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Alberta Diary

David Climenhaga, author of the Alberta Diary blog, is a journalist, author, journalism teacher, poet and trade union communicator who has worked in senior writing and editing positions with the Toronto Globe and Mail and the Calgary Herald. His 1995 book, A Poke in the Public Eye, explores the relationships among Canadian journalists, public relations people and politicians. He left journalism after the strike at the Calgary Herald in 1999 and 2000 to work for the trade union movement. Alberta Diary focuses on Alberta politics and social issues.

Blog - Alberta Diary July 24
Privacy Commissioner Frank Work, a rare Albertan voice of common sense
David J. Climenhaga | When Frank Work speaks about our civil liberties, Albertans and other Canadians should pay attention.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 23
AHS CEO Stephen Duckett
Health care RX: First, do no harm...so dump the bonuses!
David J. Climenhaga | After a grim year of failure, Alberta's overpaid public health care executives are now collecting their performance bonuses.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 20
Lord Black
Conrad Black is a citizen of Britain, a resident of the United States -- let it remain that way!
David J. Climenhaga | Bar the door! Let's show a little spine for once in dealing with this undesirable former Canadian.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 18
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach
ReThink Alberta? How about, Take a Valium, Alberta?
David J. Climenhaga | Billboards bought by a U.S. environmental group have caused Alberta to flip its collective lid!
Blog - Alberta Diary July 16
Tony Sansotta
Alberta Liberals to Leader: Never mind the New Democrats, let's just talk to ourselves!
David J. Climenhaga | Any hope of creating a united progressive alternative in Alberta is deader than the proverbial mackerel for the rest of the current election cycle.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 15
Ed Stelmach
Awkward! When the rain fell and waters rose, Alberta premier headed to Portugal
David J. Climenhaga | Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach's non-appearance when the floodwaters rose at the end of June was a powerful symbol of how long Conservatives have had it too easy politically.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 14
Alberta Liberal Leader David Swann
For Alberta Liberal entreaties to have meaning, David Swann must risk even more
David J. Climenhaga | Another shoe must drop before the new campaign by provincial Liberal Leader David Swann to "unite the left" in Alberta has any hope of success.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 10
David Lloyd Johnston
David Johnston: Certifiably old, white, male and reliable
David J. Climenhaga | David Lloyd Johnston is pretty much what we would have expected our prime minister to pick for a governor general.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 8
Danielle Smith
Despite the story line, did Wildrose Alliance blunder on policy?
David J. Climenhaga | The Alberta political forecast is darkly uncertain for all parties -- including Danielle Smith's Wildrose Alliance.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 5
Boris and Natasha are back in official remake of spy fantasy
David J. Climenhaga | The real meaning of that Russian spy ring and those Canadian "agents of influence" explained.
Blog - Alberta Diary June 24
Danielle Smith's success now hinges on policies adopted by Wildrose convention
David J. Climenhaga | Wildrose Alliance Leader Danielle Smith faces a serious challenge tomorrow in her quest to become Alberta's first woman premier.
Blog - Alberta Diary June 21
How can a Canadian summit cost taxpayers 66 times more per day for security than the FIFA World Cup?
David J. Climenhaga | Security at the World Cup is costing about $10 million a day. In Canada it's costing $667 million!
Blog - Alberta Diary June 18
A question for the Alberta oilpatch: If the market's so great, what's wrong with the market?
David J. Climenhaga | Alberta's drilling incentives cost taxpayers and distort the almighty market!
Blog - Alberta Diary June 16
Who're ya gonna call? Gritbusters!
David J. Climenhaga | Where can troubled Tories turn in times of trouble? Why, the RCMP, of course!
Blog - Alberta Diary June 15
Ed Stelmach
Ed Stelmach: Nuts? Or what?
David J. Climenhaga | Or is Alberta's premier smarter than the rest of us? There's evidence for both propositions.
Blog - Alberta Diary June 12
Boutilier is back and it's likely bad news for Stelmach
David J. Climenhaga | Independent MLA Guy Boutilier's reappearance in the news bodes ill for Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach.
Blog - Alberta Diary June 10
That NDP-Liberal merger story: Smoke from a smoke-making machine
David J. Climenhaga | Why does the implausible story of a federal NDP-Liberal merger have legs?
Blog - Alberta Diary June 9
$2M for a fake lake? Well, no one ever said megalomania is cheap!
David J. Climenhaga | Consider the PM's "Message Event Proposals" and you'll know the fake lake is just the start.
Blog - Alberta Diary June 6
Why Prime Minister Harper's American Party is neither 'Conservative' nor 'Tory'
David J. Climenhaga | Stephen Harper is no Tory, and he's no Conservative either.
Blog - Alberta Diary June 4
Alberta MLA Dave Taylor
What Dave Taylor's game is not, and what he thinks of the Alberta Party
David J. Climenhaga | Independent MLA Dave Taylor speaks for himself on his future, and the Alberta Party.
Blog - Alberta Diary June 2
Kevin Neish risked his life for Gaza -- the rest of us should show some spine too
David J. Climenhaga | Knowing someone in the thick of it puts things in a different perspective. It's time for the rest of us to show some backbone too.
Blog - Alberta Diary June 1
Brian Mulroney
Studies show workers are happier on weekends...plus, Mulroney's a sleazeball!
David J. Climenhaga | We just spent $14 million to find our Brian Mulroney is sleazy? Seriously?
Blog - Alberta Diary May 31
Bill C-9: 'Earmarks' have no place in Canadian legislation
David J. Climenhaga | In Bill C-9, the budget implementation act, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is bringing to Canada the U.S. legislative technique of hiding "earmarks" within spending legislation.
Blog - Alberta Diary May 28
Is it time to reinvent the Coalition to eliminate Harper's polarizing 'Reform Party' government?
David J. Climenhaga | Private polling conducted for the Conservative government must be saying it can win a majority campaigning on narrow, far-right wedge issues.
Blog - Alberta Diary May 27
Column, lawsuit provide glimpse of mainstream media's blockade of progressive news
David J. Climenhaga | Statement of claim, columnist's comment, provide rare insight into how mainstream media blockades progressive news.
Blog - Alberta Diary May 26
AHS CEO Stephen Duckett
Controversial health leader continues to attract lightning bolts to Alberta Tories
David J. Climenhaga | Controversial Alberta Health Services CEO continues to act as a lightning rod for Albertans.
Blog - Alberta Diary May 21
Alberta Liberals and New Democrats: Will they will, or will they won't, be buddies?
David J. Climenhaga | Can the Liberals and NDP can get together in Alberta? Or is that the wrong question entirely?
Blog - Alberta Diary May 19
Danielle Smith
The shape of Wildrose policies begins to emerge
David J. Climenhaga | Alberta's right-wing Wildrose Alliance released a 172-page resolutions package for its upcoming policy convention.
Blog - Alberta Diary May 18
Whiff of hypocrisy from 'detainee deal' undermines Parliament's position on expense accounts
David J. Climenhaga | Parliament can't have it both ways on the same core issue.
Blog - Alberta Diary May 15
Alberta Liberals need to go back to the future with Kevin Taft
David. J. Climenhaga | There is only one place for Alberta's Liberals to go for an effective leader: back to the future.

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