A month later and Jason Kenney is still trying to kill us

 We have officially reached the point where I don’t understand what’s going on in Jason Kenney’s head. To be clear, I used to understand and largely disagree with most of what was in the Premier’s head. Now I just plain don’t understand. Emerging after basically being on the milk carton for

Some free advice for Rachel Notley and the Alberta NDP

 Notwithstanding some excellent advice from John Diefenbaker – one of my least favourite Canadian Prime Ministers but still seen as a hero here on the western prairies – that “only dogs know what to do with polls”, a good poll is like catnip to any politician. Especially one in the

Hope for Canada’s highly-skilled energy workers

 Photo credit: Shutterstock Alberta, traditionally one of the richest provinces in Canada, now has among the highest unemployment rates and one of the weakest economies in the country. In his victory speech, newly elected Alberta UPC Leader Jason Kenney vowed to get the province back to work and get stalled

Alberta pro-pipeline rally making its way to Parliament by February

 Photo credit: Twitter via @Energy_Citizens Pro-pipeline rallies continue throughout Canada, and there is great speculation that these protests will eventually extend to Ottawa. Starting in Alberta, protesters are rallying against Bill C-48 and Bill C-69 in an attempt to pressure the federal government to get a move on with pipeline

More spending on health care is an expensive way to buy health

 It’s budget season and Canadian provincial governments are continuing the tradition of spending more on health care than any other single portfolio. For example, Alberta spends almost half of its provincial budget on health – an estimated $22 billion this year – which is more than any other ministry. After

Explore the Canadian Landscape in 2017

 If you’re stuck brainstorming where you should go for your next road trip, look no further. In celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, admission to all National Parks, National Historic Sites and National Marine Conservation Areas is free for all Canadians for the entire year. All you have to do is

A Trainload of Memories

 All photos by David Eisenstadt. Raised in Calgary, I visited Banff year ‘round, travelled by car through the Rogers Pass and saw much of BC’s interior. I never travelled there by train. That changed when my wife Rhoda and I discovered the Rocky Mountaineer and their various routes through the

Albertans Must Get Inventive in Healthcare as Price of Oil Slides Further

 As world oil prices and the Canadian dollar slide perilously, Albertans must become more inventive and rigorous in managing our costs – and our expectations – especially in high-cost areas like infrastructure, education and health care. Health care is the biggest challenge. We cannot turn off the population’s health care

Rising Rates of Kidney Failure Signal Need for Public Health Strategy

 As many as 40 thousand people in Canada are affected by kidney failure – a problem that is increasing across the country, with significant consequences for our health system.   A report released this month from the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy projects an increase of 68 per cent in

Canadians Should Modernize not Privatize Medicare

 National Medicare Week has just passed, buoyed with optimism as a fresh-faced government takes the reins in Ottawa – elected partly on a promise of renewed federal leadership on health care.  Yet these “sunny ways” are overcast by recent developments at the provincial level that entrench and legitimize two-tier care. Saskatchewan

How Doctors Can Tackle the Their Patients’ Poverty Without Leaving the Office

 Can a question asked in a doctor’s office contribute to ending poverty for patients and their families?  This is what we asked ourselves 10 years ago, as we set out to convince health providers to tackle poverty. There were two factors that pushed us into this work: first, the evidence

Back to the Future

 Photo by Jean-Marc Carisse. Last night Liberal leader Justin Trudeau won a majority government in a historically long three-way race. Moving into his father's old house, Trudeau has created what many are calling Canada's first political dynasty. The Liberals swept across Atlantic Canada early on, taking every available seat in

Seniors Housing Can be Affordable

 Older adults living on low and fixed incomes need options It was recently reported that Calgary has some of the most expensive seniors’ housing in Canada, at $3,100 a month, some $1,000 over the national average. Headlines like these catch people’s attention, especially during an election. There’s no doubt that

Can Wait Times for Hip Replacements in Canada be Shortened?

 Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.  I spent my life teaching actuarial science at a university. As a result, I calculated lots of numbers:  averages, expected values, variances. But, they were only numbers. What I didn’t see was the individual human story behind each calculation. But now that I am the

Are You Needlessly Boosting Your Utility Bills?

 Sometimes it may seem like energy rates and utility bills are completely out of your control. Reports from the National Energy Board show that some provinces have seen very little change in prices since 2000, while others like Alberta have seen a significant increase in electricity costs. A lot of outside

Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Profile: Mark Tewksbury

 2015 marks the Year of Sport and the 60th anniversary of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. In recognition of these important milestones, OLM will be featuring Honoured Members of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in a weekly Profile piece. Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame aims to share the stories and

Kazakhstan Is Moving Ahead

 Above: Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, is one of the most successful and ambitious development projects in Central Asia. There is no question that the the global financial and economic crisis and difficult geopolitical situation that exists today has left few countries in the world unaffected. The recent collapse of oil prices has

Travel With the Tourist Company

 The Tourist Company is living up to their name this spring. Cities across Canada are welcoming the Vancouver experimental folk band throughout February and March as they tour the country. Be sure to catch the Tourist Company when they stop at the Raw Sugar Café in Ottawa on March 12.

Older adults living with mental illness need specialized housing

 New Calgary report warns more homeless seniors a real possibility By Pat Cashion and Lee Tunstall Older adults living with mental illness often face a double stigma in our society—both from aging and from mental illness. They are some of the most invisible and most vulnerable individuals in our communities,

Private Delivery of Healthcare Can Work in a Publically Funded System but Comes with Risks

 What the rest of Canada can learn from Alberta’s experience If you look at an old map of Canadian healthcare policy, just near Privatization Island is a big warning: “Here be dragons.” So it proved for Alberta Health Services last month when a seemingly innocuous decision—to swap the tender for

Look to Alberta Today, Not 20 Years Ago, for Guidance on Private MRIs

 Allowing private MRI clinics does not shorten wait times in public system  This past week, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall took to twitter to ask the question “Is it time to allow people to pay for their own private MRIs in Saskatchewan like they can do in Alberta?” This came after

Seniors are not the Wealthy Generation Despite Recent Media Hype

 Why we need to invest in affordable housing, homecare and long-term care for seniors Working as an advocate for seniors’ issues can feel like pushing water uphill. Yet, after a challenging few years which has seen headlines of flood and fire, bad food, bed sores and a chronic shortage of

Pipeline Construction – The Federal Stance

 Energy exports, particularly oil and gas, are a key pillar of the Canadian economy, support hundreds of thousands of jobs in Canada and provide great wealth to the nation. With the 2015 Federal election just around the corner, Canadians are focused now more than ever on the three major federal

Celebrating Sporting Excellence in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame

 No one would have guessed Michelle Cameron Coulter, an Olympic synchronized swimmer, failed her first-level swimming class four times. Coulter is a six-time World Champion and swam on the Canadian national team for over ten years. She became the first Albertan to win a Summer Olympic gold medal and was

Pipeline Construction and Spill Prevention

 Pipeline construction is frequently in the news these days, partly because proponents of some large-scale pipeline projects ignored the concerns of communities they would pass through—resulting in a grassroots uprising against the industry in general, and partly because of a number of recent pipeline spills—many of which were on older