Sundre and the death of satire
I wrote a post a couple of years ago entitled “Everything isn’t racism.” Well, it still isn’t. However, people will find what they go looking for and apparently a lot…
Alberta
Albertans happy to see Kenney’s back, but who’s next up?
Jason Kenney tried hard to convince Albertans that he was one of them. He failed to even convince members of his own party. In a confidence vote, he could only…
Finally, a true accounting from Alberta’s GHG emitters?
Alberta’s government and its oil companies are playing a bit of a shell game with GHG emissions. The story for the public is that the companies are shooting for net…
Greenhouse gasses ain’t no joke
When Premier Kenney went down to the U.S. earlier this month to peddle even more of our major greenhouse gas-producing product, I was at a loss for words. The global…
Oil, guns and ethics
Promoters of the Alberta tar sands suggest customers for the product almost have a moral obligation to buy it. Their term is “ethical oil.” We hear the refrain from an…
The West? Really?
Many Canadians think of “the West” as one monolithic block. This concept seemed to firm up in many minds back when Preston Manning and his Reform Party stormed Ottawa proclaiming…
Calgary’s three angry amigos
I have lived in Alberta a long time, all but four years under conservative governments—Social Credit, then Progressive Conservative, now UCP. Only for four years did I enjoy the governance…
Alberta—the political province
Canada’s central and eastern provinces, with the exception of Quebec, are all governed by the same two parties that date from the time of Confederation—the Liberals and the Conservatives. The…
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…
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…
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…