virulent minister

In what world does a health minister stalk doctors? In Tyler Shandro's fortis et liber wexit world. Because the wisest, most prudent thing to do during a pandemic is to bilk and antagonize the good folks who look after us in our public health system and just be a weirdo.

Ministerial rating: 0/5

Alberta environment minister suspends environment

Minister of Environment, Jason Nixon (Mar 31 order), waives environmental reporting amid covid-19 pandemic. He says complying would be a "hardship" for companies, even though billions and billions of dollars and perks have flowed to O&G of late.

Full article: National Observer

This is the minister who promised no public or Crown land would be sold. This is the minister who helped ram a 2020-21 budget **with a $58/barrel oil price and no sudden-onset global pandemic** which a) unrevised is bad budgeting and b) propels nursing job and health care cuts. 

This is the person who in 2011 signed a one-year (threatening? let's kill the bitch? poaching? trespassing?) peace bond.

 

Ministerial rating: 0/5

best of 2019: Alberta forbidden words

UCP provincial government orders public schools to remove the word "public" from their names. Education minister: Adriana LaGrange, Aug15 by ministerial order. 

Lagrange is the Kenney leadership Red Deer pro-life stacker (special guest: hapner). See also Jason Kenney's 2016 interview with Ezra Levant.

Lagrange only was "simplifying naming conventions," along the lines of other "simple" things like UCP firing Elections Commissioner (Bill 22, "only merging" with Elections Alberta).

 

Ministerial rating: 0/5

alberta election: MLAs

MADD as hell

The writ hasn't been dropped yet, but PC party advertising has began (campaign style events). Another point is the budget: is the Redford government in breach of the legislature with budget 2012 ads? Premier Alison Redford had a nice time and was so well-spoken in Washington DC and New York City (Eastern Energy Conference) that she was asked to be Mitt Romney's running mate.

The unelected leader of the Wildrose Alliance Party in Okotoks picked an issue, and of all the issues from which to pick, it's 0.05 blood alcohol. The campaign is on drink coasters.

What's more intriguing are 21 MLAs who get paid $1000/mo. for being on a committee ("Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing") when there are no meetings. In fact, there has been no meeting since November 2008, so that's quite a few potatoes.

There also is the recent $500,000 MLA retirement transition allowance and or severance payouts, in addition to pension. That's half a million bucks for an MLA? So ---- 23 retiring MLAs ---- $10.5 million. Economist Herbert Grubel said every legislature in the country provides a transition allowance, but the dollars doled out here make Alberta stand out like a sore thumb. Thank you, Ken Kowalski. Of course, a lot of MLA's are retiring.

Next, the graph. Who knew!? 

Adding this up, it appears to be a big, expensive, self-serving, bullying, and bullying Alberta PC... oil & gas junta ... natural resource gestapo junta that went national. (Graph: Liberal 2012 Election Platform.) See also: Political funding spurs 52 probes.

In the previous election, March 3 2008, carbon capture and storage (CCS) was the cat's meow. Stelmach, Jul 2008: $2 billion in funding, the green image. Now it's not.

More: Wikileaks shines light on $16 billion electricity scandal.
Ah, memories: EUB spies on landowners.