TweetYou are Jim Prentice. You have the podium and the attention of Alberta’s media. You are the next Premier of Alberta. You can dream big. You could promise to replace all of Alberta’s aging hospitals by 2020, to build a high-speed railway from Calgary to Edmonton, to forge a new relationship with municipalities through Big
Continue readingTag: Ken Kowalski
daveberta.ca - Alberta politics: The Gang of Eight MLAs who have not endorsed Jim Prentice
TweetBy my count, there remain eight Progressive Conservative MLAs who have not endorsed a leadership candidate Jim Prentice in the race to become that party’s next leader. As of this week, 49 of 59 PC MLAs have endorsed Mr. Prentice’s candidacy to become their next leader. Leadership candidates Ric McIver and Thomas Lukaszuk have not earned any
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Hope and Debt
TweetThe political battle between the Wildrose opposition and long-governing Progressive Conservatives continued today as the Legislative Assembly resumed for the fall sitting. Debt was the biggest issue of the day. Wildrose leader Danielle Smith jumped at the opportunity to make light of comments Premier Alison Redford made that compared the government’s
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Alberta MLAs return to Edmonton next week for the first real sitting of 2012.
TweetThe fall sitting of Alberta’s Legislative Assembly begins on October 23 and indications suggest that it will be a different than recent sittings. Aside from the brief sitting held in the spring with the almost sole purpose of ejecting retired MLA Ken Kowalski from his long-held spot in Speaker’s Chair,
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Zwozdesky’s in, Kowalski’s out and all’s right with the Tory universe
Gene Zwozdesky, Alberta’s new Speaker, with your blogger and a Speech from the Throne … though not today’s. This compliment may come out sounding a little more backhanded than intended, but the Alberta Legislature could have done a lot worse than choose someone like Gene Zwozdesky to wear the Speaker’s
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Alberta MLAs get down to work – sort of – later today
Bill 1? It’s a secret! Alberta MLAs may not be exactly as illustrated. It’s great work if you can find it! The first session of the 28th Legislature of Alberta opens later today and will sit for … hold onto your hats, people … all of six days. In their
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: assembly housekeeping: new staff, new speaker, & new public accounts committee chair.
Tweet As the Opposition Caucuses and Parties reorganize following electoral changes caused as a results of the April 23 election, there will be a number of staff and role changes in Assembly. The new Assembly will convene for the first time to elect a new Speaker on May 23, 2012
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: return to the dome and inside baseball politics.
Alberta's Legislative Assembly Building With election withdrawal setting in like a bad hangover, much of the media attention this week focused on the 38 rookie MLA’s attending outgoing Speaker Ken Kowalski‘s Legislature 101 course and the resumption of inside baseball politics under the Dome. Bridget Pastoor and Premier Alison Redford
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: return to the dome and inside baseball politics.
Alberta's Legislative Assembly Building With election withdrawal setting in like a bad hangover, much of the media attention this week focused on the 38 rookie MLA’s attending outgoing Speaker Ken Kowalski‘s Legislature 101 course and the resumption of inside baseball politics under the Dome. Bridget Pastoor and Premier Alison Redford
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Choosing a Speaker for Alberta: Your chance to vote … sort of
Your blogger with yet another of the candidates to be called Mr. Speaker, the dulcetly mellifluous Gene Zwozdesky, looking none too thrilled about this photo opportunity in Speakerly garb. I have been surprised by the amount of interested generated by my post suggesting there is a three-way or possibly four-way
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Calculating the odds in the race for Alberta’s Legislative Speaker
Your blogger with Robin Campbell, Ken Kowalski’s possible replacement as Speaker of the Alberta Legislature. Below: Laurie Blakeman, Gene Zwozdesky, and Wayne Cao with you-know-who. JASPER, Alberta Just when you thought it was safe to go out of the house again, there’s another election! But you don’t get to vote
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Easter Weekend Campaign Update: Apparently 41 years in power makes you stupid!
Alberta’s listless governing Conservatives are getting creamed in the sign battle by the Wildrose Party, and even by the impoverished NDP. Above and below: NDP signs in Edmonton. Below: Yogi Berra, evidently as puzzled about this as the rest of us. We know that being in power for more than
Continue readingIn This Corner: Unraveling the mystery of MLA pay.
Ever since the news emerged that a number of MLAs were paid a grand a month to sit on a committee that never met, the subject of MLA pay has been a matter of much discussion. When it comes to politics in Alberta, about the only thing the average voter
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: No breakfast for Conservative champions? Alberta’s Tories as churlish as ever
Doug Griffiths, apparently still wearing black, has sent a message on behalf of his premier to Alberta politicos: resistance is futile, and will not be tolerated. Below: Edmonton City Councillor and AUMA President Linda Sloan; Chief of the premier’s staff, Stephen Carter. As Ken Kowalski, the venerable and soon-to-retire Speaker
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: alberta tories holding a packed nomination week.
I have updated the list of nominated Alberta election candidates to include the following three Progressive Conservative nominees: Edmonton-Centre: Young lawyer Akash Khokhar defeated Nicole Martel to win the PC nomination. In the next election, Mr. Khokhar will face Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman, who has represented the constituency since 1997.
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: rookie photos of alberta mla’s retiring in 2012.
With an election expected to be held in the next few months and a new Premier setting a new tone, many long-time and not-so-long-time Members of Alberta’s Legislative Assembly have decided that now is time to retire or look for greener pastures. The nineteen MLAs not seeking re-election are former
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: alberta election candidate update – december 2011 (part 2)
The list of candidates nominated to stand in the next provincial general election continues to grow. Nominated Alberta election candidates by region. December 15, 2011 Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock: Westlock Town Councillor David Truckey is the first candidate to enter the Progressive Conservative nomination contest in the constituency being vacated by long-time MLA
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Liberal MLA Blakeman to run for Speaker, again
Edmonton Centre MLA Laurie Blakeman with Alberta Liberal Leader Raj Sherman last summer when they were both running for the leadership. Well, Ken Kowalski is marching into history, so why the heck not? At any rate, earlier today, Edmonton Centre Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman sent along a Twitter message saying
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: ken kowalski chooses retirement over death in office.
Retiring Speaker Ken Kowalski He once told Albertans that he would “die in office” rather than retire and collect his gold plated severance package, but this week Speaker Ken Kowalski opted for retirement instead of the afterlife. The long-time MLA announced yesterday in a letter to the Progressive Conservative Party
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Premier Alison Redford enforces generational change in Alberta government
Alberta Speaker Ken Kowalski and other former PC ministers line up to wait for their transition allowances. Tory politicians may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Mr. Kowalski, former Premier Ed Stelmach, Iris Evans, Lloyd Snelgrove. Civilization as we know it in Alberta has ended. Ken Kowalski, 66, is stepping
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