January 11th, 2025

Opinions

Opinion: First Nations, climate, energy make for complicated talks

By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 27th, 2020

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant Alberta is still in the early days of a United Conservative government, though the increasing pace of issues and controversy the province faces is enough to make most think otherwise. Add to the laundry list an new strategy to redefine Alberta’s relationship with First Nations – a topic that made up the majority of ... Read More »

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Opinion: Sign of Alberta’s frustration

By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 26th, 2020

The latest salvo in Albertans’ growing frustration with the province’s role within confederation was fired recently in a manifesto called the Buffalo Declaration. The Buffalo Declaration was authored by four Conservative MPs from Alberta – Michelle Rempel Garner, Glen Motz, Blake Richards and Arnold Viersen. The document’s name harkens back to the early 1900s when ... Read More »

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Laying it out: What comes next can’t be arrested away

By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 22nd, 2020

It would be a mistake to waste the reader’s time by taking sides in the Wet’suwet’en solidarity protests happening around the country. You either support the reasons behind the rail blockades, or you don’t, and in this province only a fool would think the latter isn’t a landslide majority. To be honest, and based on ... Read More »

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MLA Report: The necessary journey of returning to balanced budgets

By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 21st, 2020

With the budget coming up for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the need to return Alberta to fiscal balance returns to the front of my mind. Fiscal responsibility through balanced budgets are something we all have to work towards, especially when it comes to government dollars. This is first and foremost because these dollars came from ... Read More »

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Opinion: Nervousness ahead of provincial budget

By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 21st, 2020

gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade We are still experiencing the implementation of radical changes announced in the provincial government’s “fall” budget and now there will be another budget next week. For those impacted by the changes announced last fall and those who wonder if it will target them this time, there is a sense of trepidation. It could be ... Read More »

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Laying It Out: Speak now or forever regret your silence

By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 15th, 2020

Premier Jason Kenney and the United Conservatives aren’t listening, so you’re going to have to speak up. It doesn’t look like any amount of war room embarrassment, hits to employment, protests from nurses, or cuts no one asked for is going to cause this government to backtrack. As chaotic as it often looks, a calculated ... Read More »

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Opinion: Another nurses strike brewing?

By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 14th, 2020

Most people know that open flame and gunpowder is a combination that can have explosive results, so they seek to avoid such situations. But in a situation the head of the United Nurses of Alberta calls “a powder keg,” the UCP government is playing with fire by making contract demands that could push Alberta’s nurses ... Read More »

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Opinion: Coal taking a back seat to natural gas

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on February 13th, 2020

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant Too bad, coal, it looks like you’re the odd man out. And that’s according to traditional coal allies in industry and conservative circles that are now highlighting their environmental actions that include arguments in favour of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. It’s likely a case of making lemonade out of lemons, but it’s also ... Read More »

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Guest Column: New vision for CRTC is dangerously radical

By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 12th, 2020

Concern is growing over proposed changes to the federal approach to governing broadcasting in Canada. After two days of almost baffling silence following the release of a report calling for sweeping changes to how – and over what – the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) exercises its regulatory powers, pundits and politicians are starting ... Read More »

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Opinion: TMX back on track, for now

By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 10th, 2020

The latest court victory for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion means the on-again, off-again project is on again – at least for now. The Federal Court of Appeal announced Tuesday it had struck down a challenge by several British Columbia First Nations groups, paving the way for construction work to continue. But while proponents welcomed ... Read More »

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Laying It Out: They had no choice (because they didn’t want any)

By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 8th, 2020

The reviews are in, and they say exactly what we thought they’d say. The UCP unveiled its most recent “independent” report this week – a review of Alberta Health Services by accountants from Ernst & Young – and as you can guess, there are plenty of cost-saving suggestions. The good news, should you be looking, ... Read More »

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