More than 80 years later, US President Ronald Reagan noted that, “Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”

In this age of hyper competitive "media", it is always challenging to launch a new venture to compete for eyeballs when it comes to what today we call "news".

The Medicine Hat mayor and council squabble has resulted in peak bad judgment as evidenced by a knee jerk reaction to once again invest millions of tax payer dollars and thousands of paid staff hours into a tax subsidized, financially uncertain solar farm.

So, where we may assume these are the MHPS members injured, who are these members? Are their injuries serious? And, how are they doing? The MHPS webpage suggests that “Given the ongoing nature of both the ASIRT and MHPS investigations no additional details will be provided”.

As voters we rightly expect preparation, but we certainly don’t expect politicians to personally control every aspect of every crisis. When life throws you a knuckleball, sometimes legging out a single is the best-case scenario. By and large, citizens are fair-minded in such circumstances. What voters can’t condone, however, is political cronyism.

I have been collecting military and police memorabilia for over 50 years. In early April, I decided to downsize my collection and consigned a vintage RCMP bandmasters tunic with sash, and an RCMP forage cap to Kirsten Boldt, owner of Infinity Antiques, here in Medicine Hat. Kirsten, in turn, put these items online to sell. The RCMP became aware of this sale and decided to get involved. On April 10, and on the instructions of the RCMP 'K' Division Sergeant Major, the local detachment commander attended Kirsten’s store and seized my RCMP items. When I learned what happened, I demanded their immediate return.

The Sentinel reached out to Catherine MacKenzie to find out in more detail about her mission to reinstate Mayor Clark to full duties and her reasons behind the petition do so. The responses are the position of Catherine MacKenzie and are her perspective on the situation occurring between council and Ms. Clark.

It is crucial to recognize that the city manager is the sole employee of the Council and, as such, is subject to employment laws. The circumstances surrounding the incident, where the chief elected official was nearly perceived to have engaged in conduct tantamount to constructive dismissal, raise significant legal implications.

With the government of Alberta introducing Bill 20, it raises the following question in municipal politics. If a councillor can be removed by order of cabinet, or a bylaw overturned because it does not jive with the ideology of the government, why be a municipal councillor at all?

For a group that wants the role of Mayor respected, Clark and her supporters are not very respectful of council as a whole. Clark could at anytime ask her supporters not to cheer her when she enters, or jeer other councilors, but she chooses not to lead and continues to antagonize council with her requests of information regarding spending and severance issues that she, as Mayor, signed off on. If that is not grandstanding then what is?

It saddens me to see in retail stores and medical offices signs warning people that foul and abusive language will not be tolerated. I agree with the signs just saddened to see we have sunk that low as a society.

Alberta’s Regiment, the South Alberta Light Horse (SALH) lives on

Clark’s release of redacted documents questions her integrity as far as the “whole truth”, transparency regarding her behaviours and actions beyond the August 21st council meeting at the centre of the code of conduct breach.

The code of conduct complaint, and outside legal council's determination that Mayor Clark breached the code, was the trigger to try to deal with a number of Mayor Clark's behaviours that had created a working environment in city hall that neither the rest of council or administration were willing to continue to allow.

It's time to SPRING AHEAD in 2024

Check your license plate more often than you should - it might not be your plate on your car!

Our badlands aren't that bad & our city is a fabulous place to be.

The Sentinel has chosen local power prices and the political posturing on behalf of city council and the broader community is it's top story for 2023. Read more to find out why.

A plumber, not a pilot, my family was transferred to MH.

This week the Lethbridge Exhibition came hat in hand to Lethbridge city council to ask for more money for budgetary shortfalls of the new multi-million dollar Agri-Food Hub facilities.. How will the taxpayers of Medicine Hat be protected from the same continuing funding asks if the city does fund the MHES to build its new grandstand facility?

Many of us have a personal connection to Canada’s military history. For me, my Great Uncle was wounded in the First World War. My wife lost two people close to her family in the Second World War, including an uncle and her mother’s first husband. I’m sure your family lost loved ones as well. Remembering their courage and sacrifice is a duty we can all be proud to accept.

Thrift shop purchase gone rogue!

Long weekends thoughts to ponder...

The Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede made a presentation to council this week and you could say it was poor at best and insulting to Medicine Hat council and taxpayers at the least.

Over the past two weeks, the hot topic in media (besides Trudeau’s latest scandals) has been the subject of creating a provincial pension plan in Alberta. So far, the debate has centered on financial details. On this front, the case of a provincial pension plan is clear. Albertans can immediately pay less in contributions and collect more in pension payments under a provincial plan.

Insight regarding both the Hollywood film strikes and troubles of the working-class actor.

If you follow politics locally or nationally, you will notice a trend. The most hotly debated issues tend to fall along ideological and partisan fault lines. These tend to be the most divisive issues, and as a result they are the most likely to affect the outcome of elections. However, with all the attention paid to these hot button issues, there are many others that get ignored to the detriment of us all. One such issue, which cuts to the core competency of government, is the so-called chain of command.

I am not a crafty person.

Just a small town girl - looking for the real world.

Hatters deserve the final say on electricity profits. For most Albertans, today’s electricity costs are shocking. The question is, as the owners of their own electric company what do these rising costs mean for Medicine Hat residents? In the short term, the City stands to collect tens of millions in new revenue as prices soar.

With last week's friction at city council, there has been much talk in the community about council effectiveness and cohesion. The blatant personal attack by the Mayor on the CAO, regarding corporate staff restructuring, showed that things are fraying between the Mayor, administration and the rest of council.

Our city owns its own power generation. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Does council have the knowledge and ability to steward our power production into the future without making major financial and/or political mistakes?

The Sun City Sentinel is a brand new platform for Medicine Hat, which allows anyone to post engaging and informative articles. Some basic techniques can help you increase your readership greatly.

A Commentary about Immigration and the Culture Shocks as a Young Immigrant

Another Stampede has come and gone. What's in store in the future and should the organization be more transparent in its affairs if it wants more public money?

Hey there, fellow Medicine Hatters and soon-to-be Medicine Hatters! I want to take you on a journey through my experiences and why I decided to stay put in this charming little gem we call Medicine Hat. Believe me when I say that this place is more than just a "small town" - it's a vibrant, lively community that stole my heart from the very beginning.

Hello Medicine Hat and area! A new source of local news and information is now online and waiting for your input!