Alberta

Slàinte: Canmore Highland Games draws a big crowd

Canmore’s Sally Garen from the Three Sisters Scottish Festival Society at the Massed Pipes & Drums closing ceremony last Sunday (Sept. 2)

As the last pipe bands marched off the field to the tune of “Alba an Aigh” (Scotland the Brave), thousands of spectators in attendance paused to let the hairs on the back of their neck recede and celebrate the end of the day events at the 22nd annual Canmore Highland Games.

With a sun-soaked morning and afternoon filled with heavy sports such as the sheaf toss, colourful regalia worn by highland dancers and pipe and drum bands from across Western Canada, the event at Centennial Park last Sunday (Sept. 2) was another success. Read the full story at the Rocky Mountain Outlook.

Column: Moving lock, stock and barrel

– published in the St. Paul Journal on July 3, 2012

After over six months of rodeos, town and county meetings, a provincial election, high school sports games, cups of coffee from McDonalds and Tim Hortons, one week without said drink, and a baby of the month story, I have officially moved on.

The move is to another newspaper in a town located in the mountains. As exciting as it is to move to a different place and experience the freshness that comes with being in a new surrounding, thinking back on my experience here in St. Paul has reminded me that living and working here was something I needed to do.

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Severance packages and tax-free salaries scrapped by Alberta government

Local MLA Shayne Saskiw says the steps made by the PC government in implementing 13 of the 15 recommendations laid out by retired Supreme Court Justice Jack Major are a step in the right direction, but insists the Wildrose party will fight “tooth and nail” to ensure the proposed defined pension plan for MLAs does not become legislation.

Last week, in conjunction with the first session of Alberta’s 28th legislature, house leader Dave Hancock announced Premier Alison Redford’s government approval of most of the recommendations laid down by Major in his written report on salaries paid to Alberta politicians. Redford had originally pledged to accept every one of Major’s recommendations around MLA pay. However, immediately following the 327-page report’s publication, the premier announced she would not accept the recommendation for an increase in her salary to $335,000 (a raise of $124,000).

 

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Column: Canadians living through the first ‘Maple Spring’

The student strike in Quebec over the proposed tuition hikes by Premier Jean Charest and the Liberal government has entered its 14th week, and since the mayhem began, we have seen students clash with police, public property vandalized, smoke bombs set off and plastic baton rounds, or rubber bullets, fired at protestors.

There’s no keeping a lid on something like this as the world has eyes, or rather, Twitter and Facebook. The strike has even achieved the status of a moniker thanks to The Guardian. It’s being called ‘Maple Spring’ in honour of the Arab Spring. Clever enough. Read the full column at the St. Paul Journal.

Justice recommends scrapping controversial ‘golden handshake’

Defeated local MLA Ray Danyluk could be walking away from his years in the public eye with an estimated half a million dollars in severance pay, but future retiring or defeated MLAs may not be getting as hefty transitional allowances if new recommendations on MLA compensation are passed.

Last week, an independent report conducted by retired Supreme Court Justice Jack Major was released, outlining several recommendations regarding MLA salaries. In his 327-page report, Major made three substantial recommendations regarding MLAs’ transition allowance, the tax-free portion of their salaries and implementing a new pension plan similar to the one cut by former premier Ralph Klein in 1993. Read the full story at the St. Paul Journal.

Alberta candidates address rising power bills and new transmission lines

One of the hot topics for the upcoming provincial election is the recent spike in power bills, which has affected both St. Paul residents and business owners alike.

From large car dealerships to small independent shops on Main Street, the increase in the amount business owners are paying for power is substantial and with the passing of a very mild winter, people are scratching their heads to determine why that is. Read the full story at the St. Paul Journal.

Column: Something Leafs and Oilers fans have in common

When I first arrived in Alberta before the new year began, one of the things I noticed on the way back to my sister’s place from the Edmonton airport was a bumper sticker on the car ahead of me. It said ‘You’re in oil country’ and had the Edmonton Oilers hockey team logo. I certainly wasn’t surprised since in any major Canadian city, the residents wholeheartedly support their local hockey team. The same can be said of the smaller cities and towns across the country that diligently cheer on and wear the colours of their hockey team, whichever level it plays at. Read the full column at The St. Paul Journal.

Keystone XL and Northern Gateway pipelines crucial for St. Paul, say local leaders


Whether they agree or disagree on the specifics, the proposed Northern Gateway and Keystone XL pipelines are important for St. Paul, according to local and provincial leaders.

The Keystone XL, an over 2,500 km pipeline running from the Athabasca oilsands to Texas, and Northern Gateway, a 1,177 km pipeline from Brudeheim, Alberta, to Kitimat, B.C., are two projects that have been at the forefront of the oilsands debate. Read the full story at The St. Paul Journal.