City Notebook: Debate gate

By COLLIN GALLANT on May 20, 2023.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant

We’re still not exactly sure what happened this week with the chamber debates.

Why were the New Democrats out initially? The explanation of why later that day it changed for one and not the other is too long to run through again.

But local NDP supporters may have wished it was the other way around.

In one forum, Gwendoline Dirk had a long night against polished debater Danielle Smith, the UCP leader.

Alberta Party Leader Barry Morishita is one of the more eloquent debaters this region has seen. He has to be to get much attention in a highly polarized two-party landscape in Alberta.

It’s in that grind that forums and debates have almost become considered optional over the years in favour of pumping messages directly to the phones of rabid supporters.

It’s been 10 or more years since right-leaning candidates simply stopped going to health forums put on by the Friends of Medicare because they considered that a partisan group.

Either way, the Cypress-Medicine Hat debate would have benefited from a few more bodies, both in the audience and on the stage (a late entry exemption for NDPer Cathy Hogg was vetoed).

UCP candidate Justin Wright probably would have enjoyed the opportunity to take on the main opposition directly.

But the inclusion of minor party candidates did provide some points of interest.

Cody Ray Both, of the Alberta Independence Party, provided the very first official mention of Jason Kenney in the election campaign by seemingly anybody of any political persuasion in the province.

Both local debates will be re-run on the local Shaw-TV channel this week, so check your local listings.

The (local) economy

One notable Page 5 item last month was the announcement that CF Industries has a new agreement to co-locate a 450-megawatt solar farm near an Oklahoma plantsite to produce green (carbon emissions free) ammonia and hydrogen.

Now, I learned a while ago that two plus two isn’t always five when it comes to speculating about economic development. But, it’s usually more than three.

There are any number of results when you combine the proposed Saamis Solar field in north Medicine Hat, existing industrial actors, a planned industrial park by the city’s land department, and a City Hall that’s just now getting on with a writing an environmental roadmap (and re-hiring an economic development office).

Sounds like it could be big news… if anyone was talking about it, that is.

So far, announcements in the provincial election are somewhere else.

There will be a new hospital in Red Deer. New irrigation near in Brooks – and more likely on the way as the UCP OK’d a study of the Eyremore Reservoir, according to the recent premier and MLA for the region. There’s also a highway for Taber (which, agreed, ends in Medicine Hat), a rail study for Oyen and an NHL arena deal for Calgary, and on.

Hatters afar

Terri Clark was inducted into the Canadian songwriting hall of fame Thursday. Also in Calgary, Monte Solberg will take part in a special evening presentation of CBC Radio’s “Alberta at Noon” call-in show on Wednesday to discuss the provincial election specific to that city.

Not from afar, but former Hat Chamber of Commerce board chair Aaron Fleming will become the new chair of the Alberta Chamber of Commerce, it was publicly announced Thursday.

A look ahead

Beyond the Victoria Day weekend is the final week of the Alberta election campaign.

100 years ago

Local aldermen debated whether the press should be allowed into meetings of committee of the whole, the News reported in mid-May 1923.

The issue arose after unstated “insinuations” were made between Mayor Huckvale and several council members, and the issue dealt with in a closed meeting.

“Don’t want Star Chamber methods,” was the headline.

A front page photo showed the three prairie premiers at a Winnipeg conference inspecting 1,000 steers that were bound for export to England. The same day in Washington, the cost to Canadian ranchers from U.S. tariffs was estimated to be $15 million per year.

As increasing tariffs and a trend to motor to Montana, U.S. and Canadian tax authorities outlined rules that Canadian “autos” were only allowed to be in the States for two days if on a “touring purpose.” Special permits were required for stays of up to 30 days, according to the new U.S. tariff act.

A new record of 9.1 seconds was recorded in the 100-yard dash by California sprinter Howard Kirksey.

Hamilton city council banned “Moonlight Waltz” events, ordering that lights must not be dimmed in dance halls that would now be forced to close at midnight.

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