Chernobyl’s Toxic Legacy

The 20th anniversary of the infamous nuclear meltdown stirs bitter memories for one Albertan, prompting a closer look at a global disaster former Soviets are still sweeping under the rug.

• Culture
• Environment
• Feature

Tags: Alberta, Alberta Views, Communism, Cultural Centre, Finland, Hinton, Israel, Nuclear Energy, Pollution, Ukraine, World Health Organization

April 1, 2006

The Seed Catalogue Secret

Robert Kroetsch’s long poem is to Albertans what Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass is to Americans. Revealing how we create a culture out of emptiness, the poem’s mystery lies in what it leaves unsaid.

• Culture
• Feature

Tags: Alberta, Alberta Views, Autobiography, Biography, Gardening, Glenbow, Robert Kroetsch, University of Manitoba

Upping the Ante

The province collects more revenue from gambling than royalties from the oil sands. Much of the money funds social programs, including – treatment for problem gamblers.

• Addiction
• Feature
• Social Issues

Tags: Alberta, Alberta Views, Bishop Fred Henry, Casinos, Gambling, Gambling Revenue, Geriatric Healthcare, Palliative Care, Salvation Army, Treatment Facility, University of Lethbridge

March 1, 2006

Money Pit: The Case Against P3s

Public funding cuts created Alberta’s infrastructure deficit. Now the Alberta government wants us to believe that private investment through P3s is the only solution.

• Energy
• Feature
• Infrastructure
• Politics

Tags: Alberta, Alberta Views, Audit, Auditor General, Brian Mason, Calgary Courts Centre, Canada Pension Plan, Capital Projects, CUPE, Don Braid, Freedom of Information, Lobbyist, Minister of Infrastructure, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Private Investment, Private Market, Public Library, Rockyview

Good Man

The quick glances they give each other while Floyd dumps sugar in his cup are for the concern they feel – that most folks in Parched River feel – that the boy might not turn out so good.

• Original Fiction

Tags: Fishing, Sockeye Salmon

Art Gallery of Alberta

The Edmonton Art Gallery has been rebranded. It has a new name and will get a fabulous $48-million facelift. But can the EAG really be the art gallery for all of Alberta?

• Architecture
• Feature
• Visual Art

Tags: Alberta, Alberta Views, Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton Art Gallery, Glenbow, Grant MacEwan, Museums, National Gallery of Canada, Natural History, Royal Alberta Museum, Spain

Whose Family?

The Alberta PCs say they rank family values as one of their top principles, yet many families are left out of their social policies. Are we doing all we can to support the families that need the most help?

• AISH
• Feature
• Social Issues

Tags: Alberta, Alberta Views, Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped, Autism, Domestic Abuse, Hobbema, Junior High, New Brunswick, Notwithstanding Clause, Nova Scotia

February 1, 2006

The Daycare Debates

The Tories’ commitment to “choice” – read “for-profit daycare” – may compromise quality care.

• Childcare
• Feature
• Social Issues

Tags: Alberta, Alberta Views, Bow Valley, Children's services, Daycare, Grant MacEwan, Laurie Adkin, Preschool, Raj Pannu

All Along the Watchtower

Alberta’s lookout staff are part of one of the oldest and best methods of fire detection. However, it’s more than protecting the wilderness that keeps so many of these modern nomads coming back year after year.

• Climate Change
• Conservation
• Feature

Tags: Alberta, Alberta Views, Hamas, Herbicide, Hinton, Museums, Prince Edward Island, Rocky Mountain House, Romance, Veterans