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Media

alberta newspapers awash in national awards.

The mainstream media has taken quite a beating over the past year, and while it’s really easy to focus on the negative (especially when people are losing their jobs), it’s important to recognize some of the great journalists and newspapers that are continuing to report, write, and publish print news in our communities.

Earlier this month, the Canadian Community Newspapers Association announced the winners of their annual awards. Congrats to the Alberta award winners, which included the Wainwright Star Chronicle, Elk Point Review, Jasper Booster (which has since shut down), Vaxhaull Advance, MacLeod Gazette, South Peace News, Taber Times, Hinton Parklander, Peace River Record-Gazette, Bonnyville Nouvelle, Banff Crag & Canyon, Rocky Mountain Outlook, Canmore Leader, St. Albert Gazette, Okotoks Western Wheel, Fast Forward Weekly, SEE Magazine, Sherwood Park News, Sylvan Lake News, Athabasca Advocate, Strathmore Standard, Provost News, Wainwright Edge, Drumheller Mail, and Lethbridge Community College’s Endeavour.

While they have yet to announce the winners, three writers, one photographer, one cartoonist, and a team of reporters are among the Alberta nominees for the 2009 Canadian Newspaper Association National Newspaper Awards:

Beat Reporting: Michelle Lang, Calgary Herald, for health and medicine coverage

Arts and Entertainment: Elizabeth Withey, Edmonton Journal, for stories of three Canadian artists, two in music and one author

Feature Photography: Ian Martens, Lethbridge Herald, for a shot of a full moon as a backdrop for a wedding photograph being taken by another photographer

Editorial Cartooning: John B. Larter, Calgary Herald

News Photography: Ted Rhodes, Calgary Herald, for a photo of a distraught woman who has just learned her son was the victim of a murder.

Breaking News: Calgary Herald team’s coverage of the Lall family murders

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Uncategorized

‘select a goa priority.’

As part of the ‘Freedom to Create‘ part of Alberta’s new identity rebranding campaign, the Government of Alberta will now let ordinary citizens select which government priority fits with each Government media release.
Now, that’s thinking out of the box!
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Auditor General

getting what you pay for.

Elections Alberta (during 2008 election campaign)… $9.4 million

Office of the Auditor General… $21.5 million
Re-branding Alberta (“Freedom to Create. Spirit to Achieve”)… $25 million

UPDATE: In retrospect, perhaps this post would be better summed up as:

The $25 million public relations campaign is an exercise in spin. I am proud to be Albertan, but I wish our elected officials would not have to rely on high-priced public relations consultants as a crutch to manage Alberta’s identity. I wish for an Alberta where our elected officials had the courage to lead by and defend Alberta’s national and international reputation through the strength of their actions. Alberta is an incredible province, with some incredible people, but the institutional mediocrity that has crept into our democratic culture has stymied our limitless potential. Alberta in 2009 is a great place to live, but it has the potential to be so much better.
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Alnoor Kassam Art Johnston Bill 202 Bill 203 Bill 204 Dave Bronconnier Ed Stelmach Jeff Johnson Laurie Blakeman

provincial representatives minding [municipal] affairs [re: bills 202, 203, 204].

Municipal issues are a hot topic for MLAs introducing Private Member’s Bills in this session of the Alberta Legislature:

Bill 202: Municipal Government (Municipal Auditor General) Amendment Act, 2009

Introduced by Calgary-Hays MLA Art Johnston. The AAMDC is waiting for more details, but the AUMA has written to Premier Ed Stelmach raising concerns about the “bureaucracy and increased costs, to both the Province and municipalities,” which they argue could be created if this Bill becomes Law. This Bill could also have the unintended consequence of creating increased tension between the province and municipalities, as many municipalities (including both the Cities of Edmonton and Calgary) already employ their own Auditors who report to the elected Councils. While I support increases accountability and transparency, I would hope that a new Auditor General would not face the same funding challenges that have plagued the provincial Auditor General over the past few months.

Bill 203: Local Authorities Election (Finance and Contribution Disclosure) Amendment Act, 2009

Introduced by Athabasca-Redwater MLA Jeff Johnson. As rules around municipal campaign financing currently vary from municipality to municipality, this Bill would bring law and order to one of the last frontiers of campaign finance in Wild Rose Country. Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier has recently introduced recommendations to change campaign finance regulations after his 2007 opponent, Alnoor Kassam, self-funded a $1 million dollar campaign against the incumbent Mayor. Increased consistency, transparency, and accountability on the municipal level is a good start, but there’s still a long way to go.

Bill 204: Municipal Tax Sharing Act, 2009

Introduced by Edmonton-Centre MLA Laurie Blakeman. Especially important in areas of the province such as Edmonton’s Capital Region, the creation of municipal tax-sharing agreements and formulas are a critical growth management issue in Alberta. I’m unsure how this Bill would complement the recently agreed upon ‘peace in our time‘* among the 25 Capital Region municipalities, but I’ve always thought it likely that provincial legislation would need to be enacted before we would ever see concrete action on this issue. Unfortunately, due to Blakeman’s political geography in the Legislature (sitting in the 9 MLA Liberal caucus, and not in the 72 MLA PC caucus), it’s very likely that Bill 204 will meet a similar fate to Kent Hehr‘s Bill 201 and be defeated.
Here’s video of Blakeman introducing Bill 204:

*More on this later.

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Bill 19: Land Assembly Project Area Act Diana McQueen Doug Griffiths Evan Berger Jack Hayden Joe Anglin Ray Prins Verlyn Olsen

rumble in ryley ko? [the continuing saga of bill 19].

Some reaction from Joe Anglin on last night’s hotly anticipated Bill 19 Town Hall in Village of Ryley:

For Immediate Release

March 24, 2009

Bill 19 was Drafted in Error?

(Rimbey, AB) Bill 19 – still looking for the right combination to debate Green Party Leader Joe Anglin over the proposed Land Assembly Area Act [Bill 19], the Hon Jack Hayden, author of the Bill, attended a public forum in Riley AB on Monday night to try his best to defend the Bill. Mr. Hayden accompanied with MLAs Mr. Evan Berger (Livingstone-Macleod), Mr. Ray Prins (Lacombe Ponoka), Ms. Diana McQueen (Drayton Valley/Calmar), Mr. Verlyn Olson (Wetaskiwin/Camrose), and Mr. Doug Griffiths (Battle River-Wainwright) failed to convince the crowd in attendance of the merits of the Bill or the proposed amendments, and may have embarrassed themselves.

Mr. Hayden told the crowd in the attendance, as the government has done at previous public forums, Bill 19 was needed because the Restricted Development Act was struck down in a previous court decision. When queried by Mr. Anglin over the referenced court decision, Mr. Hayden was informed that a Restricted Development Act has never existed in law in Alberta, and the Alberta courts have no record of a decision striking down any piece of Alberta Legislation called the Restricted Development Act.

Anglin went on to ask Mr. Hayden that if he could not produce a copy of a court case striking down the assumed Restricted Development Act, would he then agree that the premise for drafting Bill 19 was based on an error concerning a court ruling that doesn’t exist, and would he then withdraw the Bill because of this error?

Mr. Hayden did not respond to Anglin’s question, and the other five MLAs scrambled and shuffled paper. However, Mr. Hayden and the other MLAs in attendance would not comment further on the fact the Minister may have drafted Bill 19 in error – in view of the fact the courts have not struck down any legislation in Alberta called the Restricted Development Act.

-30-

Joe Anglin
Leader of the Alberta Greens
(403) 843-3279

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Alberta Oil Sands Alberta Social Credit Len Skowronski

social credit weighs in on oil sands debate.

For those who missed it (and I imagine most Albertans fit into this category), Social Credit Party leader Len Skowronski waded into the great Oil Sands debate in February by releasing a nine-point plan for Oil Sands development. Social Credit formed the Government of Alberta from 1935 to 1971.

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Afghanistan Fox News Greg Gutfeld

fox news apologizes [re: mocking canadians in afghanistan].

On March 20, I posted a video clip of Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld and guests mocking the role of Canada’s military in Afghanistan. Today, Gutfeld and Fox News are apologizing for the comments.

From iNews880:

A Fox News host is apologizing to Canadians in the face of widespread outrage over comments he and his guests made on a late-night talk show.

`Red Eye’ host Greg Gutfield says his comments `may have been misunderstood’ and in no way were meant to disrespect `the brave men, women and families of the Canadian military.’

Fox News issued the Gutfield statement just after the Canadian government demanded an apology for what it called the `despicable’ and `disgusting’ comments.

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Bill 19: Land Assembly Project Area Act Jack Hayden Joe Anglin

bill 19 rumble in ryley [joe anglin v. jack hayden].

Recent amendments removing sections of the controversial Bill 19: Land Assembly Project Area Act have satisfied some critics, but others remain steady in their opposition to the legilsation. Central Alberta landowner and Green Party leader Joe Anglin still has serious concerns about the legislation and has in recent weeks organized Town Hall meetings on Bill 19 in Warburg and Ponoka which attracted the attention of four PC MLAs who showed up to defend their government’s Bill.

In recent weeks, the Wild Rose Agricultural Producers, the Council of Canadians, Greenpeace, and the Sierra Club have also voiced their opposition to Bill 19.

Tonight, Anglin will face off against Infrastructure Minister Jack Hayden at an open forum in Ryley, Alberta:

For Immediate Release

March 23, 2009

(Rimbey, AB) Tonight at the Ryley Community Center the Minister of Infrastructure, the Hon Jack Hayden, will be discussing Bill 19, the “Land Assembly Area Act”, along with Joe Anglin, Advocate for Landowner Rights and Leader of the Alberta Green Party.

This will be the first time the Minister, and sponsor of the controversial Bill 19, will defend his proposed Bill. Mr. Hayden and Mr. Anglin will answer questions from the public at the open forum.

The public and press are invited to attend. The forum starts at 7: 00 PM March 23, 2009 at the Ryley Community Center (Corner of 51 Ave and 49 St) in Ryley, Alberta.

-30-

Joe Anglin
Leader of the Alberta Green Party
(403) 843-3279

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Alison Redford Bridget Pastoor Dave Hancock Doug Horner Fred Lindsay Gene Zwozdesky Heather Klimchuk Iris Evans Jack Hayden Lloyd Snelgrove Luke Ouellette Rob Renner Ron Stevens TILMA

no debate on public debate amendment [re: bill 18 & tilma].

They stood up to vote against it, but no PC MLA spoke up to explain why they opposed Lethbridge-East MLA Bridget Pastoor‘s March 18 amendment to remove Section 5 of Bill 18: Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement Implementation Statutes Amendment Act, 2009. In its current form, Section 5 will allow Cabinet Ministers to suspend or modify sections of the TILMA Act without seeking the approval of or having to deal with public debate in the elected Legislature.

Six opposition MLAs rose to speak in support of the amendment, while thirty-one PC MLAs, including Cabinet Ministers Iris Evans, Dave Hancock, Jack Hayden, Doug Horner, Heather Klimchuk, Fred Lindsay, Luke Ouellette, Alison Redford, Rob Renner, Lloyd Snelgrove, Ron Stevens, and Gene Zwozdesky didn’t make a peep before defeating the amendment 31 to 6.

UPDATE: MLA Laurie Blakeman raised concerns about this section of Bill 18 earlier in the week:

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Afghanistan Canadian Armed Forces Fox News Greg Gutfeld

sick to the gutfeld [fox news mocks canada’s role in afghanistan].

Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld and guests on a recent taping of his show thought it would be funny to belittle and mock the Canadian military’s role in Afghanistan. Four more Canadian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan today, bringing the total to 116 Canadians who have died in the conflict.

What a sicko.

(h/t @ChrisLabossiere and @BPMDavidStone)

UPDATE: You can email Brian Lewis at FOX NEWS to demand an apology.

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Audi Canadian Taxpayers' Federation Fred Dunn

canadian taxpayers’ federation silent on the auditor general’s lack of funding.

Usually not shy to criticize government spending, the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation has remained noticeably silent following the news that Alberta’s Auditor General Fred Dunn has delayed or cancelled 27 of 80 planned financial or systematic audits because of financial constraints.

As an articulate commenter on a previous post wrote, the Office of the Auditor General exists to provide “clear, nonpartisan feedback on the finances of the various functions of government. Their job is to provide what amounts to constructive financial criticism to governments about the way programs, departments and ministries spend money. The better the auditor general, the tighter the financial ship.“

The Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation lists dedication to less waste and accountable government as two of its main goals, so it seems to me that if there were one area of spending that the CTF would publicly support, it would be for the people who are in charge of the audits that create less waste and more accountable government.

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Auditor General Fred Dunn Jeff Johnson Jonathan Denis

bullshit detector reaches critical levels [re: auditor general].

Alberta’s Auditor General Fred Dunn recently announced the delay or cancellation of 27 out of 80 planned system and financial audits due to budget constraints and yesterday, after opposition MLAs once again attempted (and failed) to increase funding for the Auditor General, the remarks of two backbench PC MLAs really caught my attention:

Calgary-Egmont MLA Jonathan Denis:

“Realistically everybody would like more money, I would like more money, but the reality is we froze our paycheques this year. This is the first time in 15 years we froze our paycheques. And similarly we don’t want to ge giving extra money to departments where that’s not required.”

Athabasca-Redwater MLA Jeff Johnson:

“We’re in a time of great financial restraint,” Johnson said. “I don’t know how we (justify) going from $21.5 million to $25 million in one year….” “Nobody has enough money to do the job they’d like to do.”

The mandate of the Auditor General of Alberta is to ‘identify opportunities and propose solutions for the improved use of public resources, and to improve and add credibility to performance reporting, including financial reporting, to Albertans.‘ Ensuring financial and systematic efficiency through these audits is one of our government’s most important responsibilities to the hardworking citizens and taxpayers of this province. Albertans should not have to wait until good economic times for the Auditor General to have the resources to do the most effective job possible.

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Alberta Oil Sands Andrew Nikiforuk

downloading the tar sands (for free).

I posted this on Twitter yesterday, but just in case you missed it, Andrew Nikiforuk‘s book ‘Tar Sands: Dirty Oil & Future of a Continent‘ is available as a free pdf download until tomorrow (March 20, 2009).

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Calgary Chamber of Commerce George W. Bush

bush 43 dines in calgary.

Former United States President George W. Bush had lunch in Calgary today, and 200-300 protesters showed up outside the 1,500 person luncheon hosted by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. At least three protesters have been reported as being arrested. According to the Toronto Star, the $400 per ticket luncheon will score Bush at least $100,000 in fees.

Gena Rotstein was at this afternoon’s protest and posted a recap on her blog, and Aaron Braaten has shared his theory on the actual reason for Bush’s visit to Calgary.

You can follow Bush’s Calgary visit on Twitter at #gwbyyc and check out a photo gallery of the protests at CBC Calgary.

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Dave Hancock Genia Leskiw Ken Kowalski Peter Milliken

peter milliken visits alberta legislature. enjoys bipartisan brew.

– House of Commons Speaker Peter Milliken stopped by Edmonton yesterday as part of a Canada-wide Legislative tour where he met with Speaker Ken Kowalski and MLAs. I haven’t heard whether Milliken discussed Kowalski’s recent ban of online social media during Question Period (Milliken allows the use of blackberries, laptops during Question Period in the House of Commons). The Kingston Liberal MP also stopped by the U of A Conservative Club Pub Night for bipartisan beer and pictures.
– Bonnyville-Cold Lake MLA Genia Leskiw‘s private members motion to dissolve Provincial Achievement Tests for Grade 3 students passed in the Alberta Legislature. After a vigorous debate, Lewskiw’s motion passed 29 to 18, but did not gain the support of Education Minister Dave Hancock, or most members of the PC Cabinet.
– The Conservative Party of Canada is changing their nomination rules, effectively protecting incumbent MPs from nomination challenges. These rule changes may abort Donna Kennedy-Glans nascent nomination challenge in Calgary-West. Kennedy-Glans had recently announced her intentions to challenge sitting Conservative MP Rob Anders.
– National Defence Minister Peter Mackay was in Edmonton yesterday to announce plans to spend $40 million on much needed infrastructure upgrades for Armed Forces bases in Alberta. Mackay announced $21 million to CFB Edmonton for housing and training facilities, $11 million to CFB Wainwright for water treatment upgrades, and $8 million for CFB Cold Lake.
– Two Alberta newspapers recently closed their doors. In what can be described as a really bad year to own a newspaper, Quebecor’s Jasper Booster and Morinville Town & Country Examiner (formerly the Morinville Mirror) shut down this week.
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