Premier Kenney—conservative saviour?
The premier of Alberta has a mission, one that goes beyond leading the UCP and running the province. He must save his party from lunatics. At least according to a…
Alberta
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Katherine Wu warns that another U.S. COVID wave may severely test what’s already proven to be an alarming willingness to accept injury…
The 2022 Alberta budget
I’ve written a ‘top 10’ overview of the recent Alberta budget. My overview can be found here: https://monitormag.ca/articles/ten-things-to-know-about-the-recent-alberta-budget
How much more of our money will Kenney spend on his crusades?
Our belligerent premier, Mr. Kenney, rarely misses an opportunity to pick a fight with the feds. His latest foray is a court challenge of PM Trudeau’s invoking of the Emergencies…
Another dazzling bust to boom for Alberta
Having lived in Alberta on and off for over 60 years, I’ve seen my share of boom and bust cycles, perhaps our most well known economic phenomenon. But this last…
Alberta To Waste Taxpayer $ on Frivolous Lawsuit
So, yesterday, Jason Kenney announced that Alberta was going to sue the Federal Government for “trampling on provincial jurisdiction” with the Emergency Measures Act … all of a few days…
Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Jonathan Koltai et al. study the mental health effects of COVID vaccination – finding a justified decrease in stress among people who have…
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Charlie Smith highlights how attempts to minimize the ongoing pandemic have reduced the public credibility of both government and public health officials…
A tale of two magazines
Last month one of Alberta’s conservative icons passed away. Ted Byfield was 93. Byfield, a propagandist for social conservative causes and a promoter of conservative parties and politicians (including Premier…
Does Kenney understand Alberta?
A recent survey, conducted by Maru Public Opinion and Janet Brown Opinion Research, took a reading of Canadians’ views of Alberta. The poll measured the reaction to a number of…
COVID and Homelessness: Ten things to know
I was recently invited by the The Economics Society of Northern Alberta to speak at their 2022 Outlook Conference about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on homelessness. Here’s an…
Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Stephanie Nolen examines (PDF) some of the inequality revealed and exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. Bonnie Allen reports on the tragic story…
Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Sarah Zhang writes that the three factors which will determine the path of the COVID pandemic over the winter are our own immunity,…
Schadenfreude, Hydro-Québec and the Maine referendum
It’s called schadenfreude, the satisfaction you get from someone else’s misfortune. Some Albertans may be feeling it this week after the referendum in Maine that rejected a Hydro-Québec transmission line…
Why can’t conservatives win the mayoralties of Alberta’s major cities?
Alberta’s reputation as a bastion of conservatism has been belied once again by the recent municipal elections. Both Calgary and Edmonton, which together make up over half the province’s population,…
Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Carol Off interviews Andre Picard about the cultural factors and policy choices that have led to an avoidable fourth wave of COVID-19 in…
The death graph
A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. It’s true for me anyway. Maybe it’s my engineering background, but charts, graphs, etc. often make a point much more effectively…
The "Free Alberta Strategy"
I'll forgive people elsewhere in Canada who might be wondering what the hell is going on in Alberta. A little over a year ago, we were treated to the spectacle…
Vote Kinney for Senator
Now that the federal election is out of the way, I turn my attention to the upcoming Calgary municipal election. Both the mayor and the councillor for my ward have…
Canada has started rationing PCR tests as Omicron surges
Montreal, parts of British Columbia, and Alberta have started to ration Covid-19 PCR tests as Omicron cases reach record numbers across Canada. Politicians didn’t want to make moves that they…