This week in AB: November 15, 2024
The Legislature was on break this week and will resume sitting Monday, November 18.
About that AIMCo shakeup..
the reasons given for the firing of AIMCo’s board, CEO, and a handful of top executives were, according to the press release, “third-party management fees have increased by 96 per cent, the number of employees increased by 29 per cent and salary, wage, and benefit costs increased by 71 per cent… while AIMCo managed a smaller percentage of funds internally.”
AIMCo’s board, and CEO, appeared well-qualified for their roles, and sources told Postmedia that the issues between AIMCo and the Alberta government were “deeply political”.
former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whose investment career experience equals zero, is reportedly Danielle Smith’s top choice for Chair of the new board, expected to be announced next week.
Takeaways
AIMCo is not an “investment management corporation” if it outsources its investment management; is it?
Danielle Smith can be counted on for two things: contradicting herself and doggedly pursuing the authority to implement recommendations from the Firewall Letter, a “joke” that area conservatives latched onto with as much hopefulness as a small child at the thought of seeing her first unicorn. Enter: Stephen Harper to push AIMCo to fulfill that ideologically-entrenched dream.
What’s next
a move meant to “restore confidence” in AIMCo will do the exact opposite. If the UCP can take over AIMCo, what’s stopping another governing party from doing the same?
UCP says adding citizenship on driver’s licences will provide “more integrity in our elections”
Smith and Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally brought up the possibility during the UCP’s annual general meeting at the beginning of November.
developed through a joint effort between Citizenship and Immigration Canada and Canada Border Services Agency, the Enhanced Driver’s Licence (EDL) and Enhanced Identification Card (EIC) programs were created as an alternative to Canadian passports to make cross-border travel easier.
obtaining the EDL/EIC will require providing proof of citizenship to the provincial government.
four other provinces currently offer the EDL/EIC program; British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec.
Takeaways
the UCP made a choice to tie an existing program to “election integrity”. Other options available were: “we just want the same thing Quebec has”, and “making cross-border travel more convenient”. Either would have appealed to the same people — arguably a much broader base.
opting for “election integrity” is just doubling down on the conspiracy theory that our elections do not currently have enough integrity.
What’s next
convenience; and one step closer to the government having all of your personal information; mwahahaha!
More head-banging (not the good kind)
some Albertans were surprised to see their home insurance rates double this month (try this link if that happened to you, too).
insurable losses have jumped 495 per cent in Alberta.
Takeaways
same as before, it’s bad and we still haven’t been offered a solution. Alberta opted for privatized insurance so a few people could get rich and as it becomes clearer there’s no more profit to be made, they will take our money and run; they aren’t actually in the market to provide public services.
What’s next
this is the government’s problem to fix or tank the housing market. Those are the only options and I’m very concerned that a government led by a person who already has one foot out the door doesn’t give a damn what happens to the rest of us.
Albertans waiting up to a year and a half for health imaging
publicly-funded scans taking longer, Health Minister acknowledges problem.
private options exist for those with an extra few hundred dollars lying around.
Takeaways
when you want people to make different decisions, one way is to make the available option so inconvenient, they choose (to pay for) something else.
What’s next
greater inconvenience, if I’m making an educated guess.
Minister says Calgary City Council must agree to yet unknown plan if they want public transit funding
the UCP hired a consultant to create a plan for Calgary transit that, presumably, the province hasn’t already accepted because it hasn’t been finished.
Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said Calgary will get no funding for the Greenline unless they accept the incomplete and unseen proposal.
Takeaways
is there a word for when someone demands you do what they want to get funding for something you wanted, even if it’s nothing like what you asked for? Seems like there would be.
What’s next
watching the municipal candidates make big promises in their election campaigns with a straight face, I suppose.
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Not surprised what happened at AIMco, seems to be standard procedure. With Harper in charge will our retirement funds disappear faster or slower, he is well connected in fossil fuels. Maybe Harper's looking to be our first president. As for healthcare,,,BC elected the ND's again. What's with Dreeshen, is he capable of launching a scam so incredibly devious he gets Calgarians to rename the Green Line after himself.