Noteworthy: Opportunity in the Hat, pipeline civility and ‘Desert Stormy’

By Medicine Hat News on May 22, 2018.

We’re only five months into 2018 and the industrial situation in southeastern Alberta has been like a yo-yo. In February, 53 jobs were lost as the Spitz plant announced its closure in Bow Island. In March, cryptocurrency data processing company Hut 8 announced plans for a major development in Medicine Hat. Then, in April, Aurora Cannabis Inc. said a $130 million medical marijuana production facility would be built in Medicine Hat, with the promise of up to 500 well-paying jobs. Whether you like the idea of Medicine Hat moving from Gas City to Pot City, our image is definitely going to change. For the better, I’m guessing. Medicine Hat will be the centre of opportunity after a few years of struggling with the negative effects of the oil industry and natural gas collapse … When Mayor Ted Clugston promised major industrial development was on the way during the 2017 mayoralty campaign, he wasn’t fooling. … From the not-in-my-backyard department: 64 per cent of Canadians polled by Angus Reid say DACA — the Obama-era program that allowed roughly 800,000 illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as children to remain in that country legally — should be kept in place. But only 38 per cent say Canada should welcome those affected by the end of the policy, as promised by President Donald Trump. … How many people in the world are regulars on the internet? If you guessed 50 per cent, you’d be correct according to Mozilla’s internet health report. … A study says Canada’s most influential brand is The Weather Network, which moved up from No. 12 last year. That probably says something about how often Canadians check the weather forecast and how much influence atmospheric conditions have on our daily lives. … Negative stories regarding franchisee complaints about Tim Hortons have been in the news lately, but Canadians still love their Timmies. According to a recent Angus Reid survey, Canadians are more likely to hold a favourable view of Tim Hortons, rather than an unfavourable one, by a ratio of more than two-to-one (55 per cent to 25 per cent). And they’ll remain loyal, as one in three (33 per cent) are weekly customers, while 29 per cent of Canadians visit a Tim’s restaurant at least once a month. … Don’t threaten to hold your breath until the Kinder Morgan pipeline dispute between Alberta and B.C. is finalized. This is going to continue to go at sloth-like speed. … One of the best lines from the U.S. bomb-dropping of Syria recently came from a wag who said the mission should have been called “Desert Stormy.” … Cochrane RCMP report a string of thefts of fragrances from Shoppers Drug Mart stores in the area. The two female suspects were described by RCMP as being 5-foot-4 to 5-foot-6, dark hair and “smelling damn nice.” … Anyone excited by the Aurora Cannabis Inc. announcement that it’s establishing a multi-million facility in Medicine Hat might be tempted to buy some stock in this publicly traded company. Their hopes for the share price? High. … In answer to your question, yes, we are now the Grass City. … England recently appointed a Minister of Loneliness, Tracey Crouch, to help the country deal with loneliness and decreased life expectancy. Canada likely won’t be far behind in implementing such a ministry, driving the right-wing element of our country battier. …Civility? It seems that word has been removed from the dictionary, at least as far as Canadian politics is concerned. Everybody, it seems, is involved in a combative situation with somebody. Alberta UCP Leader Jason Kenney is firing off salvos at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, forgetting, perhaps, that a little diplomacy might come in handy down the road when he becomes Alberta’s premier and needs Ottawa on his side. Kenney is also fighting with Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, of course, because it’s in the DNA of cats and dogs to do that. Notley is fighting with Kenney and the UCP, she’s fighting with Premier John Horgan of B.C. over the Trans Mountain pipeline, and also fighting with her federal leader (and supposed political cohort) Jagmeet Singh, who has chosen an NDP partner to dance with on the Trans Mountain front and it’s Horgan, not Notley. Meanwhile, we can only hope Notley has at least a pooch at home to give her comfort, because she doesn’t seem to be getting it anywhere else. … Vancouver columnist Steve Burgess gave his hilarious take on the Lethbridge Denny’s racist rant story by recalling that was the same restaurant where shock rocker Marilyn Manson got punched in the face following a concert “by some local blueberry pancake aficionado”and wonders whether that particular restaurant “is a doorway …to the infernal regions of Lucifer.” … No matter who wins the Jets-Golden Knights Western Conference playoff series, Cinderella is bound to appear on Coaches’ Corner in the Stanley Cup finals. … Can Medicine Hat’s future possibly get brighter? Aurora, Hut 8, a major truck stop being built by Flying J. That’s a lot of construction, a lot of employment for tradespeople, a lot of future tax money flowing through city coffers and a lot of reason for Mayor Ted Clugston to expect re-election in 2021. … Have you got your tickets to Cirque du Soleil’s Crystal yet? The ice magic show at the Canalta Centre is one of the biggest events to hit our city in ages. …Instead of walking out of the Legislature when it was time to vote on issues surrounding buffer zones for abortion clinics in Alberta, why didn’t the UCP members just do what most kindergarten students do when they don’t like to see or hear something? They simply put their hands over their ears and close their eyes. It would save a lot of commotion but achieve the same result.