Author Archives: susanonthesoapbox

Budget 2020 and the Snake

Posted on March 8, 2020 by susanonthesoapbox

On Feb 27, 2020 the Kenney government released Budget 2020. The day it was tabled it was under water, less than two weeks later it drowned. It sank beneath the surface once and for all because of a snake (or … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 39 Comments

Bill 1 and Freedom of Assembly

Posted on March 1, 2020 by susanonthesoapbox

What do the Wet’suwet’en First Nations blockades have to do with Alberta’s Budget 2020? Everything. The blockades are the rationale (flimsy as it is) for Bill 1, Critical Infrastructure Defence Act which the Kenney government will use to quell protests … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, Economy, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 40 Comments

Teck Withdraws the Frontier Application

Posted on February 24, 2020 by susanonthesoapbox

Let’s try to have a sensible conversation about Teck, shall we? On Sunday, Feb 23, 2020 Teck Resources Ltd pulled its application for the Frontier oil sands project.  The federal government was supposed to give Frontier the green light, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Economy, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 53 Comments

Family Day Alberta Style

Posted on February 16, 2020 by susanonthesoapbox

Tomorrow is Family Day in Alberta. While we wait for Jason Kenney’s Family Day announcement extolling the virtues of the family and maybe throwing in a reference to Albertans as “people of destiny” (he hasn’t rolled out that hoary chestnut … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Economy, Education | Tagged , , , , | 27 Comments

The Teck Decision Provides a Lesson on Handouts

Posted on February 9, 2020 by susanonthesoapbox

For a long time Ms Soapbox has been trying figure out what Mr Kenney and the UCP mean when they talk about a “hand up” and a “handout”. She knew from the context that a “hand up” was good and … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 73 Comments

Why Is It Always Someone Else’s Fault?

Posted on February 2, 2020 by susanonthesoapbox

When Jason Kenney convinced Albertans that our economy is solely dependent on fossil fuels (diversification is a luxury, remember) and government policy, not the global marketplace, drives our economy; he needed a scapegoat when our economy failed to grow. Cue … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 55 Comments

In Search of Efficiencies in Higher Education…or something…

Posted on January 26, 2020 by susanonthesoapbox

“The greatest waste now confronting us is not one of money but of human possibilities.” – John Maynard Keynes   Ms Soapbox is concerned that the recent announcement by Mr Nicolaides, the minister of Advanced Education, has brought Alberta another … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics and Government | Tagged , , | 44 Comments

In the Eye of the Storm

Posted on January 19, 2020 by susanonthesoapbox

Here we are in the eye of the storm, a place of relative calm surrounded by a ring of thunderstorms (known as the eye wall). We passed through one eye wall to get here and we’ll have to pass through … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 64 Comments

What Did I Miss?

Posted on January 12, 2020 by susanonthesoapbox

Ms Soapbox just returned from a week in British Columbia.  As you might expect, the residents of BC are more interested in their own issues than what ails the richest and whiniest province in the country. Consequently, the only Alberta … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters, Uncategorized | 42 Comments

2020 The Year We Push Back

Posted on January 5, 2020 by susanonthesoapbox

Kudos to the citizens who parse Jason Kenney’s policies and winnow the truth from the lies.  This takes tremendous courage given the government’s thin-skinned and overly aggressive response to criticism.  (Check its Twitter and Facebook posts, they’re replete with attacks … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 60 Comments