Alberta's new "impaired" driving legislation.

More bad law written by a bored government trying to pander for votes.

From the St Albert Gazette: The government also plans new suspensions for drivers caught with an alcohol limit between 0.05 and 0.08. Drivers caught within that range the first time would face a three-day suspension and three-day vehicle seizure, rising to a 15-day suspension and seven-day seizure on the second offence and 30-day suspension and seven-day seizure on a third offence.

There are plenty of reasons why this is bad law, and I could write pages as to why, but just for the fact alone that one is tried and convicted at the side of the road with NO chance of an effective appeal makes this legislation a farce. While I realize that arguing against drunk driving law is like arguing against kittens, I would hope that most Albertans can see that this legislation for what it is. Written for optics and pandering.


From the comments: "The argument seems to be that not enough drivers are being caught and convicted, therefore the limit must be lowered."


Updated with link to newer post on Bill 26.

Nanny State ideas creep into kids soccer

This may be about the dumbest thing that I have read in a long time.

An Ottawa children’s soccer league has introduced a rule that says any team that wins a game by more than five points will lose by default. In the name of making things 'fair' they are going to actually make the kids on the weaker teams more embarrassed by forcing other teams to pity them by holding back and not try their hardest.

In other words, treat the lesser team as if they are not even worthy of your best efforts.

WTG Gloucester Dragons Recreational Soccer league. This will sure raise the self esteem of all the players involved.

How humiliating; for both sides.


h/t The National Post.


Updated: My wife had a very interesting comment on this. If a team is down a couple of goals they now could try to lose on purpose and get the win. Example: Down 4 goals with seconds remaining, just pop one into your own net and win the game!

Have this happen a couple of times and you can bet this goofy rule would be changed.


Update June 11, 2010. Common sense wins out! They have now dropped this silly rule change in exchange for calling the game if the score gets too lopsided but allowing teams to continue to play if they desire.

Maybe the students should get suspended with pay

Oh wait, students don't get paid, only the teachers do, including the ones in this video.


Students who took the video footage of 2 Winnipeg teachers "lap dancing" may face punishment.




"The Churchill High School students violated the Winnipeg School Division's zero-tolerance policies forbidding the use of cellphone cameras and other devices in schools, officials said. School board chairwoman Jackie Sneesby refused to rule out punishment for the students."

Zero tolerance for 'other devices' that record video you say?

Hmm, do cctv cameras fit into the other devices category? (pdf file on contract to supply and install cctv cameras in WSD schools)

What about regular digital cameras? (pdf file on courses offered in WSD schools on digital photography)


Btw, how do you know that all of these videos were recorded on cellphone cameras?


Go for it WSD; punish the students, but be keep your resumes updated as you will need them soon.

Is Krista's name missing from the by line?

From yesterdays National Post comes this drivel from Pablo Rodriguez.

Some excerpts:

"Remember that for 18 years, the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada was an author himself, as well as a screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. He lived the life of an artist, with all the financial insecurity that comes with it. He watched with pride as our artists flourished on the world stage, and as they made Quebec and Canada models of creativity."

(Ignatieff the starving artist? Sorry Pablo, not buying it, and the last time I checked Quebec was part of Canada so there is no need to separate the 2, unless.....)
"Let us not allow ourselves to fall under the spell of the siren’s song, or should we say, of Stephen Harper’s song. Let us not forget that behind the Conservatives’ public relations strategy lurks a lacklustre vision whereby culture is subject to Conservative ideology. Let’s not forget Bill C-10, which sought to censor movies deemed “contrary to public policy” by revoking their funding."

(Nice attempt to smear the PM, you're all class Pablo. I see that the old Bill C-10 lie again makes an appearance. That was Liberal policy Pablo in case you forgot. The big lie here though is that not a single film is going to be censored by the government as Pablo maintains. No one from government is going to stop ANY film from being made; they are just going to have to find their own funding as do 99% of all business ventures in this country who mange to do quite well without using tax dollars to do so, which is something that Liberals like Pablo will never really understand.)

"Our Liberal leader is also committed to ensuring stable funding to CBC/Radio-Canada, allowing long-term planning so the broadcaster can continue to offer unique, quality programming, as per its mandate as a Crown corporation."

Yes he went there; Pablo actually brought up the CBC. Some days this is too easy.

The post somehow got messed up, it should now be fixed.

Liberal Senator: Quebec has a superior culture to Alberta.

Liberal Senator Celine Hervieux-Payette was at it again yesterday; this time attacking Alberta.

You may remember Hervieux-Payette from her response to a Minnesota family concerned about seal hunting where she said that they should be more concerned with "the daily massacre of innocent people in Iraq, the execution of prisoners -- mainly blacks -- in American prisons, the massive sale of handguns to Americans, the destabilization of the entire world by the American government's aggressive foreign policy, etc." than the seal hunt.

Yesterday on CTV's Power Play Hervieux-Payette was again her classy self when talking about her nanny state private members bill outlawing spanking. She was discussing statistics and how support for her bill was "off course" lower in Alberta than in Quebec because "we don't have the same culture" and went on to say in way of an explanation after being called out by host Tom Clarke "I am just telling you that maybe we (Quebec) have the appropriate way of dealing with children and education is different then hitting a child."

Not that her arrogant and clueless statement was enough she went on to laughingly say "We have some support in Alberta? That is news for me." again in response to Tom Clarke's observation that her statement was going to hurt Liberal support in Alberta and Western Canada.

The Liberal Party of Canada: not only are we more united than ever as a party but we continue to unite Canadians from coast to coast to coast for a better Canada.

You can watch the CTV segment here.


More on Hervieux-Payette from CTV. Apparently she is sexist as well as being clueless on the economy.