Posted inAlberta Politics

It’s not spring in Alberta yet, but there are hints of a spring election in the air

PHOTOS: It may not be spring yet, as in this photo, but the clock is ticking down on a spring 2015 election. Below: Bridget Pastoor, the former Liberal floor-crosser who served a term as a Progressive Conservative MLA before announcing she’s retiring, and former Tory finance minister Ted Morton, who’s now calling for a sales […]

Posted inAlberta Politics

Cheap oil’s the disaster it is for Alberta because our province is so badly run

PHOTOS: Sunset for Alberta’s oil industry? Probably not. But will Albertans learn anything and stop scolding other Canadians? Probably not. Below: The future of Alberta if oil prices don’t bounce back? Who’s freezing in the dark now? The decline in oil prices to the sub-$50-per-barrel level may not be a pleasant experience for those of […]

Posted inCanadian Politics

Peace, order and good government: Pondering John A. Macdonald’s legacy on his 200th birthday

PHOTOS: John A. Macdonald, first prime minister of Canada, in his prime. Below: A younger Macdonald and the man in his later years. Today, or possibly yesterday, is the 200th anniversary of the birth of John Macdonald, first prime minister of Canada, arguably the person most responsible for the creation of our country and surely […]

Posted inAlberta Politics

Premier Jim Prentice is optimistic and pessimistic at the same time: don’t worry your pretty little heads about it

PHOTOS: Alternative tar sands use in the event Premier Jim Prentice’s budget scenario turns out to be the right one. Below: Mr. Prentice with an appropriately grim expression and a sunny looking ATB Financial Chief Economist Todd Hirsch. How does Alberta Premier Jim Prentice get to be optimistic and pessimistic about the same thing at […]

Posted inAlberta Politics

Keeping up with the floor crossers: Wildrose defection continues to generate plenty of heat, less light

PHOTOS: Unintended irony? Wildrose MLA Shayne Saskiw from last year’s Canadian Strategy Group House of Cards Alberta political division promotion. Below: Former Wildrose House leader Rob Anderson. The intense furor over the defection of majority of Alberta Wildrose Opposition to the Progressive Conservative government seems to have prompted new clarifying statements from two of the […]

Posted inUncategorized

Has premier Jim Prentice just found himself up ‘Schitt$ Creek’ with former Wildrose leader Danielle Smith?

According to the unintendedly ironic and transitory layout on CBC Calgary’s news page yesterday afternoon, it looked as if former Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith is up Schitt$ Creek. Actually, this is probably a pretty good assessment of the reality faced by Smith, at least with a small allowance for spelling, now that the good […]

Posted inAlberta Politics

Has premier Jim Prentice just found himself up ‘Schitt$ Creek’ with former Wildrose leader Danielle Smith?

PHOTOS: Danielle Smith, up Schitt$ Creek, or something very much like that, as the PCs prepare to allow all comers to run against her. Below: Independent MLA Joe Anglin and PC Party Executive Director Kelley Charlebois. According to the unintendedly ironic and transitory layout on CBC Calgary’s news page yesterday afternoon, it looked as if […]