Advocate View
Non-profits get their due
The agenda that awaits Alison Redford is as long in subjects as it is integral in nature.
Alberta, in many areas, was led down the garden path of social de-evolution during the Ralph Klein era. Ed Stelmach’s tenure was really just about managing the flotsam left by Klein. READ
Dropping poison right choice
Kudos to the City of Red Deer for discontinuing the use of the poison Avatril to control pigeons at the downtown bus station. Reams of studies show Avitrol kills dogs, cats and endangered raptors that eat the poisoned birds. It also kills songbirds, the unintended targets of a ludicrous, quick-fix solution to controlling bothersome pigeons. READ
Don’t let Rafferty free – ever
To the Parole Board of Canada, May 2037: READ
EI system no longer works
The Conservative government says Canadians receiving an income under the Employment Insurance program will be required to lower their standards when looking for work or risk losing their benefits. READ
Dousing an urge to burn
It will likely take a generation before a sense of peace and safety is fully restored for many people in Slave Lake. READ
Crisis of care emerging
The more things change, the more they stay the same — particularly in health care, and particularly in Red Deer. The chronic shortage of general physicians in this community has persisted for years, and circumstances are about to get worse. READ
Moving people into future
Building a city that moves people in a sustainable, logical and efficient manner requires the ability to adapt on the fly. READ
Garbage in, garbage out
And now, a message from the land of I-told-you-so science. The I-told-you-so? READ
Beer, Jets and entitlement
A well-intended promotional scheme for the Winnipeg Jets at Manitoba’s government liquor outlets has apparently been serving up flat beer to customers. READ
Put safety before profit
The axiom that business works best when it’s left alone is often seen as key to free enterprise — but the laissez faire framework doesn’t always ensure worker safety. On Saturday, 75 people walked in Red Deer as part of the annual Steps for Life program, which raises money to support families who must cope with the aftermath of workplace accidents. READ
Shortchanged in cabinet
Central Alberta deserves — and needs — more representation in the provincial cabinet. Former premier Ed Stelmach’s last cabinet contained three Central Albertans: Mary Anne Jablonski of Red Deer North, Luke Ouellette of Innisfail-Sylvan Lake and Jack Hayden of Drumheller-Stettler. READ
RDC future should start now
The wheels of change turn slowly in the academic world — regardless of the integral role that education plays in economic growth. READ
Omnibus bill fails test
Stephen Harper’s isn’t the first government to take the cable-guy approach to law-making by bundling up unrelated measures in a catch-all “omnibus” bill — literally a bill for everything — to keep Parliament from looking carefully at what it’s doing. READ
What divide is that?
In naming herself the “cities critic” in Alberta’s shadow cabinet, Wildrose Party Leader Danielle Smith referenced the province’s urban/rural divide as if it were a primary cultural phenomenon of the province. That divide does exist — it does everywhere in Canada — but it’s a lot less important and a lot less of a factor in our lives than Smith asserts. READ
Wards, in due time
Red Deer will not be switching to a ward system of representation in time for the next municipal election. But that’s not to say the idea won’t be more relevant for the election after that. Eventually, Red Deer will be large and diverse enough through our regions that specialized representation on council will be needed. READ
Refine economic prospects
Critics who say Alberta needs fewer new pipelines and more new refineries have a couple of rather impressive bottom lines to bolster their arguments: the quarterly profit reports of Imperial Oil Ltd. and of Husky Energy Inc. READ
Fake tans, real risks
Jokingly, it’s been called “fake ’n bake,” the term describing a so-called healthy looking tan that young people sport by spending time at the tanning salon. READ
Good ideas on all sides
Real elections, beyond the acrimony and even desperation, can serve as inspiration. Certainly the outcome of Monday’s provincial election — 61 out of 87 seats going to the Progressive Conservatives — suggests just another rubber stamp result in Alberta. READ
We get what we vote for
Red Deer North Progressive Conservative MLA Mary Anne Jablonski compared the difficulty of this election campaign to her first race, a byelection, in 2000. With respect, that’s being generous to 2000. READ
Taxman fails fairness test
Income tax rules are simple: file by the deadline and if you’re entitled to a refund, you get it. If you’re late in filing and you owe the federal government money, the more you delay paying that money back, the more interest they tack on. READ
