PHOTOS: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley. Below: Pollster Quito Maggi of Mainstreet Research, grabbed from his Twitter account, and former PC premier Ed Stelmach, whose personal popularity held through the economic downturn of 2007 and 2008. Late last week, the Calgary Herald reported the results of a poll that indicated Alberta’s NDP government has “plummeted” to […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Grits in Ottawa and Dippers in Edmonton: far from the worst combination for keeping Alberta’s economy in motion
PHOTOS: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley take questions from the media in this screen shot of the government’s video. Bloggers were not invited, but I’m blaming the feds and promising not to go all Rebel Media on anyone. Below: Federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair and same forgotten MP from Calgary […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Premier Rachel Notley introduces six new cabinet members … pretty flawlessly
PHOTOS: Premier Rachel Notley introduces her expanded, 19-member (that is, 18 full + 1 associate member) cabinet to the media at Government House yesterday morning. (Photo by Dave Cournoyer, used with permission.) Below: New cabinet members Christina Gray, Richard Feehan, Brandy Payne, Marlin Schmidt, Ricardo Miranda and Stephanie McLean, all from their official portraits. Introducing […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Alberta Federation of Labour President Gil McGowan assails Notley Government’s royalty ‘mistake’
PHOTOS: Alberta Federation of Labour President Gil McGowan. Below: Mr. McGowan with federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair; Calgary Sun columnist Rick Bell. Many progressive Albertans who were shocked and troubled by the Notley Government’s dramatic reversal on petroleum royalty policy on Friday will now feel they’ve found a high-profile champion. Just before midnight Saturday, a […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Second verse, same as the first! Notley Government decrees no change to Alberta’s royalty regime
PHOTOS: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, surrounded by Calgary New Democrat MLAs in this screen shot of yesterday morning’s news conference in Calgary, announces her new government’s new royalty policy, which is pretty much the same as the old government’s old royalty policy. Below: A screen shot of royalty panel chair Dave Mowat at the same […]
Posted inAlberta Politics, Canadian Politics
Tories’ Senate gambit shows Harper still runs the party and the party still holds Parliament in contempt
PHOTOS: The Senate chamber, empty, as it should be. Below: Stephen Harper, apparently still the de facto leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Conservative Opposition’s threat to use its majority in the unelected Senate to thwart the Trudeau Government’s plan to repeal two […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
NDP to release new energy royalty framework at week’s end – brace yourself for Apocalypse Friday!
PHOTOS: The next Apocalypse is scheduled for Friday morning. There will be an embargoed media briefing first. Below: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, Wildrose Leader Brian Jean and Royalty Review Advisory Panel Chair Dave Mowat. Brace yourself for a storm of hostility from many of the usual suspects on Friday when Premier Rachel Notley finally releases […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
C’mon … admit it, Wildrosers! Denis Coderre’s zinger burned because it landed a little too close for comfort
PHOTOS: Welcome to Bedrock City, AB. Actual rural Wildrose ridings in Southern Alberta may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Alberta Opposition Leader Brian Jean (CBC photo), Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, former Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day and Barney Rubble, MLA. It sure doesn’t look as if the pipeline safety concerns of Montreal Mayor Denis […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Below the radar: Athabasca University and St. Albert quietly discuss partnership to develop joint office space near Edmonton
PHOTOS: St. Albert City Hall on a nice warm summer night, as seen from the possible location of a joint office building that’s been discussed by the city and Athabasca University. Below: The sign welcoming visitors to Athabasca University in the Town of Athabasca and the sign at the entrance to the city of St. […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
A good day for Rachel Notley – but you’d never know it with media and opposition in full-scale, unrestrained meltdown
PHOTOS: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne at yesterday’s press conference in Toronto. Below: Ms. Notley, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, British Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn and U.S. Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. You may have missed it, but something truly remarkable happened in Alberta politics yesterday. Premier Rachel Notley, after less […]
Posted inAlberta Politics, Media
Hints of Sun news-management style emerge in plans for Edmonton’s combined Postmedia newsrooms
PHOTOS: “Well, Fred, they used to wrap the grocery flyers in these things. They were called ‘newspapers.’” Below: Gerry Nott, senior Postmedia functionary, and Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister most hated by the Canadian newspaper industry since that other Trudeau guy. It’s a little soon to say for sure, but despite the best efforts […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Meditations on booms, busts, oil prices, sales taxes, Albertans and their governments
PHOTOS: Alberta in the spring of 2014. Actual Alberta drilling operations may not have appeared exactly as illustrated. Below: Conservative premiers Peter Lougheed and Ralph Klein. If God gives us another oil boom like the one us Albertans are all praying for nowadays, what are the chances that this time we won’t piss it all […]