St. ALBERT, Alberta – I’ve been to a couple of all-candidate forums in St. Albert over the years that got pretty lively, and one in 2015 that was downright rowdy, but the nasty tone of last night’s candidate forum at the St. Albert Inn was something new. Angela Wood, the
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Alberta Politics: Dumping RCMP for provincial force could cost St. Albert residents an average $2,784 a year in property tax, says city’s NDP MLA
St. ALBERT – A provincial plan to dump the RCMP and replace it with a provincial police force could mean a whopping property tax increase for residents of St. Albert and other smaller Alberta communities, the MLA representing most of the city warned in a statement yesterday. Alberta Premier Danielle
Continue readingAlberta Politics: We are judged by the company we keep: a harsh lesson Michael Cooper and many other Conservative MPs are about to learn
ST. ALBERT, Alberta – Michael Cooper, Member of Parliament for this small suburban city and a part of Edmonton next door, is going to wake up to a big problem this morning that’s unlikely to go away any time soon. Mr. Cooper’s problem is a microcosm of the troubles now
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Churches big and little weigh in: religious COVID-19 vaccination exemptions aren’t going to be easy to get
Unfortunately for Canadian anti-vaxxers, it takes time and a certain amount of ingenuity to establish a new religion, which has considerably complicated the task of getting religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine requirements. This factoid came to mind during Alberta’s daily COVID-19 update yesterday, when Alberta Health Services President and CEO
Continue readingAlberta Politics: While Jason Kenney promises the best summer ever, it’s hard to shake the feeling of apocalyptic foreboding this Canada Day
ST. ALBERT, ALBERTA – It’s Canada Day. The pickup trucks with their maple leaf flags may or may not be screeching around Edmonton’s Whyte Avenue tonight, laying rubber in celebration of the provincial government’s edict the masks must come off, Delta variant or not. The Youville Residential School in St.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Methinks the MP doth protest too much! Michael Cooper came to that Justice Committee meeting loaded for bear
Now that St. Albert-Edmonton MP Michael Cooper has been given a gentle tap on the wrist by Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer for his offensive performance at the House of Commons Justice Committee Thursday, we can be confident Conservatives will try to make the whole thing disappear as quickly as
Continue readingThe Daveberta Podcast: Episode 34: When you play the Game of Thrones… Alberta election edition.
In this episode Dave and Ryan discuss the huge turnout at the advance polls, some of the key races to watch on election night, and recap of the final days of the campaign. We also dive into the mailbag to answer some great questions from our listeners. And because we couldn’t help ourselves,
Continue readingThe Daveberta Podcast: Episode 24: Oil, Pipelines and Alberta’s next election.
The First Minister’s Meeting, oil prices, and Premier Rachel Notley’s performance on the national stage are where we started the discussion in this episode. Dave and Ryan also delved into the latest nomination news and what 2019 holds for Alberta politics, including when the next provincial and federal elections could be called.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Too many senior managers are leaving the City of St. Albert: It’s time for City Council to explain what’s going on
ST. ALBERT, Alberta What the heck is going on at the City of St. Albert? According to the headline on a small news story inside Saturday’s edition of the St. Albert Gazette, our community’s twice-weekly newspaper, “City restructures upper management.” That’s one way of putting it. From here, though, the
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: PC-turned-NDP MLA Sandra Jansen running for re-election, former PC MLA loses bid for comeback in Edmonton-Glenora
Photo: Then-rookie PC candidate Sandra Jansen at an election rally in 2012, pictured with then-Premier Alison Redford (right) and now UCP candidate Jason Luan (left). Former PC MLA Sandra Jansen will seek re-election as a New Democratic Party candidate in Calgary-North West in the 2019 election. Jansen, who was first elected as
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Three candidates drop out of Peace River UCP race, showdown in Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock, and a Sweet nomination in Edmonton-Manning
The number of candidates in the United Conservative Party nomination contest in the sprawling northwest district of Peace River has dropped from five to two. Lisa Wardley, deputy reeve of Mackenzie County, and Dan Williams, who worked as a political staffer for Jason Kenney, are the two remaining candidates in the contest after
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Alberta Candidate Nomination Update: Pitt bests Millions in Airdrie-East, Michael Connolly moves to Calgary-Varsity, and more.
Photo: Calgary-West MLA Mike Ellis and Airdrie MLA Angela Pitt were greeting party members outside the nomination voting station in the Town and Country Centre in Airdrie on July 20, 2018. (Source: Dave Cournoyer) Despite indications of a dogfight in Airdrie-East, United Conservative Party members voted overwhelmingly to choose incumbent
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Alberta Candidate Nomination Update: NDPer Stephanie McLean retiring, Mike Nickel runs for UCP nomination, UCP MLAs face challengers
The big nomination news since my last update was the announcement by Stephanie McLean that she was withdrawing from the New Democratic Party nomination contest in Calgary-Varsity. McLean is Minister of Status of Women and Minister of Service Alberta and is the second NDP MLA to announced plans not to seek re-election
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Friday Night Nomination Candidate Update
Photo: Nicole Williams, Sarah Hoffman, Maryann Chichak, and Lisa Wardley. Here are some of the latest updates to the list of candidates running for party nominations ahead of Alberta’s expected 2019 provincial general election: Calgary-North East – Nate Pike is seeking the Alberta Party nomination. Pike is a paramedic who
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Who is running in Alberta’s 2019 Election?
A handful of aspiring elected officials have already put their names forward to run in Alberta’s next provincial general election, which, due to our odd-ball fixed-election period, is expected to be called between March 1, 2019 and May 31, 2019. One candidate has already been nominated. Omar Masood was acclaimed
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Far out! Welcome to St. Albert, Alberta, where ‘The Botanic Arts City’ is about to take on a whole new meaning
PHOTOS: Picture yourself in a boat on a river … in this case, the Sturgeon. Below: The statue of Lois Hole in front of St. Albert’s spacy city hall and Holes’ Greenhouses. ST. ALBERT, Alberta Picture yourself in a boat on a river With tangerine trees and marmalade skies …
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Wildrose-style insurgency smacked down in St. Albert as progressive Cathy Heron elected as mayor
PHOTOS: St. Albert Mayor-elect Cathy Heron with the author of this blog post last night at her victory celebration. Below: Newly elected councillors Natalie Joly, Ken MacKay, Ray Watkins, Jacqui Hansen, and re-elected incumbent Wes Brodhead. ST. ALBERT, Alberta Let’s start with the basic score: Cathy Heron, widely perceived as
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Cathy Heron is the candidate for mayor of St. Albert with a compelling and positive vision for the future
PHOTOS: St. Albert mayoral candidate Cathy Heron at her official campaign launch. Below: Candidates Cam MacKay and Malcolm Parker, and outgoing Mayor Nolan Crouse; St. Albert Place architect Douglas Cardinal, and first artistic director Maralyn Ryan. ST. ALBERT, Alberta In the first few moments of Wednesday’s mayoral candidates’ forum in
Continue readingAlberta Politics: St. Albert politics in five Tweets: Trying to get a little illumination from an uninspiring mayoral forum
PHOTO: Your blogger’s lousy iPhone photo of St. Albert’s three mayoral candidates – from left to right, Cam MacKay, Malcolm Parker, and Cathy Heron – on the stage at the Arden Theatre last night. ST. ALBERT, Alberta OK, everyone here should at least be able to agree city council in
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Municipal politics: If you choose to run with a slate, don’t complain when you’re asked about other members’ views
PHOTOS: St. Albert’s iconic city hall, site of the growing community’s only public library. Image grabbed from Councillor Wes Brodhead’s website. Below: Mayoral candidates Cathy Heron and Cam MacKay (photos grabbed from their campaign materials), and one side of the anti-branch-library leaflet published by a group of six candidates for
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