Commentary

Fans of ‘The Simpsons’ might remember a mid-1990s episode that began with Homer and Marge at the Candy Industry Trade Show. Upon entering, Homer, runs from booth to booth grabbing handfuls of candy samples and stuffing them into his face, barely getting out the words ‘exquisite’ and ‘brilliant.’ That’s similar to what I felt like [...] Read More »

When Justin Trudeau sets foot in Medicine Hat tomorrow it will mark the first time in almost a quarter century a sitting prime minister has been in the Gas City. Though not the only visits to Medicine Hat by sitting PMs these are a few notable ones: Kim Campbell was prime minister from June 25 [...] Read More »

This summer I was fortunate enough to take two vacations. One to Las Vegas and California for a Garth Brooks concert and Disneyland, among other things, and one to Toronto for the Hockey Hall of Fame, a pair of Blue Jays games and more in the area. Both were driving vacations, something I won’t be [...] Read More »

“Prince dies at 57.” The headline hit me like a punch to the gut when I checked Facebook on Thursday after getting home from a workout. Just like David Bowie’s death earlier this year, I looked around, hoping it was just a hoax, but quickly discovered it wasn’t the case. I’m not alone feeling the [...] Read More »

Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us, and we’re a romantic bunch here in the newsroom. With that in mind here are some date, activity and gift ideas (some are personal experiences, some are just ideas) that are perfect for couples at any point on the highway of love. – Celebrating each other does not have [...] Read More »

In the Sept. 10 edition of this newspaper there was a news article describing fallen firefighters being honoured in Ottawa. The article recognized a firefighter from Ontario, but nothing was written about a local firefighter from southeast Alberta who also lost his life, James Hargrave. He was a volunteer firefighter from a well known family [...] Read More »

Medicine Hat’s crosswalks can be some of the most dangerous places to navigate in our small city. Both for pedestrians as well as drivers. So what kind of people would come up with the idea to use our crosswalks as a platform for advertising? Surely there are more safer ways to advertise in our high-tech [...] Read More »

People should be safe and secure in their own homes. They should be able to leave for work during the day with the expectation that their hard-won possessions will still be there when they return. For too many of us in rural areas this is not always the case and this is a problem that [...] Read More »

Re: “Why do social media users intentionally add to someone’s pain?”, Sept. 8 I would like to thank Peter Mueller for his recent guest column. As Mr. Mueller points out, though his family of five fled from Germany and were adopted by a local church in Medicine Hat (in what I am assuming was the [...] Read More »

Re: “Catholic board chair says bishop should be consulted ahead of any vaccination decisions,” Sept. 12 Who agrees with Peter Grad that the Catholic school board consult with their bishop before implementing any changes to its vaccination program, a program change advised by the medical experts of this province? I mean does the bishop have [...] Read More »

Source: Editing Luke San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, Texas Built in the mid-1700s, the San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, Texas is recognized for being one of the oldest cathedrals in the United States. The structure marks the geographical center of San Antonio, and is also noteworthy because the heroes of the Alamo, Davy [...] Read More »

Source: GENEralities Going Faster: Autumn Solemn Ember Day of Prayer and Fasting Two Autumn Solemn Ember Day of Prayer and Fasting two, but not really because it is bumped by the Feast Day of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist—I’m going to treat it as Solemn Ember anyway because of my devotional OCD-ness. And since I [...] Read More »

Source: Editing Luke Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Opened in 1989, Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then Disney-MGM Studios) was the third theme park built at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Originally focused on the golden age of Hollywood (which included a licensing deal with MGM and a functioning backlot) in recent years Disney’s [...] Read More »

Source: Esplanade Yulin Wang: Time, Space, Legacy Beautifully rendered and deeply contemplative, these remarkable new paintings from Medicine Hat artist Yulin Wang are the result of his meticulous observation of Ming and Qing Dynasty ceramic and bronze antiquities from his own collection. Working on each canvas for a month on average, Wang comments that the [...] Read More »

Source: Esplanade Sean Caulfield: The Flood and Other Works An Edmonton artist whose prints are internationally renowned, Caulfield conjures the dark trauma of destruction and the potential for regeneration in his new carved wood sculpture and relief mural works. Exposing the processes behind his woodcut, mezzotint and linocut prints, also presented in the exhibition, these [...] Read More »

Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives may want to push pause on plans to make immigration a signature federal campaign theme next fall long enough to take stock of the turn in the Quebec election conversation. Coalition Avenir Quebec Leader Francois Legault thought he was reaching for a low-hanging fruit when he embraced the issue. With less than [...] Read More »

The little white prince rides into the realm. He’s astride his little white donkey named UCP, aptly named for his poor toilet training. A constant trail of piddle indicates his previous travels. This prince-in-waiting is short in stature but oh so tall in pie-in-the-sky promises and empty threats. He fully expects the people of the [...] Read More »

As harvest season continues in southern Alberta, what better time to promote the agriculture industry? That’s the goal of Agriculture for Life — or Ag for Life, for short — which has been conducting a program called “What’s in the Field,” to help the public make a connection from the crops they see growing in [...] Read More »

Counting your chickens before they hatch. You don’t have to be a farmer to know this isn’t a good idea. Yet, this is business as usual for government and it comes with predictably brutal results. According to the government’s most recent fiscal update, Alberta is on track for a $7.8 billion deficit in 2018-19. Currently, [...] Read More »

If we can do something that will save the life of even one person why would we not do it? That was a recent argument in favour of lower speed limits in Calgary. What ends up on the table in one municipality inevitably goes to the others and so it is worth having this discussion [...] Read More »

Ticked Off I took 21 jars out of the tin can bins at the recycling bins at the mall. Can’t people tell the difference between a tin can and a jar? Ticked Off That phone calls take priority over the customer right in front of the employee paying for an item. Who should take priority [...] Read More »

Ticked Off Ninety-seven per cent of the people in the right lane at the bottom of the hill on Dunmore Road want to turn right! It is annoying when the one car at the front wants to go straight and have a line up half way up the hill that would like to turn behind [...] Read More »

Ticked Off If you’re an employee who phones in sick, get your story straight! Be honest. Diligent staff are sick of your games. Ticked Off That transit only works for people who work 9 to 5 jobs. If you work any other shifts in this city, you need to own a car or take a [...] Read More »

Ticked Off Hatters don’t like the fees for the recycle service. If you think you got it bad you should try working garbage in the Environmental Department. It gets worse daily. Ticked Off Taking the kids out for a treat at a family restaurant should be quality time. When the manager won’t get off his [...] Read More »

Tickled Pink If city transit buses ran from 6 a.m. to midnight to accommodate shift workers. Ticked Off Why take one of the most beautiful park areas and turn it into a dog park? Tickled Pink The service, nurses and staff on Fourth West were absolutely amazing and wonderful and the food was great too. [...] Read More »