at the age of 70. Mr. Klein served as Mayor of Calgary from 1980 to 1989 and Premier of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement from politics in 2006. He had suffered from numerous ailments since his retirement. CTV
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