Opinions
Laying It Out: In all fairness, what a waste of time
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on June 20th, 2020
“Fair’s fair,” as they say. Whatever that means. You gotta hand it to the editors at the Calgary Sun for running that phrase in triple-digit font size on the front page, because they were able to describe in two words what members of the Fair Deal Panel needed 68 pages to say. Not much. Columnist ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Laying It Out: The house is on fire… enough with the drips in the sink
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on June 13th, 2020
Listen, if you think lavish travel expenses by the UCP government is going to be the thing that sways voter loyalty toward a different party, that’s entirely your right to do. It’s just not my thing. If the NDP thinks that trying to impress conservatives with talk of monthly hotel bills is going to win ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!News editorial: Incomplete information fuelling fears
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on June 12th, 2020
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade A lack of information and clarity is probably creating unnecessary confusion and even fear in these COVID times. This week a national media broadcast announced that 80 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in seniors residences in Ontario took place in “privately-owned and operated” residences. The news broadcast then went on to extrapolate that it ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Parks and Rec: A different take on Parks and Recreation Month
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on June 9th, 2020
While June signals the arrival of Parks and Recreation month, typically celebrated by engaging in community recreation opportunities, it goes without saying this year looks different. While it is always important to maintain proper safety procedures while recreating, there are extra measures to consider this year to keep individuals, families, and communities illness-free. Here are ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Laying It Out: Great news, we’re trading seniors for profit
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on May 30th, 2020
Let me see if I have this right… The good news is only old people are dying, and the vast majority of those old people are in long-term care facilities that I don’t even need to go to. Let’s live it up! We used to acknowledge the fact that younger people who won’t die can ... Read More »
5 responsesLaying It Out: Throwin’ stones and coming up empty
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on May 23rd, 2020
Curling legend Pat Ryan was a game changer in every sense. I’d watched him as a kid and was still in journalism school in 2007 when I had the opportunity to sit down with him at The Continental Cup in Medicine Hat. The interview was one of my first, so it stuck with me, and ... Read More »
3 responsesCity Notebook: Say what you will, Barnes sticks to his politics no matter what
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on May 23rd, 2020
To quote the title of a popular children’s book, Drew Barnes has had a “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad” couple weeks … on social media at least. The MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat got zinged a bunch of times in May for, among other things, how he operates a substantial rental property portfolio, him extolling ... Read More »
1 responseNews editorial: Should elections look different in the future?
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on May 22nd, 2020
Perhaps Albertans have misunderstood the purpose of elections. Maybe it is political staff rather than would-be MLAs that should be campaigning. Unless a minister happens to be in this area it is virtually impossible to get a telephone interview. It is common place now for government communications staff to simply provide an emailed statement that ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Pandemic helps teach us about climate change
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on May 21st, 2020
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com New reports state global carbon dioxide emissions fell by about 17 per cent by early April, during an unprecedented slowdown as the industrial world battles COVID-19. That’s either encouraging or terrifying depending on which side of the climate debate you sit. The reality is neither and both, but gives key — and, yes, unprecedented ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!News editorial: We must remain vigilant as we re-open
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on May 14th, 2020
Today’s “relaunch” in Alberta from the most strict of pandemic controls is no doubt welcome, but shouldn’t be considered as the beginning of the end, but rather, perhaps, the end of the beginning. That idiom, the creation of Winston Churchill in the early days of the Second World War, applies to a long hard struggle, ... Read More »
1 responseWhat’s Up Doc?: A second wave could come later this year, or not
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on May 12th, 2020
“Epidemics are like fires. When fuel is plentiful, they rage uncontrollably, and when it is scarce, they smolder slowly.” – Justin Lessler, an associate professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, wrote in the Washington Post in March. The problem is we do not know how much fuel COVID-19 virus is left with. This question ... Read More »
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