Stuff Happens, week 15: Oilers clean house, Notley cleans up
The Edmonton Oilers, the widely-despised local hockey squadron, continue to make a lot of news for a team that missed the playoffs. After lucking into the No. 1 draft pick,…
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Stuff Happens, week 14: Oilers get lucky; Hillary hits the road.
The “big story” this week is one that may have long-term implications. Of course, I’m talking about the Edmonton Oilers literally defying the odds and winning the no. 1 NHL…
Stuff Happens, week 14: And they’re off! But why?
This week, Premier Jim Prentice called his uncalled-for election. The question remains, why? The election — a year ahead of the lawful election date — has no validity. The PCs…
Why good polls may be bad for the Rachel Notley Party
In the first week of the Unnecessary Election of 2015, the big story has been the polling numbers. The media, desperate to find something to report on in the early…
Stuff happens, week 13: Election? What election?; this week in atrocities.
There was plenty of speculation amongst the political class about when Premier Grim Jim Prentice would call his (illegal) election. Monday came and went with no word. Then came the…
Stuff happens, week 12: Prentice sets the stage; Smith shut down; no future in Future Shop
The story this week in Alberta is The Greatest Budget Ever Sold. After weeks of Grim Jim Prentice telling us that the sky was falling, and it was falling on…
Stuff happens, week 11: A bridge too bent; freedom for cable subscribers
The bendy-bendy portion of Edmonton’s newest bridge. Here in Edmonton, the city is in the process of rebuilding a major bridge into the downtown. It’s the 102 Avenue bridge, which…
Stuff happens, week 10: Jim gives in; Taber gets trashed.
As soon as the legislature resumed on Tuesday, the Prentice government did a complete about-face in its opposition to gay-straight alliances in schools, introducing amendments to Bill 10 to allow…
When did we become ruled by ‘being prudent’?
Once upon a time, if we had a decision to make that might have some consequences, we would consult with trusted advisors. It might be your parents, a religious leader,…
Stuff happens, week 8: Alberta election assured; Harper spins terrorism
It’s gloom and doom in Alberta these days, what with falling oil prices and all. Time to tighten the belts, Premier Jim Prentice says, because we’re going to be billions…
Stuff happens, week 7: The return of premiums; a Canadian dog has its day.
The Prentice government continues to float trial balloons. Not long ago, it was a sales tax. Now, it’s the return of health care premiums. The government says most Albertans are…
And the winners will be ….
When I was a kid, on Academy Awards night I’d always have to go to bed before the winner was announced. This was a very long time ago; movies had…
Stuff Happens, week 6: All about Eve; Sun sets on Sun News.
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau was all smiles on Monday when announcing that Ontario PC MP Eve Adams was crossing the floor to his party. But the news gave hims critics…
Letter from a 100-year-old man.
My uncle Rolland, the last of the five Tougas brothers of Edmonton which included my dad, turned 100 last year. I get occasional letters from him, more so since dad’s…
Stuff Happens, week 5: Death and the supreme court; the comeback of measles.
The big story of the week was a Supreme Court decision allowing physician-assisted deaths in certain cases. Polls have shown Canadians solidly in favour of allowing Canadians to die with…
A message from Our Conservative Government.
This week, I received via Canada Post a handy little booklet from my ever-smiling Member of Parliament, Rona Ambrose. It’s called a Tax Tips Guide, subtitled Helping You and Your…
Stuff Happens, week 4: Musical MLA chairs; Apple has a very, very good year; Greece goes rogue.
Will the last MLA out of the Alberta legislature please turn out the lights? Resignation fever swept the Legislature on this week, as another six MLAs announced they were not…
Stuff Happens, Week 3: A Mountie mourned; a politician quits; a football deflates.
Following the utterly pointless shootings of two RCMP officers in St. Albert, the question was asked: why was Shawn Rehn, the killer, walking free? It’s a good question. Rehn was…
Stuff Happens, Week 2. Target misses the mark, Roxy razed.
The big story of the week in Canada was the departure, with its tail between its legs, of U.S. retail giant Target. The purveyor of so-called ‘cheap chic’ clothing is…
Stuff happens, week 9: Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the dumbest of them all?
The halo over Jim Prentice is getting more and more tarnished. Prentice, who has been on a PR offensive over his upcoming budget and unnecessary and illegal election, put his…