Category Archives: Politics and Government

The Auditor General’s Report: Alberta’s “Enron” Moment

Posted on July 14, 2013 by susanonthesoapbox

God bless Merwan Saher, Alberta’s Auditor General!  He grabbed the government by the scruff of the neck and gave it a shake for dragging us into the abyss of “Enron” accounting.  Sadly, the government refuses to budge and opaque financial … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Health Minister Fred Horne: The Puppet Master

Posted on July 7, 2013 by susanonthesoapbox

The Google search engine connecting a reader to the Soapbox spat out this query:  “Is Fred Horne as stupid as he looks?”  Yikes!  That’s bit harsh.  But I must admit the question had crossed my mind (without the reference to Mr … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 17 Comments

We’re all in this together–sort of. The Alberta Flood 2013

Posted on June 30, 2013 by susanonthesoapbox

Nobody said it better than the Dairy Lane Cafe and the Blue Star Diner in a sunny (literally) little poster announcing that on Canada Day every penny received from sales and tips would be donated to flood relief.  The blue … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 32 Comments

The Alberta Energy Board: What the PC Government learned and failed to learn from Machiavelli

Posted on June 23, 2013 by susanonthesoapbox

On the same day that the Health Minister unceremoniously fired the Alberta Health Services board for refusing to revoke $3.2 million in bonuses, the Energy Minister announced the appointment of the Alberta Energy Board. Hmmm.  I wonder whether in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

“You’re fired!” Health Minister Horne Sacks the AHS Board

Posted on June 16, 2013 by susanonthesoapbox

Last week Health Minister Horne out-trumped Donald Trump by firing not one but all 10 members of the Alberta Health Services Board—the board his government created in 2008 to deliver healthcare under a centralized delivery model. One expects such theatrics … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 41 Comments

Will Platts Pop Alberta’s “Bitumen Bubble”?

Posted on May 26, 2013 by susanonthesoapbox

Platts, a global company with a remarkably flaccid name, finds itself smack in the middle of an international price fixing scandal and I really hope the Alberta government is paying attention!  Last week the European Commission storm troopers, sorry, inspectors, … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

“Campus Alberta”: Soviet Style Research and Development Comes to Alberta

Posted on May 19, 2013 by susanonthesoapbox

Sigh…where to start?  The barrage of bad news spewing out of the Premier’s office has been so intense that the government’s Machiavellian takeover of post secondary institutions and research and development slipped by with relatively little public outcry. Sure, some … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Conrad Black and Danielle Smith

Posted on May 12, 2013 by susanonthesoapbox

Conrad Black, the Canadian media mogul and convicted felon* was in Calgary last week to have a “conversation” with the Calgary business elite (and me) over lunch at the Calgary Petroleum Club. The big question is why does Baron Black … Continue reading →

Posted in Lectures, Politics and Government, Rich and/or Famous | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Strike While the Iron is Hot: The Edmonton Remand Centre Labour Dispute

Posted on May 5, 2013 by susanonthesoapbox

For years I’ve wondered whether unions had outlived their usefulness and were simply using their collective bargaining power to crank up wages and benefits at the expense of…well…who knows what.  But the wildcat strike arising out of the Edmonton Remand … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Face of Terrorism

Posted on April 28, 2013 by susanonthesoapbox

I’ve been to Washington DC many times, but this trip was different.  In addition to the usual buzz created by lobbyists, bureaucrats, politicians and businessmen who had places to go and people to see, there was a sense of unease.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments