IWD once again feels like Groundhog Day: as @kjscott.bsky.social highlights the crucial economic and political factors contributing to persistent, intersectional gender pay inequities, we have to ask why the work of women continues to be devalued across this country.
Ah yes, all the evidence is wrong, the Drs & policy experts are wrong. Danielle's 2-tier healthcare system will be a magical 🦄 that won't exacerbate workforce pressures or impede universal access or disproportionately disadvantage those with chronic or complex health needs.
This is peak unreality.
Alternate Caption Contest:
* "Balkanization, Alberta Edition™️"
* "Fairdealception"
* "The paradox of self-determination"
* "Play stupid games, win the equally stupid prize of others using your playbook against you"
The Alberta Teachers Association has released a statement on their quest for an injunction against Danielle SMith's use of the notwithstanding clause.
#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli #abed
If this is her "actively campaigning" for remaining in Canada, I'd hate to see what she considers full-throttle support for separatism 🙄
I suspect that's the point.
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... ‘Alberta’s immigration referendum appears to be a strategic maneuver to consolidate power and advance neoliberal policies under the guise of democratic decision-making, while using immigrants as a scapegoat.’ @policyalternatives.ca
For the separatist campaign, this is absolutely a feature not a bug. Organized disinformation (one might be tempted to call it propaganda and one wouldn't be wrong) is an essential component of these movements. The goal isn't exclusively to "win", it's to sow division.
Cf: Brexit, Donbas, Crimea.
Today's haunting: inscription on bone, as gaeilge
Celebrating Alberta newcomers March 04, 2026 Media inquiries Nominations are open for the 2026 Alberta Immigrant Impact Awards, recognizing newcomers’ contributions to making the province a better place to call home. Alberta is home to people from cultures and backgrounds that span the world, many of whom have made significant contributions to their communities through excellence in their profession or field. Through charitable work, entrepreneurship, innovation, artistic expression and more, Alberta is strengthened by the immigrants who have chosen to make the province their home. The Alberta Immigrant Impact Awards were created to recognize the achievements and excellence of foreign-born Albertans, regardless of the time they have spent in the province. Albertans are encouraged to nominate immigrant youth, entrepreneurs, academics, artists, athletes, professionals and community builders for an Alberta Immigrant Impact Award in recognition of their accomplishments. “The contributions of immigrants have a vital impact on Alberta’s success and keeping it a welcome place for all. Whether through supporting businesses, driving innovation or volunteering in their communities, it is important to recognize and celebrate the positive impact newcomers have on our province.” Muhammad Yaseen, Associate Minister of Multiculturalism Nominations are evaluated on criteria such as the nominee’s overall contribution, how their actions fulfilled a need and affected others and how they demonstrated leadership and originality when problem-solving. Nominations are open from March 3 until noon on May 12, and an event will be held in fall 2026 to recognize the recipients of the Alberta Immigrant Impact Awards.
This scales new heights of hypocrisy.
Tomorrow—Economics Society of Northern Alberta webinar
Join @poliscirish.bsky.social and me for a timely presentation on Alberta's Bill 11 and the implications for Canadian medicare, tomorrow noon MT!
#ABpoli #ABleg
www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-end-of...
LETHBRIDGE FRIENDS!
FOM's ED, Chris Gallaway, will be speaking at SACPA tomorrow at noon about Alberta's shift to two-tier health care—Don't miss it!
www.sacpa.ca/two-tier-hea...
+ Join us TODAY at the Owl to socialize & sign a No Two Tier petition!
www.friendsofmedicare.org/lethbridge_s...
Students across the province are protesting recent changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) — the post-secondary financial aid system will go from a majority grant structure to a majority loan structure in the new school year. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Weird. I'm a think-tank expert, and no-one ever appoints me to chair evidence based policy reviews that will have implications for millions of people, including the most vulnerable. I can't quite put my finger on the reason, but I'm working on it. 🤔
Canadian healthcare is not broken, but it is struggling to survive repeated attempt to erode, overwhelm, undercut, outsource & privatize it. We have the resources to keep one of the best systems in the world for generations to come, but only if we are prepared to defend universal public access.
🎻🥲
It's not Orientalism unless it's from the Wild Garden of the Middle East - otherwise it's just sparkling American imperialism ...?
"The ghosts were outside in all seasons, moonlit nights and dark, as soon as the sun went down. [He] knew some of their voices now, the angry ones and the lost ones, and those in whose thin, stretched crying there was only pain."
- Guy Gavriel Kay, Under Heaven (Viking, 2010)
As it happens, 40+ years ago in Fionavar I treated a red full moon in the sky as a response by a goddess to the emergence of evil, asserting it would not go unchallenged.
We needn’t see it as a bad omen?
I'm counting my victories against despair in half-laughs, so that's one-up for us.
A cartoon of an Unprecedented Times Permission Slip, granting the bearer leave to opt out from the obligations of the world use to the overwhelming realities of genocide, slavery, oligarchy, climate disaster, the death of empathy, and general awfulness.
I found this in my (brief, unwise) travels on another social media platform today. If it might come in handy for you, keep it in your pocket to pull out on days that threaten to take more gentleness from us than we can spare.
Depending on which beds you count, BC has the fewest or second-fewest hospital beds p.c. in the country (next to Ontario)
Key difference btw BC & Ontario? Lack of a public debate about hospital capacity & overcrowding
Nation-building isn't just resource extraction. It's public hospital care, too
Both expected and preventable. What a tragedy
The government needs to take ownership over this terrible state of affairs
Couldn't have had anything to do with the paywall and access barriers imposed on Albertans seeking to get vaccinated, could it?! 🤔
I attended a screening of The Librarians in YEG 3 days after Smith announced extending her book bans. Despite the glaring parallels btwn the US playbook & Smith's - Parents4Choice & Moms For L1berty even used the same list - the panellists used euphemisms and no one directly called out the Premier.
Important new article from Drs Mayall, Hastings & Manns on the damaging implications of Alberta's legislation to introduce a two-tier system for *medically necessary* healthcare.
Essential to recognise that private streams *require* long public wait times in order to be profitable.
Not so different from Halliburton and Blackwater. It was about profiting from inflicting chaos and misery then too.
Richard Hanania tweet: Has any theory in international relations been more discredited than blowback? It turns out you can just kill bad people and everything is fine.
I swear these people don't have object permanence
Wherein Smith claims that "newcomers" are costing the province $9 Billion in social programs.
In order for that to be true, every single newcomer would have to be accessing social programs that many don't even have access to.
These are evil misrepresentations.
#abpoli #ableg
Good on ya. I would like to encourage everyone in the riding to tell off Diotte at least once a day. Twice if he's being especially himself 😒
