April 19th, 2024

Opinions

Ezekiel is the victim, not his parents

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 28th, 2017

David and Collet Stephan are not victims. The couple paint themselves as such, following the extensive legal battle in which they were convicted last year of failing to provide the necessities of life for their 19-month-old son Ezekiel who died from bacterial meningitis in 2012. The pair were convicted by a Lethbridge jury, with David ... Read More »

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Drug addiction should be health issue, not criminal

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 25th, 2017

Canada is currently in the midst of an opioid overdose crisis. The two most western provinces and territories — British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon and the Northwest Territories — have been hit especially hard, likely due to their relative proximity to China, where much of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl is produced. According to Government of ... Read More »

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Simplified tax system might be the answer for government’s embattled CRA

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 24th, 2017

We have all experienced the frustration of trying to get through to a real person in government but once we are through most of us believe the information provided is accurate. Apparently not. According to Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s report this week, more than 50 per cent of the people who called Canada Revenue Agency ... Read More »

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MLA Report: Good news for Alberta: All economic indicators pointing in right direction

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 24th, 2017

Alberta is forecast to see real GDP rise to a staggering 6.7 per cent — more than doubling B.C.’s predicted 3.2 per cent growth rate and more than tripling Saskatchewan’s 2.1 per cent — according to the Conference Board of Canada’s latest report released this week. This is good news for Medicine Hat as Alberta ... Read More »

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Time to get started on the long view of flood protection

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 23rd, 2017

It is time that Albertans put the cart behind the horse when it comes to preventing major floods in southern Alberta, but unfortunately we’re still arguing about who owns the cart. More than four years after massive, damaging and widespread floods in the province, berms are mostly in place in Medicine Hat, and other communities ... Read More »

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How much genius was lost due to abusers?

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 22nd, 2017

Forgive them their trespasses, for they are a genius. This sort of sentiment has permeated the arts, politics, academics, science, business and much more over the centuries. It’s one that has given countless so-called geniuses a carte blanche when it comes to egregious of behaviour such as pedophilia, sexual harassment, bullying, racism and much more. ... Read More »

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National Affairs: Veterinarian’s case underscores Canada’s weak animal cruelty laws

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 22nd, 2017

How far have we come in protecting animals? Based on money spent in the pet industry, you might be forgiven for thinking we have come a long way. Many owners spend handsomely on their dogs, cats and other pets. They feed them special diets, arrange to have them walked and, in some cases, take them ... Read More »

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City council should consider small tax increase instead of raising facility user fees

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 18th, 2017

City council’s public works committee put forward a number of user fee increases last week to help plug the fiscal hole left by declining natural gas revenues. This gap needs certainly needs to be filled one way or another, but user fee hikes tend to hit the worst off people the hardest and should only ... Read More »

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True democratic change unlikely in Zimbabwe despite removal of Robert Mugabe

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 17th, 2017

After almost 40 years as president of Zimbabwe it looks as though Robert Mugabe will be removed from office soon, one way or another. With military forces taking over, but not calling it a coup, the surprise is the almost reverential tones of other African leaders as they speak about Mugabe’s situation. Some have referred ... Read More »

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New boundaries may quiet local urban voices

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 16th, 2017

Medicine Hat: Growing mid-sized city or home for retired ranchers. An increasingly urban centre or more concerned with rural issues. Are we a big city or a small town? The answer to those complex questions depends on who you ask and the current plan to redraw the region’s electoral boundaries shows that it also depends ... Read More »

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The role of education in charting a child’s future

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 15th, 2017

Education has a value which goes well beyond the practices incorporated into a classroom setting. Education, by necessity, has to be a preparation for life beyond itself. Children won’t stay children forever, and those children need to be taught from a young age what it takes to succeed in the world outside. There seems to ... Read More »

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