Alberta West News: 2025

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Empty streets in Beijing now. What is going on?

Based on the current date and time (New Year's Day 2026 in Beijing), reports indicate that the empty streets in Beijing are likely caused by a combination of the New Year's public holiday, severe cold weather alerts, and circulating narratives regarding economic migration.

Here is a detailed breakdown of what is happening in Beijing right now (January 1, 2026).

1. It is New Year's Day Morning (Public Holiday)

Time Context: As of your query (Dec 31, 6 PM PST), it is Thursday morning, January 1, 2026 in Beijing.
Holiday Schedule: The city is observing the first day of a 3-day public holiday (Jan 1–3). With government offices, schools, and many businesses closed for the break, the morning commute traffic that usually clogs the Ring Roads is virtually non-existent.english.beijing
Quiet Celebrations: Unlike the Lunar New Year (which falls in February 2026), the Western New Year is typically quieter in China. Strict bans on fireworks within the city further reduce street activity and festive noise.youtube

2. Severe Weather & "Eurasian Weather Divergence"

Beijing is currently in the grip of a significant cold weather event, which is keeping residents indoors.

Road Icing & Snow Alerts: Meteorological authorities issued alerts for snowstorms (Blue alert) and road icing (Orange alert) leading up to the new year.chinadaily
Extreme Cold: A broader weather system described as the "Great Eurasian Weather Divergence" is currently affecting the region, driven by a stratospheric polar vortex disruption. This has brought bitter cold to Northern China, with temperatures dropping significantly below freezing (typical lows of -9°C to -15°C).youtubetravelchinaguide
Travel Advisories: Authorities have explicitly advised the public to avoid driving due to icy conditions and to use public transportation if necessary, effectively clearing private vehicles from the roads.chinadaily

3. The "Ghost Town" Narrative & Economic Context

You may also be seeing reports referencing a "ghost town" phenomenon, which is a specific media narrative currently circulating.

Migrant Worker Exodus: There are reports and viral videos (e.g., from China Observer) highlighting a "deadly silence" in Beijing, attributing empty streets to migrant workers leaving the city earlier than usual due to an economic slowdown.youtube+1
Retail Slump: Observers have noted that shopping districts and supermarkets appear unusually quiet for a holiday period, linking this to lower consumer confidence and a "deep recession" narrative where people are spending less time and money out in public.youtube+1
Early "Chunyun": While the Lunar New Year rush (Chunyun) typically peaks later, some reports suggest workers are returning to rural hometowns early due to a lack of work, contributing to the "emptying out" feeling in the capital weeks before the traditional festival.youtube

Summary Table: Factors Contributing to Empty Streets

Factor	Status	Impact on Streets
Date	Jan 1, 2026 (Holiday)	No commuter traffic; businesses closed.
Weather	Severe Cold / Icing Alerts	People staying indoors; driving discouraged.
Economy	"Ghost Town" Narrative	Reports of migrant workers leaving; low retail foot traffic.
Policy	Fireworks Ban	Lack of visible street festivities/crowds.

In short, the streets look empty because it is a freezing holiday morning where people are staying warm inside, compounded by a broader economic trend of reduced street-level vibrancy.

Message from Charles Aulds

Twenty years ago, in October 2005, I immigrated to Canada from rural Alabama with my wife and 14 year old daughter. I'm from Louisiana, and from (my father once said, "So, like a salmon, you found your way back to your spawning grounds"), but I knew nothing of and the deportation of the French who settled this area. To familiarize myself with the local geography and history, I read a short history of the who live in this region ().

The book offered explanations for why the Acadians, unlike other groups who settled this continent, were never "assimilated" or "anglicized" (like the Irish, the Scotch, Italians, Germans). The Acadians, despite being "expelled" from Acadia (in the Deportation of 1755) and dispersed all along the Atlantic seaboard in an attempt to force them to become English, maintained their own culture, their own language, they even have their own flag now. Essentially, though not unhappily, and certainly not an "oppressed people," they live here, like they did in the mid-18th century ... under English domination.

The book said that 80% or more of the 8000 or so Acadians were removed from this area in 1755. But the 8000 figure was wrong. At least 15000 Acadians were forced to leave their homes, and it was an "ethnic cleansing" for which Britain has since apologized. When the Acadians were allowed to return (to this English colony) after the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763, which ended the Seven Years War (the so-called "French and Indian War" by North Americans), the English had already taken the rich farmlands the Acadians had developed, much of it along the Bay of Fundy. Much of it in the form of huge land grants along the Petitcodiac River near Moncton.

Quoting: "Beginning in 1760, settlers from the New England colonies to the south had begun to move to Nova Scotia [which then included present-day New Brunswick], occupying the lands formerly held by the Acadians. Their days as prosperous farmers were over, and they turned to the sea and the forest for their livelihood. Only those Acadians who pushed on into the Madawaska area were able to find suitable land for farming." [Madawaska is in the extreme Northwest of New Brunswick, up by Edmundston.]

Here's what's interesting about those land grants in New Brunswick and Quebec (both of which bordered the American colonies to the South, see the map below). They were ceded to British loyalists (Tories) as a way of insulating the French-speaking population of Canada from the dangerous and expanding ideas of the American Patriots, those "damned Sons of Liberty." Those seditious notions were based on the Enlightenment, which actually came from Europe, and did not originate here in the colonies; they just found fertile ground here in which to take root.

What were those ideas? Those ideas were "Liberty, Justice and Equality," first and foremost, but they included the idea that governments should be rational, led by men of science, reason, who held progressive ideas, who made decisions based on fact; on reality. And that body of ideas included an absolute separation of Church and State, the combination of which caused so much death and misery in Europe and, indeed, around the world.

The Enlightenment idea that Britain especially wanted to check was the idea of self-government through an elected government of representatives. They wanted to protect the idea that there are people who have a "divine right" to rule, and whose authority is not to be questioned. Indeed, the harshest punishment under British law was for those who did question the rule of the King.

After the American revolution, thousands of American colonists who were loyal to the British Crown (loyalists or Tories) were forced to move to the Canadian colonies. These Loyalists were people who believed strongly in an orderly society, a firm rule of law, and a disciplined populace. And there is nothing wrong with any of that, but the idea that the authority of the reigning King must not, under any circumstances, be questioned? That notion died here in Canada, just as it did in the American colonies to the South.

___

Charles

Alberta's New Minister for the Environment and Protected Areas

Grant Hunter is the MLA for Taber-Warner and Alberta's first Associate Minister of Water. He was sworn into this newly created cabinet position on May 16, 2025.alberta+1

Political Background

Hunter has represented the Taber-Warner riding since 2015, when he was first elected on the Wildrose ticket in the former Cardston-Taber-Warner riding. He was re-elected in 2019 (after the riding was renamed Taber-Warner) and again in 2023, currently serving his third term in the provincial legislature.unitedconservative+2

He also serves as the Chief Government Whip for the UCP caucus, a leadership role requiring him to maintain party discipline and build relationships with colleagues to coordinate legislative initiatives.westwindweekly+1

Career and Experience

Hunter holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Business Administration, and spent most of his professional life as an entrepreneur with deep experience in small business operations.alberta+1

Previous Cabinet Service (2019–2022): He served as Associate Minister of Red Tape Reduction for two and a half years, during which he led Alberta's red tape reduction strategy. Under his leadership, Alberta improved its rating from an F to an A on the Canadian Federation of Independent Business Red Tape Report Card—the first time the province had achieved a grade higher than a D.unitedconservativecaucus+1

Portfolio Development (2022–2025): Before his current role, Hunter worked on economic development initiatives in Southern Alberta, serving as Parliamentary Secretary for Agri-food Processing. He was instrumental in the Highway 3 twinning project, a 230,000-acre irrigation expansion, and the Lethbridge Exhibition Centre expansion. He also spent two years building an agri-food processing super-cluster in the region.unitedconservative+1

Current Role: Associate Minister of Water (May 2025–Present)

This is a newly created cabinet position within the Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas, supervised by Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz.alberta+2

Key Mandates and Responsibilities

Hunter oversees several major provincial initiatives spanning multiple ministries:

Water Storage and Infrastructure Planning:

Ensuring completion and public release of the Water Storage Opportunities Study in 2025, which assesses approximately 100 potential sites for future dams, reservoirs, and other water infrastructure across Alberta.bowislandcommentator
Developing a ranking of water infrastructure projects based on cost-effectiveness and feasibility.bowislandcommentator
Drafting a white paper assessing the applicability of major water infrastructure projects to Alberta's specific geography and hydrology.bowislandcommentator
Developing a long-term, province-wide water storage plan to increase water availability and enhance Alberta's resilience to floods, droughts, and long-term water supply challenges.bowislandcommentator

Irrigation and Agricultural Water:

Coordinating with the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation (RJ Sigurdson) to complete ongoing irrigation modernization commitments and explore options for additional investment in irrigation expansion and optimization.bowislandcommentator

Inter-Basin Water Transfer Solutions:

Supporting inter-basin transfer solutions to secure reliable water supply for the Town of Milk River. Specifically, Hunter has proposed a line from Middle Coulee near Warner (in a different watershed) to the Milk River, reducing dependence on U.S. water infrastructure via the St. Mary River.bowislandcommentator

Integrated Municipal Water Program:

Working with the Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors (Devin Dreeshen) and the Minister of Municipal Affairs (Dan Williams) to accelerate development of an integrated water program facilitating increased water treatment and distribution for residential, industrial, and agricultural use across Alberta.bowislandcommentator

Wetland Policy Review:

Reviewing Alberta's Wetland Replacement Policy and Program to reduce regulatory and financial burdens on agricultural producers while maintaining effective wetland stewardship and environmental outcomes.bowislandcommentator

Aquatic Invasive Species Management:

Implementing recommendations from the Provincial Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force in preparation for the 2026 watercraft inspection and decontamination season.bowislandcommentator

Water Licensing and Co-operatives:

Conducting a study on water licenses and water co-operatives.bowislandcommentator

Regional Significance

Hunter's appointment reflects his deep experience in Southern Alberta, where water management is critical. Southern Alberta contains 70% of Canada's irrigation land, and approximately 60 specialty crops are grown in the region. His focus on water conveyance to dry areas and water security aligns with the region's agricultural importance and long-standing challenges with water availability.youtubewestwindweekly

He is a husband, father of five, and grandfather, with strong community ties to the Taber-Warner region.leadinginfluence

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