Opinions
Democrats’ success a sign of good health for democracy
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 12th, 2018
The Democrats’ return to control over the House of Representatives is much more than a victory for one party. It is a sign of health for American democracy. Distrustful of untrammeled majorities, the authors of the Constitution favoured checks and balances, including, crucially, the check that the legislative branch might place upon the executive. Over ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!No need to fret: Crime stats don’t tell the true story
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 10th, 2018
Medicine Hat ranked 32 out of 237 municipalities in Maclean’s recent rankings of the “most dangerous places” in Canada. On the surface, this is quite alarming, but ranking high on the list doesn’t necessarily mean there’s more crime, just that more incidents are being reported and prosecuted. According to Medicine Hat Police Service Insp. Tim ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Guest Column: Marijuana’s medical attributes overstated
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 10th, 2018
Marijuana users want society to believe the very thing they’ve told themselves for years — that the highs of marijuana far outweigh its lows when it comes to health and the effect on the masses. Informed minds that remain sober and less tainted by personal bias realize that’s probably not the case. Cannabis is demonstrably ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Gerry Ritz’s record tarnishes Agriculture Hall of Fame
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 9th, 2018
Prime Minister Harper said he “would make Canada unrecognizable.” His agriculture minister Gerry Ritz certainly did his part to make Canadian agriculture and food unrecognizable. Minister Ritz’s destructive record speaks for itself. Does Toronto’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair really want to damage its reputation by inducting former Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz (2007-2015), into Canada’s Agriculture ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Veterans shouldn’t have to wait to receive money owed to them
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 9th, 2018
The federal government reportedly shortchanged 272,000 veterans on their pensions for more than eight years and now they’re saying veterans will need to wait another two years to get that money back. That this happened is bad enough but this weekend we are about to recognize veterans on Remembrance Day. We are going to recognize ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Honouring those who died by never forgetting
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 8th, 2018
It’s been four years since Hatters and others around the Western World noted the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. This Sunday, we’ll mark 100 years from its conclusion. An August, 2014 News editorial noted at that time a feeling of curiosity in the community, even romance about the bygone era, ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Changing birthright citizenship in U.S. a serious assault on democracy
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 7th, 2018
President Trump’s recent assertion that he could end birthright citizenship via an executive order likely is another attempt to stir up immigration as a campaign issue ahead of the upcoming midterm election. It’s a bad and almost certainly unconstitutional idea, and had the matter stopped there, it would hardly merit serious discussion. Then, a few ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!New solitary rules still fall short
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 6th, 2018
More than a decade after Ashley Smith’s death in solitary confinement, the federal government has introduced legislation inspired by her tragic case to overhaul the rules governing inmates in segregation. Bill C-83 takes positive steps to ensure prisoners held in isolation are treated far more humanely than she was, but the legislation falls short in ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Outpouring of love and solidarity needed in wake of Pittsburgh synagogue attack
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 5th, 2018
The massacre two Saturdays ago at a Pittsburgh synagogue is heartbreaking. Eleven worshippers — all of them elderly and/or disabled — were mowed down by a gunman spewing anti-Semitic hatred. An attack on a peaceful place of worship should be unthinkable, but as Quebecers know all too well, it is not. As with the 2017 ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!The trouble with PM’s debate plan
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 5th, 2018
It is not necessary to doubt the independence of former governor-general David Johnston to find that the optics of his nomination as Canada’s first debates commissioner were less than optimal. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not consult the opposition parties on the choice of a debates referee nominee. The Liberal government set the criteria that ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Drug treatment court would be beneficial in Medicine Hat
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 3rd, 2018
It’s clear to anyone who follows crime and the courts in Medicine Hat that our city is struggling with a drug problem. This issue isn’t unique to Medicine Hat by any means. The entire country, especially its western portion, is being ravaged by an opioid crisis, but southern Alberta appears to have a specific problem ... Read More »
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