Alberta’s Environment Minister Rob Renner (at least partly and possibly) steps in line with 1990s thinking on climate change:
“I’m of the opinion (human activity is) at least partly responsible and possibly mostly responsible for climate change.”
Edmonton City Council will be holding a public hearing this afternoon about whether the time has come to change the current six Ward/two Councillor system to a Twelve Wards/One Councillor system. Though the Edmonton Journal framed the decision as a fait accompli late last year, this isn’t the first time the idea has been debated by Council.
As Edmonton is one of the last of Canada’s larger urban municipalities to still be using the two Councillors per Ward system, I think the time to change the system has come. With each Ward holding over 100,000 citizens, creating smaller and more manageable Wards will make it much easier for Councillors to represent the interests of Edmontonians in City Hall.
The public hearing is set to begin at 1:30pm in Council Chamber, second floor City Hall. To register to speak, call the Office of the City Clerk at 780-496-8176 or register online.
UPDATE: Council is moving ahead with plans for a 12 Ward system…
Just another day for the brave men and woman defending our skies from foreign threats…
Norad alerted officials in Ottawa, who in turn got in touch with emergency officials in Alberta.
Colin Lloyd, executive director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, said they set up an emergency command centre and alerted the premier.
Lloyd said a public warning notice was about to be sent out at 10:46 a.m.
“As one of our staff was about to press the button to launch the message that would go out to members of the public alerting them of the event, we received notification from the government operations centre in Ottawa that in fact the debris had … sheared off [in] the atmosphere and was now actually in the Atlantic Ocean.”
Lloyd said it was a morning at work that he won’t forget.
UPDATE: When I first heard of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, I couldn’t help but think of another emergency management agency…
I was surprised to see my name once again grace the glorious pages of the Calgary Herald last week. When I was first named as a member of a secret political conspiracy group in the Herald a month ago, I didn’t believe the story was worth responding to on this blog, but as my name showed up again last week, I thought I’d provide my readers with a little insight into what I’ve been up to.
Since the March 2008 election, I have been involved in many political discussions and debates with a group of friends and colleagues about the best ways to achieve a more democratic, responsible, and sustainable Alberta. One of my goals is to find an effective way to help build a better Alberta by contributing to positive meaningful change for Albertans who aren’t being well served by the current government.
As seen by the Herald story, even the mention of starting a new political movement can generate a lot of interest, and that’s great, because there’s no reason why political discussions in Alberta should be limited to the traditional political parties.
Will a new political movement be created? At this point, it has yet to go beyond the stage of conversation, but you can sure bet that you will read about it again if one does.
I have been a little shocked at the way these casual chats have been blown out of proportion, as I’ve had countless conversations (generally over coffee or beer) with different people across and outside of party-lines over the past year. Their political bents vary, but they have one thing in common, they are passionate accomplished Albertans who are hungry for something better, but don’t see any of the current political parties as vehicles to create positive change.
If you’re an Albertan interested in meeting me for a coffee and conversation about creating meaningful positive change in this province, send me an email at daveberta.ca@gmail.com.
And remember, everything is up for debate, and I like coffee (and beer).
According to Calgary Herald columnist Don Braid, Lethbridge-East Liberal MLA Bridget Pastoor is considering crossing the floor to the PCs. Braid quoted Pastoor as saying:
“I think things are in flux and we need some major changes in this province. We need democratic reform, whichever side of the house it comes from.”
I agree with this statement, but with a 72 MLAs, I have a difficult time believing that even a moderate democratic reform measure could pass through the institutional inertia of PC caucus. Ask Ken Allred.
UPDATE: A quote from Pastoor in a Liberal news release today:
“I will not cross the floor. I support Dr. Swann’s commitment to democratic reform.”
– Alberta’s Throne Speech 2009. Long on promises, short on details, as Throne Speeches always are. Check out David Climenhaga‘s take.
– Preston Manning is in today’s Globe & Mail calling for a sustainable energy security strategy for North America.
– Obama2Canada.org has been launched to raise awareness of the environmentally damaging effects of the oil sands before President Barack Obama‘s 5 hour Ottawa visit with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on February 19.
– Edmonton’s Twestival hit the front page of the Edmonton Journal this morning.
– In a recent poll, new Federal Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff was viewed more positively than negatively in every province except Alberta across all age and gender groups.
– More evidence of the continued implosion of the CanWest media empire. I was sad to hear that the Calgary Herald will be letting go many of its freelance writers, including political writer Les Brost.
– There’s some interesting ongoing debate on the state of Liberal politics in Alberta in one of my previous posts.
Former Albertan Michelle Mungall has been nominated to run for the NDP in Nelson-Creston in the May 2009 British Columbia Provincial Election. Mungall carried the NDP banner during the 2001 Alberta provincial election in St. Albert, placing third behind PC MLA Mary O’Neill and former Liberal MLA Len Bracko. Mungall later moved to BC and was elected to Nelson City Council.
Mungall won the NDP nomination to replace retiring NDP MLA Corky Evans.
Two news articles caught my eye this weekend:
– Jeremy Loome had an interesting column in the Edmonton Sun this weekend on the state of the Liberal Party brand in Alberta.
Loome raised an excellent point about former Liberal leader and Edmonton Mayor Laurence Decore. As much as many die-hard Liberals continue to believe that Decore is an example of how their party has been successful in Alberta, many of them seem to have a hard time recollecting that even Decore wasn’t able to lead the Liberals to victory against the PCs. I understand that many long-time Liberals feel a personal connection to the Liberal Party of 1993, but it’s not hard to argue that the electoral gains made that year had more to do with Decore’s personal brand and his political connections than any party label.
– Decore-era Liberal Alex MacDonald was quoted in the Calgary Herald this weekend arguing that the Alberta Liberal Party is now in a better position than it was when Decore became its leader in 1988.
Having no personal experience with the Liberal Party of 1988, I can’t say that this isn’t the truth, but the political environment that exists today makes it difficult for me to believe that the Liberal Party of 2009 could attract the high profile leadership material like Decore.
MacDonald continued to argue that “[w]ith the right leader, and with the right strategy, and with enough support from people around the leader and in the party, it’s very possible for a great deal of momentum to be created from a base of not very much.“
‘If everything were different, things would be different’ is a hard argument to counter.
I have a lot of personal respect for current Liberal leader David Swann, but the cultural state of that political party has led me to step away from the Liberal Party and focus my energies elsewhere. With the recent news that the Liberals will be abandoning their 124th Street Edmonton Headquarters because of financial reasons, I am having an even more difficult time being convinced that the Liberal Party of 2012 will be in a position to present itself as the viable alternative that it did in 1993.
Clarification: I received an email from the Alberta Liberal Party this afternoon:
At this time there has been no decision made on the state of the “124th street headquarters,” our lease is coming up and we are in discussions with the landlord and looking at other options as well for less space for less money. We might end up moving as you state or we might not, no decision has been made.
With the Second Session of the 27th Alberta Legislature set to begin next week, here are a couple things that will be on my radar:
Throne Speech: Having attended five out of the past six Speeches from the Throne, I’m having a difficult time raising my expectations this year. No matter what is read, PC MLAs will roar, Opposition Liberals and NDP will oppose, but in the end, everyone will still love Norman Kwong.
Provincial Budget: Expected in March/April, this will be the first provincial deficit budget that Alberta has seen in over a decade. After sending out mixed signals, it looks like dipping into the Sustainability Fund will provide short-term protection to Premier Ed Stelmach and Finance Minister Iris Evans from being lynched by the rabid fiscal conservatives in the PC caucus. Are the days of the Deep Six long gone?
Health Care: Health Minister Ron Liepert will be in the spotlight over restructuring, layoffs, and the daily delisting and (un)delisting of services. Focus will be on Liepert, but I will be keeping an eye on his Parliamentary Deputy, Edmonton-Meadowlark MLA Raj Sherman, says or doesn’t say on the issue of privatization during this session.
New Official Opposition Leader: Calgary-Mountain View MLA David Swann will lead the Official Opposition into his first Legislative Session as leader. Can he lead the rag-tag Liberal Caucus as a cohesive unit? Pay attention to what Calgary-Currie MLA Dave Taylor does in this session.
Oil-bama: Stelmach has invited President Barack Obama to visit Alberta’s Oil Sands, but this isn’t about oil, this is all about Climate Change. The PCs are clearly concerned that Obama’s Climate Change agenda could force the traditional oil industry to clean up its act. It’s a market, and if the consumers (the United States) change their standards, it’s up to the producer (the oil companies) to either adapt or perish. It’s not hard to see what direction the energy market is moving towards when large energy companies, such as BP, continue to move resources into renewable energy projects in the United States. Albertans have a unique opportunity to become leaders in innovation in new cleaner energy markets, but as long as our leaders continue to focus on the old economy, we risk being left behind.
Land-Use Framework: Sustainable Resource Development Minister Ted Morton has the job of navigating his proposed land-use framework through the minefield that is the Alberta Legislature, and more specifically, the PC caucus. This is a very important step for Alberta, so critical debate and public attention towards this issue will be important.
Respect: Swann wants to tone down the rhetoric and dramatics in the Legislative Assembly, but it will take more than nice wishes to change an entrenched political culture. Without a joint statement between Swann and Stelmach, it is likely that it won’t become anything more than a nice idea. Bets on how long it take for Stelmach to accuse Swann of being a communist?
Post-Secondary Learning Amendment Act: Advanced Ed & Tech Minister Doug Horner will introduce amendments to the PSL Act that will pave the way for Mount Royal College and Grant MacEwan College to become Mount Royal University and Grant MacEwan University. Last week, representatives from the AUCC were spotted at Mount Royal assessing the transition.
Bill 201. Calgary-Buffalo MLA Kent Hehr will be introducing Bill 201: Traffic Safety (Seizure of Vehicles Containing Illegally Held Firearms) Act.
Lobbyist Registry. After years of promising to create a Provincial Lobbyist Registry, is there a chance that we might actually see some concrete movement this spring? (fingers crossed…)
After a rough couple years as Alberta’s Chief Electoral Officer, it remains to be seen whether Lorne Gibson‘s will continue to hold the position when his contract comes up for renewal in March 2009.
During the 2008 Provincial election, the impartiality of the electoral process came under question when it was discovered that a large number of local Returning Officers had strong links to the governing PC Party. In 2006, Gibson submitted a long list of recommendations to the Legislative Assembly to change how elections are organized by giving more authority to the non-partisan elections office and he recently called for a revamping of Alberta’s financial disclosure rules.
Word on the street is that Gibson will soon be inviting each of Alberta’s registered political parties to appoint two representatives to a committee that will be charged with comprehensively reviewing Alberta’s elections processes from their standpoint.
As far as I know, Alberta’s anti-deficit law, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, has no accountability enforcement mechanism, so I was surprised to learn that British Columbia’s Balanced Budget and Ministerial Accountability Act does:
…cabinet ministers and Premier will still lose 10 per cent of their ministerial salaries, the penalty prescribed by the balanced-budget law. For the Premier, that’s roughly $9,000 of his salary next year, while his cabinet ministers will pay a penalty of about $5,000. (Globe & Mail)
Both Alberta and BC are set to run deficit budgets (although Alberta will be running a ‘technical deficit’ while dipping into the province’s Sustainability Fund).
I should also note that I have a hard time believing Alberta’s anti-deficit laws are much more than legislated political spin (and even more so if there is no accountability mechanism).
A group of New Democrats, Liberals, and Greens supporters uniting under the banner of the Alberta’s Democratic Renewal Project have launched their website. I haven’t been involved in this group, but a friend who has described it as being focused on uniting Liberals, New Democratic Party, Greens, and Independents to create an alternative coalition to the ruling PCs.
Being involved in Alberta politics can be pretty disheartening, frustrating, and alienating if you’re not a member of the Progressive Conservative or Conservative parties, but I am easily refreshed when I see politically engaged Albertans looking beyond traditional party stripes to engage each other in dialogue about Alberta’s future.
As a good friend put it, this would mean something if it were in a joint statement, or publicly agreed upon by the Speaker of the Assembly.
It was not, and will therefore be easily brushed aside.
– They get around. CBC has an interactive map tracking recent junkets by PC Cabinet Ministers.
– I’ve heard that oil companies are continuing to buy farmland to build Upgraders near Redwater, so I wasn’t surprised to read this story.
– Jason Morris at Gauntlet.ca has written up an easy to follow timeline following the RCMP raids of Alberta Justice and Service Alberta offices. More here.
– The Canadian Political Science Students’ Association (CPSSA) are holding their national conference in Edmonton from February 4 to 7th. Hosted by the University of Alberta Political Science Undergraduate Association, the conference, ‘Challenges to Peace,’ will feature speakers from across Canada.
– Ken Chapman has written an interesting post on bonuses in the bailed out banking industry.
