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U of C Scolded (Again) for Trampling Free Speech
 Posted
5/9/2012 9:53:00 PM
Once again the University of Calgary has been taken to task for it's failure to appreciate and protect freedom of expression.
How many more times will it take until the University gets the message?
Back in March, a Court of Queen's Bench Judge upheld a lower court ruling which found the U of C had violated the charter rights of anti-gay activist Bill Whatcott who was handing out pamplets on campus nearly four years ago.
We've also seen the university - and the students union, too - impose all sorts of restrictions on the Campus Pro-Life club. When members of the club were charged with trespassing, the charged ended up being stayed after the University failed to explain exactly what the students had done wrong.
Herald Column - MLA Pay Promises Go Out The Window
Posted
5/8/2012 9:43:00 AM
My latest Calgary Herald column looks at the Premier's response to the MLA compensation review, and how that response clashes with her previous promises:
Last fall, in announcing the creation of an MLA compensation review, it appeared as though Premier Alison Redford had finally set us on a course to a fundamental overhaul of the way Alberta politicians are paid. Instead, we have a fair amount of uncertainty as to what’s going to change. Additionally, we have what clearly amounts to a broken promise from the premier herself.
With the tabling of the report last week from former Supreme Court justice John Major, we now know the specifics of what this MLA compensation review process has concluded is appropriate for elected Alberta politicians.
We do not know, however, what from this report will become reality.
Perhaps, then, given the controversial nature of some of Major’s recommendations, some uncertainty might be ...
Herald Column: A Hollow Victory for "Progressive" Voters?
Posted
4/25/2012 11:34:00 AM
My latest Calgary Herald column looks at the impact strategic voting had on the Alberta election results, and what those progressive voters who went with the Tories have wrought:
For an election that was ostensibly about change, the final outcome bears a striking resemblance to the status quo.
To suggest that a 12th straight Tory majority represents a change, is to stretch the word to the most outer limits of any acceptable definition.
That’s not to say things haven’t changed here in Alberta, however, as for the first time, the governing Tories now face a strong opposition from a small-c conservative party.
In that sense, perhaps, one could argue that the only voters who truly embraced chance were small-c conservatives.
In its own way, the manner in which yet another Tory majority was orchestrated represented a significant change.
For years, the success of the Progressive ...
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