Some Good Things That Are Happening

Lots of things happening all over the place that really adds to the feeling there are good things to come. The ones that warm my heart includes the masterful work of the Honourable Jim Prentice, federal Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development for the “Specific Claims Action Plan.” Getting Phil Fontaine and Stephen Harper on the same stage is brilliant work. To get them on the same page is momentous. Nothing but good things can happen form this effort and it shows once again that Jim Prentice is the crème de la crème of Progressive Conservative politicians in Canada.

Melissa Blake, the Mayor the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo aka Fort McMurray is running again. That is great news for the citizens of that region and city for sure. She has been one of the most effective, assertive and focused local politicians in Alberta.

The Mayors and Reeves and economic development folks in the Grande Alberta Economic Region decided yesterday to keep moving forward in finding ways to deal with and cope with the infestation of the Mountain Pine Beetle. If we don't find ways to adapt and if we can't stop the beetle, chances are it could spread across the entire boreal forest. Full disclosure, we at Cambridge Strategies have been working with them for some months now on this and they decided to take their initiatives to the next level. Our report will be on their website and Policy Channel soon.

The move by Premier Stelmach to take the leadership on meeting the need for a regional growth strategy in the Edmonton area that deal with all the surrounding municipalities, include some in his own riding is a positive move. With out this Edmonton will be turning into another neglected Fort McMurray and the costs and damages will be disastrous. Mayor Mandel shows the way how to work effectively with the provncial government. Kudos for him too.

From the really bright ideas department Suncor has announced it is looking at geothermal heating for it SAGD oil sands operations. Now let’s use the brackish ground water instead of the Athabasca River and we are on to something. That approach would eliminate using natural gas and stop the nuclear threat in its tracks. Good for Suncor. I am sensing some progress as the marketplace is starting to see some slow down in the economy, the most obvious is the decline in drilling activity in the oil patch.

Calgary By-election Just a Tremour on the Very Shaky and Volatile Political Ground in Alberta These Days

The messages from the Calgary by-election have been heard by Ed Stelmach. Kevin Taft is being circumspect over the implications of the Liberal victory. Mainstream journalists have done a fine job of providing some context on the by-election results. Look hear, and hear for some good examples.

There is a denouement period now and some speculations on political futures starting to run amok. It will not be a surprise to see as much as a 40% turnover in the legislature from MLA retirements in the coming election. A 25% turnover is pretty usual and with leadership changes one can expect some more changes in the candidates.

What is equally as important as who is going to run is what policy issues will they run on in terms of platform for the next election? We Albertans need to address so many issues that have been neglected in the past as well as those emerging and in full bloom due to growth pressures.

My guess is the next election in Calgary will be more like Edmonton where the candidate has to win their seats on merit, organization and hard work. That has not been the case in Calgary for PC candidates in recent years. But that is changed and the Calgary candidates are beginning to understand that. Calgarians can expect provincial politicians to be knocking on doors starting this summer even with an election being as much as up to a year away.

Citizens can take back the political process and create some changes in how it works and who is involved particularly at election time. There was a big attitude change heralded almost 3 years ago in the last municipal elections when some 40% of incumbent candidates were defeated. The writing is on the wall for the up coming provincial election. Candidates, incumbents in particular, had better start re-earning our respect and trust right now if they hope to win again. Just positioning for the next election with promises and platitudes with no commitment to viable long range planning is not going to cut it.



Citizens are not a happy lot these days and whan to be assured that they can get the kind of government they want and need. Just look at all the changes in recent provincial elections aroudn the country. Alberta is even more volatile due to growth pressures – no doubt about it...the times they are a'changin.'

Some Alberta By-election Results

UPDATE DRUMMHELLEER-STETTLER AT 9:51 - with 67 of 71 polls in - PCs with 3896. Liberals move into second with 947 and Socreds in third with 800. Decisive PC victory!

UPDATE CALGARY ELBOW AT 9:50 with 75 of 77 polls in - Liberals 4534, PCs 3793 and Greens still a distant third.

By-election results – unofficial – Drumheller-Stettler – Jack Hayden has little problem retaining this set for Ed Stelmach. With 45 of 71 polls reporting as at 21:23 pm the PC have 2693 votes for 59%. The Social Credit has 526 votes for 12% and the Liberals are in third place with 518 votes for 12%.

In Calgary Elbow is decided but not as decisive a slap to Ed Stelmach as many thought it would be. With 72 of 77 polls in at 21:36 pm the Liberals have 45% of the vote compared to 38% for the PCs each with 4267 and 3589 votes respectively. The Greens (563 votes) came in third beating out the Alliance (431 votes) and the NDP (329 votes).

Turn out seems to be depressingly small in each case.

Stelmach Tells the Edmonton Region to Get its Act Together

I was in the media room at the Alberta Legislature this afternoon when Premier Stelmach released the Terms of Reference for the 24 municipalities in and around Edmonton to develop a “log term, integrated management plan to support economic growth, with particular attention to the economic, social, environmental impacts on all residents of the region.” He has set a deadline of January 1, 2008 and has made it clear the province is prepared to act if the region does not get this done...and done right!

Premier Stelmach went on to say “So today I’m releasing a road map towards that goal, and I’m confident it will lead to a long-term plan to support anticipated development in the Capital Region over the next 20 to 50 years.”

There is some $46Billion of construction project planned, recently completed or underway in the Edmonton region. The demand for public sector infrastructure in this region will also be in the billions and add to the growth pressures. The Alberta government today acknowledge that “Meeting those requirements will require concerted and co-ordinate effort from municipal, provincial and federal governments as well as industry to minimize the impact on taxpayers.

Here is an example of exactly what my previous post was talking about the Stelmach PC government needed to do. Glad to see it happening and in particular on this very difficult and contentious issue of regional, long term, comprehensive and integrated planning for the Edmonton region. Albertans what change and change is what they are about to get.

This initiative and Dave Hancock's introduction of tobacco control legislation this afternoon make me a happy camper today.

How Will Alberta PCs Respond to the By-Election Results?

Today in Alberta we will see two by-elections that will once again prove that all politics is local. There is a strong sense of change in the air but not only in Calgary Elbow or Drumheller-Stettler. It started in the 2004 general election when Alberta voters wanted to move past the Klein Era - but Premier Ralph didn’t want to. Politics being the blood sport it is saw Klein out and Ed Stelmach picked as his successor – and perceived as an agent for change.

The jury is out if Premier Stelmach is a looking forward, take charge and "lead the charge" kind of guy or is he merely an extension yesterday’s Klein Era. The mood is for change and for me things are begin to feel like 1970 again when Lougheed made the breakthrough of the Social Credit dynasty.

These by-elections are always a prime opportunity to send the government a message. I expect the PCs to do relatively poorly as a result…even if we win them both! What is important is what messages will we take from these results? Is Calgary grumpy and feeling that they are now distant from its old role as the centre of provincial power and influence? Sure, but is that the only message? I don’t think so.

Is the Drumheller-Stettler result to be taken as a bell weather of where rural Alberta is leaning in the forthcoming election? Sure, but there is lots more going on in rural Alberta that needs to be considered as well.

The key message is going to be it is time for a change. If the PCs don’t change how they lead, plan and govern, the citizens will do it for them. There is shift in Alberta from the feel good sloganeering of the “Alberta Advantage” past a general grumpiness into one of genuine angst about the future direction of this province. For too many this new wealth that is being generated is not reaching them. Not only that, their cost of surviving, not just living, is on the increase. Pressures are mounting and the consequences are not happy ones for many ordinary Albertans.

There is ample economic evidence in Alberta, to borrow a cliché form my mother, “That our ship has come in.” If that is the case why is there so much anxiety over our future? I think it is the result of the chronic complacency that beset government in the last half of Klein’s premiership. He used to like to say that after defeating the debt and deficit he “wanted to put his feet up for a while and enjoy the accomplishment.” He did, and we allowed it for too long. We became focused on the past instead of preparing for the future. As a result some important things are missing in Alberta today. The most obvious ones are leadership, stewardship and citizenship.

We PCs are going to get a comeuppance today at the polls, even if we win! And we deserve it. The question is how we will respond to the alarm bells. We PCs need to leap out of the comfortable bed we make for ourselves and have been languishing in for far too long. It is time for Premier Stelmach to show he hears the alarm bells and for him to take personal control of the leadership of this province. The way to do it is through a creative, comprehensive, and long term stewardship perspective focused on the future of this Province. Those qualities are the essence of the Ed Stelmach I know.

Albertans are very focused on the future and tired of the PC aggrandizing or eulogizing over our past accomplishments. To see the future as merely about winning the next election is not going to be seen as good governing either. It merely political posturing and people are not only tied of that – they are afraid of it - and they will punish any party that pursues such an agenda.

It is time for Ed Stelmach to be Ed Stelmach. These by-elections are a perfect time for him to get a serious focus and get on with a new game plan. He needs to tell Albertans exactly where he sees this province going and how he plans to get us there.

Change or be changed, that is the question! Tomorrow is not too late to start to really re-engage with Albertans and help change their disenchantment into re-enchantment. My money is on Ed Stelmach to do just that.