Calgary elects a rookie regime
Four years ago, I scored a trifecta in Calgary’s civic election. The candidates I voted for mayor, ward councillor and school board trustee all won.…
Will a tragic coincidence end the American experiment?
The United States has been around for 250 years. It has proven to be resilient, surviving a horrific civil war, a number of deep depressions,…
Why is there never enough?
Calgarians and Edmontonians have had enough. Growth, that is. Recent surveys indicate a majority of people in both Calgary and Edmonton are not happy with…
A noble Nobel winner
How satisfying to see a battler for democracy win the Nobel Peace Prize. This year’s winner, Venezuelan Maria Corina Machado, joins the ranks of other…
Our greed is showing
Pipeline madness has overtaken Alberta and threatens to infect the rest of the country. Despite gambling and losing $1.3 billion on the Keystone XL pipeline,…
Stemming the leakage
Taxing carbon emissions is one of the most effective ways of dealing with the climate crisis. And also one of the fairest—the more you pollute,…
Is the populist fever breaking?
Populism, particularly the right-wing variety, has had a good run lately. Liberal democracy has been set on the back foot. The confidence of people around…
Two Americas
Americans may be the most individualistic of people. And there has always been two sides to that individualism. The founding fathers, inspired by the Enlightenment,…
Danielle lays down the law
Danielle Smith is famously jealous about provincial rights. She fights with the feds continually, going on the offensive over every perceived breach of the province’s…
Naming, shaming and curbing the climate villains
Now here’s an idea. The Earth Island Institute, an international environmental organization, has initiated a proposal for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. The idea is…
Recognizing Palestine … and about time
It’s more than a bit late, but as they say, better late … Canada, along with Great Britain and Australia are officially recognizing a Palestinian…
Good luck, Chrystia
The federal government will be greatly diminished by losing Chrystia Freeland. This week, she announced she is stepping down from cabinet after the PM appointed…