Well, here we go again: Edmonton snow operations inventing new excuses for their lack of performance. A few weeks ago they said it is too cold to run the snow removal machinery; it breaks down in the cold. In the news today, they state it is too warm; they cannot grade it to five centimetres for fear of making a bigger mess. Meanwhile, in the faraway place called Sherwood Park, they actually remove the snow.

Edmonton delights in spreading sand and salt on top of the snowpack, creating yellow/brown sticky goop that sticks to everything and is corrosive to the infrastructure, vehicles and my shoes. We are only 21 days into the winter season, less than one-third of the way in. It may not be too late to toss the city system and hire a company that can actually do the work… Artificial Sand Making Machine

Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Edmonton Journal, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Edmonton Journal Headline News will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

Air travel in North America has been chaotic since Christmas with snow storms, computer failures and, locally, fog in the Edmonton region this week. While many of these disruptions have been unavoidable, the chaos in Edmonton due to foggy weather is completely avoidable.

Edmonton International Airport lacks the necessary runway and taxiway lighting, as well as the navigation infrastructure that would have allowed aircraft to depart and arrive during the intensive fog. Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax airports and scores of others throughout the world have these systems. As a result, they would not suffer the same disruptions experienced this week.

Edmonton Airports, despite charging one of the highest passenger fees in Canada, has failed to invest in airside infrastructure. Instead, Edmonton Airports has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on an oversized passenger terminal, real estate developments, office towers rather than focusing on their core responsibility: operating an effective airport.

As a result, thousands of passengers have seen their travel plans severely disrupted unnecessarily. To paraphrase Rodney Dangerfield, “I went to a shopping mall and an airport broke out.” Edmonton International Airport has lost its focus; its job is to operate an airport, not a property management firm.

Trudeau’s just transition is “Justin’s transition,” part of his ongoing effort to damage or destroy Alberta’s predominant oil and gas industry, its contribution to the overall Alberta economy, the revenues which play such a large part in providing Albertans with the broad array of governmental services and its role in the well-being of many communities.

Justin’s transition is Trudeau’s effort to continue the process started with the 1980 national energy program to undermine the policy independence of Alberta and control over its economy.

Justin’s transition will damage Alberta and Canada as much as the just society of his father. The just society mantra and the federal policy initiatives that followed moved Canadian society to one focused on income redistribution, high taxation, and a sense of entitlement, victimization, and that any perceived societal problem could be dealt with by greater government spending.

The concept of responsibility was replaced with the concept of rights. Community initiatives were replaced with standard government programs. Provinces (with the exception of Quebec) were to be brought under federal control and influence by use of federal spending power. Provinces were unable to wean themselves off to pursue their own policy directions in line with their own constituents’ needs and priorities. Justin’s transition will see increased forced policy directions and conditional funding to meet federal objectives.

I served in the Alberta department of federal and intergovernmental affairs and its successor departments for 33 years and I have seen it all before. Individual responsibility and initiative are diminished and everyone looks to the federal government to solve all problems.

Essentially, you have hundreds of cars being forced to stop to allow a couple of cars to enter Terwillegar from the Henday. Simply increasing the duration of the green light for traffic on Terwillegar would solve the problem.

We invite you to write letters to the editor. A maximum of 150 words is preferred. Letters must carry a first and last name, or two initials and a last name, and include an address and daytime telephone number. All letters are subject to editing. We don’t publish letters addressed to others or sent to other publications. Email: letters@edmontonjournal.com

We have been waiting all season for a sign that the under-performing Edmonton Oilers had finally “turned the corner.”

'This was not a case of the respondent trying to pay his mortgage, it was a case of him getting rid of the complainant'

"Are we to believe that any sane mind in Alberta would choose to wait in a long online queue that, by Premier Smith’s own admission will likely crash, to ostensibly set up an account for the sole purpose of refusing to receive a free handout, which coincidentally is timed just months away from a provincial election?"

Re. “Reforms would put health care behind paywall,” Opinion, Jan. 6

The Edmonton Oilers finally did it. They held on to  two-goal lead. They held on to a third period lead, giving up little in their own end.

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4

© 2023 Edmonton Journal, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.

Filter Crusher This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.