What killed the regional transit commission and why you should ignore everything Michael Walters says about it
Edmonton city council officially killed the regional transit commission when it pulled out of the project during budget deliberations in December. And according to transit union president Steve Bradshaw, the cause of the commission’s death can be traced to February 2020 when Strathcona County, the second largest transit system in the region, pulled out.
Read moreJason Kenney’s legacy of cruelty includes record numbers of frostbite amputations for unhoused people last winter
A catastrophic failure in our social safety net occurred last winter as a CBC report shows that frostbite amputations hit a 10-year high in Edmonton. The numbers weren’t that much better in Calgary which saw a 340 per cent year-over-year increase.
Read moreTransit union president sets the record straight on city council pulling out of regional transit commission
Ex-Edmonton city councilor Michael Walters made several assertions in a recent column about city council’s decision to withdraw from the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Transit Commission (EMTSC) that deserve careful scrutiny. In his list of reasons why the commission initiative failed, Walters lists first, “The outsized influence of the local transit union at city hall.”
Read moreUCP promise to use the “pointy end of the stick” to address addictions and end homelessness in Edmonton
The UCP trotted out four Calgary-based cabinet ministers to announce the creation of the Edmonton Public Safety and Community Response Task Force on Dec. 13. While its goal is ostensibly to improve things the UCP have made worse concerning houselessness, addiction and public safety, this announcement centered the police and their value as “the pointy end of the stick” in directing unhoused substance users to the correct services.
Read morePOD: All hail Queen Danielle and her new shadow court
University of Calgary law professor Martin Olszysnki joins Duncan Kinney to discuss the recently passed Alberta Sovereignty Act and its corrosive effects on democracy, the rule of law and the treaties.
Read moreDanielle Smith is doing her part
Danielle Smith and the UCP rammed their Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act through the Legislature at 1 AM on Thursday morning. Once again Danielle Smith is doing her part to undermine the rule of law and break our democratic institutions.
Read morePolice Act update creates new police oversight agency, concentrates power over policing with provincial government
The UCP government has introduced legislation that if passed will update the Police Act, create a new independent oversight body to investigate complaints against police officers, and concentrate power and control of municipal policing in the hands of the provincial government.
Read morePolice disciplinary matter involving short-lived EPS web series “The Squad” wraps up 8.5 years after incident with 80 hour suspension without pay
A long-running police misconduct complaint against Const. Wayne Paesch concluded on Nov. 4, 2022 when he pleaded guilty to two counts of neglect of duty and one count of discreditable conduct under the Police Act. The fourth charge, unlawful or unnecessary exercise of authority, was dropped. Const. Paesch received a suspension without pay of 80 hours to be served in five hour increments per pay period.
Read moreThe NDP says this. The UCP says that. What's actually in the Sovereignty Act?
The fall legislative season—Danielle Smith’s season—has kicked off, and the field’s already a mess.
Most critical attention right now is on the Premier’s Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act and for good reason. The first draft of this law is absolutely wild.
What the UCP says this bill does is protect you from Ottawa. What the NDP says this bill does is threaten Alberta’s democracy and economy.
Read moreSmith fires AHS board, appoints same person to run it the last time conservatives did this
Our publication schedule for the Progress Report newsletter got nuked by my medical problems last month, so we’ve got a lot to catch up on. Let’s get right to it with the big news from Thursday afternoon: Danielle Smith has fired the entire board of directors of Alberta Health Services.
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