The Alberta motel medicine scandal that was still unfolding yesterday with the premier’s revelation 39 more discharged hospital patients were being housed in Leduc hotels by the same company as the stroke patient at the heart of the original news report is a logical and predictable result of the privatization
Continue readingTag: Elections Alberta
Alberta Politics: The ‘RStar’ scam’s not a good deal, but it’s a done deal, even if it goes against a ‘core capitalist principle’
The shocker isn’t that the awful “RStar” scam is a done deal. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (Alberta Newsroom/Flickr). The old fixeroo for that dirty deal has been in ever since Danielle Smith was chosen last year as leader of the United Conservative Party, and therefore as premier of Alberta, with
Continue readingAlberta Politics: NDP raised more cash in fourth quarter and all of 2022 than UCP, Elections Alberta figures show
With the release of Elections Alberta’s fourth-quarter party fund-raising disclosures today, we can now report that the NDP raised more money in every quarter of 2022 than the United Conservative Party. Yesterday’s results show the NDP ahead by more than a million dollars in donations in the final three months
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Some thoughts on New Year’s parties, especially conservatives ones, which are always welcome in Alberta politics
As befits New Year’s Eve, the topic of the last AlbertaPolitics.ca post of 2022 is New Year’s parties. Former Alberta NDP leader Brian Mason … at a party (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). Specifically, political parties that would like to gain official status in 2023. According to Elections Alberta, there are
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Call it what you like, that $227,911 paid to Alberta’s chief medical officer of health wasn’t overtime
Just to be perfectly clear, Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Deena Hinshaw’s $227,911 in “cash benefits” is not overtime and should not be called overtime. Former finance minister Travis Toews, now a candidate to lead the United Conservative Party (Photo: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr). Call it a cash bonus if you
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Elections Alberta contributions report shows NDP leading first-quarter fund-raising with more than $1M raised
Albertans donated just over a million dollars to the New Democratic Party Opposition in the first quarter of 2022, according to contribution records released yesterday by Elections Alberta. Contributions of $1,037,511.32 placed the NDP well ahead of the governing United Conservative Party’s fund-raising total of $887,974.49 as reported by the
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Rachel Notley’s NDP raises more cash than Jason Kenney’s UCP for third consecutive quarter
Alberta’s Opposition New Democratic Party led the United Conservative Party in fund-raising for the third consecutive quarter of 2021, although not by the dramatic margins seen in the first two quarters. This leaves Rachel Notley’s NDP far in the lead for year-to-date contributions from Albertans, but it contains a warning
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Despite UCP efforts to tilt the playing field, progressive mayors are elected in both Edmonton and Calgary
Despite the best efforts of Alberta’s United Conservative Party Government to tilt the playing field steeply in favour right-wing candidates, voters in both Calgary and Edmonton elected progressive mayors yesterday. Amarjeet Sohi, a soft-spoken former bus driver and trade unionist who was once a political prisoner in India and served
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Health minister makes sure we understand chief medical officer of health came up with harshly criticized COVID-19 plan
According to Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro, speaking at a news conference on another topic yesterday, Wednesday’s decision for Alberta to become the only jurisdiction on the planet to start treating COVID-19 as if it were the common cold was Chief Medical Officer of Health Deena Hinshaw’s idea. Facing reporters
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Elections Alberta slaps $33,500 fines on UCP MLA Devinder Toor, campaign finance manager and related company
Albertans learned today that Elections Alberta has levied fines totalling $33,500 on Calgary-Falconridge United Conservative Party MLA Devinder Toor, his campaign finance manager, and a company run by his family for a string of violations when he was seeking the nomination in the northwest Calgary riding and during the 2019
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Small donors, potential election volunteers, flock to Alberta NDP as disillusionment with Jason Kenney grows
Alberta’s New Democratic Party raised twice as much as the ruling United Conservative Party in the first quarter of 2021. And we’re not just talking about chicken feed here, people. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, leader of the United Conservative Party, as he is often seen – surrounded by flags (Photo:
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta NDP raises dramatically more in donations than the UCP during second quarter
Alberta’s United Conservative Party, it turns out, is almost as bad at governing as it is good at campaigning. That’s probably a better place to be from a political party’s perspective than the opposite, as could credibly said of the Alberta NDP, which with 20/20 hindsight looks as if it
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Vote-anywhere made it easier to cast a vote against the government from, well, anywhere
Well, God bless the NDP, I guess, who could apparently be depended upon to do the right thing, even if it killed them. Alberta’s official vote results are now in and they suggest how the province’s new “vote anywhere” provisions did no favours for the departing government. Elections Alberta published
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Nearly a third of Alberta’s electorate voted in advance polls – whatever can it mean?
One of the mysteries of the 2019 Alberta election campaign that comes to an end with today’s election is the truly astonishing number of advance ballots cast. Nearly 700,000 Albertans voted in advance polls. That is close to 30 per cent of the electorate. This is unheard of in Alberta,
Continue readingAlberta Politics: UCP candidate who played role in Kamikaze Campaign forced to walk the plank
Another United Conservative Party candidate has been sent packing for being neither “forthright” nor “forthcoming” with party Leader Jason Kenney. Leastways, that’s the UCP’s story, and they’re stickin’ to it. Randy Kerr, recently chosen as UCP candidate in the Calgary-Beddington riding and a prominent figure in the party’s rapidly metastasizing
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Where’s the beef? Smells like what Restaurants Canada is serving you is nothing but baloney!
Baloney: a large smoked, seasoned sausage made of various meats. Where’s the beef? In an opinion piece in the Calgary Herald last week, Restaurants Canada claimed that “a perfect storm of tax increases and painful policy changes … have worsened conditions for restaurants over the past four years.” This was
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Mr. Mandel Regrets: Political drama, Alberta Party style … this may be theatre, but it ain’t no masterpiece!
Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel now says he regrets missing the deadline for filing his nomination candidate expense paperwork, but nevertheless expects the courts to make the problem go away! Well, good luck with that. He blames a retired party financial functionary for the filing fiasco that resulted in six
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Paperwork SNAFU! Elections Alberta says Stephen Mandel can’t run! Alberta Party lawyers say he can! Stand by for video!
This just in! Elections Alberta’s updated list of candidates ineligible to run as candidates or serve as chief elections officers includes at least one name most Albertans will recognize. To wit: Stephen Mandel. Yes, that Stephen Mandel. That is, the Stephen Mandel who leads the Alberta Party. The former Edmonton
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Will Canadian Taxpayers Federation credibility suffer from fine for failing to register as third-party election advertiser?
The $6,000 administrative penalty levied against the Canadian Taxpayers Federation for failing to register as a third-party advertiser under Alberta’s election financing law is a long-overdue official recognition of the true role the self-described “tax watchdog” plays in Canadian politics. The CTF has been disproportionately influential in Canadian political discourse
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Happy New Year! What’s Brian Jean up to? Is the former Wildrose leader plotting a comeback?
Happy New Year! So, now that it’s 2019, what’s Brian Jean up to? Maybe it’s just me, but he’s sure acting like a guy who’s thinking about being a political candidate again! You remember Brian Jean, don’t you? He used to be the leader of the Wildrose Party. Indeed, he
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