Happy Easter…
It’s Easter Sunday and the world is a mess. (Cue brief political interlude) Here in Alberta we’ll have an opportunity to improve things…if we don’t get derailed in the run…
susanonthesoapbox
Some Thoughts on the NDP Leadership Race
Rachel Notley was elected as an NDP MLA in 2008. She became the leader of the NDP in 2014 and will be stepping down as leader in 2024. She led…
Budget 2024: Gotcha!
In case you didn’t catch Danielle Smith’s bizzarro Address to the Province last week, the one where she signalled what we could expect in the 2024 Budget, here’s a brief…
Danielle Smith’s Parental Rights Agenda
Last week in pursuit of her “parental rights” agenda, Premier Smith announced a set of policies that limited medical treatment for transgender youth and did a whole lot more. I…
Rachel Notley Steps Down
“We didn’t get everything right, but we governed with integrity, an ambitious agenda and an earnest desire to make life better for Albertans.”—Rachel Notley The first time I met Rachel…
The AESO Emergency Alert
Last night Alberta’s electric system operator (AESO) issued a province-wide emergency alert asking Albertans to immediately reduce their electricity use to minimize the potential for rotating outages across the province.…
Squid Game
The UCP’s “bread and circuses”* approach to government is no longer working. The “bread” (low taxes and high employment) is no compensation for our crumbling healthcare, education, and social services.…
Merry Christmas!
Every family has its own holiday traditions. In the Soapbox house on Christmas Eve we play Rummicub and eat ourselves silly (I don’t know what they put in caramel popcorn…
Guest Blog: An Open Letter from WCPH
I know I said we were taking a break during the month of December but last week I received a copy of a letter written by Lloyd and Linda Lovett…
And Now for Something Completely Different
Politics in Alberta feels like a Monty Python comedy sketch, only not as funny. But that’s not why I’ve used John Cleese’s signature line as the title of today’s blog…
We Value Your Feedback
When someone tells you Danielle Smith is a shrewd politician remind them of how she botched the APP consultation process. Last week, the Dinning panel wrapped up the last of…
Danielle Smith Says the Darndest Things
Last week Danielle Smith was interviewed by Matt Galloway, the host of CBC’s The Current. Listening to her I was reminded of Art Linkletter’s show Kids Say the Darndest Things.…
Here We Go Again: Restructuring AHS
According to Danielle Smith, AHS isn’t “truly accountable” and it’s been a “management problem” for quite some time. So she’s going to blow it up. This week some brave soul…
Danielle Smith Addresses the UCP/TBA AGM
I watched Danielle Smith’s speech to her supporters at the UCP AGM and all I could think of was Salvador Dali’s painting of the clocks. Time was melting, the landscape…
Danielle Smith Goes to the Pembina Climate Summit
Perhaps Danielle Smith forgot she where she was when she told the attendees at the Pembina Climate Summit that clean electricity by 2035 was impossible and anyone who thought otherwise…
The Alberta Pension Plan: Pierre Poilievre Weighs In
It took Danielle Smith five months to go from “Nobody is touching anyone’s pension” to “Look! It’s a shiny new APP! Albertans will get much more and it will cost…
Protecting the Environment: There has to be a better way
In 2019 the federal government enacted the Impact Assessment Act which regulated “designated projects” (think: oil sands, mining and other major projects within provincial boundaries). The Kenney government tagged it…
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. After a few missteps–the fresh cranberries turned into cranberry soup and the cook burned his hand when he was basting the turkey–everything came together. The meal was…
Danielle Smith’s Alternative Reality
Albertans live in an alternate universe. How else can we explain last week’s press conference where Danielle Smith pilloried the draft electricity regulations which are designed to ensure Canada’s electrical…
The $334 Billion Assumption or Why Smith’s APP is a Non-Starter
Well that inspires confidence. When LifeWorks respectfully submitted its report to the Smith government outlining how Alberta could move from CPP to an Alberta Pension Plan, the executive summary was…