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As debt grows, Alberta faces tough choices

By Doug Firby
Columnist
Troy Media Corporation

The problem with having a great party is that there comes a point when it has to end. And the wilder the excesses, the more wicked the hangover. For Albertans, it’s time for two Tylenols and lots of bed rest. Alberta’s decade-long love-in with the good times was a heck of a run: Soaring resource revenues allowed the province to flaunt comparatively low tax rates, high employment, a claimed debt-free status – their freewheeling former premier Ralph Klein even saw fit to send everyone a $400 “prosperity” cheque. Just a short year ago, it seemed the good times would never end.

The party is over

Book Review: Blogging for Fame and Fortune

While blogging has been around for a few years, and some believe it may already be passé, there are, still, currently over 50 millions blogs in cyberspace, with more being added every minute. .... More

Dr. Greg Mason

Myths hindering acceptance of creative farm policy

Myths exist about the strategic position of food, the importance of the family farm to the preservation of rural Canada, and the need to defend Canadian farming in the face of European and American subsidization. .... More

Sam Shaw

Let's create a Canada Skills Corp to promote world peace

The world’s illiteracy rate is estimated to be 1 billion and growing. Combined with the skills shortage in many developed and underdeveloped countries, these trends highlight the need for leadership and an immediate call to action. .... More

Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd

Proposed US climate change bill a bargaining chip

The US climate change bill, known as the Clean Energy and Security Act, will be voted on this week in Congress. It still looks doubtful that the democrats can secure the 218 votes necessary votes to pass the Bill, with some estimates that there are just 190 votes currently favouring the legislation. .... More

Janet Keeping

Canadian human rights commissioner has free expression wrong

It is perfectly understandable that people disagree on how human rights statutes should be amended to best protect free expression. But a recent speech by Jennifer Lynch, Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, should worry everyone for it reveals a serious misunderstanding of free expression. .... More

Facing challenges

Immigrants overlooked by potential employers

CALGARY, June 25, 2009/ Troy Media/ -- While Calgary employers were recruiting applicants from around the world during the height of the boom, thousands of Calgarians – many of them immigrants – were unable to find work in their field. ... More

Free parking is a myth

The high cost of "free" parking

Municipal regulations require that urban developments provide on-site parking. These regulations seem innocuous and receive little attention in public policy discussions, but they do in fact have serious consequences. ... More

Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd

Reinventing government in Alberta

The current recession in Alberta has exposed the Alberta government for what it is: bankrupt of ideas and out of cash. But before we rush to judgment, it is worth noting that we are both not alone and not as bad as many other similar North American governments facing real economic challenges. .... More

Smith, left, and McNulty

Virtual reality used to train next generation of workers

EDMONTON, AB, July 1/Troy Media/ -- It was six years ago, over a jug, or two, of Alexander Keith’s Ale, that business partners Terry Smith and Kevin McNulty started discussing the abysmal state of training in the resources industry. “These injuries can’t continue,” Smith said. .... More

Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy

Join the pilgrims at the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel

The abbey at Mont Saint-Michel, situated on an island near Avranche in Normandy, seems to float on the horizon as you approach it, its spire glinting gold in the sun. It has attracted pilgrims for hundreds of years. Today, it still attracts visitors . . . over three million tourists a year. ... More