March 29th, 2024

Opinions

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 »

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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 »

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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 »

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Guest Column: ‘Ping pong’ game by oil critics must end

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 3rd, 2018

Albertans have every right to get upset and angry at the announcement of the $40 billion LNG Canada project scheduled to be built in Kitimat, B.C. It’s not that Albertans are envious of B.C. getting the project, but Albertans are livid at the hypocritical way they have been treated. Beaming and smiling broadly, Prime Minister ... Read More »

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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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Report from Ottawa: Small business essential to Canada’s future

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 2nd, 2018

It was just over a year since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau first launched their attack on local business to pay for their out-of-control spending. While mounting pressure eventually forced the federal government to back off from the most extreme parts of their proposal, the Liberals did implement tax increases and ... Read More »

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Proper checks and balances should be in place for all taxpayer-funded expenditures

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 2nd, 2018

In summer 2016 an RCMP credit card was cloned and fraudulently used for purchases totalling $104,555 before the RCMP discovered what was happening — about nine months later. When this was revealed in the last couple of days it was couched as … the RCMP wanting to warn others … We have not heard the ... Read More »

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City’s next budget may need some major recalibration

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on November 1st, 2018

October marked the one-year anniversary since the most recent municipal election, an exercise that largely provided a steady-as-she-goes mandate to elected officials at city hall in Medicine Hat. So steady-as-she-goes, it turns out, that the one-quarter mark of the current council term passed two weeks ago without much notice. However, those easy summer days are ... Read More »

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With anti-Semitism and hate crimes on the rise, U.S. voters must check Donald Trump’s power

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on October 31st, 2018

In the wake of the massacre of 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, considerable attention was paid to the fact that the shooter openly advertised his murderous intentions on a recently founded media platform called Gab, favoured by the extreme right. Gab and similar platforms may be new, but the hard truth is that ... Read More »

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Helping kids learn risk-taking skills

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on October 30th, 2018

Play that doesn’t challenge kids isn’t helping them develop vital skills Lethbridge city council recently threw its support behind letting kids play — and even allowing them to engage in “risky play.” Council unanimously endorsed a new Play Charter for the City of Lethbridge, following in the footsteps of Calgary, which passed a similar charter ... Read More »

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