In this week's episode of The Underside, join us as we discuss and establish a thesis for the show!
Also featured is some thoughts on our "favourite" Fraser Institute all-star Jack Mintz, a digression on whether right-wing populism is caused only by economic anxiety (spoiler alert: it's not), and some mildly doomer-esque thoughts on the future of our planet in the face of climate change.
In our first episode with The Underside's third host, Ruan, we dig into the hairbrained idea of privatizing all city parks, talk about Edmonton's very own "roller-skating guitar guy," touch on millennial loneliness, and discuss the connection between South American birds of prey and CIA terror operations.
Marc & Sean explore the sinister reach of "Canada Action" into the hearts and minds of our youth, Shandro's journey into his next fit of insanity, and analyze how it is that the UCP continues to persist even as they tear themselves apart from the inside.
After much anticipation, our analysis of the oil price crash, the world mid-COVID, and some hilarious statements from the head of ATCO Gas. If you're into Albertan politics for the pettiness, the short-sightedness, and the ignorance, this one is for you!
Disclaimer: Due to technical difficulties, this episode took a bit more to get going; our conversation about the civil unrest spreading across the continent will be upcoming.
Answer the phone, or don't; the Health Minister will find you anyway.
Let's chat about the ongoing clown car that is our own Ministry of Health, the power of Russian lozenges, our Premier's academic medical bona fides, and other key issues of our time.
(Don't worry; the oil crash convo is incoming.)
We also got ourselves a logo; we're almost a professional act now.
Being the Minister of Health during a pandemic must be really difficult, so difficult you might just confront your neighbour on their front yard to yell at them over a meme.
That's the show; let's talk about Health Minister Tyler Shandro's bizarre eruption over a meme, and how he totally does not have a conflict of interest in his wife's company "Vital Partners." We also go over another UCP minister's brush with the ethics commissioner; it's a double packed corruption jamboree!
Y'know, COVID-19. That's the topic. Maybe the death of capitalism. Who knows? Stay inside. Wash your hands. Avoid old people. Be a good citizen.
Since we've had nothing but two months of wonderful, uplifting news from around the globe, we wanted to take some time to revisit the important issue of orphan wells, plus the troubled past and inner workings of the Alberta Energy Regulator. We also engage in a partial reading of the epic 2020 Speech from the Throne, and Marc discusses the oddity that is Ottawa.
(Oil prices? COVID19? What?)
We've got a triple threat for you all this week; how the situation in Iran hits us here at home, the Rebel as a target of libel yet again, and how our predictions around the teacher's pension being used to purchase Oil & Gas assets totally came true.
Sources (for you academics out there):
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/trustees-storm-out-as-demonstrators-call-on-catholic-schools-to-address-racism
https://www.gofundme.com/f/legal-fees-for-bashir-mohamed
https://ricochet.media/en/2422/rebel-media-reporter-worked-for-white-supremacist-web-store https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/ezra-levant-loses-hate-speech-case-must-pay-80000-to-man-he-defamed-as-illiberal-islamic-fascist
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/ezra-levant-loses-hate-speech-case-must-pay-80000-to-man-he-defamed-as-illiberal-islamic-fascist
https://business.financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/kkr-aimco-to-take-65-stake-in-5-billion-canada-gas-pipelinehttps://www.myprincegeorgenow.com/105320/the-suspected-cause-of-enbridge-pipeline-explosion-in-bc/
https://business.financialpost.com/news/one-of-north-americas-top-plays-why-the-montney-is-canadas-answer-to-u-s-shale https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/moody-s-alberta-credit-rating-1.5383294
Happy Holiday seasons everyone! Or, at least to those of you that made it to the end of the year without a pink slip courtesy of the Kenney UCP government. In this (not so) Christmas themed episode, we delve into Wexit and the "Fair Deal" Panel, as well as a long-overdue autopsy of the come-and-gone Canadian federal election. Spoiler alert; the Tories and the Liberals are both massive frauds.
{This is a placeholder for whenever I can be bothered to add sources, if I ever get my nose out of this rum + eggnog}
In the light of unbelievable corruption, massive public layoffs, and other big-boy policies, we decided to do a bit of a retrospective of how the United Conservative Party concocted their 2019 Budget. From their platform to the Blue Ribbon Panel, we outline nearly every way the Government of Alberta is about to f**k us over the next fiscal year.
On a lighter note, we also discuss our respective trips to Europe; in case you're into that kinda stuff.
Sources:
Cutting Through the Blue Ribbon - https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/parklandinstitute/pages/1712/attachments/original/1567981307/cutting_through.pdf?1567981307
MacKinnon report: All 26 Alberta government panel recommendations - https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/mackinnon-report-all-26-alberta-government-panel-recommendations
Alberta Budget 2019: Tuition fee freeze lifted as post-secondary grants cut - https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/alberta-budget-2019-tuition-fee-freeze-lifted-as-post-secondary-grants-cut
Colby Cosh: The creeping horror Alberta never knew it was voting for - https://nationalpost.com/opinion/colby-cosh-the-creeping-horror-alberta-never-knew-it-was-voting-for
Economist argues Alberta government's new budget adds up to tax increase - https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/economist-argues-alberta-governments-new-budget-adds-up-to-tax-increase
UCP’s Corporate Tax Cuts Could Let Five Companies Alone Reduce Public Revenues $4.3 Billion - https://pressprogress.ca/ucps-corporate-tax-cut-likely-to-let-five-companies-alone-reduce-public-revenues-4-3-billion/
Majority of oil sands ownership and profits are foreign, says analysis - https://business.financialpost.com/news/majority-of-oil-sands-ownership-and-profits-are-foreign-says-analysis
Opinion | Jabs between Kenney and Notley reach new level of ridiculousness - https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/opinion-jabs-between-kenney-and-notley-reach-new-level-of-
From the extremity of laissez-faire taxation policy to the fringe of right-wing hate groups, Alberta truly has it all. In this episode, Marc and Sean discuss Boston as a tourist destination, the rise of the far-right in Canada, and discuss how a nation of immigrant descendants all of a sudden has an issue with immigrants.
This episode should have been about forest fires, but all things in due time; unless we all die from smoke inhalation in the meanwhile. https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/extremist-groups-in-alberta-detailed-in-first-of-its-kind-report
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canadas-new-far-right-a-trove-of-private-chat-room-messages-reveals/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/a-dark-chapter-should-edmonton-s-kkk-history-be-acknowledged-1.3872961
Joe Rogan Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm9lfWTGmDY
Ready for some high-octane discussion on tax policy? Of course you are! This week, Marc and Sean analyze how a province with so much oil wealth ended up with so little to show for it.
https://www.parklandinstitute.ca/misplaced_generosity
https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/end-of-the-alberta-tax-advantage
(alt title: How Alberta Got Fleeced)
With the Alberta 2019 election now behind us, it's time for the post-mortem that nobody asked for! Marc and Sean discuss the major themes, events, and bozo eruptions that made the AB 2019 election one for the history books [citation needed].