Harper targets Edmonton-Strathcona
It appears that Stephen Harper and the Cons want Edmonton-Strathcona back in their hands. They've taken to blanketing the riding in their nefarious leaflets again:
Google Maps meet ETS, you two should be friends
Edmonton, eighth place (in Canada) in getting its transit system on google maps!
Now we can finally stop dealing with the slow, pop-uping takeets.com trip planner and rely (almost) solely on Google Maps.
Fellow non-auto commuting Edmontonians breathe a sigh of relief, finally.
Now, if only we had buses/lrt that went anywhere, and late night service.
Doctors add to calls for NHP regulations
The Ottawa Skeptics have been leading the charge against the misinformation that has been spread about many of the proposed regulations of natural health products.
It's also (hopefully) known that just because something is "natural" does not mean that it is healthy or safe.
So it's good to see that medical doctors have come out in the latest Canadian Medical Association Journal to call for regulations on the "weight loss industry."
Many weight loss products like pills, herbs and some private clinics fail to deliver on their promises and governments should be regulating scientifically unproven therapies, obesity doctors say.
...
"Before we can truly address the devastating obesity epidemic, we must first stem the centuries-old flow of snake oil," the editorial authors wrote.
"We call on governments to require formal accreditation of weight-loss providers to ensure quality and to provide consumers with an easily recognizable means of identifying evidence-based services."
One of the authors is Dr. Arya Sharma, medical director of the Royal Alexandra Hospital weight management clinic right here in Edmonton.
With the overwhelming number of naturopathy clinics (that's right, that link is a holistic vet, your dog can get acupuncture too now) in Edmonton, it's good to see one of the real doctors making these statements.
Journal double hit
What's happening to the Edmonton Journal? Yesterday they called for higher taxes, now today they're blasting the provincial government both on scapegoating Lorne Gibson, the electoral officer, and for having no plan.
Edmonton Journal calls for higher taxes?
Okay, this isn't straight from the editorial board, but the Journal did publish a column today by Dr. Roger S. Smith, professor emeritus and former U of A vice-president, research, and dean of business, calling for an Alberta sales tax and higher gas taxes.
The logic is that our resources will run out (or at least revenues from them), and when they do we'll need some other sources for money. He also argues that these taxes can supplement the Heritage Fund, getting us to $100 billion in the bank by 2030, which would provide revenue (from interest) of $3.5 to $5 billion per year (about half of our current resource revenue).
Unfortunately in 20 years we'll likely need a lot more revenue than we do now, but luckily a sales tax would grow directly with our population.
He even gives us a short term bonus: a slowly implemented sales tax (3% in 2010 and up a percent or two each year after that) would stimulate spending from people who don't want to pay more in January.
Hopefully someone (in the Tory cabinet) takes note of this column and the ideas therein (which have been heard before).
Alberta’s tar sands plan: recession
Some of the Tory ministers in this province seem pretty clueless.
Take Lloyd Snelgrove, Alberta Treasury Board President of the Conservative government. Here's his thoughts on how Alberta should go forward with its tar sands plans:
Alberta Treasury Board President Lloyd Snelgrove says his Conservative government hasn’t always got it right in managing the development of the oilsands, but the economic slowdown might be the appropriate time to make it right.
That's pretty priceless on its own, and it's only the first paragraph.
Snelgrove... said hindsight is something he’s getting better at.
“I think we can admit we haven’t done everything there perfectly and there are things we’re learning as we go forward,” he said Wednesday. “That doesn’t stop us from readjusting right now.
“Maybe a breather right now is actually a good thing to make sure we have the community development balanced with the commercial development.”
I'm pretty sure all of the opposition parties, and all environmental groups, and local citizens of the towns affected have been calling for such a "breather."
Perhaps with his improving hindsight he can work on his hearing too so he can listen to what nearly everyone else has been saying for years now.
I’m Tweeting
I'm on Twitter now. That's right I caved to see what all the fuss was about.
Also to get a free point on The 2009 Gateway Purity Test. This year's score: 180 (about the average of my last 4 years).
If you're not on Twitter but for some reason care what I say there, the updates should appear on the column to the right.
Update: My recounted score (when I actually took the paper version and wasn't rushed) was 235.
Happy Darwin Day
It's been 200 years since Charles Darwin was born. So Happy Birthday big fella!
He revolutionized biology and set in place the binding theory that unites all life on this planet.
If you're at the UofA today, check out the awesome Darwin Day festivities put on by the Department of Biology.
Alberta Liberals set course for obscurity
David Swann and the Alberta Grits big plan for this sitting of the Alberta Legislature is to "play nice."
If it were up to David Swann, there would be no yelling when politicians get back to debating and questioning the government this week.
No more desk-pounding, no more heckling.
He suggested he and fellow MLAs replace question period heckling with rueful smiles. Or rolled eyes. Or dramatic shrugs.
Why aren’t you reading this blog?
I'm not asking why you're not reading my blog (if you're here you already are reading it), but I want to point out this: Alberta Senator Hullabaloos.
It's the blog of Senator Elaine McCoy (from Alberta), who writes from one of the most unique views in Canada.
Her political experience comes as a former PC MLA in Alberta, and contester of the 1993 Alberta Tory Leadership. After losing to Ralph Klein, she quit the legislature, and then was appointed to the senate in 2005 by then Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin.
But don't assume from her history with the Alberta Tories that she's a Harpercon right-winger. In fact, many of her latest posts blast the Prime Minister:
There's no question that Mr. Harper has failed to demonstrate an incisive ability to grasp the nature of the current situation. He offers no vision, no inspired path forward, to help Canada bridge the recession. Instead, he has once again tried to buy everyone off. How ironic it would be if dissatisfaction arose to such a pitch that accountability reports prove to be the silver bullet that finally puts an end to his cynical plays for power.
She also seems to be a strong advocate of Senate reform and a green inovations:
If Harper is to proceed with Senate reform, he needs to forgo his personal vision and heed, instead, what Canadians want from their fine institutions.
The other half of the equation for electric vehicles (EV) – a plug-in network that taps into renewable energy sources – got a boost today when Better Place (BP) announced its arrival in Toronto.
I know I'm adding this to my blogroll, and I think it's worthy of most Canadian political junkies to check out.
Now if only more elected (and unelected) bureaucrats and politicians to reach out like this, we may actually reinvigorate the Canadian electorate.
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