Category Archives: Environment

Danielle Smith Stands her Ground (or something)

Posted on June 18, 2023 by susanonthesoapbox

Last week the Feds unveiled the Sustainable Jobs Act, Danielle Smith responded in her typical word-salad fashion and the press lauded her for standing her ground. Against what? The Feds said… Natural Resources Minister, Johnathan Wilkinson, says the Act is … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Danielle Smith, Disasters, Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 47 Comments

The Politicization of the Beast

Posted on June 11, 2023 by susanonthesoapbox

Welcome to “Life in a Conservative Province” also known as “they say the wackiest things.”  “They” being conservative premiers who say idiotic things when asked: how do you reconcile your government’s policies with the impact of climate change on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Climate Change, Danielle Smith, Disasters, Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 57 Comments

A Word of Advice…

Posted on June 4, 2023 by susanonthesoapbox

We’re still trying to make sense of this election.   There’s no question Rachel Notley’s NDP made phenomenal gains against the UCP.   They pulled in 776,000 votes (157,000 more than they received in 2019) and gained 39 seats (15 … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Climate Change, Danielle Smith, Economy, Education, Employment, Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 57 Comments

Wildfires and Gordon Lightfoot

Posted on May 7, 2023 by susanonthesoapbox

“Do the best with what you’ve got.”—Gordon Lightfoot News of Gordon Lightfoot’s death, while not unexpected, still came as a shock. We didn’t think he’d live forever; truth be told we didn’t think about him very much anymore, then boom! … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Danielle Smith, Disasters, Environment, Politics and Government, Rich and/or Famous | Tagged , , , , , | 67 Comments

Gondek, Notley and Smith: An important conversation

Posted on April 23, 2023 by susanonthesoapbox

Last week Calgary Economic Development presented its Report to the Community. The highlight of the event was Mayor Jyoti Gondek’s conversations with Rachel Notley and Danielle Smith. Gondek asked each leader 4 pre-set questions and 2 questions from the audience. … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Climate Change, Crime and Justice, Culture, Danielle Smith, Economy, Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 38 Comments

Budget ’23: The Same Old Razzle Dazzle (with sprinkles on top)*

Posted on March 5, 2023 by susanonthesoapbox

I’m not sure what Trevor Tombe did that caused Danielle Smith to say he was becoming one of her favourite economists, but it certainly wasn’t this. In a recent article about Budget 2023 Tombe said the budget moved Alberta into … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Danielle Smith, Economy, Education, Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 101 Comments

The RStar Debacle (Who’s going to clean up this mess?)

Posted on February 12, 2023 by susanonthesoapbox

“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” — opening scene, Star Wars   The first thing I thought of when I heard the word RStar was the opening sequence in the first Star Wars movie: yellow letters … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, Danielle Smith, Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Law, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 108 Comments

Free Money? No Thank You!

Posted on January 8, 2023 by susanonthesoapbox

Many years ago the (then) Progressive Conservative government offered energy companies bags of money if they undertook projects the government thought were necessary. The CEO I worked for told us to create such a project (even though it would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Danielle Smith, Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 35 Comments

Kenney’s New Modus Operandi: Goodbye Peter Lougheed; Hello Donald Trump

Posted on January 2, 2022 by susanonthesoapbox

There was a time when Jason Kenney pretended to be the modern-day manifestation of Peter Lougheed, notwithstanding his conviction that Lougheed’s programs were akin to “neo-Stalinist make-work projects.” He’s since dropped the charade. He no longer pretends to be anything … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Climate Change, Environment, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , , | 53 Comments

Easter in Alberta

Posted on April 4, 2021 by susanonthesoapbox

Whether you observe Easter, Passover, or the rising of the first full moon after the spring equinox, this is the time of year when we emerge from the gloom of winter with renewed hope for the spring. Sadly, some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Celebrations, Economy, Education, Employment, Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Law, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 64 Comments