March 28th, 2024

Opinions

City Notebook: So many Hatters are in need at this festive time of year

By COLLIN GALLANT on December 10th, 2022

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant This year the Medicine Hat News building became headquarters of the Santa Claus Fund, started some 40-ish years ago by this paper. Until late November, that mainly meant piles of toys in closets or the odd stack next to a desk. It was part annoying, part nostalgic, like churning out columns in a converted ... Read More »

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Guest Comment: Events move notch further on diversity

By Mansoor Ladha on December 8th, 2022

The year 2022 has been an eventful one. Britain has had a Christian king, Hindu Prime Minster, and a Muslim mayor. How things have changed! As a journalism student in London in 1970, I was chased by Skinheads, brandishing chains, and shouting “Paki, Paki” on the Main Street. Paki used to be a common standard ... Read More »

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The Human Condition: Climate reparations

By Daniel Schnee on December 7th, 2022

Recently the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) took place in Egypt. It is the key event where world leaders gather to discuss agriculture, the impact of shipping on the world’s oceans, renewable energy and other issues faced by humanity. That is, they could gather to discuss issues facing humanity, but what they actually gathered ... Read More »

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City notebook: It’s a deal… or is it?

By COLLIN GALLANT on December 3rd, 2022

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant Members of the utility buying public in Medicine Hat have some thinking to do. Believe it or not, it’s a joy for some, that particular sort of self-styled wheeler dealer who wonders why they can’t seek out power and gas rates like their brother in law in Calgary. For others, maybe the majority, it’s ... Read More »

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The Human Condition: Tolerance

By Daniel Schnee on November 30th, 2022

“It has been an incredible pleasure to be part of fighting the good fight on the right side. That is about respecting people; can we move beyond ‘tolerate’ and start embracing and loving and accepting and learning from and being challenged by? That’s how you build a resilient society … that’s what we’re trying to ... Read More »

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City Notebook: Legal notes and local ties

By COLLIN GALLANT on November 26th, 2022

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant Recently appointed Provincial Court Judge Mark Mastel presided over his first docket court session in Medicine Hat on Thursday. If you noted the surname, you might assume the recent chief Crown prosecutor in the Slave Lake region is a native of the southeast Alberta, and you’d be right. Judges don’t get into the game ... Read More »

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MP Report: Federal economic update fails Canadians

By Glen Motz on November 25th, 2022

On Nov. 3, Canada’s finance minister tabled the government’s Fall Economic Statement (FES). Before its release, Conservatives advocated for two things: stop the taxes – no new taxes and stop the spending. This included canceling all planned tax hikes, no increase to the carbon tax and any new spending be matched by an equivalent saving. ... Read More »

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Just Pondering: The gift of time

By Allyson McCaw on November 24th, 2022

Here it is Christmas time again. Where did this last year go? Thankfully, it has returned to somewhat normal times, and we can again celebrate in our traditional ways. However, I wonder if we are going to boomerang and try to make up for lost time with extravagant gifts and over-the-top gestures? Did we learn ... Read More »

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The Human Condition: Replacement theory

By Daniel Schnee on November 23rd, 2022

Within conservative media there is growing discussion of what is known as “replacement theory,” the idea that Caucasians in both North America and Europe are being replaced in some manner by non-white (ergo non-Christian) immigrants. Implied within discussion of this idea is usurpation has occurred, something that is “ours” has been taken. This would seem ... Read More »

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City Notebook: A lament

By COLLIN GALLANT on November 19th, 2022

This week marked the 100th anniversary of the passing of Alberta’s most famous humorist, Bob Edwards, the iconoclast columnist and newspaper editor from the early 20th Century. It may be coincidence, but it’s not unnoticed that it comes just as a main avenue of satire and furious political jousting in modern days, namely Twitter, appears ... Read More »

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