TweetThe controversial appointment of unelected Gordon Dirks as Education minister caught many Albertans by surprised this week. As the former chairman of the Calgary Board of Education, he is well-known to educators in that city, but not to the rest of Alberta. Before moving to Calgary, he served as a Progressive Conservative
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Alberta Diary: Author’s Note: Changes are coming to Alberta Diary, soon to be AlbertaPolitics.ca
Write hard. Live a long time. (Edited version.) Tattoo by Jason Edward Morgan, Bastrop, Texas. Round about the end of summer – Labour Day or thereabouts if God’s willin’ and the crick don’t rise – there are some significant changes coming to Alberta Diary. The biggest will be a change
Continue readingAlberta Diary: The horror! The horror! Brent Rathgeber and the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce on the nightmare of too few TFWs
St. Albert by night. My lord! What would we do if the local McDonald’s wasn’t open at 3 a.m.! Below: Edmonton-St. Albert MP Brent Rathgeber. St. ALBERT, Alberta I have a challenge for Edmonton-St. Albert Member of Parliament Brent Rathgeber, the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce and all the other
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Anglin for a fight (and more nomination updates)
Tweet“Alleged death threats, implied bribes, constituency association ambushes and supposed Progressive Conservative Party skulduggery,” is how a Red Deer Advocate report described the unexpectedly interesting Wildrose Party nomination in the Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre constituency. First-term MLA Joe Anglin is being challenged for his nomination by former local Wildrose president Jason Nixon. Mr. Anglin
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Brent Rathgeber may not a be a Tory any more, but he still supports the Harper Government’s worst ideas
Edmonton-St. Albert MP Brent Rathgeber getting scrummed by the media in his St. Albert office the day after he resigned from the Conservative Parliamentary Caucus. (Photo grabbed from Mr. Rathgeber’s website.) Below: Mr. Rathgeber looking at the camera. ST. ALBERT, Alberta Notwithstanding his much-publicized break with the Harper Conservatives, Independent
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Battles in the ’Burbs: Independent St. Albert MP Brent Rathgeber eyes formation of party as fund-raising vehicle
Independent MP Brent Rathgeber with machine gun, looking as if he could use some closer supervision, takes aim at the CBC. (Joke.) And, yes, that is Jack Layton with the other one. Below: Teddy Roosevelt. (That’s enough politicians with firearms! – Ed.) ST. ALBERT, Alberta Edmonton-St. Albert Member of Parliament
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Moving on from the St. Albert Public Library Board: an occasion for bittersweet reflection
Your blogger with some of his fellow library trustees at last night’s farewell performance as chair of the St. Albert Public Library Board. Hasta la vista! Below: St. Albert Place. There’s no sign, but the library’s in there somewhere. ST. ALBERT Last night I attended my last meeting as chair,
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 18: It’s election day today, it’s important; please make sure you vote!
Today’s St. Albert voting locations. Today is election day in St. Albert, and it’s hard to imagine a more important election for our community in recent years. The intervention by well-funded anonymous groups on behalf of an agenda-driven slate of candidates makes this election just too important to ignore. If
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 17: Last advance poll at St. Albert Place today
St. Albert place on Canada Day. The fireworks, as a matter of fact, are exploding right over the East Boardroom, where an advance poll will be held from 9 a.m. to noon today. (St. Albert Leader photo) Once more, with feeling: Monday is election day, but the final advance poll
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 16: Final advance poll at St. Albert Place tomorrow
St. Albert place on Canada Day. The fireworks, as a matter of fact, are exploding right over the East Boardroom, where an advance poll will be held tomorrow. (St. Albert Leader photo) Monday is election day, but the final advance poll will be held from 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 15: When you vote on Monday, vote thoughtfully
Here’s a video of my opening remarks to the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce all-candidates’ forum last night. Here are my opening remarks at the fair and well-run St. Alberta Chamber of Commerce all-candidates forum at the St. Albert Inn last night: My name is David Climenhaga and I’m asking
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 14: ‘You’ll hear no irresponsible calls from me to slash programs’
Here’s a video of my opening remarks to the St. Albert Taxpayers Association’s all-candidates’ forum last night. Mayor Nolan Crouse, at left, and candidate Ted Durham, are visible in the frame. Here’s the heart of my opening remarks to the St. Alberta Taxpayers Association (SATA) all-candidates forum at the Arden
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 13: A proposal for one all-candidates’ forum on Oct. 16
The Enjoy Centre. Below: The Arden. Ummmm …. They’re both attractive venues! Is there any way we St. Albert city council candidates can all agree – for the sake of the citizens we are vying to represent – to all attend a single all-candidates forum on Oct. 16? I asked
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 12: Anonymity, advertising, Astro-Turf … & advice in St. Albert
Where’s Toto when St. Albert needs him? And what does he think about St. Albert’s leash bylaw? Here’s Toto, back in the day, exposing the Great Oz behind the green curtain. St. Albertans are curious about the anonymous groups trying to influence our city’s municipal election. At least one group
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 11: The uncomfortable truth about taxes and radical tax cuts
Radical cuts can’t be accomplished without harm – anyone who says different, like the city council candidate above, is presenting an illusion. Actual St. Albert city council candidates may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: The philosopher Aristotle. A St. Albertan has asked me the tough question that all city
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 10: The ‘Me Card’ comes to St. Albert library users
Your candidate for St. Albert City Council, looking happy while hanging around St. Albert’s terrific public library. And why wouldn’t he? Now the library offers even more to patrons. Below: The “Me Card” icon. Today marks the start of Canadian Library Month, so it was appropriate for now to be
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 9: Sidewalks, snow, public transit & Adlai Stevenson
A sidewalk snow removal machine in Ottawa. Below: Better a hole in the shoe than a hole in the head, as the slogan said. Adlai Stevenson in ’52, campaigning in a bow tie! One of the joys of running for public office in St. Albert, win or lose, is the
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 8: Why I’m running for council & why I went door-knocking Tuesday
Yours Truly, left, showing a patron the new automatic checkout machine at the St. Albert Public Library, one of the facilities in our community that’s worth making an effort to protect. The library is located in St. Albert Place, at 5 St. Anne St. A good friend of mine asked
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 7: It’s Nomination Day … ‘In for a penny, in for a pound!’
That’s me, David Climenhaga, candidate for St. Albert City Council, handing over my nomination papers yesterday morning to city Chief Legislative Officer Chris Belke. Below: Checking my papers one last time; pausing at the entrance to the East Boardroom of St. Albert Place, where yesterday’s democratic action took place. “In
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Campaign Diary Volume 6: Still asking for money … in tiny increments
On hand: one cool election lawn sign. Needed: funds to help print additional copies. The pitch is simple: Small donations can help make a big difference! As previously noted in this space, a big part of running for public office is asking for campaign donations. Some people can’t stand it,
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