City Notebook: No matter the result, less finger pointing would be nice

By Collin Gallant on April 26, 2025.

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There’s two potential realities after Monday’s General Election.

The polls got it right, or the polls got it wrong – it’s happened before.

Pollsters take a lot of blame, before, during and after elections.

But so does everyone in this country on any number of topics.

From coast to coast to coast, ours is a land rife with finger pointing.

Of course, people have legitimate beefs, and serious issues are largely out of the control of regular folks. It’s easy to feel locked out of the halls of power in the world of today.

But when even our political leaders deflect or join in mass throwing up of hands, it’s disheartening.

At the provincial level the UCP seems to blame the NDP for any problem still lingering after the 2019 election.

For their part, the NDP still blames the Progressive Conservatives for a lot of things.

The majority of citizens in this province are still blaming Pierre Trudeau’s national energy program, which concluded four decades ago, for the current state of affairs.

Not so long ago, OPEC production levels were to blame for low oil prices and woe in the province.

That supposedly sparked a desire to diversify about 10 years ago. Low and behold, looks like we’re talking about it again.

Federally, the current Conservatives built a two-year brand blaming Justin Trudeau for all wrong in the current state of the country, and may have toned that to a “change” a bit late in the campaign.

The Liberals meanwhile are happy to blame Trump for current uncertainty, and themselves somehow without offering much of a penance.

Where will be in four years or four months from now, low and behold?

Still blaming each other for our sorry state? I hope not.

Speaking of…

Blame – the News needs to shoulder some of the fault for there being no election debate this year. That duty has fallen to the Chamber of Commerce in recent years, but with a quick election call and two non-resident candidates, a forum was held over.

It’s understandable. In Brooks, another riding where the local chamber is active, it didn’t seem like any candidate would show.

And campaigns are so top-heavy these days, specific local issues rarely get much play.

Still, the Hat is a city with a daily paper and television newscast, plus a community station and enough issues to fill up several debates.

Hatters Afar

Might this election’s vote send a second Hatter to Ottawa?

Eleanor Olszewski, who grew up in the Hat and has run as a Liberal candidate in Edmonton-Strathcona before, this year switches over to the Edmonton-Centre riding. That’s a highly competitive district held most recently by Randy Boissenault, who isn’t running again.

Another incumbent with family ties to the Hat is Mike Lake, the conservative candidate from Edmonton-Wetaskiwin.

It’s a big country

There are eight ridings in Canada that have more than one time zone, where polls have adjusted hours, including one with three. Any guesses where? Answer next week.

A look ahead

The general election is on Monday with polls open until 7:30 p.m. at a variety of locations in the city.

The same night council will hold a committee of the whole meeting to discuss the city’s “community well-being plan,” transportation plan and public service levels.

Friday was Arbour Day and Saturday in Medicine Hat, Earth Day will be recognized. A litter blitz is being advertised by the city.

100 years ago

The Gas City Brick plant burned in an inferno that caused $150,000 in damage,” the News reported in late April 1924. Originally the Purmal Brick interest, the plant was only insured for a value of $50,000 by the Creelman Brick Co.

A graduate class of six celebrated the end of three years of study at the Medicine Hat Hospital’s nursing instruction program.

The first summer event at the recently built community rink hosted 800 spectators who watched the Alberta golden gloves boxing tournament. Next on the schedule was human wheelbarrow racing to raise money for baseball uniforms.

Collin Gallant covers city politics and a variety of topics for the News. Reach him at 403-528-5664 or via email at cgallant@medicinehatnews.com.

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