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David Swann Gene Zwozdesky Paul Hinman Rachel Notley

talking politics on citytv.

On Thursday morning from 8:30am to 10:00am, I will be taking part in a political discussion hosted and televised on CityTV Edmonton. Students from St. Albert’s Paul Kane High School will be spending their morning in the audience at the Enterprise Square Atrium discussion. This event is open to the public!

Panelists: University of Alberta Dean and former MLA Mike Percy, Ken Chapman, Dave Cournoyer, Colin McGarrigle (Editor, Avenue Edmonton)

Political Representatives: Minister Gene Zwozdesky, Official Opposition leader David Swann, NDP MLA Rachel Notley, and Calgary-Glenmore MLA-elect Paul Hinman.

Discussion topics:
– Have these decades long dynasties served the people of Alberta well?
– What’s left of the left? Is Alberta so far to the right there’s little chance for the left?
– Forget the left, is Calgary Glenmore a serious sign that the right is splitting? Or is it simply an isolated protest vote?
– Forget politics all together. Let’s review the abysmal voter turn-out!
– How do we foster sense of community, duty and political interest in our youth?

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Bill Aberhart Danielle Smith Wild Rose Alliance

smith speaks.

If you’re looking to be blown away by impassioned speeches from Alberta politicians, you’ll probably have to find a way to travel back to 1935, when the last fiery orator gripped his hands on Alberta’s political helm: Bill Aberhart,

She didn’t light the room on fire, but I was still impressed by the well-spoken and articulate Danielle Smith during her closing speech at the recent Wildrose Alliance leadership forum in Edmonton. Her campaign has posted the video:



Mind you, Aberhart’s speeches also led to the election of a government that wanted to print its own provincial currency and tried to pass legislation that would have forced newspapers to print government rebuttals to stories the provincial cabinet objected to. Perhaps Aberhart isn’t the ideal example?

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Alberta Electoral Boundary Review

your feedback: alberta’s electoral boundaries commission.

Alberta’s Electoral Boundaries Commission will be holding their first round of public hearings in Edmonton and Calgary this week. I am planning to submit recommendations to the Commission and I would like your feedback!

The basic overview of my submission include:

Basic Principles

– All Albertans deserve equal representation in the Alberta Legislature.

– Leave out the politics. Boundary redistribution isn’t about urban versus rural, it’s about ensuring Albertans have equal representation in their Legislature.

Population Disparity

The Electoral Boundaries Commission Act allows for the population of a proposed electoral division to be 25 percent above or 25 percent below the average population of all the proposed electoral divisions.

I urge the Commission to recommend the population of each of the proposed electoral divisions be within plus or minus 5 percent of the average population of all the proposed electoral divisions.

Large Electoral Districts

Representing large rural electoral districts presents obvious challenges. Current legislation allows the Commission to recommend 4 large proposed electoral divisions to have a population that is as much as 50% below the average population of all the proposed electoral divisions. In 2009, the technology exists to aid MLAs to communicate, converse, and represent Albertans in large electoral districts.

I urge the Electoral Boundaries Commission to not designate any electoral district this special status. Instead of allow over representation in the Assembly, I urge the Commission to recommend an increase in funding for MLAs representing large electoral districts for the cost of multiple constituency offices and an increased travel budget.

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Edmonton Downtown Arena The Katz Group

starchitecture.

I haven’t read enough information to decide whether or not I support The Katz Group proposal for the construction of an arena in downtown Edmonton, but as I wait for more information, I am continually surprised at how much Edmonton’s media has capitulated to awe of The Katz Group’s concept.

Today’s Edmonton Journal provides a perfect example of this. Without releasing any new information, The Katz Group secured a front page headline by tempting the media with vague “hints.” The headline story was largely void of new information and it appears to have reprinted much of what has already been covered in the past month.

If that wasn’t enough, the article also includes a quote from American academic Mark Rosentraub defining the buzzword “starchitecture.”

“You’re combining the word ‘star’ and ‘architecture,’ so we call it starchitecture,” Rosentraub says.

As The Katz Group moves their downtown arena agenda forward, it is imperative that Edmontonians have a mature debate about how this will shape our downtown core. I hope that when pertinent information is actually released our mainstream media can then provide responsible, balanced, and critical analysis.

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Brett Wilson Ed Stelmach

from the dragons’ den to under the dome?

Insight into Government is reporting talk that Brett Wilson, co-founder of First Energy Capital and a panelist on the CBCs the Dragons’ Den is getting ready to step forward as a leadership candidate if Premier Ed Stelmach fares poorly in the November 6-7 PC leadership review.

I originally heard this rumour in the spring, but with the PC leadership review fast approaching, the thought of a party leader like Wilson may influence the votes of some party delegates to November convention.

Wilson can be found on twitter at @WBrettWilson.

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Calgary-Glenmore Ed Stelmach Kyle Fawcett

mla apologizes for saying what 74% of calgary-glenmore voters were thinking.

And here I was thinking that the PCs had implemented a strategic communications plan to begin recovering their support after the Calgary-Glenmore by-election defeat.

Tory MLA apologizes to Stelmach

Calgary North Hill MLA Kyle Fawcett has apologized to Premier Ed Stelmach for being critical of his leadership abilities.

Fawcett suggested Stelmach had done little to give confidence to Calgarians that he has the ability to lead the province.

The rookie Conservative MLA made the comment after the party finished third in a byelection in Calgary on Monday.

Stelmach and Fawcett met for a conversation on Thursday and Fawcett offered an apology for his comment, the premier said.

“He was remorseful, and he said, look, you know, I just got caught in the heat of the loss and certainly dejected, and I know what it feels like,” said Stelmach.

I guess I gave them too much credit.

(h/t Andrew McIntyre)

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Alberta NDP Matt Hebb

ndp convention puts kibosh on co-operation.

In this week’s editions of Edmonton’s SEE Magazine or Calgary’s FFWD Weekly you can read my column on the recent Alberta NDP convention in Edmonton. The column looks at the familiar path taken after advice given by Nova Scotia NDP organizer Matt Hebb and the delegates overwhelming rejection of a motion aimed at election agreements with Alberta Liberals and others.

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Cocaine Edmonton-Strathcona Rahim Jaffer

woah, rahim.

Former Edmonton-Strathcona Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer is in some serious hot water:

Rahim Jaffer, husband of Simcoe-Grey MP Helena Guergis, has been charged with drunk driving and possession of cocaine.

Police stopped Jaffer, a 37-year-old Angus resident, on Sept. 11 on Regional Road 50 in Palgrave. Caledon OPP say he was speeding through the village.Jaffer will be in

Orangeville criminal court on Oct. 19 to answer the charges.

Jaffer was elected MP for the Edmonton-Strathcona riding in 1997, a seat he held up until last year’s federal election, when he lost to the NDP candidate.

Audio: Rahim Jaffer’s anti-drug radio ad from the 2008 election. (ht Archie McLean)

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Rick Vivone

could have been a superstar.

Rich Vivone, former editor of Insight into Government, will be launching his new book RALPH COULD HAVE BEEN A SUPERSTAR: Tales of the Klein Era tonight in Edmonton.

Location: Audreys Books, 10702 Jasper Avenue (Map).
Time: 7:30pm

I’ve read the Vivone’s book and plan to write a review in the next couple weeks. It may be tempting to judge this book by its cover, but it’s a good read and definitely worth picking up. The Edmonton Journal recently published some exerts from the book.

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Calgary-Glenmore Ed Stelmach Kyle Fawcett

not without permission.

Two backbench PC MLAs have spoken to the media about the results of the Calgary-Glenmore by-election and their concerns about a hostile political environment in Calgary. Calgary-North Hill MLA Kyle Fawcett told the Calgary Herald that he believes Premier Ed Stelmach has:

“done very little, I believe, to instil confidence in at least people in Calgary that he has the leadership capabilities to lead this province.

This is quite the stunning change of opinion by Fawcett, who has developed a reputation as a Stelmach-evangelist on the floor of the Legislative Assembly. Here is an exert of Fawcett’s speech in the Assembly on February 12, 2009:

Our Premier is a man of extraordinary vision, someone who fails to fall into the trap of regressive thinking during challenging times. He is a steady hand at the wheel of the ship in turbulent times. When others retreat, he has the optimism to search for the light at the end of the tunnel, the beacon of hope that all Albertans aspire to. He has the dogged determination to push forward to establish this province’s place in the new world paradigm when the negativity of others is enough to stop progress dead in its tracks.

It seems very likely that both MLAs were either asked to or given permission to speak to the media to counter accusations that backbenchers speaking against the Premier will be ‘Boutilierd‘ and to temper any anti-Stelmach sentiment that clearly wasn’t understood in a recent media release. I have been told that a similar tactic of external criticism only after internal permission was adopted by the Deep-Six, of which Premier Stelmach was a member.

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Alison Redford Calgary-Glenmore Dave Rodney Doug Horner Ed Stelmach Iris Evans Janice Sarich Janis Tarchuk Len Webber Peter Lougheed Ron Stevens

a calgary-glenmore induced cabinet shuffle?

I briefly touched on this point in my previous post, but the potential for a cabinet shuffle before the fall session of the Legislative Assembly begins in October seems imminent after yesterday’s results in the Calgary-Glenmore by-election. I started hearing serious rumours of a cabinet shuffle during the spring session of the Assembly. They mostly began following the announcement of the deficit in the 2009 provincial budget and intensified following the controversy over Bill 44.

A shuffle within Finance & Enterprise is the rumour I’ve heard most frequently. With Minister Iris Evans being in the most unfortunate position to have tabled Alberta’s first deficit budget in 15 years, it wouldn’t be completely shocking if Premier Ed Stelmach wanted this position shuffled. Sources close to a PC cabinet minister have told me that Advanced Education & Technology Minister Doug Horner is seen as the natural fit for this position. Horner is well-respected and has been a competent Minister in his current portfolio.

The resignation of Deputy Premier Ron Stevens left Stelmach without a recognized Calgary Lieutenant in his cabinet. Although she doesn’t have the type of corporate Calgary credentials as Stevens, I could see the Deputy Premier role being filled by Justice Minister Alison Redford.

With Children’s Services Minister Janis Tarchuk reaching the end of her political rope, Evans could easily be shuffled back into the Children’s Services portfolio, an position that she passionately filled from 1999 to 2004.

For Advanced Education & Technology, I have heard a number of names floated including PC backbenchers Len Webber, Janice Sarich, Doug Griffiths, Jonathan Denis, Dave Rodney, and cabinet ministers Heather Klimchuk and Ted Morton. I have a difficult time believing that Morton would be moved from Sustainable Resource Development (a ministry where he is recognized as being competent), the results of the Calgary-Glenmore by-election make it likely that a Calgary MLA will be picked.

I’m told that many inside Stelmach’s inner circle take great joy in comparing themselves to the government of Peter Lougheed. If this is a motivator, I could easily see both Horner and Webber, two second generation PC MLAs whose father’s served in Lougheed’s government, be appointed to elevated positions around the cabinet table.

UPDATE: Len Webber has been appointed Minister of Intergovernmental and International Affairs. This appears to be Premier Stelmach’s only new appointment to the Cabinet.

Further UPDATE: From the GOA:

Premier Stelmach also named Calgary-Egmont MLA Jonathan Denis as the new Parliamentary Assistant for Energy. Cardston-Taber-Warner MLA Broyce Jacobs becomes the Parliamentary Assistant for Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD). And Battle River-Wainwright MLA Doug Griffiths moves from his role as the Parliamentary Assistant in ARD to become the Parliamentary Assistant for the Department of Solicitor General and Public Security.

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Avalon Roberts Calgary-Glenmore Diane Colley-Urquhart Ed Stelmach Eric Carpendale Len Skowronski Paul Hinman Sheldon Chumir

calgary-glenmore by-election results.

Paul Hinman, WAP: 4,052 (37%)
Avalon Roberts, Lib: 3,776 (34%)
Diane Colley-Urquhart, PC: 2,863 (26%)
Eric Carpendale, NDP: 148 (1%)
Len Skowronski, SC: 118 (1%)
Tony Gronchowski, Ind: 71 (1%)

There will undoubtedly be no shortage of analysis and punditry about the impact of these results during the political season this fall, so here are some thoughts to help start it off:

– Calgary-Glenmore represents only the fourth time since 1979 where a provincial by-election has resulted in a switch of party representation. This is the second since Ed Stelmach became Premier in 2006.

– Paul Hinman is returning to the Alberta Legislature. Hinman is the outgoing Wildrose Alliance leader and served as the MLA for Cardston-Taber-Warner from 2004 to 2008. A 37% victory is far from a landslide, but it appears that Hinman’s SEND ED A MESSAGE campaign resonated with a plurality of voters in Glenmore. It will be interesting to see if this by-election win increases public interest in that party’s leadership race scheduled for October 17.

– The Alberta Liberals were hoping to build on their Calgary gains from the 2008 election, but candidate Avalon Roberts’ strong second-place finish showed that the Liberals have been unable to grow their share of the vote from 2008. This is not great news for an Official Opposition party that has constantly struggled to define itself.

– How could Diane Colley-Urquhart not win? Some pundits may point out that the last time a PC candidate placed so poorly in a Calgary by-election was Calgary-Buffalo in 1992. While I’m not disputing that Rod Love‘s third place finish in the 1992 contest was embarrassing, the Calgary-Glenmore scenario is quite different. Unlike Calgary-Buffalo in 1992, which had been represented by popular Liberal MLA Sheldon Chumir, Calgary-Glenmore has been a PC stronghold since 1971. Also, unlike Love, Diane Colley-Urquhart was not a parachute candidate. Colley-Urquhart is a nine-year Alderman, a former President of the Glenmore PC Association, and the campaign manager for former MLA Ron Stevens. Colley-Urquhart knew Glenmore and the PCs still managed to lose over 3,500 votes in this election.

– When did it become an appropriate use of public resources for the Premier to issue a media release from the Government of Alberta thanking a candidate for running for his party? Rather than congratulating Hinman on his election, Premier Stelmach issued a Government of Alberta media release thanking Colley-Urquhart for her “strong and honourable campaign.” There was no mention of the MLA-elect for Calgary-Glenmore in the media release.

– With an upcoming leadership review, expect Premier Stelmach to initiate some classic overcompensation. Since the end of the spring legislative session, there have been endless rumours about a fall cabinet shuffle and who it could include. Rumour has it that new Calgary faces in the cabinet that could include Dave Rodney and Len Webber.

– The Alberta NDP and Social Credit candidates battled throughout the evening for the fifth place finish, with Socred leader Len Skowronski finally besting NDP flag-bearer Eric Carpendale late in the evening.

Related:
Alex Abboud: Calgary Goes Wild(rose)
Ken Chapman: By-Election Results Show Premier Stelmach has some serious soul searching to do!
Chris Labossiere: Between a WRAP and a Hard Place
Trish Audette: Break out the welcome mat…
Calgary Grit: A Wild(rose) ride in Calgary Glenmore
Graham Thomson: Stelmach’s nightmare now a reality

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Uncategorized

is something happening in the calgary-glenmore by-election?

Early poll-by-poll results from the by-election are showing some interesting results…

With 18 out of 66 polls reporting:

Paul Hinman, Wildrose Alliance: 816 votes
Avalon Roberts, Liberal: 698 votes
Diane Colley-Urquhart, PC: 649 votes
Eric Carpendale, NDP: 43 votes
Len Skowronski, SC: 21 votes
Tony Grochowski, Ind: 20 votes

Update:

With 56/66 polls reporting:

Paul Hinman, Wildrose Alliance: 3,261 votes
Avalon Roberts, Liberal: 2,986 votes
Diane Colley-Urquhart, PC: 2,219 votes
Eric Carpendale, NDP: 121 votes
Len Skowronski, SC: 95 votes
Tony Grochowski, Ind: 59 votes

The daveberta.ca decision desk is calling it a victory for Paul Hinman.

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Calgary-Glenmore

by-election night in calgary-glenmore.

If you live in the riding of Calgary-Glenmore and haven’t had a chance to vote, head down to your local polling station before 8:00pm tonight and cast your ballot.

It must have been a hot day to get the vote out in Calgary, but if you are settling for the evening to watch for the results, I hear that my friend from the ES Nation @oberhoffner will be attempting to live-tweet the results.

In the 18 provincial by-elections held in Alberta since 1979, only three have resulted in seats changing parties:

2007: Calgary-Elbow (PC to Liberal)
1992: Three Hills-Airdrie (PC to Liberal)
1982: Olds-Three Hills (PC to Western Canadian Concept)

Also, 7 of the 18 by-elections resulted in close races where the elected MLA was decided by less than 1,000 votes:

2007: Calgary-Elbow (Liberal gain by 784 votes)
2000: Red Deer-North (PC hold by 392 votes)
1996: Redwater (Liberal hold by 98 votes)
1995: Calgary-McCall (PC hold by 516 votes)
1990: Little Bow (PC hold by 262 votes)
1985: Spirit River-Fairview (NDP hold by 462 votes)
1979: Barrhead (PC hold by 355 votes)

You can also watch results come in on the Elections Alberta website

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Avalon Roberts Calgary-Glenmore Diane Colley-Urquhart Eric Carpendale Len Skowronski Paul Hinman

a message to calgary-glenmore voters.

Dear Calgary-Glenmore voters,

From 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM today, you have the opportunity to vote in the by-election that will choose your next MLA.

In the last general election only 41% of you voted.

You’ve probably heard a lot about how tens of thousands of Canadians have died to protect your democracy and your right to vote. I would reiterate this point, but because it didn’t faze 59% of you during the last election, it probably won’t faze you now.

So, to get to the point, please don’t embarrass Alberta with a low voter turnout today. You don’t have good excuse, so get out and vote.

Sincerely,

Dave

Candidate Information
Eric Carpendale
Diane Colley-Urquhart
Antoni Grochowski
Paul Hinman
Avalon Roberts
Len Skowronski

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