Is the Alberta Advantage Morphing Into the Alberta Angst

It has been quite a week and the next one is promising to be more interesting.
The spring legislative session has adjourned until November, after the pending municipal elections. It will be interesting to see if local politicians get some heat over this in the October municipal elections.

The tobacco control legislation made it to second reading in as many days. Time will tell if Big Tobacco gets organized over the summer and tries to scuttle this legislation in the fall sitting. Interesting story is coming out of the State of Vermont who is suing Big Tobacco and some UBC scientists who apparently did some industry funded smokeless tobacco research for the defendant. The scientists are running for cover and finding excuses to not testify in the trial saying they are “too busy” to find the research studies in question.

The by-elections in Calgary and Drumheller-Stettler have focused on Alberta’s urban growth issues and rural needs as well. Alberta is a different place today compared to 1993 when the Klein era started. The political focus of Alberta is changing too and we have more questions than answers ahead of us. We have a changing political culture emerging and many are nervous…including the Calgary boardrooms, the Fort McMurray residents, the Edmonton- Calgary corridor dwellers and forestry related communities in the face of the emerging crisis caused by climate change and the infestion of the mountain pine beetle.

There is an anxiety in Alberta that is growing as the province grows. We wrote on it in our LaPresse column this week that I will post on this Blog tomorrow. Alberta is feeling kind of like the trapeze artist who has to let go of one trapeze and accept and trust that the next one will be there to grab on to when we need it. We are in that in-between place where we have let go of the past but we are not sure what we are going to grab on to for the future.

The lack of adequate planning for the past 8 years and no anticipation of the necessary adaptations needed in Alberta all add to the angst. The next Alberta will be very different than the Klein era Alberta and that puts enormous pressure on Premier Stelmach who has had a rough ride for the past 6 months...some of it deserved.

Many Albertans are not that familiar with the new Premier. I have known Ed Stelmach for more than a decade. Based on my experiences with his ability and character and his commitment to Alberta, I believe he is the right kind of man to deal with the challenges of the next Alberta and will make the changes necessary to meet them head on.

All this is very important stuff. But today is Father’s Day and it is a time to celebrate for many and to remember for some of us. My Dad passed away a few days under four years ago. I remember him, I love him and I miss him: Happy Father’s Day Dad…Love from your son - Ken!

Link Byfield's Take on Why Nobody Won the By-elections.

Link Byfield gives a view from the “Right” on the by-elections this week. Observant and interesting as ever he bemoans the fact the far right it right out of it when it comes to getting any kind of political machine together to make any kind of difference.

He skewers those of us who differentiate ourselves a Progressive Conservatives – I think he is wrong but he makes a good argument. I am like Danny Williams who was a guest this week on CBC Radio’s “The House.” He was asked, given his issues with Mr. Harper, if he was going to “tear up his Conservative membership card.” He said words to the effect, “nope – he never had one.” He said he was a Progressive Conservative and not a Conservative AND there was a BIG difference.

Here is a “Link to Link.” Go to Discussion - This Week for his commentary.

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.