One could be forgiven for assuming that Alberta's minister of culture would have some semblance of the arts and the province's arts community, but by all accounts, that's not the case. If there were any doubts, this recent interview in the Globe and Mail should remove them. The fact that Maureen Kubinec hasn't seen a live performance … Continue reading Alberta’s uncultured minister
Opinion
Calgary doesn’t care about you
Back in 2008, a friend of mine lived in a nice apartment with not-so-great neighbours on a bit of a sketchy corner. Still, the two-bedroom, 1950s-era space was big, relatively nice and relatively cheap at $800 per month. Six years later, that same apartment is up for rent, listed on rentfaster.ca for $3,000. That represents … Continue reading Calgary doesn’t care about you
The empty Postmedia empire
This morning, the face of Canada's newspaper industry changed, and it's not for the best. Postmedia, owner of daily papers across the country and the National Post, announced it is buying Quebecor's English-language papers, all 175 of them, including the Sun papers, for $316 million. It's no surprise to anyone at this point that the industry … Continue reading The empty Postmedia empire
Clint, the calf-roping calf
So, you get to be in the Stampede this week? Yeah, pretty excited about it. Really? No. Why? Well, there’s the lack of prize money and the fact that someone will be chasing me down while mounted on the back of a horse, trying to throw a rope around my neck and stop me dead … Continue reading Clint, the calf-roping calf
Ric McIver and the extremists
When the Peace Bridge opened in March of 2012, crowds gathered to celebrate. Politicians and citizens all swarmed both ends of the controversial bridge, eager to be amongst the first to cross. Just prior to cutting the ribbon, there was a blessing by a First Nations elder — recognition that Calgary sits on traditional Blackfoot … Continue reading Ric McIver and the extremists
Out(road)rageous: $5 billion could go a long way
We seem destined to always talk about transportation. Public transit, including the long-sought southeast LRT line and the nuances of where to put the north-central line; the mess that is Calgary’s taxi system; bike lanes; pedestrian safety improvements; two-way roads through the Beltline; and now the revelation that the southwest portion of the ring road … Continue reading Out(road)rageous: $5 billion could go a long way
Cut the public affairs bureau
The latest provincial budget comes out on March 6 and the opposition is already circling, with Wildrose leading the charge. On February 25, Alberta’s other right wing released its budget recommendations. No surprise, there were lots of savings to be found in the bullet points (see, it’s easy!). It was bullet number 4 that, as … Continue reading Cut the public affairs bureau
A black mark on Bob Edwards’ legacy
We are not impressed. On November 14, Lord Conrad Black will descend in all his majesty, sneering down from his imagined social perch to be recognized as this year's winner of the annual Bob Edwards Award. For shame. A bit of history. Bob Edwards was a hard-drinking, rabble-rousing gonzo journalist who ran theCalgary Eye … Continue reading A black mark on Bob Edwards’ legacy
Citizens on the backburner: it’s all about the oil in Alberta
Imagine if you could run roughshod over the laws and be comfortable in the knowledge that you’d only get in trouble about one per cent of the time, and when you did, it amounted to a miniscule fine. What would you do? You’d probably behave like the oil companies operating within Alberta. In a recent … Continue reading Citizens on the backburner: it’s all about the oil in Alberta
A two-pronged attack on creativity
If you want to see the kind of mind that supports closing arts programs, in this case at Mount Royal University, have a look at two recent opinion articles. One by the Calgary Sun ’s Ian Robinson is a barely coherent demonstration of ignorance and simple-mindedness. The other, by the Calgary Herald ’s Karin Klassen, … Continue reading A two-pronged attack on creativity
Drew Anderson 