Oberg's Style - Over Promise and Under Deliver

The recent editorial in the University of Calgary student newspaper The Gauntlet captures the essence of Oberg's unilateral power-based governance style. He is notorious - no pun intended - at over promising and under delivering. Be it resolving the teacher's strike, dealing with the pension issues, twinning hiway 63 to Fort Mc or the preemptive announcement of the misguided Veterinary School at the U of C. The list is virtually endless if you want to do the research.

Alberta has been sending students to Saskatchewan's Vet School for years, helping to keep it viable in part. If there was a new approach needed - why would we not help the U of S do it rather than use our arrogant Alberta bucks to build our own only to beat up on them? The crass personality politics of Dr. Oberg is the answer.

So the great quote from the Gauntlet that captures the governing character of Oberg is:

The original announcement for the vet school came in 2004, during a high-publicity press conference at the Calgary Zoo from then-learning minister Lyle Oberg. The announcement, like so many since, was accompanied by a pledge that funding would be committed so the faculty could open on time. Obviously, it didn't and it won't.

Why? Because there is no glory for a Minister like Oberg in collaboration or consulting colleagues. He made a big promise for the U of C school knowing he could not deliver because he lacked budget approval and the Priorities support from the government. More of the reasons why the Caucus canned him....now he thinks he could lead the same Caucus as their leader? That tells me he is delusional at best.

If he did win on the 1 person 1 vote model, my experience says he would be a brutal ideological dictator if he ever became Premier.