Bob Ascah, a familiar friendly face in Edmonton’s progressive community, was the author of the indispensable ABPolEcon blog and well known for his work as a university teacher, senior civil servant, researcher and commentator. Always generous with a smile and a good yarn, he was a true raconteur.
Robert Lawrence Ascah died on January 20 in Edmonton after a short but difficult illness. He was 71.
“What remains is the shape of a life well and consciously lived,” his family obituary said.
Dr. Ascah was born in Montreal on May 27, 1954, studied commerce and public administration at Carleton University in Ottawa and completed a PhD in political science at the University of Alberta. Over the years, he worked as a senior public servant at Alberta’s Intergovernmental Affairs and Treasury departments, at Alberta Treasury Branches, and as chair of the University of Alberta’s Institute for Public Economics. He was a research fellow at the Edmonton-based Parkland Institute and published the ABPolEcon blog independently.
“His blog was a source of much wisdom and understanding,” wrote retired rabble.ca publisher Duncan Cameron on Dr. Ascah’s obituary page. “His ability to put Alberta into context made him a must read. His loss will be felt wherever people gather to inform each other about the politics of oil and gas.”
“Titles were never the point,” Dr. Ascah’s family obituary said. “What mattered was how he lived inside them, as a patron of the arts, a protector of the environment, and someone who believed deeply in the role of culture and environmental responsibility. He showed up. He funded. He defended. He asked better questions. He paid attention.”
Dr. Ascah is survived by his wife Linda and many family members.
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