Alberta’s own Independence Day is fast approaching

Albertans have tried to work within the system but it is stacked against them

Alberta’s own Independence Day is fast approachingFor many Albertans, it is 1775. A year later, as every American knows, the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia. At the time the Colonies were still part of the British Empire; it is, therefore, a British as much as an American document, which is why its logic has such a wide appeal today…

Anti-Alberta bigotry clothed in environmental clichés and platitudes

Anti-Alberta bigotry clothed in environmental clichés and platitudesDave Yager has spent nearly half a century in Alberta’s oil and natural gas industry and 40 years in journalism, notably with the oilfield trade magazine, The Roughneck. His first book, From Miracle to Menace: Alberta, A Carbon Story, combines his extensive experience in a well-written and fact-centred analysis of the economics, politics and history…

The Canada option: is it still viable for Alberta?

Separation has become a real possibility thanks to the abuses and injustices imposed by Ottawa

The Canada option: is it still viable for Alberta?In the past couple of weeks, a retired senior oil executive, Gwyn Morgan, a former premier of Saskatchewan, Brad Wall, and a veteran journalist, Don Braid, all commented publicly on the current position of Alberta in Canada. They agreed on the nature of the problem, but stopped short of suggesting the obvious response. It’s not…

Implausible government budgeting undermines trust

The fed's Bill Morneau and Alberta's Joe Ceci say their budgets are realistic, but they’ve provided no evidence that they’re even plausible

Implausible government budgeting undermines trustWhen finance ministers table their budgets, they’re asking citizens to trust that they will spend our money prudently. Both Bill Morneau, the federal minister, and Joe Ceci, the Alberta minister, say their recent budgets are realistic, but they’ve provided no evidence that they’re even plausible. This is a serious blunder because lack of plausibility undermines trust, a…

How being politically correct can muddy complex waters

U of C's "cultural engagement" guidelines bear little resemblance to the complex relationship that existed between aboriginals and immigrants

How being politically correct can muddy complex watersA ceremony at the University of Calgary a short while ago invited all faculty members of the Royal Society of Canada to welcome newly-elected fellows into the ranks. It was presided over by one of the university’s vice-presidents. Other members of the senior leadership team were also present. The VP began the evening with the…

NDP out of step with average Albertans

It is becoming “routine” for union bosses to be appointed to public bodies

NDP out of step with average AlbertansIn the federal election last fall 60 per cent of Albertans voted Conservative. Twelve per cent voted NDP. The provincial NDP was unimpressed. They have continued to govern as if they actually won the election last spring, not that the PCs lost it. Alberta now enjoys a $3 billion carbon tax, which was unmentioned in…

What universities don’t want you to know about your child’s education

University of PEI contemplating legal action against one of its professors for writing about how mediocre today’s universities are

What universities don’t want you to know about your child’s educationRon Srigley enjoyed annual teaching contracts at the University of PEI for several years. He is now suspended. His story is unusual, but it illustrates one reason why university tenure still matters. There may be no connection between an essay he wrote recently for the Los Angles Review of Books and his suspension, but there…

COP21 the latest ‘last chance’ for humanity

ISIS and the delegates to COP21 are all purveyors of apocalyptic ideologies

COP21 the latest ‘last chance’ for humanityOliver Tickell, website editor of the British magazine The Ecologist, wondered whether the ISIS attacks in Paris were motivated by a desire to undermine the UN climate summit opening next week, the 21st in the series of Conferences of Parties meetings – COP21 for short. Reducing oil production, one of the goals of COP21, would…

University of Calgary blind to conflict of interest

Everything the administration has done has been damage control

University of Calgary blind to conflict of interestInteresting times have returned to the University of Calgary in a very negative way. The unsatisfactory nature of student experiences at the university is exemplified by the dispute between the Students’ Union (SU) and the Administration over the ownership of MacEwan Hall, “a central focus for student life on campus,” as Board of Governors Chair…

2015 election came down to the politics of resentment

Fear and loathing of Harper trumped fear of leaving the country hostage to profound inexperience

2015 election came down to the politics of resentmentLast week, several colleagues at the University undertook a post mortem of the federal election. Two of our recent PhD graduates, David Coletto (2010), now CEO of Abacus Data, and Paul Fairie (2013), a principal with Centrality Data Science, provided a fine-grained analysis of what had been a two-part campaign. Part one, Canadians decided that…