May 27 2020 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — The UCP isn’t exactly trying to underplay the COVID-19 threat. No government in Canada has worked harder to contain the disease, and no province has been as successful. But still, there is a powerful urge to get back to regular life, with COVID-19 relegated to a seniors-only corner.
May 1 2020 — Calgary Herald — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has slammed Ottawa’s gun ban in an afternoon statement Friday, accusing the federal Liberal government of going after law-abiding gun owners and doing nothing to tackle illegal gun violence. “Today’s order does little to target criminals,” said Kenney in a statement. “Instead Ottawa is singling out law-abiding gun Canadians who purchased […]
Apr 27 2020 — Licia Corbella — Calgary Herald — It became even more abundantly evident that something must be done to help Canada’s energy industry after oil hit negative prices on Monday. As the requests for help mount, so do the objections from those who say they don’t want taxpayer dollars going towards helping the oil patch. They shouldn’t worry so much. The $15 […]
Apr 27 2020 — Calgary Herald — In the nearly six weeks since declaring a state of local emergency and shuttering all non-essential businesses, the economy in Banff has been at a standstill. Normally, tourists would be flocking in droves to the mountain destination — at this time last year, the town’s main concern was finding enough parking spots. Now, Banff streets […]
Apr 27 2020 — Calgary Herald — Erin Babcock, the former NDP MLA from Stony Plain, has died of uterine cancer. She was 38. Representatives of the one-time provincial politician and former nurse posted the news Saturday on her public Facebook page.
Apr 17 2020 — Licia Corbella — Calgary Herald — On March 12, the same day it was announced that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau had contracted COVID-19, a troubling report about foreign threats to Canada was released. Not surprisingly, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians 2019 annual report got sucked into the vortex of the coronavirus tornado and was […]
Apr 1 2020 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — An opinion poll on western attitudes, done just two weeks ago, already seems as historical as a Babylonian tablet (the original kind). That’s how radically the COVID-19 plague has changed Canada’s emotional landscape.
Apr 1 2020 — Chris Varcoe — Calgary Herald — You can’t say Jason Kenney is afraid of placing big, bold bets on the energy front. His government’s decision to invest in the Keystone XL pipeline project is a momentous step. Not only will the UCP government make a $1.5-billion equity investment in a private-sector project — giving the province a stake in Keystone XL […]
Mar 30 2020 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Alberta’s unemployment rate was 7.2 per cent in February. It’s about to climb to levels unknown because of COVID-19 and crashed oil prices. And now, your Alberta government is adding up to 20,000 layoffs from K-12 education until kids are back in the classroom.
Mar 21 2020 — Chris Varcoe — Calgary Herald — The province has unveiled a new advisory council on economic recovery for Alberta, a high-powered group that includes former prime minister Stephen Harper. The 12-member panel, led by economist Jack Mintz, will be advising Premier Jason Kenney on issues surrounding the province’s economic recovery as it grapples with a severe downturn caused by the COVID-19 […]
Mar 9 2020 — Chris Varcoe — Calgary Herald — It was less than two short weeks ago the Alberta government was predicting the province was on the verge of an economic “turnaround” in 2020. Scratch that. With the stunning drop in global oil prices, pushing crude down by more than $10 on Monday to US$31.13 a barrel, Alberta — and the country — will […]
Mar 9 2020 — Calgary Herald — Premier Jason Kenney said Monday he “cannot imagine a dumber thing to do” than introduce a provincial sales tax in Alberta as his government decides how to address the economic shocks of a global collapse in oil prices. Kenney said the Alberta government will consider “all options” to respond to the situation, but he ruled […]
Mar 9 2020 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — Alberta at this moment is a lonely peanut shell, tossed aloft and blasted by ferocious world gales. There has been no day like this in my memory of oil riches and crashes, going back to 1978 as a young legislature columnist. Never have we seen such a collision of adverse forces — an international economy […]
Mar 5 2020 — Don Braid — Calgary Herald — The Kenney government is not known for gracious retreat. Faced with criticism, it hunkers down and fights. But this battle against the doctors must stop. With the new coronavirus likely to hit the province, it’s the worst possible moment for changes to physician pay and governance rules that could seriously affect service. Dr. Christine Molnar, […]
Feb 26 2020 — Calgary Herald — In the wake of Teck Resources Ltd.’s decision to withdraw its Frontier oilsands project application, Premier Jason Kenney took aim Wednesday at “urban green left militants” who he blamed for destroying potential jobs in Indigenous communities. Speaking to hundreds gathered in Calgary at the Indian Resource Council’s conference on Indigenous participation in major projects, Kenney […]