Opinions
Ottawa should go further in offering pardons for pot possession
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on October 23rd, 2018
The Trudeau government deserves only half a cheer for promising to make it easier for people convicted of minor cannabis-related offences to obtain pardons. Now that cannabis has been legalized in this country, it’s the very least the government could do to redress the injustice for the estimated 500,000 Canadians who have a criminal record ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Pot pardons a welcomed decision
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on October 22nd, 2018
Ever get charged for smoking outside a restaurant? Or for cracking a cool brew in the park? Did you end up serving time in jail? Do you have a criminal record as a result? Of course not. But that is what’s happened to countless thousands of Canadians over many years. They were caught smoking or ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Guest Column: Why a Canadian basic income is inevitable
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on October 22nd, 2018
Troy Media In Canadian policy circles, basic income has come to mean a stipend paid to families or individuals without the many conditions and rules that govern existing income assistance programs. The amount received is gradually reduced as income from other sources increases. However, basic income is not just about welfare reform. A basic income ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Sen. Warren should help to advance cause of Native Americans
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on October 20th, 2018
With the controversy of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s claims to be part Native American still swirling through the political atmosphere, it is important that we hear the voices of actual Native Americans. They’re not too thrilled. Native American groups say they’re tired of being a “political football” in the back and forth over Warren’s heritage claims. ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!National Affairs: Quebec is not as quick to light up
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on October 20th, 2018
The sound of one hand clapping greeted the fulfilment of Justin Trudeau’s signature cannabis promise in Quebec on Wednesday. To mark the occasion, the Journal de Montréal, the province’s most-read tabloid, gave pride of place to not one, but three scathing columns on the ills of the legalization of marijuana. Not every Quebec media outlet ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!MLA Report: Servicing Alberta’s ballooning debt jeopardizing our province’s priorities
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on October 19th, 2018
Alberta has long been the economic leader in Canada. Alberta boasts 11.6 per cent of Canada’s population, but our province contributes a whopping 17 per cent of the total national Real GDP. This was only possible because past Alberta leadership created an environment that attracted investment and created jobs. However over the past three years, ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Unfair focus on UCP over disqualified candidates
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on October 19th, 2018
The degree of hype around election nominees and candidates who fall from grace in this pre-election phase seems to be based on the party rather than the seriousness of the individual’s unacceptability. This week the Alberta Party disqualified its Edmonton-Ellerslie candidate because he had attended an event that was critical of an “Indian Supreme Court ... Read More »
1 responseLegal pot: Wait to see how things will play out
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on October 18th, 2018
With dread, elation or a shrug of the shoulders, marijuana is legal this day. We’ve all spent a long-time debating the merits of removing criminal prohibition of the narcotic substance, hypothesized about the effects on society, and tried to imagine what the brand new industry would look like. As a society, we’ve come to few ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Pot legalization another turning point for Canada
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on October 17th, 2018
It could be seen as a turning point in a province that wasn’t yet 20 years old. But not many Albertans will remember what happened on Nov. 5, 1923. Not sure? That was the day Albertans voted to end Prohibition. Rejecting half-way measures — beer sales allowed but no hard liquor, or beer only in ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!It’s time Ottawa moved to expunge criminal records forpot smokers
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on October 16th, 2018
If police brass who vigorously enforced cannabis laws can reinvent themselves as pot promoters then it’s high time to give Canadians with possession records their own second chance. The legalization of cannabis this week is a welcome step forward for Canada, and an overdue acknowledgement that criminalizing pot-smokers was a costly and dangerous mistake. But ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Additional funding for legal aid a step forward
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on October 15th, 2018
“Justice delayed is justice denied,” we’re told. So for Albertans who can’t afford a lawyer, there’s no justice at all. That’s why it’s crucial that Albertans have access to a legal aid service to help them through some of life’s biggest challenges. That access has been difficult in recent years, as the population has grown ... Read More »
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