Opinions
City Notebook: With a sale off the table, a power plant review still smart
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 13th, 2021
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant This week Hatters heard a sales option for the power plant was off the table in a review of the viability of the last remaining municipal power company in Alberta. The thought had raised the ire of some residents who, it seems, remembered they are shareholders of the company. Such a review however, is ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!The Human Condition: The mothers of intervention
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 11th, 2021
In the coming weeks I plan to write at least one column on our provincial media and how it functions. But first I think it is important to discuss a significant problem that is infecting our discussions of politics in general: dehumanization. To be Liberal or Conservative these days seems, to the opposite camp, to ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!An urgent letter to all Members of Parliament
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 10th, 2021
We have a very serious situation in this country, and we are delighted to hear that Minister of Heritage Steven Guilbeault said on Monday that the government is preparing legislation to force tech giants to fairly compensate content creators. Google and Facebook, two of the richest companies in history, control the onramp to the internet ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!City Notebook: Communication of power
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 6th, 2021
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant The city is attempting to get more information out on issues of a potential power plant sale with a Q&A portal on the its website. It’s a complex matter riddled with details, wrapped in dense legislation and obscured by a hard-to-understand business environment. It’s as hard to grasp as what’s going on in any ... Read More »
1 responseMP Report: Government that hides facts untrustworthy
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 5th, 2021
Trust is in short supply these days. Historically, it has always been so with politicians (and should stay that way) – however, over the past number of years trust in critical institutions has deteriorated in Canada. For example, trust in policing is at an all time low as we witness varied outcomes for differing groups ... Read More »
1 responseViewpoint: Sustainable long-term energy plan needed
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on February 4th, 2021
The Keystone XL Pipeline is dead, probably forever. It is an unfortunate decision by President Biden, but he is applauded by supporters in the United States and in Canada. The completion of this project would have been a boost to Alberta. Jack Mintz, University of Calgary School of Public Policy, has written that about 15,000 ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!City Notebook: Long talked about issues come to a head Monday
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on January 30th, 2021
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant Two heavyweight issues both appear on Monday night’s council agenda. Haven’t we been talking about the City Centre Development Agency and the Veiner Centre non stop for about 10 years now? When council last met, the annual matter of approving the business investment area’s budget became a wide-ranging discussion about how to reform the ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Just Pondering: Pandemic pondering
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on January 28th, 2021
The year we just put behind us was one like no other in our history. I know we have all experienced frustration, fatigue and in some cases true pain through loss of a loved one. So I would like to offer a lighter side of COVID-19 that I am pretty sure some of us have ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!City Notebook: 2020 Newsmakers
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on January 23rd, 2021
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant The News, like most, made essential workers the newsmakers of 2020 – the work of health-care professionals and others simply outpacing the field in a pandemic year. But without COVID, what would the year have looked like? We missed the traditional runners-up story this year, but there’s a strong case to be made for ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!MLA Report: Unified efforts needed for both Keystone and COVID
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on January 22nd, 2021
The New Year has already presented Albertans with many challenges and troubling news. I know that as your MLA, both myself and my colleagues must work harder than ever to earn the trust of Albertans, hold ourselves accountable to our constituents and steer our province toward a brighter economic future. Alberta’s government is fighting tirelessly ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!For What It’s Worth: Big tech companies setting the rules for online discourse
By Medicine Hat News Opinion on January 21st, 2021
There is no question that social media has become the primary medium for large scale discussion on societal issues. Almost everybody has access to the internet and therefore the ability to voice their opinions into the public sphere with ease. What people say online has influence on decision makers in both government and business, which ... Read More »
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