If you read my last post on the Keystone pipeline (or lack thereof), you may have been thinking, “She hates Alberta! She hates the industry that paid for her upbringing and funds her mortgage!” I don’t hate Alberta. I love Alberta. I love the generations of my family that have called this place home. I …
The key to good writing is beginning with several disclaimers, right? (Where is sarcasm font when you need it?) Nonetheless, I have some disclaimers. First, for my handful of readers who live outside Canada, this post may not be for you. Second, I’ve spent a lot of my career at an energy company (long known …
Continue reading 3 Things I’m Tired of Hearing about the Keystone Pipeline
I once worked with an executive who had his own way of saying things. For his retirement, we made posters with a caricature of him and all his favourite catchphrases. While this one didn’t make the poster, I do remember him telling me, "Everyone seems equally pissed off with us, no matter what side they …
On my walk to work every morning, I pass through a playground. On the day after the Alberta election, I took the above photo for this post; the kids’ chalk drawings reminded me of the phrase, “everything we need to know, we learned in kindergarten.” If you read my last blog post, you can probably …
I’ve never voted for the NDP before, but I will in this election. That might turn some of you off, but bear with me for a minute. I said in my last post* that I wasn’t feeling brave enough to write about the Alberta election scheduled for April 16. Maybe you’re wondering: what’s to be …
Continue reading 3 things that confuse me about the Alberta election
I saw Barack Obama speak in Calgary earlier this month. Dave Kelly, a local personality, had the honour of interviewing the former U.S. president, and started the conversation by asking what advice Obama has for parents trying to teach children how to be kind – especially as the “leaders” around us are often behaving anything …
With the women’s march coming up this weekend in Calgary, I thought it worth taking a minute to share about another type of march I recently learned about. On a recent visit to Buenos Aires, I became fascinated by the story of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo. In the late 1970s and early 80s, …
Earlier in the year, I was in a class where discussion turned to a sensitive topic. As various Canadians’ views of the issue were dissected, I saw one of my classmates become upset. I asked her during the class break if she wanted to talk. Her family lives in a similar region of the country …
I worked in corporate communications for about a decade. My colleagues and I regularly discussed public opinion, and how to influence it. Sometimes, there would be a consultant in the room. They’d be explaining the latest results of some poll or another, and we’d inevitably end up talking about how to reach people in the …
