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Alberta Politics

alberta politics notes 5/29/2010

Naheed Nenshi is in the race for Mayor of Calgary. Mr. Nenshi joins MLA Kent Hehr, Alderman Ric McIver, Alderman Joe Connelly, and former MLA Jon Lord. Read CalgaryPolitics.com for up to the minute updates on the Calgary Municipal election.
– Ward F candidate for Public School Board Michael Janz is kicking off his campaign with a free BBQ on May 30 (tomorrow) at the McKernan Community Hall.
– Minister Dave Hancock is expected to soon release the “Inspiring Education” report. Edmonton Trustee Sue Huff shared her thoughts on the process conference last October.
– One day he is filing a $2.8 million lawsuit against his former employer, the Edmonton Sun, and the next day columnist Kerry Diotte is seeking election to City Council. Mr. Diotte’s campaign team is said to include Gordon Stamp (Campaign Manager to Edmonton-East MP Peter Goldring) and former Councillor and perennial Mayoral candidate Mike Nickel (who was defeated by Don Iveson in 2007).
– Alberta’s Resource Royalty structure has once again been changed as the Provincial Government gives up $1.5 billion in revenue. The changes made in 2007 were the chief criticisms made by the Wildrose Alliance of the governing Progressive Conservatives. They reacted with luke warm support of the changes.
Todd Hirsh, a senior analyst with ATB Financial, raises the question: could Greece become Alberta’s nightmare?.
– “Maybe we need a good recession or a depression.” Former Premier Ralph Klein said he did not know how small business owners could address the province’s extremely high wage expectations.
– Former Edmonton-Mill Woods Liberal MLA Weslyn Mather wrote a letter about her party in yesterday’s Edmonton Journal.
– Some people are starting to notice the “election-like campaigns” that politicians are engaging in this summer (Energy Minister Ron Liepert described the recent Cabinet Tour as an “election tour“) Is it a sign of an early 2011 election?
– While her party may have shunned cooperation in the next provincial election, NDP Research Director and Public School Board candidate Sarah Hoffman engaged a friendly crowd at a fundraiser for Edmonton-Gold Bar Liberal MLA Hugh MacDonald this week.

Read more in the Alberta Politics Notes archive.

6 replies on “alberta politics notes 5/29/2010”

Pretty polished speech for a school board candidate. I like her message too. This one’s going places.

I wager the cabinet tour is a 2010 election tour. Watch for Team Stelmach to manufacture an excuse to go to the polls this November, shortly after the municipal elections wrap up.

I think they’re hoping to catch the Wild Rose unprepared and lacking a full slate of quality candidates. Unfortunately Danielle Smith seems oblivious to this and it continuing her party’s election prep at a glacial pace.

Neal interesting comments. I quite agree that the cabinet tour was a 2010 election tour although I can tell you that if the PC’s go into an election with Stelmach as leader they are dead-in-the-water.

I do not understand your comment about the Wildrose as I am sure that Danielle Smith is well aware of what is going on. We all know that everything the PC’s have done since last December is a reaction to the danger that they know is the Wildrose. Anything the PC’s have done that might have appeared to be for the good of Albertan’s is really to save their hide.

I sincerely hope that people realize the PC’s are trying to buy their votes with the taxpayers money. I truly do not care how a person votes, with the next election, I just hope they get out and vote.

Dave, I don’t know who your sources are, other than the Edmonton Journal blogs, but Mike Nickel is definitely not on Kerry Diotte’s campaign team or any other campaign team for that matter. He’s out of politics. The voters made it clear that’s what they wanted in 2007.

The Calgary mayors race now has 10 candidates, soon to be 11. You might want to include them if you are going to report on this. You missed Craig Burrows most significantly….one of the top 3 contenders in the race. Good to have a writer like Nenshi involved…good for thinking, not sure he can do anything though.

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