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Even the student newspaper at the University of Alberta is falling victim to newspaper disease. The Gateway says it will cancel its print edition and publish a digital-only version. With advertising revenue taking a dive and far fewer students picking up paper copies, the Gateway Student Journalism Society will print its last edition on April 13. “I think people understand this change needs to happen,” said executive director Beth Mansell. The Gateway expects to save $75,000 in production, printing and distribution costs. That’s about 18 per cent of its annual budget.

4. Liberals say no doesn’t mean no, could mean maybe

Just because Liberal House leader Dominic LeBlanc has ruled out a referendum on a new voting system doesn’t mean the Liberals are ruling out a referendum on a new voting system, says Mark Holland, parliamentary secretary to Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef. Say what? “It’s not something that we’re ruling in or ruling out,” Holland told a forum on electoral reform sponsored by the Senate’s independent Liberal caucus, which, as we know, isn’t really Liberal, it just happens to be all Liberals.

One of the other participants at the forum showed just how bizarro this can get. Dennis Pilon, a York University political scientist, said the last thing you want to do is let people vote on how they should be allowed to vote. Pilon is a big supporter of proportional representation. But according to theOttawa Citizen he’s against a referendum. “If this is about voter equality, we don’t put people’s rights to a vote,” he said. Right: you dictate the result and let them live with it, because that’s how democracy works.

5. Ottawa opens money pipeline to Alberta

If I recall correctly, Stephen Harper was criticized harshly by the opposition for pouring out “stimulus” money without being 100% certain how it would be used. Now the Liberals say they will speed $700 million to Alberta for “infrastructure”. Which infrastructure, exactly? Well, no one knows, but the point is to spend the money, right?

National Post

KellyMcParland<