Opinion

The federal election might seem somewhat distant in our minds as Canadians focus on enjoying summer while we can. But October will be here before we know it. Expect to be bombarded by endless political campaign ads.

Mountain View County’s ranking in a national publication’s best communities in Canada comparison highlights what most of us county residents already know.

For a number of years, the Shantz Village Land Corporation has been publicly promoting the inclusion of a Buy Low Foods grocery store (including its size, location and artist renderings of front façade) in Shantz Village.

The statement to the Albertan last week by community services director Doug Wagstaff that town officials are looking at changing bylaws to directly address animals in the community — including dog breeding — is good news.

Alberta is down right now, but we’re not out. We still can’t move our bitumen, oil or natural gas to market as easily as we would like. We are at odds with the federal government and British Columbia on key files.

Nuclear power has, largely as a result of the Chernobyl disaster, become an energy bogeyman.

The provincial government has launched a new multi-stage initiative it says will help reduce regulatory burdens as part of the Red Tape Reduction Act.

Canadians with criminal records stemming from nothing more than mere possession of cannabis should have been pardoned — their records completely expunged — the day prohibition ended.

As the world’s population passes 7.5 billion and becomes more urbanized and affluent, the planet is running out of fresh water, including in Alberta.