December 26th, 2024

Opinions

Coming up in 2018: Mundane, but necessary work at municipal level

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on January 4th, 2018

The changing over of the calendar will always bring with it some new optimism, a hope for better times, even an easier go of things. But, with the bottles of bubbly now drained and confetti cleared away, the road ahead for City Hall shows a lot work on the agenda. Mayor Ted Clugston ran a ... Read More »

Be the first to comment!

A tale of two leaders

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on January 3rd, 2018

Thomas Pynchon once said in his landmark novel “Gravity’s Rainbow” about the vagaries and vicissitude’s of power, politics and decision making that “Decisions are never really made — at best they manage to emerge, from a chaos of peeves, whims, hallucinations and all around a**holery.” As we end 2017 and move on to 2018, we ... Read More »

2 responses

Does getting older mean you’re getting wiser?

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on January 2nd, 2018

I attended a funeral recently where everyone felt uncomfortable. The atmosphere was thick and interactions felt totally artificial. We were acting like robots going through the motions — lips moving, hands shaking, legs walking. There was absolutely no heart communication. So do we get wiser as we age? If you think so, you probably forgot ... Read More »

Be the first to comment!

U.S. needs federal funding to slow opioid death spiral

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on January 2nd, 2018

In almost every developed country, life expectancy at birth has trended predictably and steadily upward for decades, with slight hiccups from time to time, usually lasting just a year and often triggered by major epidemics. The United States, in the grip of an escalating opioid addiction and overdose crisis, has now recorded its second straight ... Read More »

Be the first to comment!

Speed kills, but slowpokes on merge ramps are a danger, too

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on December 29th, 2017

There are some passionate comments in the Ticked Off and Tickled Pink column of the News sometimes. Several have expressed feelings of annoyance about a sense of being hurried by other traffic. Some have gone as far as saying they have the right to drive slowly and if others do not like it they should ... Read More »

Be the first to comment!

Guest Column: Loblaw, Weston burn consumers

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on December 29th, 2017

Most Canadians were stunned and dismayed to learn that the country’s leading grocer was caught up in a price-fixing scheme with bread-maker George Weston Ltd., which is owned by the same company. The scheme lasted from 2001 to 2015. As a result, Loblaw Companies Ltd. fired several people and gave $25 gift certificates to millions ... Read More »

Be the first to comment!

Yes, Virginia …

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on December 23rd, 2017

(Ed. note: This famous editorial first appeared in the New York Sun in 1897 and has been reprinted thousands of times around the world, including a number of times in the Medicine Hat News, which never gets tired of featuring it on the final issue before Christmas.) We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the ... Read More »

Be the first to comment!

Guest Column: Kudos for the Notley government

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on December 23rd, 2017

Over the past year the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has been quite critical about many of the Notley government’s major financial decisions. From her massive new carbon tax to her plan to more than triple the province’s debt (in just one term in office), many of her government’s fiscal decisions have been anything but taxpayer-friendly. But ... Read More »

1 response

MLA Report: The ‘forgotten corner’ no more

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on December 22nd, 2017

This year has been one of recovery with strong indications 2018 will be one of growth for Medicine Hat and southeastern Alberta. That is not to say we haven’t faced challenges like other communities in the province. But over the past year the unemployment rate has dropped to four per cent or lower and the ... Read More »

1 response

Gender, accent important for nervous fliers when hearing from the captain

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on December 22nd, 2017

It’s the time of year when people will head in droves to airports hoping to fly to some special place and celebrate Christmas. Today, in fact, airports may be experiencing the most traffic they have had all year. For those who are nervous about flying the expectation of seeing family and friends or enjoying a ... Read More »

Be the first to comment!

Let it snow

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on December 21st, 2017

Preparations for the joyous season in Medicine Hat have been dampened this year by a distinct lack of the white stuff. Aside from a brief but voluminous dump of snow in November, there’s been brown grass, unseasonably warm temperatures and continued dry weather that’s persisted since a wet spring. Golf driving ranges remained open, outdoor ... Read More »

Be the first to comment!