Alberta’s Opposition New Democratic Party led the United Conservative Party in fund-raising for the third consecutive quarter of 2021, although not by the dramatic margins seen in the first two quarters. This leaves Rachel Notley’s NDP far in the lead for year-to-date contributions from Albertans, but it contains a warning for the party’s supporters too. […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Minister’s claim his chief of staff’s troubles were news to him, raises eyebrows, prompts doubts
Judging from the reaction on social media, not a lot of Albertans believed Jobs, Economy and Innovation Minister Doug Schweitzer when he told a news reporter last week it wasn’t his decision in February to fire his former chief of staff, Ariella Kimmel. After the story broke last Thursday that Ms. Kimmel had filed a […]
Posted inBestsellers
Two celebrity murder mysteries back atop Alberta independent bookshops’ fiction bestseller list for second week
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold by independent booksellers in Alberta during the week ended Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. The lists are compiled by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta, and include sales at Audreys Books and Glass Bookshop in Edmonton. Last week’s celebrity murder mysteries are back for a second […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
UCP Government imploding? Sexual harassment scandal hits Premier’s Office hours after supposed referendum victory
Premier Jason Kenney had less than 24 hours to savour his dubious victory in Alberta’s anti-equalization referendum before a serious scandal involving accusations of sexual-harassment, heavy drinking in the office, and the firing of a victim hit the headlines. It’s not clear if the revelation a former ministerial chief of staff has filed a lawsuit […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Jason Kenney will try to spin his anti-equalization referendum vote as a huge victory – don’t believe him
Deeply unpopular with Alberta voters, distrusted by many in his own divided caucus, and with his United Conservative Party in financial disarray, Premier Jason Kenney will try to spin the 62-per-cent yes vote in his dishonestly worded, constitutionally meaningless, low-turnout, anti-equalization referendum as the hugest victory in the history of hugeness. That’s what Mr. Kenney […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Sorting fact from fiction in Allan Inquiry commentary and coverage: That $1.3-billion fib explained
The United Conservative Party and its allies are not being truthful when they say, “The public inquiry into anti-Alberta energy campaigns has confirmed that foreign donors gave $1.3 billion to Canadian environmentalists to harm Alberta’s energy sector.” It confirms no such thing. I pulled that particular quote from a tweet published on the Twitter account […]
Posted inBestsellers
State of terror, by Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton, tops Alberta independent booksellers’ fiction bestseller list
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold by independent booksellers in Alberta during the week ended Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. The lists are compiled by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta, and include sales at Audreys Books and Glass Bookshop in Edmonton. I notice a couple of celebrity murder mysteries are sitting […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Allan Inquiry half-heartedly exonerates environmental groups that took U.S. funding, turns on Alberta War Room
Of all the conclusions of Commissioner Steve Allan’s misbegotten and sometimes incoherent $3.5-million “Public Inquiry into Anti-Alberta Energy Campaigns” might have come up with, the most unexpected was what he had to say about Canadian Energy Centre Ltd. Who would have thought that the Allan Inquiry would end up attacking the War Room, the flip […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
After another week of political disasters, UCP prepares to release Allan Report on ‘anti-Alberta’ environmental campaigns
Has the leadership of the United Conservative Party grown so disconnected from reality it imagines the release of the report of the so-called “public inquiry into anti-Alberta energy campaigns” will somehow win back the hearts of Alberta’s disillusioned public? Or is it just having such a terrible week it’s decided throwing one more bad story […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
The obvious lessons from Alberta’s municipal election will be hard for Jason Kenney and the UCP to learn
Many of Alberta’s highest-decibel conservative loudmouths were by turns appalled and furious yesterday at the outcome of Monday’s province-wide municipal elections. The votes saw progressive mayors and councils elected in the province’s two largest cities and many other signs this place is changing for the better. Lorne Gunter, Postmedia’s reliably right-wing Edmonton political columnist, practically […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Despite UCP efforts to tilt the playing field, progressive mayors are elected in both Edmonton and Calgary
Despite the best efforts of Alberta’s United Conservative Party Government to tilt the playing field steeply in favour right-wing candidates, voters in both Calgary and Edmonton elected progressive mayors yesterday. Amarjeet Sohi, a soft-spoken former bus driver and trade unionist who was once a political prisoner in India and served as a minister in Justin […]
Posted inAlberta Politics
Some last words as mayor from Calgary’s Naheed Nenshi on the eve of the election to choose his successor
Almost from the day they took power in 2019, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi has known how to get up the noses of Alberta’s United Conservative Party Government. It’s part of the man’s charm, although by no means all of it. Yesterday, on the eve of the municipal election in which Calgary voters will choose the […]