More a run than a shuffle: major overhaul of cabinet in Saskatchewan
Premier Brad Wall leaves only two ministers in their portfolios and creates a new Ministry of the Economy with Bill Boyd as its head
Oliver ‘supportive’ of Redford's proposed national energy strategy
Premier Alison Redford, who has championed the notion since winning her job last fall, met with Joe Oliver in Edmonton Friday morning
Saskatchewan Premier announces major cabinet shuffle
Bill Boyd will head the new Ministry of the Economy, Tim MacMillan takes over his energy duties
Alberta RCMP officer disciplined for sexual misconduct gets warning from B.C. boss
‘I can’t think of a better division to come to, quite frankly. I don’t think there is a division in the force that is more progressive,’ says B.C. Deputy Commissioner
Provincial government
Redford opens Ottawa office to ‘advocate Alberta’s perspective’
Alberta’s new office would promote a series of issues: cross-border pipelines, a Canadian energy strategy, negotiations on a new equalization formula and a joint environmental monitoring program in the oil sands.
Harper names Prince Charles honorary RCMP commissioner
Prince calls honor a ‘wonderful surprise’ and says he was ‘profoundly touched’
ENVIRONMENT
Alberta wrestles with nature of oil sands monitoring
Hints emerge that a promise of independence of scientists overseeing water and air quality could be watered down by government involvement
Veteran Tory minister elected Alberta speaker
Gene Zwozdesky won a majority after 86 MLAs cast ballots for the next speaker of the Alberta legislature
Royal Tour
Prince Charles wraps up Canadian tour with a relaxing stop in Regina
Heir to the British throne praised the hundreds of Canadians who he met that tirelessly serve their communities
Alberta set to elect first new speaker in 15 years
PCs expected to rally around long-time PC cabinet minister Gene Zwozdesky
Highway 63
‘Things are going to get a lot worse’ on Alberta’s oil highway
Premier Redford promises to enlarge a dangerous 240-kilometre stretch of Highway 63, but admits the expansion will take years
Three years later, a Duchess wows the Canadian crowd
Three years after her first royal visit to Canada failed to stir up much excitement, Camilla proves to be a crowd-pleaser this time around
Resources
The age of extreme oil: ‘This used to be a forest?'
When natives from Peru's Amazon visited Alberta's oil sands, they hoped they weren't seeing their future
Margaret Wente
Quebec’s tuition protesters are the Greeks of Canada
Caving in to pressure from the people for entitlements the state could not afford was what got Europe into trouble in the first place
Jeffrey Simpson
Mulcair should drop the ‘Dutch disease’ rhetoric
If he aspires to be a national leader, the NDP leader must improve his economic analysis and appeal to the whole country
Politics / Economics
Mulcair digs in for long debate on ‘Dutch disease’
NDP Leader defends contention the oil sands are crushing manufacturing sector, blaming Tories for turning it into ‘East-West debate’
Harper government funded study arguing Canada suffers from ‘Dutch Disease’
The Harper government has funded research that argues Canada’s economy suffers from so-called Dutch Disease, an economic theory the prime minister and other senior officials ridiculed when raised recently by NDP Leader Tom Mulcair.
Report on soldier’s suicide was heavily redacted for parents, commission hears
Family of Afghan war veteran hears they were given only half the file at first because of concerns about privacy, military police techniques
Our Time to Lead
A Canada of 100 million: Better served, better defended
We need to recognize the fact that Canada does not have enough people, given our dispersed geography, to form the cultural, educational and political institutions necessary to have a leading role in the world
Redford challenges Mulcair to visit Alberta’s oil sands
Alberta Premier Alison Redford has a message for Thomas Mulcair: her door is open, but visit the oil sands first.
Ottawa Notebook
Under heavy fire, Mulcair defends ‘polluter pay’ stand on oil sands
NDP Leader reacts angrily to sustained Tory attack in the Commons
Redford looks to China for Alberta’s economic future
Alison Redford will take her energy pitch to China next month, building ties in a market she hopes will drive Alberta’s economic growth for years to come.
Bus beheader Vince Li wins right to escorted trips into community
Mother of schizophrenic man who beheaded and cannibalized fellow bus passenger says her son should never be allowed out in public
Bruce Anderson
Mulcair’s oil-sands musing risks halting NDP momentum
Decrying Alberta’s resource as what’s wrong with Canada’s economy is not a winning strategy
Gary Mason
Redford fumbles the oil sands file
A misleading report endorsed by Alberta’s Premier will do nothing to enhance the export prospects of the province’s key resource
Robert Matas
Politicians and those pesky polls
But that’s no reason for the B.C. Premier to attack the credibility of Angus Reid, which has a good track record
Globe Editorial
Shareholder democracy at CP Rail is welcome
Both small and institutional investors gain from openness
Western premiers fire back at Mulcair in oil-sands fight
NDP Leader convinced that overheated energy and resource sectors are bad for Canada’s overall economic health
John Ibbitson
East vs. West: Success involves pitting group against group
It seems to be impossible to conduct national politics in Canada without pitting one region of the country against the other
More provinces join McGuinty's clampdown on doctors fees
Efforts could alter heath-care spending across the country
Left wings touched in deathly mid-air plane collision over Saskatchewan, investigators say
A transport official says a mid-air collision that killed five people in Saskatchewan occurred when the left wings of the two small planes came into contact.
Ottawa Notebook
Ethical Oil challenges Harper, Mulcair to back reversal of Ontario pipeline
Calling it a ‘no-brainer,’ lobby group launches campaign touting job-creation potential of existing Enbridge proposal
Witness describes mid-air plane crash over Saskatchewan
A witness to a mid-air collision in Saskatchewan that took the lives of five people saw one of the planes nose-diving before it disappeared behind hills and trees.
Doctor asks Manitoba hearing to allow Vince Li escorted trips into community
Review board may be asked to grant more freedom for Vince Li
Investigation
Transportation Safety Board on scene, seeking witnesses in Saskatchewan plane crash
Transportation Safety Board seek eye witnesses to accidents over remote farmland
Calgary man dies after pushing co-worker out of way of oncoming SUV
A Calgary man has died saving the life of his co-worker.
Booming Fort McMurray’s college is at a crossroads
Keyano cuts arts programs, considers change to focus on trades and technology
Mulcair’s ‘logic is off’ on oil sands, Flaherty says
Finance Minister rips into Opposition Leader’s contention Alberta’s resource wealth is inflating the dollar and hollowing out Canada’s manufacturing sector
One year after Slave Lake, Alberta under threat again from wildfires
Bone-dry forests, low humidity and strong winds are perfect conditions for extreme wildfires
Court sides with two Calgary university students in Facebook free-speech case
Reprimanded for comments about a professor, judges rule their Charter rights valid in institutional setting
Wealthy foundations wary of Harper’s crackdown on charities
Umbrella organization fears a chill is descending on the philanthropic sector
Tom Hawthorn
Cherry trees reminder of Japanese-Canadian heritage in B.C.
It took a long time to correct error of B.C.’s Japanese internment, but it’s never too late to make amends
Winnipeg ex-cop pleads guilty to 11 counts of sexual assault
Two of the sexual assault charges against former Winnipeg police officer Richard Dow involve youths.
Alberta cabinet
Alberta can win friends for oil sands, new Energy Minister says
Ken Hughes the most prominent rookie MLA in Premier Alison Redford’s post-election cabinet shuffle
B.C. Liberals want residents to pick new February holiday
Liberals will use a social media campaign to choose the day
Ottawa Notebook
Minister defends Tory environment plan, dials back criticism of charities
Joe Oliver refuses to repeat Peter Kent’s ‘money laundering’ accusation
Ottawa Notebook
Calling it a ‘Trojan horse,’ NDP asks to split sweeping Tory budget bill
Opposition warns of radical changes contained within omnibus Conservative legislation
Immigration
Does foreign worker program create second class of labourers?
There are now more than 300,000 visiting labourers here, triple the number a decade ago, toiling with reduced rights
Energy industry looks to boost Fort McMurray's highway capacity
Accidents, traffic jams on Highway 63 has province, developers looking for solutions for overcapacity roadway
‘Pray for me, I drive 63’: Protesters call for widening of deadly Alberta highway
Organizers say almost 2,000 people rallied to push the Alberta government to quickly finish twinning a dangerous highway that was the scene of a horrific crash.
The penny drops: Mint strikes final one-cent coin
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced the end of the penny in March’s budget
Exclusive Comment
Inside Alberta’s winning Progressive Conservative campaign
Redford’s campaign manager on what PC candidates heard at doors versus what polls said – and how Smith let her Wildrose team unravel
Ottawa Notebook
PEI Premier seeks health ‘synergies’ in wake of Ottawa’s funding decree
Robert Ghiz and Saskatchewan’s Brad Wall press ahead with innovation agenda
After deadly Alberta collision, ‘excruciating’ 55-minute rescue wait
Most recent crash on Alberta’s Highway 63 raises need for more emergency services
Author of pay report stands by raises for Alberta politicians
The man who recommended Alberta Premier Alison Redford receive a nearly 60 per cent pay increase over three years stood by his recommendation Thursday even after the premier said she wouldn't accept it.
GARY MASON
Oil politics is a slippery slope for Canadians
As Canada develops its energy resources, competing interests are bound to create acrimony between Ottawa and the provinces, and among the provinces themselves
Report recommends higher salaries for Alberta Premier, MLAs
But Redford says she won’t accept a pay raise
RCMP in Manitoba seek driver involved in fatal collision with pedestrian
A pedestrian has been killed in a hit-and-run collision in western Manitoba.
Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation wants stiffer fines for poachers
SWF executive director: Judges don’t value wildlife the same way the Saskatchewan public does
Environment
China bests Canada in tackling climate change, Strong says
Environmentalist praises Beijing’s ambitious targets in its five-year economic plan to decouple emissions growth from economic development
Royal Visit
Prince Charles, Camilla to tour Canada in May
May 20-23 visit will include stops in Toronto, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan
J.C. Bourque
Macdonald would back Harper and the Northern Gateway
Like our first prime minister and his National Policy, our current PM is turning U.S. rejection into an economic opportunity by shipping oil-sands crude to Asia
A deadly crash on a notorious highway prompts grief – and anger – in Fort McMurray
The deaths of seven people in a head-on collision add new urgency to demands that the Alberta government twin the 255-kilometre road to the oil sands city
Brian Topp
Liberals across Canada are being hoist with their own petard
Grits often promote strategic voting – but federally, in Alberta and likely soon in B.C., their own voters prove susceptible to the very same tactic
Child survives fiery Alberta crash that killed parents, brother
Shannon Wheaton, a Fort McMurray minister who hailed from Newfoundland, is among the victims of Friday crash between two pickup trucks
JEFFREY SIMPSON
In the provinces, restraint without the hard edge
Governments of every stripe are cutting, but there’s little to suggest they share the federal Conservatives’ agenda
Gary Mason
B.C.’s Christy Clark, the political chameleon
Premier has been too distracted, too preoccupied trying to figure out what kind of leader she wants to be to give British Columbians anything to get excited about
Alberta’s Asian trade envoy cleared of conflict allegations
Trade envoy to return to Hong Kong next week, government confirms
ALBERTA
Head-on crash on deadly Alberta highway kills seven
Accident occurred on busy route stretching north of Edmonton to Fort McMurray and north to the oil sands
People vs. Polls
What’s the best predictor of an election? (Hint: It’s not the polls)
Author Will Ferguson explains that he has always felt polls were more a form of entertainment than anything you would want to predicate behaviour on
Potential danger at other B.C. mills widely discussed in Burns Lake after explosion
Pine-beetle wood produces fine, dry sawdust that is more susceptible to explosions than normal, wetter timber
Son’s habits changed after Afghan mission, mother tells suicide hearing
Complications, delays arising from suicide note highlighted in military probe
Regina police find four-year-old girl who was subject of Amber Alert
Regina police confirmed on Twitter that they have Storm Slippery and thanked everyone for spreading the message that she was missing.
Bruce Anderson
Environmental-review debate tests both Tory and NDP mettle
How Canadians perceive the government’s motivation – and that of its critics – will be almost as vital as the details of its policy
GERARD BOYCHUK
Health reform? Ottawa must provide clarity
The issue of patient wait times will be front and centre on Alberta’s agenda
Comment
Why would Canadians hide the ethics of their oil?
This country’s resources, and the responsible manner in which they’re extracted and processed, should be a point of pride – not something to feel awkward about
GARY MASON
Return of the Lougheed progressives
The godfather of Alberta’s PCs says hibernating centrists were lured back to the polls by Alison Redford’s vision
Alberta praises new foreign-worker rules
Companies will be able to bring in highly skilled workers faster and pay them less
Probe into corporal's death examines why suicide note was kept secret 14 months
In the days before Afghan war veteran Stuart Langridge committed suicide, he was seen frequently going through his belongings
Edmonton moves to limit hours on body-rub parlours
Police, employees say after-hours parlours ‘not safe’
Brian Topp
The lesson Wildrose’s fate in Alberta teaches us all
Finding the balance between respecting and empowering a diverse team and presenting a united front to a punishing electorate is no easy tast
Andrew Steele
Smith, Harper and the art of closing the deal
Insurgent parties need to prove they’re ready to govern before they’re even asked
Alberta Election
Wildrose to reconsider conscience rights, climate-change policies
Leader Smith says in interview that party must modify positions ‘to fit where Albertans are’
Second victim in B.C. sawmill explosion identified
Glenn Francis Roche, 46, is the second fatality in Monday night’s explosion
Alberta Election
Alberta’s urban centres: A tale of two cities' parties
Infrastructure, not social issues, were the concern
Election win
Evolving campaign strategy key to Redford’s success in Alberta
It didn't take long for the Progressive Conservative war room to abandon its game-plan.
ALBERTA ELECTION
Redford back on the job after win in Alberta
PC leader says despite a changed province, she won’t cater to Wildrose opposition
Taking a lesson from Alberta, Clark edges back to the centre
Premier expected to try to differentiate her party from the Conservatives
Post mortem
‘Entire environment shifted’: Pollsters seek answers following Alberta election
Several pollsters said there was little they could have done to foretell Monday night’s victory by Alison Redford’s Progressive Conservatives
Three years for Saskatchewan grandparents who put two-year-old 'through hell'
A Saskatchewan couple who argued their granddaughter starved because they didn't get enough government aide has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Crunching Numbers
Final Alberta poll hinted at decisive swing from Wildrose to PC
Given volatility of pre-campaign surveys, it wouldn’t be first time provincial voters had such a dramatic change of heart
DAVID BERCUSON
The country can relax. Alberta Tories can’t
Wildrose’s gains are good for Alberta and the state of democracy in Canada
How Alberta PCs pulled off a win
Six factors that lead to the Progressive Conservatives’ win
Smith learns hard lesson in Alberta: Intolerance doesn't win elections
Even a whiff of intolerance or moral superiority can cause voters to abandon a party.
Fear of Wildrose drove some voters to Alberta PCs
‘It took a threat from the (far) right to revive democracy in this province,’ one researcher says
Alison Redford Q&A: “Until it’s over, you never know”
Alison Redford spoke to reporters after finishing her victory speech.
By the numbers
Pollsters left scratching their heads over Alberta election results
Predictions of Wildrose victory go badly awry.
Decisive Factors
Why the Alberta PCs prevailed after all
Wildrose gaffes, strategic voting considered decisive factors
Defeat
Smith blames controversial remarks, strategic voting for Alberta loss
Party supporters say they are disappointed in the outcome and blame left-leaning voters who switched to PCs
Globe editorial
Alberta PCs will need to do some soul-searching, despite election win
Rumblings of discontent over arrogance, a top-down mentality and profligacy have reached as far back as the final years of Ralph Klein’s premiership.
