Who the hell is Kebab Worths-How and why would you care if he or she is running for Calgary mayor? Well, to clarify, the person in question is actually Ward 4 Ald. Bob Hawkesworth who recently Tweeted he will not be running for re-election in his ward, leading one to believe he's all but decided to run for mayor this fall. Or not.

"I haven't made any decisions on that score," says Hawkesworth, when reached by phone Saturday afternoon. "It'll be some time after Easter before I'm in a position to make any kind of an announcement."

On Friday afternoon, the six-time alderman and two-term NDP MLA (yeah, that's right Calgary, you've actually voted for a socialist in the past and the universe didn't implode) wrote: "I have notified the Ward 4 Communities … Read More

Jon Lord, a former two-term Calgary alderman for Ward 8, announced his intentions to run for mayor in this fall's election this afternoon. In 2001, Lord ran, and won, as a PC candidate in the constituency of Calgary-Currie. Lord was defeated in the 2004 election by Liberal MLA Dave Taylor, a former radio personality for QR77, by less than 600 votes.

In an email to his friends and supporters press release, Lord says he is "looking for advisors, ideas, organizers and volunteers by the dozens.... people who can phone their friends, circulate fliers, donate their time, and perform dozens of other tasks."

Lord writes that other "high-profile" candidates are also organizing to run and notes that his campaign is "not that well organized."

This makes … Read More

Did you know grizzly bears are one of the greatest scourges that has ever set foot upon this planet? Probably not. You can blame the numerous and well-funded environment and conservation astroturf groups out there who really just want to raise your taxes, brainwash your kids' minds with "science" and make you eat nothing but granola and soybeans. 

However, the Alberta Wilderness Association has bravely stepped up to the plate to dispell the many myths about this four-legged menace and the threat they pose to its number one food source, you and me, with this award-winning ad campaign.

So unless you're one of those selfish, misanthropic, rice milk drinkers who, quite wrongly, disagrees with our God-given right to clearcut, pave … Read More

Local food advocate and urban chicken activist Paul Hughes, chair of the Calgary Food Policy Council, officially declared his run for mayor at a screening of Mad City Chickens at the Plaza Theatre last night.

"I'm the classic outsider, but I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have anything to offer," says Hughes, a single dad of a seven-year-old son. "I felt I could add a voice to the race because I'm very connected to a lot of Calgarians and I speak to a lot of people who feel they don't have a voice."

Hughes, 45, has been ruffling feathers as of late with his push for the city to change its bylaw forbiding Calgarians to raise chickens in their backyards. He'll be appearing in court later this month to fight a ticket bylaw officers handed him … Read More

Less than a week after news broke that a new farmers' market was in the works, organizers have launched a new website, I love Alberta Farmers, and are now accepting applications for its 2010 Summer Outside Market.

While the Kingsland Farmers' Market market's development permit is still under review, the six-person group behind the venture hope to have outdoor vendors selling goods by June 1. The indoor phase, which could house up to 45 vendors, could be operational by Thanksgiving weekend.

"Our goal is to have 40 to 60 vendors this summer," says Tim Hoven, an organic beef producer and one of the new market's organizers. "We want to have a wide range of diverse products to keep people's interest up and offer new and exciting things."

More … Read More

2010 Federal Budget

After eight years in office as Calgary's mayor, Dave Bronconnier surprised many with today's announcement he will not be seeking a fourth term. In a press release, Bronconnier says he intends to return to private life in October after "largely accomplishing his political agenda."

"... ladies and gentlemen, I didn’t get into public life to cut ribbons," Bronconnier said in the press release. "I got into politics to get things done... I have a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment because the goal that was set back in 2001 has largely been reached. Therefore, this is my final term as Calgary’s Mayor — I will not be seeking re-election in October."

His list of "accomplishments" include: "unprecedented investments in transportation, transit … Read More

In an article detailing the split amongst Alberta conservatives and the rise of the Wildrose Alliance Party, The Economist manages to take a swipe at Albertans, likening them to Republicans of "the tea-party persuasion."

The magazine writes that Wildrose leader Danielle Smith's "calls for smaller government are popular with Albertans, whose views often align more closely with American Republicans (of the tea-party persuasion) than with eastern Canadians."

For those not familiar with the tea-party, its a faux-grassroots movement heavily promoted by the likes of Fox News' cry-on-demand TV hack Glenn Beck and failed politician-turned-political commentator Sarah Palin. Many in this fringe right-wing group accuse U … Read More

The debacle in Calgary West just took a turn for the weirder with the sudden and immediate resignation of 16 of its 30 riding association board members.

In a letter to Conservative party president John Walsh, the 16 signatories vent their frustrations over the party's heavy handed tactics and lack of transparency and communication. Last week the party's national council came down hard on the board, accusing it of not supporting the riding's MP Rob Anders, and subsequently took control of its annual general meeting, seized its access to its membership list and severely restricted its financial powers.

The Conservative party didn't provide any specifics to back up the allegations.

In a letter to Walsh, the resigning … Read More

The Conservative Party’s decision to clamp down on one of its riding associations was in the “best interest of the party’s membership,” says Conservative MP Rob Anders.

Earlier this week, the party’s national council informed Anders’ riding association president that it had assumed control of the ridings’ upcoming AGM, revoked the board's access to the riding's membership list and froze its finances.

Anders, fully supportive of the decision, says malcontents, rogues and liberal sympathizers on the 30-person board are to blame for the situation. They were focused on “petty issues,” “messing around with money,” and made “disparaging remarks” about the leader, he says.

“You have a group of people who didn’t like the party process and made … Read More