During the provincial election of 2015, Rachel Notley was everywhere. Literally. The party – which, going into the election, had just four seats – was desperate. Their candidates were so unknown, so unprepared, that election signs would have given you the impression that Rachel Notley was running in your constituency
Continue readingTag: Alberta
Views from the Beltline: Notley, like Lougheed, a hard act to follow
If I had to choose Alberta’s best premier I would go with Peter Lougheed, an exceptional leader, one of too few politicians who rose above politics to statesmanship. A strong defender of the province’s interests, he also committed himself to the interests of the country. He promoted development of the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to end your 2023. – Shannon Hall discusses new research showing that the positive effects of COVID-19 vaccination include a reduction in long COVID in children. And Erin Prater warns about the building Pirola wave which is already causing record-high infection levels in some countries. – Meanwhile, Carly
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Alberta is just so damn popular
So many people from the rest of the country are moving to Alberta that the province has cancelled its “Alberta is Calling” program. The program, which boasted of “bigger paycheques” and “smaller rent cheques,” had encouraged Canadians to consider the province as a new home. It turns out a lot
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Premier of Alberta or premier of the oil industry?
Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith has made her stand. Her loins girded by her Sovereignty Act, she will strike a blow against the federal government’s proposed Clean Electric Regulations (CER). On Monday her government tabled a resolution in the Alberta legislature that instructs governments and provincial entities to ignore the regulations
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) Is Problematic
In my travels on Twitter (sorry, X) this morning, I saw this, and it raises more questions than it answers: This is a “look, it works!” statement. We had already proven that CCS was possible a decade earlier. 8,000,000 tonnes sounds like a very large number – but that works
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: University of Alberta’s Sexual Assault Centre – #Me too Except if you are Jew.
The University of Alberta is my alma mater. What the actual fuck is going on at this institution? The University of Alberta’s Sexual Assault Centre signed a letter that denies the rape and sexual violence against Israeli women on October 7th, 2023 – the day when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel.
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: UCP Resolution 29 – No Males in Female Prison – Hallelujah!
Thank you to Eva Kurilova for finding this resolution. There is hope that we can have a return to sanity here in Alberta.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Peter Zimonjic reports on the latest audit from the federal environment commissioner showing that Canada is falling far short of meeting its greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments. And Brendan Haley discusses how a focus on a transition to heat pumps could provide
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The UCP AGM – A Common Sense Response to Gender Activism in Schools
“Alberta’s premier leads a party whose most active members almost unanimously want the province to refuse to house trans women in women’s prisons, and require schools to tell parents if their children want to secretly change their pronouns, as New Brunswick and Saskatchewan have controversially done. United Conservative Party members
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Chris Hedges discusses how the end of empire-based colonialism has only given way to an even more exploitative corporate version. And Cory Doctorow points out how surveillance capitalism inevitably turns its resources toward defrauding the people being monitored and manipulated. – Matthew Rosza
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Thais Melquiades de Lima et al. study how the tonsils are a major site for COVID-19 persistence in children. And Penny Daflos reports on British Columbia’s restoration of mask mandates in health facilities as the ongoing pandemic persistently fails to go away
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Big state takes on big oil—a lesson for Alberta?
Someone reading this blog might get the impression I take pleasure in hearing about environmental lawsuits against oil companies and their friends. They would be right. I do. And so I enjoyed hearing about perhaps the most prominent climate lawsuit in the U.S. California, the most populous state in the
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: 1MillionMarch4Children – Let the ATA Know that Teaching Gender Ideology In Schools is Not Okay
Your DWR Public Service Announcement. Make your voice heard and speak for child safeguarding and age appropriate materials for students.
Continue reading52 Ideas: Canada’s and Alberta’s Economic Future depends on our transition to Green Energy by 2035
“He also shared a few bold predictions. Investors, he said, would have to spend $400 billion to realize the Liberal plan, but there would be a net benefit to Canadians of $29 billion by 2050. He also put out on social media a claim by the Canadian Climate Institute that
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Arianna Johnson reports on new research showing how COVID-19 can continue to affect organ function long after the lungs have healed. Philip Finkelstein calls out the lack of any effective response to the widespread and continuing risk of long COVID. Erin Prater examines
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Alberta pauses the future
Alberta is Canada’s leader in renewables projects and investments. Of the new solar and wind generation capacity added in Canada in 2022, 75 percent was in this province. This, it seems, is too much too fast for the provincial government. The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) has paused approvals of new
Continue reading52 Ideas: Grande Cache and UCP coal extraction policy is going to cause more problems than it will solve
Over the next few decades, as we push towards decarbonizing everything, every new project is going to be asked one question: can this good or service that you are offering be done without fossil fuels? This is a question that has permeated many places, but it has not seemed to
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Alberta sacrifices agriculture for oil
There is panic on the prairies. The greatest fear of farmers and ranchers alike is stalking the land—drought. Drought has always been a part of prairie life, of course, but droughts today are different from those of history. Today they are increasingly fuelled by global warming and will get nothing
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: UCP to loosen reins on unions … charitably
Alberta’s UCP government likes to keep a tight rein on labour unions. One of the first pieces of legislation brought in after their election in 2019 was the infamous Bill 32, the inappropriately named the Restoring Balance in Alberta’s Workplaces Act, 2020. The Bill, among other things, split union activities
Continue reading