Watson Lake is the kind of place you can miss with a blink if you’re in too much of a hurry to get somewhere else. That would be a mistake. Because in Watson Lake, every sign has a story, and every story means something. For those who have never travelled the Alaska Highway — and yes, I know some people still call parts of it Highway 97 or Highway 1 depending on where they are standing — I would highly recommend it. Not because it is flashy. Not because every kilometre has some giant tourist...

Minister of Municipal Affairs Dan Williams Last Thursday, I found myself in a room that has become increasingly familiar to anyone who follows the evolving relationship between Alberta’s provincial government and its municipalities. It was a press conference featuring the Hon. Dan Williams, Alberta’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, alongside Dylan Bressey, president of Alberta Municipalities. The topic at hand was the municipal code of conduct, but like so many conversations in this province...

Over the last few weeks, there has been one certainty in Alberta politics. It was predictable, telegraphed, and discussed openly by policy analysts, municipal administrators, and elected officials alike. And yet, when it finally happened, it was met with a chorus of surprise, frustration, and—most troublingly—political theatre. On February 27, the Government of Alberta released its long-awaited provincial budget. For most Albertans, provincial budgets are distant documents, full of abstract...