NEWSLETTER: Your new Reporter for the Provincial Times

Good Morning, my fellow readers.

My name is Michael Helani, and I'm a new reporter for the Provincial Times. I'm a reporter based in Calgary and also a second-year political science student at the University of Calgary. In this post, I'm sharing my core beliefs and my purpose for being here with you all.

My perspective is shaped by a Christian upbringing. And my core belief so far is that I am a classical liberal with a strong civic-nationalist instinct. Meaning, I believe a functioning society depends on shared civic norms.

In Canada, that means integration into a common public culture—not through government coercion, but through social expectations, institutions, and public accountability. That includes learning English or French (if in Quebec) and being able to adapt to our Canadian society, regardless of what your background is.

My goal here is to help make The Provincial Times a platform for viewpoint diversity, where different perspectives are not just present but also taken seriously. We will cover and engage with a range of ideas, even when they conflict. Disagreement is inevitable, especially in Canadian politics or elsewhere.

The responsibility here is not to eliminate division but to ensure it leads to thoughtful discussion rather than hostility. I take accuracy very seriously; whenever mistakes happen, they will be acknowledged. While I'm new to this role, I am fully committed to ensuring my columns are accurate and aligns with The Provincial Times vision of a platform for thoughtful and engaging discussion.

This is a platform that can only succeed through the conversations that it generates. As readers, it's your responsibility to do the same thing. It is time that, when we have these conversations, we learn something rather than become more polarized.

How did I get here?

You’re about to learn, dear reader, that I’m a good friend of Will Adams. We met at my university while he was in Calgary for Jamil Jivani's Restore the North event and the Conservative Convention. We had some good conversations over a few weeks and spent time with our mutual friend, Michael Harris, at the Cowboys Casino just days before the convention was held at the same location.

At that time, I learned that Will has a news website, and asked him if I could join the team and cover news, and now here I am. It's been great spending time together, and hopefully it happens again.

And a big thank you to Will Adams for giving me the opportunity to write my first ever newsletter to our fellow readers.

Stay Tuned!

— Will Adams
Contributor, The Provincial Times