PHOTOS: Danielle Smith leads Wildrose Party members in the 2014 Calgary Pride Parade, with then-MLAs Kerry Towle is on her right and Jeff Wilson on her left. She was punished for this defiance by the party’s social conservative wing. Below: Ms. Smith, Mr. Wilson, Ms. Towle, Joe Anglin and Heather Forsyth. A powerful, social conservative […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
A Tale of Two Parties: NDP stages slick post-victory convention while Wildrose Opposition tears itself to pieces
PHOTOS: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley addresses the provincial NDP Convention in Calgary yesterday. (Photo from Ms. Notley’s Facebook page.) Below: Wildrose Leader Brian Jean, his supporter, MLA Pat Stier, and NDP party first VP candidates Ann Wilson and Jason Rockwell. With resolutions advocating positions and principles perhaps a little too mindful of the Alberta NDP […]
Posted inAlberta 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 information curator Dave Beninger and renegade MLA Derek Fildebrandt. Oh dear. It’s never a good sign when […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
The Annals of Cybercrime: U of C pays ransom to cyberbandits, argues it’s OK because data was at risk
PHOTOS: Don’t worry, now that the ransom has been paid, Calgary Police are on the job investigating the cybercrime at the University of Calgary. Actual Calgary Police Service personnel may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: University of Calgary Finance and Services VP Linda Dalgetty (U of C photo) and Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley. […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
NDP environmental policies: Who’re ya gonna believe? Mark Carney or Rick Strankman?
PHOTOS: Bank of England Governor and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley at yesterday’s brief news conference in the provincial Legislature Building. (CBC Photo) Below: Rick Strankman and Michael Bloomberg. Who’re ya gonna believe, huh? Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of Canada whence he was wooed away to serve as governor of the Bank of […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
A timely reminder on this historic day: The hammer of D-Day crushed Hitler on the anvil of Russia
PHOTOS: Canadians soldiers storm ashore at Juno Beach on June 6, 1944, 72 years ago today. Below: The late University of Victoria Professor Reginald H. Roy, author of 1944: The Canadians in Normandy. It’s now been two years since I wrote this piece on the intersection of Canadian politics and the history of World War […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Keeping things in in the Right perspective: Wildrose says NDP’s carbon levy is much like killing 10 million people
PHOTOS: Wildrose Agriculture Critic Rick Strankman thinks the NDP Government’s carbon levy is just murder. (Photo grabbed from his Facebook page.) Below: NDP Economic Development Minister Deron Bilous, Wildrose MLA Drew Barnes, another member of the Nutty Nine, and former Wildrose leader and would-be Conservative candidate Paul Hinman. A sensible person could easily reach the […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Hard truth from the Parkland Institute: New pipelines won’t much improve the price fetched by Alberta oil from Bitumen
PHOTOS: An oil tanker, floating in “tidewater” – in this case the balmy Persian Gulf. Below: Earth scientist David Hughes, and a caribou strolling along a pipeline, this one in Alaska. That’s tonight’s harvest of royalty-free photographs. My guess is that not many partisans of any of Alberta’s NDP Government, the federal Liberals or their […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
On the War of the WRP, Saskatchewan’s Great Wall and the mysterious appeal of Alberta Health Services
PHOTOS: A meeting of the Opposition Wildrose Caucus gets under way with Leader Brian Jean and Leader Lite Derek Fildebrandt explaining their differences to each other. Actual Alberta politicians of the right may not appear exactly as illustrated. Then again … Below: The real Mr. Fildebrandt; Saskatchewan’s beloved Premier Brad Wall, the Great and the […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Dr. Verna Yiu named Alberta Health Services CEO No. 8 in 8 years – can she fix what 7 couldn’t?
PHOTOS: Dr. Verna Yiu, who was officially named yesterday as the eighth president and CEO of Alberta Health Services in as many years. Below: AHS Board Chair Linda Hughes and Alberta Health Minister Sarah Hoffman. Sooner or later, you’d think Alberta Health Services would luck out and get a CEO who knows how to run […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Leader Brian Jean appears to have violated Wildrose constitution when he tried to suspend Derek Fildebrandt
PHOTO: Now-restored Wildrose Party Finance Critic Derek Fildebrandt and party Leader Brian Jean, photographed in happier times. (Photo grabbed from Mr. Jean’s Facebook page.) Below: A screen capture of the photo accompanying today’s news release on the Wildrose Party website. Wildrose Opposition Brian Jean appears to have been operating in violation of the party’s constitution […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Suspension of maverick MLA didn’t amount to much, even before Wildrose leader’s apparent flip-flop
PHOTOS: Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt appears to be ahead in the race with his party leader, Brian Jean, this past weekend at least. (Photo grabbed from Mr. Jean’s Facebook page.) Below: Blogger Dave Cournoyer and a smiling Mr. Fildebrandt. That was quick! Not much more than 48 hours after Brian Jean announced in a terse […]