Author Archives: susanonthesoapbox

Minister Toews and the AUPE: A Shift in the Balance of Power

Posted on October 17, 2021 by susanonthesoapbox

“Strikes are only one measure of unrest.” Todd Vachon, an assistant professor and director of labor education at Rutgers University. Did you catch it, that shift in the balance of power? Last Wednesday Finance Minister Travis Toews issued a statement … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Economy, Employment, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 42 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving…?

Posted on October 10, 2021 by susanonthesoapbox

I was composing a short Happy Thanksgiving blog when a UCP government press release appeared in my inbox.   Today is World Mental Health Day and Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Mike Ellis, said “Right now it might … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Celebrations, General Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged , , | 34 Comments

Jason Kenney the Anecdotal Policy Maker   

Posted on October 3, 2021 by susanonthesoapbox

“Anecdotal” (anəkˈdōdl) adjective: an account not necessarily true or reliable, because based on personal accounts rather than facts or research. And the gong show continues. On Sept 30, we learned Jason Kenney puts more weight on random anecdotal stories than … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, General Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , , | 53 Comments

On Liberty and Alberta’s Covid Crisis

Posted on September 26, 2021 by susanonthesoapbox

This is for the woman who yelled “Do you feel safer now?” when my daughter stepped off the sidewalk to give the woman and her rambunctious dog room to pass. Do you feel safer now? My daughter stepped off the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Crime and Justice, General Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 85 Comments

Kenney’s Awesome Summer and Disastrous Fall

Posted on September 19, 2021 by susanonthesoapbox

“So, no, I don’t apologize for the decision to relax public health restrictions in the summer.” – Jason Kenney Let’s recap what’s happened since July 1 when Kenney waxed eloquent about a new day dawning and the future looking brighter … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Disasters, General Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 63 Comments

Another Covid Solution, Another Non-Plan  

Posted on September 12, 2021 by susanonthesoapbox

Nero fiddled while Rome burned; Jason Kenney hid while Albertan’s lives and livelihoods went up in smoke. Last Thursday Health minister Shandro and Drs Hinshaw and Yiu unveiled the government’s latest non-plan to get Alberta through the pandemic. Alberta’s ICUs … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Disasters, Politics and Government, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 64 Comments

Kenney’s $100 Solution

Posted on September 5, 2021 by susanonthesoapbox

At the end of May Jason Kenney unveiled an aggressive reopening plan that would lead to the best Alberta summer ever and on July 1 he lifted all but a handful of Covid-19 restrictions. Two months later we crashed. On … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 76 Comments

The Marieval Residential School

Posted on June 27, 2021 by susanonthesoapbox

This weekend Ms Soapbox was going to write a breezy little blog saying she was taking the summer off. She was going to wish everyone a safe and pleasant summer and ask them to check back here on September 5, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, Culture, Politics and Government | Tagged , , | 92 Comments

Kenney and the Autocrat’s Handbook

Posted on June 20, 2021 by susanonthesoapbox

The Alberta Legislature ended the 2021 Spring Session on a particularly disturbing note. Members of the Opposition asked Jason Kenney to apologize for his role in pushing the niqab ban, a policy that contributed to growing Islamophobia, while he was … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, Law, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 66 Comments

Fighting Racism in Kenney’s Alberta

Posted on June 13, 2021 by susanonthesoapbox

Sometimes it pays to sit through a 53 minute 42 second Kenney press conference because something unexpected will happen at the very end. In this case it happened at the 46:24 mark. Last week in the wake of the horrific … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, Culture, Education, Law, Politics and Government, Terrorism | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments