Thursday’s Alberta Government news release announcing the official opening of so-called Lakeview Recovery Community in a rural area west of Edmonton included the intriguing tidbit that the facility will also be home to the “Recovery Training Institute of Alberta.” “The RTIA is a provincial training hub for those employed within a recovery community or other […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
‘Lakeview Recovery Community’ clearly intended to be showpiece for UCP’s controversial ‘Alberta Recovery Model’
“Alberta opens its third world-class recovery community,” said the headline on a news release sent by the Alberta Government to media yesterday about a reopened rural addiction treatment facility off the beaten path west of Edmonton. After being subjected to some gentle mockery on social media, the headline on the government website soon read: “Alberta […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Raj Sherman is back again, this time as Danielle Smith’s man at the head of the Health Quality Council of Alberta
As if to reinforce his role as the proverbial bad penny of Alberta politics, Raj Sherman has turned up again – this time as Premier Danielle Smith’s man at the head of the Health Quality Council of Alberta. Actually, Dr. Sherman has been back for a while – since June, anyway, when according to his […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Where’s Naheed? Alberta’s New Democrats need to know!
So where’s Naheed? Alberta’s New Democrats need to know! Since June 22, when Naheed Nenshi posted his crushing 86-per-cent victory on the first ballot in the race to replace former premier Rachel Notley as leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party, we’ve hardly seen the guy. The moment the former mayor of Calgary announced his […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Alberta Health Services letters tell COVID-19 long-haulers specialized long-COVID clinics are being shut down
It’s not hard to connect the dots between the anti-vaccine extremists including Premier Danielle Smith who now dominate Alberta’s United Conservative Party and the admission by a beleaguered Alberta Health Services that it is shutting down its long-COVID clinics in Calgary, Edmonton and Sherwood Park. AHS, once a model of how to run a modern […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Did an anti-vaxx MLA just suggest the UCP is about to ban COVID-19 vaccines? Or what?
A video clip of Calgary-Lougheed MLA Eric Bouchard musing about the future of COVID-19 vaccinations on an anti-vaxx video podcast stirred up a storm on social media yesterday among commenters who fear the United Conservative Party may be about to try to ban the what the podcast’s host called “the murder shots.” Mr. Bouchard, as […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Honey! I shrunk the party! UCP membership shrivels as Danielle Smith moves farther into loony MAGA territory
Honey! I shrunk the party! Sharp-eyed denizens of the Twittersphere yesterday noticed a United Conservative party update that, presumably inadvertently, gave away a dramatic drop in party membership since the 2022 UCP leadership contest that put Danielle Smith in Alberta’s top political job. “UCP membership is currently around 54,000,” said some guy calling himself Turkish […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
No shock: UCP freeze on renewable electricity generation projects and resulting uncertainty lead to deep chill on investments
It should come as no shock on the first anniversary of the United Conservative Party Government’s seven-month freeze on the development of renewable electricity projects that the policy has resulted in a deep chill on renewables. That was, of course, the idea. A new analysis by the Pembina Institute released yesterday shows that in the […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Danielle Smith tells Calgary UCP ‘town hall’ that 94% of Alberta parents are not having their kids vaccinated against COVID
According to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, only a small minority of Alberta parents are now agreeing to have their children vaccinated against COVID-19, while the vast majority are not. This seemingly unlikely claim was only one of a number of troubling statements made by Ms. Smith at town hall meeting Tuesday organized by the Calgary-Lougheed […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Guest post: Open meddling by politicians and commercial interests is putting Alberta’s fish and wildlife management at risk
Once upon a time, Alberta led the way in restoring wildlife habitats and rebuilding populations of creatures at risk. Wildlife biological staff, working in the public interest, often in the public sector, with the support of the public, made it happen. Not so much today. Now, writes Professional Biologist Lorne Fitch, professionally trained biologists are […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Ordered to produce documents for Elections Alberta in 21 days or face arrest, David Parker calls it a victory
Being told you have three weeks to comply with the law after being found in civil contempt is not what most of us would call a ringing victory, but you have to give Take Back Alberta founder (or whatever he is) David Parker credit for seeing the bright side of life. Having been told by […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Danielle Smith touts letting loggers cut trees and ranchers graze cattle to help manage fire threat in national parks
Never one to let a good crisis go to waste, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith escalated her criticism of Parks Canada’s approach to fire management in Jasper National Park yesterday, suggesting the province could do it better by paying loggers to clear firebreaks and letting ranchers graze cattle in the parks to keep the breaks clear. […]