Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – The Associated Press reports on how the climate breakdown is producing every form of extreme weather everywhere all at once, while E.M. Fischer…
Calgary
Disaster city
“Canada is increasingly a riskier place to live, work and insure,” said Craig Stewart, Vice-President, Climate Change and Federal Issues, Insurance Bureau of Canada. The bureau’s stats back up Mr.…
Conservatives clash over housing
What do I know about Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre? He hates our prime minister. He loves cryptocurrency. If he’s elected PM, he will fire the governor of the Bank of…
Alberta—rural government in an urban province
The last century saw the greatest revolution in this country’s history. I refer to the mass migration from country to town. At Confederation, about 80 percent of Canadians lived in…
Fires? What Fires?
It’s funny. Also sad, because it’s so believable. thebeaverton.com/2023/05/ucp-promises-to-build-giant-gas-powered-fans-to-clear-alberta-skies/ Smoke over Calgary and Regina. pic.twitter.com/a0lFKFh3Vs — John Klein (@JohnKleinRegina) May 22, 2023
For Alberta, sovereignty; for Calgary and Edmonton, supplication
One might think that Alberta’s provincial government would have the greatest respect for its subordinate level of governing—the municipalities. One might expect that to be especially true for the two…
Election manna: Calgary gets a new arena
The on-again, off-again project for a new arena in Calgary is on again. At twice the cost. Earlier this week The City of Calgary, the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation…
Embarrassed by premier’s telephone tête-à-tête with extremist facing criminal charges, UCP retreats to its safe space: Law ’n’ Order rhetoric
Sounding a mite panicked by the negative public response to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s willingness to bend rules to help political allies in trouble with the law, the United Conservative…
The Recall Petition Process and What Comes Next
By way of the agenda for the March 14 City Council meeting, we have our first glimpse at what The City of Calgary’s Recall Process will look like. If you…
Has the Alberta Legislature noticed what the 5th largest economy is doing?
If Albertans want to understand how economically viable our Natural Gas and Oil sector is, all we need to do is look towards California. California has the largest economy in…
My responses to the Province’s local elections and councillor accountability engagement
Today is the deadline for Albertans to submit their input as the provincial government develops updates to the Municipal Government Act and the Local Authorities Election Act on the topics…
Calgary—Canada’s most liveable city?
Is it? Is Calgary Canada’s most liveable city? I wouldn’t dare answer the question. My fellow Calgarians might bridle at my response. But the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) dares. And…
I voted for the magpie
It’s official. The people have voted and The City of Calgary has declared its official bird. The winner is that little favourite, the black-capped chickadee. The decision will be confirmed…
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…
Opinion: The machine is always right in Alberta’s municipal elections — and that’s wrong
Originally published in the Calgary Herald Opinion section on November 30, 2021. The day after Calgary’s municipal elections, the results said I lost Ward 4 by 52 votes. With it…
Release: DJ Kelly forced to withdraw application for Ward 4 Calgary City Council election judicial recount
For Immediate Release: November 25, 2021 – Calgary, Alberta DJ Kelly, candidate for Calgary City Council in Ward 4, is announcing the formal withdrawal of the judicial recount application for…
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…
Ward 4 judicial recount request filed
Last week I filed an application for a judicial recount of the recent election for councillor in Ward 4 and today we’ve heard the application has been received. The way…
The problem of Councillor Chu
Sean Chu is the councillor for Calgary’s Ward 4. He was re-elected for his third term in the recent civic election. It now appears that Councillor Chu has a skeleton…
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,…