Alberta Views
Encyclopedia
Alberta Views is a general interest magazine
published in Calgary
, Alberta
, Canada that covers political, social and cultural issues in the province
of Alberta. Its monthly circulation is 20,000 copies. Alberta Views was named Canadian Magazine of the Year at the 2009 National Magazine Awards. John Ralston Saul
calls Alberta Views “the new model for what a magazine can be in Canada.”
, as a catalyst for founding the magazine. She also cites the policies of former Premier of Alberta
Ralph Klein, specifically his government's financial cutbacks to public education
, healthcare, infrastructure and social services in the 1990s, and proposes that Alberta Views acts as a forum for citizens who support the public good
.
and Giller Prize-nominated author Fred Stenson ("Wit") and acerbic reviewer Alex Rettie ("Rettie on Books"), book reviews, arts listings, letters to the editor, an anacrostic puzzle and "Eye on Alberta," a collection of previously published writing and written artifacts from around the province.
magazine Independent Press award for local/regional coverage (2007) and the 2004 Alberta Mental Health Board award.http://www.albertaviews.ab.ca/awards.html
“The Magazine About Albertans by Albertans,” “Leading the Political, Cultural and Social Debate,” and “A Forum for Dialogue.” The magazine’s contributors include journalists, magazine writers, artists, academics and politicians. Its contributors include many self-identified progressive and left-leaning personalities from Alberta (including Kevin Taft
, former leader of the provincial Liberals and Maurice Tougas
, former Liberal MLA). Alberta Views has profiled conservative and liberal politicians and leadership candidates alike, and featured interviews with former Conservative premier Peter Lougheed
, former Conservative premier Ralph Klein, Conservative MLA
Ted Morton
, former Reform Party of Canada
leader Preston Manning
, current Wildrose Alliance Party leader Danielle Smith
and former Alberta Green Party leader George Read
. Alberta Views has published stories written by former Reform MLA Jan Brown
and Conservative MLA Dave King
. The magazine does not endorse a political party.
Alberta Views is not to be confused with Alberta Report
, a defunct right-of-centre weekly newsmagazine based in Edmonton
, Alberta, founded and edited by Ted Byfield
.
. Several newsstands refused to carry the edition; the magazine published two separate covers and distributed the less risqué cover (featuring a motif of bathroom signs) to select newsstands.
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
published in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada that covers political, social and cultural issues in the province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of Alberta. Its monthly circulation is 20,000 copies. Alberta Views was named Canadian Magazine of the Year at the 2009 National Magazine Awards. John Ralston Saul
John Ralston Saul
John Ralston Saul, CC is a Canadian author, essayist, and President of International PEN.As an essayist, Saul is particularly known for his commentaries on the nature of individualism, citizenship and the public good; the failures of manager-, or more precisely technocrat-, led societies; the...
calls Alberta Views “the new model for what a magazine can be in Canada.”
History
Alberta Views magazine was first published in January 1998. It was initially a quarterly; since 2006, the magazine has published ten issues a year. Alberta Views celebrated its 10th anniversary with the January/February 2008 issue. The founding publisher is Jackie Flanagan, a Calgary college educator, novelist and philanthropist. In a 2006 acceptance speech for a Public Interest Alberta award, Flanagan cites a trip to India, in which she witnessed widespread social inequalitySocial inequality
Social inequality refers to a situation in which individual groups in a society do not have equal social status. Areas of potential social inequality include voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, the extent of property rights and access to education, health care, quality housing and other...
, as a catalyst for founding the magazine. She also cites the policies of former Premier of Alberta
Premier of Alberta
The Premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. The current Premier of Alberta is Alison Redford. She became Premier by winning the Progressive Conservative leadership elections on...
Ralph Klein, specifically his government's financial cutbacks to public education
Education in Alberta
As with any Canadian province, the Alberta Legislature has exclusive authority to make laws respecting education. Since 1905 the Legislature has used this capacity to continue the model of locally elected public and separate school boards which originated prior to 1905, as well as to create and/or...
, healthcare, infrastructure and social services in the 1990s, and proposes that Alberta Views acts as a forum for citizens who support the public good
Public good
In economics, a public good is a good that is non-rival and non-excludable. Non-rivalry means that consumption of the good by one individual does not reduce availability of the good for consumption by others; and non-excludability means that no one can be effectively excluded from using the good...
.
I went to India and I saw things there that drenched me with sadness and I thought that the problem there was this terrible distance between the rich and the masses of poor, without public infrastructure, without sufficient public health, public education… I couldn’t be joyful there.
Departments
The magazine publishes a minimum of three long (i.e., 3,000+ word) feature stories every issue as well as original short fiction and essays. Alberta Views regular departments include columns by Governor General's AwardGovernor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor...
and Giller Prize-nominated author Fred Stenson ("Wit") and acerbic reviewer Alex Rettie ("Rettie on Books"), book reviews, arts listings, letters to the editor, an anacrostic puzzle and "Eye on Alberta," a collection of previously published writing and written artifacts from around the province.
Awards
On June 5, 2009, Alberta Views was named Canadian Magazine of the Year (2008) at the National Magazine Awards. Alberta Views has won numerous Western Magazine Awards including Best Magazine (2005, an UtneUtne
Utne is a village in Ullensvang municipality in Hardanger, Norway. It is home to the Utne Hotel, Norway's oldest hotel in continuous operation, founded in 1722....
magazine Independent Press award for local/regional coverage (2007) and the 2004 Alberta Mental Health Board award.http://www.albertaviews.ab.ca/awards.html
Political orientation
Alberta Views has alternatively used the taglineTagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
“The Magazine About Albertans by Albertans,” “Leading the Political, Cultural and Social Debate,” and “A Forum for Dialogue.” The magazine’s contributors include journalists, magazine writers, artists, academics and politicians. Its contributors include many self-identified progressive and left-leaning personalities from Alberta (including Kevin Taft
Kevin Taft
Kevin Taft is a Liberal politician in Alberta, Canada. He was the leader of the Alberta Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, from 2004 to 2008...
, former leader of the provincial Liberals and Maurice Tougas
Maurice Tougas
Maurice Tougas is a Canadian politician, who formerly represented the electoral district of Edmonton Meadowlark in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. He is a member of the Liberal Party...
, former Liberal MLA). Alberta Views has profiled conservative and liberal politicians and leadership candidates alike, and featured interviews with former Conservative premier Peter Lougheed
Peter Lougheed
Edgar Peter Lougheed, PC, CC, AOE, QC, is a Canadian lawyer, and a former politician and Canadian Football League player. He served as the tenth Premier of Alberta from 1971 to 1985....
, former Conservative premier Ralph Klein, Conservative MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
Ted Morton
Ted Morton
Frederick Lee Morton , known commonly as Ted Morton, is a Canadian politician and Minister of Energy for the Province of Alberta. As a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta he represents the constituency of Foothills-Rocky View as a Progressive Conservative...
, former Reform Party of Canada
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
leader Preston Manning
Preston Manning
Ernest Preston Manning, CC is a Canadian politician. He was the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance...
, current Wildrose Alliance Party leader Danielle Smith
Danielle Smith
Danielle Molles Smith is one of five martial artists who developed the women's self-defense system known as "Model Mugging" and is the current head teacher dojo cho of Aikido of Monterey in California."...
and former Alberta Green Party leader George Read
George Read
George Read is the name of:* George Read , lawyer, signer of Declaration of Independence and U.S. Senator from Delaware* George Read , politician and former leader of the Alberta Green Party...
. Alberta Views has published stories written by former Reform MLA Jan Brown
Jan Brown
Janet Corinne Brown is a former Canadian politician. She was first elected as a Member of Parliament under the Reform Party of Canada ticket in the Alberta riding of Calgary Southeast in the 1993 federal election...
and Conservative MLA Dave King
David Thomas King
David Thomas King is a Canadian politician and public education policy activist. He is a former Progressive Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from August, 1971 to April, 1986, during which time he was Legislative Secretary to Premier Peter Lougheed , Minister of...
. The magazine does not endorse a political party.
Alberta Views is not to be confused with Alberta Report
Alberta Report
Alberta Report was a right-wing weekly newsmagazine based in Edmonton. It was founded and edited by Ted Byfield, now the editor and president of the Society to Explore and Record Christian History , and later run by his son, Link Byfield, and ceased publication in 2003.The magazine began as St....
, a defunct right-of-centre weekly newsmagazine based in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta, founded and edited by Ted Byfield
Ted Byfield
Edward Bartlett "Ted" Byfield is a conservative Canadian journalist, publisher and editor. He founded the Alberta Report and Western Report newsmagazines.Born in Toronto, Byfield moved with his parents to Washington, D.C. at the age of 17...
.
Controversies
The September/October 2003 issue of Alberta Views featured the torso of a naked woman on the cover, referencing a story in that edition concerning genderGender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
. Several newsstands refused to carry the edition; the magazine published two separate covers and distributed the less risqué cover (featuring a motif of bathroom signs) to select newsstands.
Notable contributors
- John Ralston SaulJohn Ralston SaulJohn Ralston Saul, CC is a Canadian author, essayist, and President of International PEN.As an essayist, Saul is particularly known for his commentaries on the nature of individualism, citizenship and the public good; the failures of manager-, or more precisely technocrat-, led societies; the...
- Aritha van HerkAritha Van HerkAritha van Herk is a Canadian writer, critic, editor, and university professor.She was born in Wetaskiwin, Alberta . Her parents and elder siblings immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands before she was born. She grew up in a bilingual home, speaking English and Dutch. In 1974, she married...
- Greg HollingsheadGreg HollingsheadGregory "Greg" Hollingshead is a Canadian novelist. He is currently a professor of English at the University of Alberta. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta...
- Chris TurnerChris TurnerChristopher Robert "Chris" Turner is an English former footballer and manager. He managed Leyton Orient, Hartlepool United on two occasions, Sheffield Wednesday and Stockport County. He was previously a player with seven clubs, including two spells at Wednesday, Sunderland and Manchester United...
- Thomas WhartonThomas Wharton-Life:Born in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Wharton attended the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary. He was a student of Rudy Wiebe and Greg Hollingshead. His first novel began as his M.A. thesis, under the supervision of Kristjana Gunnars. He worked on his PhD at Calgary with Aritha...
- Kevin TaftKevin TaftKevin Taft is a Liberal politician in Alberta, Canada. He was the leader of the Alberta Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, from 2004 to 2008...
- Will FergusonWill FergusonWilliam Stener "Will" Ferguson is a Canadian writer and novelist best known for his humorous observations on Canadian history and culture....
- Raffi Cavoukian
- Katherine GovierKatherine GovierKatherine Mary Govier is a Canadian novelist. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, she was educated at the University of Alberta and York University. In 1997, she was awarded the Marian Engel Award for a woman writer in mid-career. Prior to that she was shortlisted for the Trillium Award in 1994, and won...
- Andrew NikiforukAndrew NikiforukAndrew Nikiforuk is a Canadian journalist who has won multiple National Magazine Awards. His work has appeared in Saturday Night, Maclean’s, Canadian Business, Report on Business, Chatelaine, Alberta Views, Equinox, and Canadian Family and in both national newspapers...
- Judd Palmer of The Old Trout Puppet WorkshopThe Old Trout Puppet WorkshopThe Old Trout Puppet Workshop is a puppet theatre company, founded on a ranch in southern Alberta in 1999. The company's first year of operation was an experience of intense collaborative isolation – the Trouts lived together, cooked together, and worked together. They collected eggs, fed the pigs,...