We Albertans have received three powerful, powerful messages from Mother Nature. Plain, undeniable lessons. Well, not quite undeniable. In the face of all reason and common sense, we do in fact deny them. You may not be surprised to know that these messages relate to global warming. The first was
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Susan on the Soapbox: The Politicization of the Beast
Welcome to “Life in a Conservative Province” also known as “they say the wackiest things.” “They” being conservative premiers who say idiotic things when asked: how do you reconcile your government’s policies with the impact of climate change on the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires? Before we get into
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The Premier is Missing (not a novel) – will he be back today to launch a big COVID-19 lockdown, or is it something else?
Where’s Jason Kenney? Alberta’s in the midst of a pandemic emergency that grows more frightening by the day, but it’s been days since the public’s seen or heard from the premier. Heath Minister Tyler Shandro (Photo: Chris Schwarz, Government of Alberta). There were 1,584 new COVID-19 cases in Alberta announced
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Get used to it, Alberta, the world is learning how to talk about climate change
Remember the anger in Alberta in 2016 when some observers connected the dots between the fire that spring in Fort McMurray and the phenomenon known as global warming? Such statements were denounced as outrageous. Also insensitive — and, without doubt, a few of the comments on social media were. But
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Will the UCP’s scheme to restrict reproductive rights play in Ponoka? Maybe not …
Bill 207, which if it was honestly titled would have been called an Act to Restrict Reproductive and Other Rights in Alberta, does not seem to be playing particularly well, even in Ponoka. Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party stirred up a hornet’s nest with this sneaky bill — disingenuously entitled
Continue readingAlberta Politics: OK, he said nothing new, but why did Justin Trudeau’s pipeline presser make Conservatives so angry?
Conservatives’ faux shock at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s relatively news free pipeline construction announcement in Edmonton last week was a thing to behold. The tone generally was, “there oughtta be a law,” to wit, a law against making announcements when you have nothing to announce. Only with considerably harsher language,
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Calgary MLA Brian Malkinson joins NDP cabinet as Alberta shuffle unfolds as more micro than macro
Alberta Premier Notley runs a pretty tight ship when it comes to her cabinet. So, as expected, there wasn’t much shuffling in the cabinet shuffle announced on the weekend and smoothly executed yesterday morning. Changes were minimal. So minimal, indeed, that mainstream media were calling it a “mini-shuffle.” One new
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Funny … not a peep on the right about Jason Kenney stumping for a Liberal
PHOTOS: Sandra Jansen, back in the day when she never imagined she’s be anything but a Tory. Below: Jason Kenney, leader today of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta; Rachel Notley, whose NDP Government was elected on May 5, 2017; and Brad Wall, the man with a plan to save
Continue readingIn This Corner: Stuff Still Happens, week 52: Let’s recap 2016 … sorry, it’s the law.
Yeah, yeah, I know. It was a terrible year. One of the worst in recent memory. But the rule for anyone who writes a weekly blog or column is that you must write some sort of year-end recap. So, with apologies, here we go. Newsmaker of the Year Is there any
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The Top 10 Alberta political news stories of 2016: AlbertaPolitics.ca’s picks
PHOTOS: Alberta NDP Premier Rachel Notley. Below: Calgary MLA Sandra Jansen, elected as a Progressive Conservative and now a member of the NDP, Municipal Affairs Minister Danielle Larivee, and the late Jim Prentice, the last PC premier of Alberta. 2016: It was the International Year of the Bean. I kid
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta Opposition Leader Brian Jean now officially ‘embattled’ as Wildrose insurrection appears to spread
PHOTOS: Is Wildrose Party Leader Brian Jean contemplating being given the boot by his party’s radicals … or giving it to them? (Wildrose.ca photo.) Below: Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills MLA David Hanson (photo also from Wildrose.ca), Twitter infor…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Corporate Recognition Of Climate Change
When the insurance industry starts worrying, we should all be very, very afraid.Bill Adams, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) vice-president of the Western and Pacific Region, says the rising costs of insurance claims leaves no doubt that climate change…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: In The Service Of Truth
There are many truths today that, thanks to the almost reflexive, visceral response of an often vitriolic social media, few dare to speak. Most recently, linking the terrible fires in Fort McMurray with climate change has been one of them. Is it insens…
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Here’s the Climate Context For the Fort McMurray Wildfire
There will be much written and spoken about this Fort McMurray catastrophic fire. This article from Brian Kahn, a senior science writer at Climate Central is most worthwhile. Please click ‘Read More’ to access the Read more…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Fort Mac fire overshadows an earthshaking political anniversary – the NDP’s election one year ago today
One year ago today, Premier Rachel Notley and her New Democratic Party government swept in to power in Alberta. But celebration of Alberta’s unexpected and historically earthshaking Cinco de Mayo moment – and, of course, other emotions too on the p…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Elizabeth May Goes Where Trudeau Fears To Tread
Some would say that to link the terrible losses in Fort McMurray to climate change is insensitive and political. Of course, they would be wrong, since climate change is not an ideological issue, however much the deniers try to frame it. It is a fact.Wh…
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