A disservice to school

Re: “Best interests of Albertans, or big oil?” Ideas, Kevin Taft, April 29 Kevin Taft paints a colourful picture of the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. Unfortunately, little of that description has any basis in reality, and the implication that the school is nothing more than the mouthpiece of oil interests is utter hogwash.

From 2011-12, I was a student at the school, and was fortunate enough to learn from and work with the incredible faculty that includes experts not only on tax and energy matters, but also on important social issues such as homelessness and health care, to name a few. The insinuation that these accomplished professors have compromised their research and their ethical obligations is especially egregious given than nowhere does Taft provide a shred of evidence.

Instead of constructively disputing the research and telling the reader why he thinks a certain paper missed the mark, Taft personally attacks those who do the research.

I expected more from someone with a PhD and his own experience publishing papers. Lloyd Suchet, Calgary