It didn't take long...

...for the Alberta Conservative government announcements to start following their defeat at the hands of the Grits. First we have disaster relief for the cities suddenly, pardon the pun, flowing like water and sudden announcements of new schools for both Calgary and Edmonton. It almost seems like the Alberta Tories are starting to wake up after a 30 year slumber.

Now it could just be coincidence that the announcements came just days after a by-election loss in a city that was once a bastion of the Conservative party, but I think that's unlikely. I heard on the CBC Radio One local Calgary news on the way into work that some of the Tory Calgary Caucus were openly musing how safe their seats were, unheard of before Tuesday. I think that the Alberta Tories just don't have a clue what to do. I mean really, they've done everything they've done in the past: ignored the voter, given big tax cuts to business, not built any schools where needed and in general acted like arrogant bastards. It worked in the past, the people of Calgary just lined up like sheep to put their X beside whatever cow pie the Tories nominated in a riding (except for that aberration in 2004 when three Liberals were elected). How dare the people of Calgary suddenly learn they can vote for someone else.

The announcements are a different MO for the Tories, who usually punish a community for not voting for them by lowering funding, seat count or simply not paving roads. Who knows, perhaps this is still to come for Calgary if the poll numbers don't pick up in the next month or so. At the very least the by-election has the Tories concerned. Though even the loss of most of Calgary's seats won't kick them out of power, there is a chance that the smaller cities may start looking at alternatives. Fort McMurray is feeling the growth pressures even more than Calgary and Edmonton, and the provincial government has pretty much told the city to suck it up. Though the Tories have to lose 19 seats in the next election to lose their majority, pissing off enough people in Calgary, Edmonton, Ft. McMurray, Red Deer, Lethbridge (who have already returned one Liberal) and Medicine Hat will start to vote for other parties, be it Liberal, Alberta Alliance, Green, NDP or what have you. People in Calgary have started showing people the way on last Tuesday and in the last election they were joined by the people of Edmonton, Lethbridge and Cardston-Taber-Warner.

The true fallout of the by-election will take months to sort out. I suspect that after a flurry of spending announcements and re-announcements, the Tories will go back to their old ways, the lesson of the by-election totally lost on them.