Opinions
MLA Report: We can’t tax our way to prosperity
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on July 20th, 2018
A fiscal crisis is looming in Alberta. Last year, according to the government’s year-end financial statement, the NDP ran a staggering $8 billion deficit. This year, taxpayers will spend nearly $2 billion on interest payments alone. At the same time, Alberta’s credit rating has been downgraded on multiple occasions, and the current government has no ... Read More »
1 responseA few final thoughts and a goodbye
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on July 17th, 2018
Six-and-a-half years ago I packed my trustworthy Chevy Malibu to the brim with worldly possessions and one disgruntled orange cat. My trek took me from working at a rural newspaper in Northwestern Ontario across the prairies to Medicine Hat. The weather was -40 C, the winds were reaching 80 kilometres per hour. Raging winter grassfires ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Guest Column: Our health system fails the elderly
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on July 16th, 2018
Hospital overcrowding is not a new issue. Limited bed spaces have plagued Ontario hospitals for years and are increasingly straining our system. Not only are long wait times a shameful expectation when patients arrive in the emergency department, providing care in a busy hospital hallway has become an ordinary occurrence. The problem has become so ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Albertans lack confidence in road tests, licence fee structures
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on July 14th, 2018
Along with dentist fees Albertans are also paying a premium for road tests for driver’s licences. Alberta’s road testing fees can be as much as five times the average of those charged in other provinces, depending on the class of driver’s licence, according to a Tantus Solutions Group report this week. You’ll pay $22 for ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Guest Column: Amid Trumpian chaos, get ready for a depraved new world
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on July 14th, 2018
I’ve never seen a rat race. Can’t even imagine one. Lemmings yes, but rats not so much. So the well known phrase, “Life is a rat race” doesn’t make much sense. It’s meant to suggest that we in the industrialized world are driven by the mindless pursuit of pleasure, rewards, or perceived advancements at the ... Read More »
2 responsesGuest column: Newspaper ‘news’ still crucial
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on July 13th, 2018
The old home for the Coventry Evening Telegraph in England is a building frozen in time. The publishers moved to more modern facilities in 2012. The newspaper’s home of more than 50 years is now an arts space where people come to take pictures. It has a museum-like quality: On some desks, family photos, a ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Greyhound aftermath: Now what?
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on July 13th, 2018
Greyhound’s decision to cancel service on the Prairies has sparked interest and debate in public transport that has typically been of little concern to most. There were even government officials in affected areas questioning why Greyhound had not informed them that cancelling the service was in the cards. Greyhound is, after all, a private service ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Guest Column: Canada’s new Healthy Eating Strategy will pay huge dividends
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on July 11th, 2018
The long process of updating Canada’s Food Guide and reforming nutrition labelling will soon become a reality. And that’s good news. Collectively called Canada’s Healthy Eating Strategy, the proposals by Health Canada have been open to public consultation — and, unfortunately, industry lobbying. No one is arguing with the rights of all Canadians to be ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!National Affairs: What is the point of NATO?
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on July 7th, 2018
Donald Trump says too many NATO countries, including Canada, don’t pay their fair share of defence costs. The U.S. president is right about that. But the real question facing the 29-member alliance is far more fundamental. What is the point of NATO these days? In 1949, when the then 12-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization was ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Report from Ottawa: Let’s promote responsible citizenship
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on July 6th, 2018
Recently, I was given the opportunity to contribute a regular column in the Medicine Hat News. I considered a number of options for my introductory remarks: Should I discuss the details of the new firearms legislation? Would it be worth writing again about the incoming legalization of marijuana? Do the changes to the Canada Summer ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!More appreciation needed for city’s historical buildings
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on July 6th, 2018
Most of us appreciate traditional architecture, the elements of design and construction that you just don’t see anymore but that does not often translate into doing what we can to keep them. Just for a moment, imagine Medicine Hat without the beautiful St. Patrick’s Church, or the other historical churches such as Saint Barnabas, St. ... Read More »
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