Author Archives: susanonthesoapbox

The Value of Money

Posted on December 13, 2015 by susanonthesoapbox

Dr David Dick is fascinated by money. Ms Soapbox isn’t…or wasn’t until she tried to understand why Albertans kept telling pollsters they’re okay with the NDP’s plans for greening the environment, funding education and healthcare and protecting paid farm workers … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Economy, Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 47 Comments

Bill 6: What are we really talking about?

Posted on December 7, 2015 by susanonthesoapbox

“Between what was explicitly stated, and what was intended, fear and miscommunication has filled the gap.” – Rachel Notley on Bill 6 Safety is paramount. Everyone says so. And yet all hell broke loose when the NDP government tried to … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 39 Comments

Notley Reads the Tea Leaves: The Climate Leadership Plan

Posted on November 29, 2015 by susanonthesoapbox

Last Sunday hell froze over, or so it seemed to many Albertans. Alberta’s NDP premier, Rachel Notley, unveiled her government’s Climate Leadership Plan. She was surrounded by representatives from NGOs and aboriginal groups as well as the CEOs of Suncor, … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Politics and Government, Science | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Refugees? Paris? Wait, what?

Posted on November 22, 2015 by susanonthesoapbox

What’s the difference between these two sentences? Sentence “A”: “You terrorist, you don’t belong here.” Sentence “B”: “You might be a terrorist, you don’t belong here.” Sentence “A” was uttered by two white males who attacked a 31 year old … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Brian Jean Embarks on Post Truth Politics

Posted on November 15, 2015 by susanonthesoapbox

“Fact-checking was a great development in accountability journalism…[but] one-off fact-checking is no match for the repeated lie.”     Brian Jean, leader of the Wildrose opposition, published an article in the Calgary Herald last week. It was heavy on the repeated … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 58 Comments

POTUS Kills Keystone XL

Posted on November 8, 2015 by susanonthesoapbox

On Friday Barack Obama refused to issue a presidential permit allowing TCPL’s Keystone XL pipeline to cross the border between Canada and the United States. Obama rejected KXL because it wouldn’t meaningfully contribute to the economy, reduce gas prices or … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Budget 2015: The Neutrino Problem

Posted on November 1, 2015 by susanonthesoapbox

Scientists solved the problem of the Ghost Particle in less time than it’s taken the Alberta government to come up with a creative approach to economic diversification. For 40 years Tory premiers talked a good line about diversification but with … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Sunny Ways?

Posted on October 25, 2015 by susanonthesoapbox

“If it were in my power I would try the sunny way…Do you not believe that there is more to be gained by appealing to the heart and soul of men rather than to compel them to do a thing?”—Sir … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 50 Comments

The Globe and Mail Jumps the Shark

Posted on October 18, 2015 by susanonthesoapbox

We’ve reached that point in the election cycle where the mainstream media peppers us with political endorsements telling us who, in their learned opinion, we should vote for on Oct 19.     Once again the mainstream media does not … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 53 Comments

If Not Harper, Then Who?

Posted on October 12, 2015 by susanonthesoapbox

“I’ve seen issues come up before that get a lot of press attention, and sometimes a photograph or sometimes a side issue can move votes, but I always believe that the big votes are moved on the big issues. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Politics, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 70 Comments