The great republic to our south is in flames, led by an American Nero and seemingly teetering on the brink of martial law. At the same moment, the world is convulsed by an entirely new disease, the first truly global pandemic in history. So what are Premier Jason Kenney and his United Conservative Party government […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Jason Kenney’s bloviations about medical matters may have found a friendly audience south of the Medicine Line
Stuff UCPers Say! Epidemiologists and other scientific types may not like it very much when Alberta Premier Jason Kenney equates COVID-19 with influenza, but at least Fox News seems to be on side. Last Wednesday in the Legislature in a prepared speech arguing for the government’s understandable desire to get the province’s economy cranked up […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Would you like a nasal swab with your fries, sir? Health care comes to A&W, McDonald’s and Timmy’s in Jason Kenney’s Alberta
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney runs a government deeply committed to erasing the obvious connection between government and the services that are essential to the functioning of society. How else is he going to persuade Albertans to abandon public health care that works for the broken privatization model now destroying our neighbour to the south one […]
Posted inBestsellers
Normal people by Ireland’s Sally Rooney tops independent Alberta bookstores’ fiction bestseller list
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold by independent booksellers in Alberta during the week ended Sunday, May 24, 2020. The lists are compiled by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta, and include sales at Audreys Books in Edmonton and Glass Bookshop in Edmonton. ALBERTA FICTION BESTSELLERS 1. Normal […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Can Kenney’s plans for Albertans’ pensions survive the next round of bad AIMCo news?
Alberta’s Local Authorities Pension Plan was in “the healthiest position in its 58-year history” at the end of 2019, and things are still fine, the president and CEO of LAPP Corp. said in a message Friday to plan members and retirees. It would be going too far to call Chris Brown’s communication cheerful, but it […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Did the premier just forget to tell his Chief Medical Officer of Health he’s about to end Alberta’s public health emergency?
It was a short exchange during Wednesday afternoon’s daily COVID-19 briefing by Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Deena Hinshaw. It carried quite a bit of information, though. Here is my transcription: Disembodied official voice: “Operator, can you put through the next question, please?” Operator: “Next is Michelle Bellefonatine with CBC. Go ahead, Michelle.” Michelle […]
Posted inCanadian Politics
We know what’s wrong with long-term care in Canada — we need politicians with the courage to fix it, not an inquiry
There are bound to be calls for formal inquiries after the long-term care horror show discovered in Ontario and Quebec, and quite likely on its way to being discovered in other provinces. This isn’t actually what Canada or any Canadian province needs, though. We already know what led to the collapse of the seniors-care system […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
This is not the Beaverton: Energy Minister Sonya Savage finds the bright side of COVID-19
Well, it’s nice to know someone’s happy about the global coronavirus pandemic! Canadians got a rare glimpse into Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage’s thinking yesterday thanks to a friendly podcaster at the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors. On the topic of the TransMountain pipeline expansion, John Bayko, who is also CAODC communications vice-president, asked […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Guest post by John Ashton: Don’t let inner city Ward 7’s needs be forgotten in Edmonton’s new ward map
By John Ashton Last week, drowned out in the clamour of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Edmonton revealed its new proposed municipal ward map. The redrawing of municipal wards is a dull and pedantic task, full of compromises that please few. Nonetheless, it’s a process that has winners and losers. And then, like Edmonton’s […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Who will see their pandemic money first? The UCP’s political staffers, or Alberta’s health care aides?
In case you were wondering if Alberta’s United Conservative Party was also going to apply for funds from Ottawa’s Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy to keep party staff employed, that question has now been answered. Of course they are! The UCP trotted out the same excuse as its federal counterpart for the decision to apply for […]
Posted inCanadian Politics
Federal Conservatives seek emergency support to help kick unemployed people off emergency support!
Surely there’s a special corner of Hell for the leaders of political parties who try to get unemployed people kicked off federal pandemic emergency supports at the same time they demand federal emergency supports for their private army of trolls! Or am I the only one who finds it ironic to discover Conservative politicians who […]
Posted inBestsellers
The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré is Alberta independent bookshops’ fiction bestseller this week
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold by independent booksellers in Alberta during the week ended Sunday, May 17, 2020. The lists are compiled by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta, and include sales at Audreys Books in Edmonton and Glass Bookshop in Edmonton. ALBERTA FICTION BESTSELLERS 1. The […]