Category Archives: Education

The Interview We Wish We Had With Premier Prentice on Budget 2015

Posted on March 29, 2015 by susanonthesoapbox

“I believe we show who we are, and how much we care, by what we do.”—Stephen Harper, Canada’s prime minister In his March 24 “State of the Province Address” Mr Prentice urged Albertans to receive his new budget in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Education, Energy, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 33 Comments

What Happens to the Eloi When the Morlocks Leave Town: A Lesson for Jim Prentice from H.G. Wells

Posted on February 22, 2015 by susanonthesoapbox

    “History is a race between education and catastrophe.” — H G Wells HG Wells may not have had a time machine, but he was certainly prescient. In The Time Machine the narrator, known simply as the Traveller, invents a … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Alberta Needs Charlie Hebdo

Posted on January 11, 2015 by susanonthesoapbox

Wednesday’s massacre of eight journalists, five of whom were political cartoonists, at the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo unleashed a torrent of “We are Charlie Hebdo” editorials across the world. Newspapers fell all over themselves in an effort to demonstrate … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

What if Prentice Issued an FAQ to Explain Bill 10…?

Posted on December 3, 2014 by susanonthesoapbox

Premier Prentice likes corporate-speak (“under new management”, “price takers, not price makers”, etc) so let’s apply a corporate communication tool, the FAQ, to explain the government’s rationale for Bill 10. And let’s assume for a wild and crazy moment that … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 34 Comments

Lessons Prentice Learned at Harper’s Knee

Posted on November 30, 2014 by susanonthesoapbox

Somewhere between the time that Premier Hancock stepped down and Premier Prentice ascended to the throne, the PC caucus turned into a bunch of sniveling crybabies. Not to worry, Mr Prentice will save the day with a maneuver befitting his … Continue reading →

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

Jim Prentice’s First Week in Office–Straight out of the Corporate Playbook

Posted on September 21, 2014 by susanonthesoapbox

“As of this moment, Alberta is under new management.” — Jim Prentice, 16th Premier of Alberta* Transition. There’s nothing more unsettling; no, strike that, nerve-wracking, for an organization than a change-out of senior leadership, particularly when the old leader is … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Education, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

It’s Time to Drag Redneck Alberta Out of the Closet

Posted on April 20, 2014 by susanonthesoapbox

If a government wants to trample the rights of its citizens it can do so in two ways. It can violate our fundamental rights by passing legislation that invokes the “notwithstanding clause”—this allows the government to pass laws that expressly … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Motion 503: Calling all Hypocrites and Homophobes

Posted on April 13, 2014 by susanonthesoapbox

In the same week that the Alberta government debated and rejected Motion 503, Rob Anderson, Wildrose House Leader, made an emotional plea to put an end to name-calling—specifically “Lake of Fire Party” and “homophobe”. It was a bizarre week. Here’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

The Smith vs Mason Debate: An Enlightening Evening

Posted on October 20, 2013 by susanonthesoapbox

“Tonight we will witness a debate of Epic Proportions!  “In the Right Corner, the Freedom Fighter—Danielle Smith!!!  In the Left Corner, the Protector of the People—Brian Mason!!!”  Mount Royal University was hosting the ninth and final debate between Wildrose leader, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Education, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Campus Alberta: Converting Universities into Trade Schools

Posted on October 13, 2013 by susanonthesoapbox

I like engineers but this is ridiculous (and I’m not talking about Supercow, the U of C engineering mascot). The PC government just invested $142.5 million to expand the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary while at … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments