If you’d hoped Danielle Smith’s flip-flop from denying free COVID-19 vaccinations to health care workers to providing them might indicate she could also have a change of heart on vaccines for other Albertans, you can forget about it. Someone is going to have to pay for upsetting the United Conservative Party’s anti-vaccine base during the […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Faculty association asks what’s up as senior leaders appear to be fleeing Athabasca University in droves
Alberta’s United Conservative Party Government reappointed lawyer Byron Nelson on Wednesday to a second three-year term as chair of the board of governors of Athabasca University. The cabinet order was published yesterday, as was a news release on the website of the 55-year-old distance university based in the Town of Athabasca, 140 kilometres north of […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
In one day, Danielle Smith’s UCP government flip-flops on unpopular COVID and expense claim policies – so what’s up?
Alberta’s United Conservative Party Government just flip-flopped on plans to make health care workers pay for COVID-19 vaccinations and to stop making cabinet ministers file expense claims. So what gives? On Tuesday, the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, which represents health care professions other than nurses and physicians, announced that its recent tentative agreement on […]
Posted inCanadian Politics
No drama. No surprise. Pierre Poilievre wins without breaking into a sweat
No drama. No surprise. Pierre Poilievre won without breaking into a sweat. So what else is new? After last night, or maybe today, the good voters of Battle River-Crowfoot will probably never see the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada again, except on television. That may or may not be a blessing, but few […]
Posted inCanadian Politics
Is PM Mark Carney liberal enough to take Conservatives up on a rare reasonable response to the short-lived Air Canada flight attendants’ strike?
The Conservative Party of Canada yesterday handed Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney an opportunity to do something bold that would be good for Canadian working people, improve the country’s labour relations climate, and likely be quite popular as well. It remains to be seen if Mr. Carney is liberal enough, as it were, to take […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Did Danielle Smith’s separatist Alberta Next dog-and-pony show just go off the rails in Edmonton?
Despite the presence of members of the United Conservative Party’s MAGA base primed to cheer and boo in all the right places, it sure sounded as if Premier Danielle Smith’s separatist Alberta Next dog-and-pony show in Edmonton last night had gone off the rails. In spite of moderator Bruce McAllister cutting off the mic when […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Alberta’s UCP government makes important breakthrough in Internet enshittification
With its BookVaccine.Alberta.ca website, which is confusing and upsetting significant numbers of Albertans fearful they will lose access to lifesaving COVID-19 immunization, Alberta’s United Conservative Party has made a significant breakthrough in the enshittification of the Internet. Hitherto, the concept more politely known as “platform decay” has been restricted to Internet businesses that have used […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
It must have nearly killed Danielle Smith to call for an end to Canada’s 100% tariff on Chinese EVs
It must have nearly killed Danielle Smith yesterday to come out and advocate for Canada to drop its 100-per-cent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles. Admittedly, Alberta’s premier did so half-heartedly. Still, the intent of her message to the masses was clear: Canada must remove the tariff on Chinese EVs in hopes the Chinese will drop […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Danielle Smith’s bizarre and dangerous experiment in vaccine rationing begins
Alberta’s bizarre and dangerous experiment in vaccine rationing began yesterday with the appearance of a website where Albertans can register to be considered for COVID-19 immunization sometime in the fall if any vaccine is left. You might get vaccinated, or you might not. By the way, most of you who manage to get an appointment […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Misleading leaked information about key witness in dodgy health care contracts probe smacks of political interference
If the already constrained investigation by a retired Manitoba judge into allegations of dodgy health care contracts pushed by influential figures in the Alberta Government is now beset by leaks from well-placed insiders in an apparent effort to discredit a key witness, that’s just one more reason why a real judicial inquiry by a sitting […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Where’s the War Room – fearless adversary of the New York Times – now that the UCP needs it?
Where’s the Alberta Energy “War Room” now that the United Conservative Party needs it? Yesterday The New York Times published a major feature story on Alberta’s burgeoning measles epidemic – which sends a big, fat message from Wild Rose Country to the world saying: Don’t Come Here! We’re the Measles Capital of the Americas! The […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Government lawyer will be in court today to intervene on the side of Alberta separatists
A government lawyer will be in court today in Edmonton to intervene on behalf of a group that wants Alberta to separate from Canada. A letter yesterday from a Justice Department lawyer to Mr. Justice Colin Feasby indicated he will be in court this morning to oppose the request by Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure […]