Calgary couple travelled over Riverside Bridge, parallel to the Washington I-5 bridge 30 minutes before collapse The four lane Washington I-5 bridge spanning the Skagit River near Mount Vernon, Wash. collapsed Friday evening, sending a number of cars into the river below. One section of the Skagit River Bridge completely collapsed, cutting off traffic on both sides [...]
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has lost persuasive power needed to run a city It doesn’t take more than a Google search to turn up a string of allegations against Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. The latest — a short cellphone video of Rob Ford apparently smoking crack cocaine with drug dealers — isn’t really the point [...]
Sudarshan Gautam reaches top of Mount Everest without use of prosthetic limbs Calgary man Sudarshan Gautam has become the first double amputee to reach the top of Mount Everest without the use of prosthetic limbs. Gautam, 30, announced on his Facebook page on Monday he had reached the top of Mount Everest. A thank you note on [...]
Coquitlam Metro-Ford hands Mountain United FC first loss of the season in BC Soccer Premier League Match of the Week In the EA Sports BC Soccer Premier League match of the week, the U18 Girls Coquitlam Metro-Ford SC scored a huge 3-1 upset over Mountain United FC, handing them their first loss of the season. “The [...]
Thomas Mulcair and the NDP will benefit if there’s any long-term impact For some, Stephen Harper’s quick press conference following the Conservative Party’s caucus meeting was enough. He said he was on top of the Senate expenses mess, that it would be cleaned up, and that the perpetrators are gone (from the caucus, and the [...]
Parliament of Canada – time for online reporting of expenses? If the recent Senate expense scandals have taught Canadians anything, it’s that Parliament of Canada officials will take advantage of the rules to pad their pockets if they can. Senator Mike Duffy has become the poster boy for Parliament of Canada abuse of expense guidelines but [...]
For federal Conservatives, keeping power now outweighs everything else There was a time in this country when its federal Conservatives put their principles front and centre. There were all those who abandoned the Progressive Conservative Party of Brian Mulroney, in large measure because they were tired of the sights and smells of corruption. Even as [...]
Canadian economic and population growth affected greenhouse gas emissions By Ben Eisen and Romy Yourex Over the past century, there has been a slight increase in average global temperatures. Many scientists think this change is caused primarily by the actions of human beings, specifically the emission of GHG into the atmosphere. Further, some scientists warn [...]
Many indicators of Canadian environment pollutants have dropped By Ben Eisen and Romy Yourex Canadians care deeply about their natural environment and view the prevention of environmental pollution as one of the most important functions of their governments. Multiple polls taken over the years have shown that large numbers of Canadians view the preservation of [...]
Anti-smoking activist Barb Tarbox died in 2003 Ten years after she died of lung cancer, Barb Tarbox is still helping Albertans kick the nicotine habit, thanks to a new campaign launched by Alberta Health Services. Albertans are encouraged to share their stories of quitting or never starting tobacco use to mark the 10th anniversary of the [...]
Scandal surrounding Senator Mike Duffy’s expenses takes down PM chief of staff Surely the wrong man has quit! Nigel Wright, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief of staff, resigned yesterday in the imbroglio that followed the revelation he gave disgraced Senator Mike Duffy $90,172 to pay back the Parliamentary expenses the supposed representative for Prince Edward Island in the [...]
Canadian politics promises to be turbulent as voters disgruntled For citizens from coast to coast to coast, this summer promises to be a time of discontent with Canadian politics. What most of us want, most of the time, is simply that our governments be competent: display a sense of where they’re going, and that as [...]
BC gasoline taxes among highest in North America By Jordan Bateman As Canadians, we have become conditioned to paying higher prices than our American neighbours for pretty much everything. Milk, cheese, clothes, electronics, books, airfares, sporting goods, cars, liquor: we know we’re being gouged, but we don’t know what to do about it. “Tax [...]
Charles Rusnell down-sized by Edmonton Journal before being hired by CBC You’d think it would be easy to run a petroleum-soaked, cash-rich jurisdiction like Alberta, but a day seldom seems to pass out here on the western edge of the Great Plains without our governing Progressive Conservative Party suffering another pratfall or embarrassment. But how [...]
More evidence needed before convicting Rob Ford in court of public opinion Schadenfreude is all very well, but this whole Rob Ford video scandal has me feeling just the tiniest bit hinky. It’s a due-process thing, and I recognize that there can be no due process in politics, as unjust as that may seem. No, realpolitik demands that [...]
Expect energy, labour issues to dominate Christy Clark agenda The dust is beginning to settle after Tuesday’s stunning election victory for Christy Clark and the BC Liberals. Premier Clark still has to find a seat for herself, of course — and rumours are strong that she’ll choose to compete for one outside the Vancouver area. [...]
US housing and China’s economy fuel forest products industry After several challenging years, the world’s forest products industry is beginning to show signs of recovery, according to PwC’s 16th Annual CEO Survey. “We are seeing optimism that demand and prices will continue to strengthen in the solid wood sector, but recovery in the pulp and [...]
Canadian housing market show 0.6% growth The Canadian housing market has slowed its decline to 3.1 per cent year over year, with a 0.6 per cent increase in home sales last month, according to BMO Chief Economist Doug Porter, citing recent data from the Canadian Real Estate Association. Porter notes that since the implementation of new mortgage [...]
More Canadians shopping around for food, following a budget due to rising food prices Rising food prices are becoming a major concern for Canadians, according to a Royal Bank of Canada survey. With rising food prices eating into their household budgets, an overwhelming majority of Canadians (91 per cent) say they will tighten their belts [...]
Fraser Health offers sun safety tips to lower the risk skin cancer Fraser Health is cautioning that while sun exposure offers health benefits such as aiding the body in vitamin D3 production, overexposure to ultraviolet rays increases the risk of skin cancer. Fraser Health urges following sun safety tips for those who want to soak [...]
BMO report says there is continued confident in Canadian housing market A new report suggests nearly half of Canadian homeowners (48 per cent) intend to buy a property in the next five years, despite cooling conditions in the Canadian housing market. The BMO Housing Confidence Report says the 48 per cent figure is mostly unchanged since [...]
Sudarshan Gautam reaches top of Mount Everest without use of prosthetic limbs Calgary man Sudarshan Gautam has become the first double amputee to reach the top of Mount Everest without the use of prosthetic limbs. Gautam, 30, announced on his Facebook page on Monday he had reached the top of Mount Everest. A thank you note on [...]
Federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair spends week on urban agenda It’s a holiday weekend — and that means last week was a week for MPs to be in their constituencies. For the Toronto NDP caucus, it was also a week to host their leader, Thomas Mulcair — and to sharpen the NDP’s focus on urban [...]
The Big Shift concludes the Conservatives well be in power for a long time The Frontier Centre for Public Policy today released a review of Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson’s book The Big Shift: The Seismic Changes in Canadian politics, Business, and Culture and What it Means for Our Future. The review is part of a new [...]
Alison Redford says construction company donations had no effect on awarding of contracts New documents that reveal large political donations to the Alison Redford Progressive Conservative party from a coalition of construction companies should be investigated as possible bribes, says a national democracy watchdog group. The correspondence, obtained by the Alberta Federation of Labour under [...]
New parking model in downtown Calgary would make parking spots more available By Marco Navarro-Génie, Frontier Centre Calgary City Council may be close to adopting a new parking model in downtown Calgary that would make parking somewhat easier, reduce parking prices, improve traffic, and reduce tail pipe emissions. Nearly two years ago, Frontier published a backgrounder [...]
Focus returns to governing even as Christy Clark still needs to find a seat Premier Christy Clark of British Columbia may not have won her own seat earlier this month, but she’s wasting no time turning her attention to governing. In the usual post-election gathering of the newly elected caucus, retiring MLAs and defeated candidates [...]
Party officials confessed immediately and defused Wildrose robocall crisis You don’t have to agree with Alberta’s right-wing Wildrose Party to admire the skill with which it stick-handled yesterday’s revelation it had been fined $90,000 by the federal broadcast regulator for a series of improperly identified robocalls made to voters during the 2012 election campaign. Compared to [...]
Wind energy sees growth in British Columbia Students preparing for careers in wind energy will now have access to training in Dawson Creek, thanks to $225,000 in federal funding. “Our government’s top priority is the creation of jobs, growth and long-term prosperity and our investment today will help ensure that Canadian workers can meet the demand for skilled technicians in [...]
Canada must cut oil and gas emissions to ensure trust for Keystone XL pipeline By Clare Demerse The “truth of the matter,” Stephen Harper told a New York audience this week, is that heavy oil from the oilsands is no worse than heavy crudes in other parts of the world. “And I don’t have to [...]
Canadian economic and population growth affected greenhouse gas emissions By Ben Eisen and Romy Yourex Over the past century, there has been a slight increase in average global temperatures. Many scientists think this change is caused primarily by the actions of human beings, specifically the emission of GHG into the atmosphere. Further, some scientists warn [...]
Alderman Druh Farrell and Ward 7 participating in community book exchange On May 25, Alderman Druh Farrell and volunteers from communities across Ward 7 will be building little free libraries at the Cliff Bungalow Arts Centre. Created with donated materials, each community will be decorating a little free library and installing it at a location of [...]
Alberta power thrashers Edge of Attack announce Northern Destruction Tour Hailing from the frigid Northern lands of Alberta, power-thrash band Edge of Attack have announced their Northern Destruction Tour. Edge of Attack will be trekking across Alberta for the month of June, along with a show in Winnipeg, to promote their debut self-titled album. “We can’t wait to [...]
Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village spotlights items from Canada’s Ukrainian pioneers On May 20, the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village officially opens for the summer season with a new feature exhibit and a celebration of Ukrainian dance. Journey to Canada: Ukrainian Immigration Experiences 1891-1900 casts a spotlight on the items Canada’s earliest Ukrainian pioneers brought with them [...]
