2025; Twenty-Twenty Five;

]Part 2 - April to June

The Year of Endings - and Beginnings of the Formal Resistance

A reminder we are heading into the light.

Thank you to all the people who have chosen to join us this year and to be part of the ABR community! We would be a very small band of rebels without you.

2025 has been a year like none other in my memory. Let’s recap first and then look at where we are and where we might go in the future to fix this timeline.

This is Part 2 - April to June. It includes the spring session of the legislature, which lasted 35 days. During that time, they reshuffled the cabinet and passed bills that moved hospitals over to Alberta Infrastructure. More information came out about the Corrupt Care/Procurement Scandals - here you go:

April:

Child and Family Services:

• The Alberta Government cut off Child and Youth Caregiver Support payments for vulnerable children and teens in Alberta.

Education:

• Proposed changes to the Education Act that Alberta Education would respond to changes in the education system, and respond to feedback from Albertans.

• Alberta gave $1.1 million for school boards to plan for new schools.

Executive Council:

• Both Scott Sinclair, MLA for Slave Lake, and Peter Guthrie, former Infrastructure Minister and MLA for Airdrie Cochrane, are sitting as independents after being removed from the UCP caucus.

Federal Relations:

• The Federal Election is called, and Alberta Separatists threaten a referendum on leaving Canada. (This is when separation started rearing its head)

• 19.5 million Canadians show up to vote 69% the highest since before 2024.

• Smith goes to Japan and South Korea to check out bullet trains and participate in trade talks during the federal election run-up.

• When she comes back, Bill 54, Strengthening Democracy, is passed, making it easier to recall MLAs or have a referendum.

• Alberta Republican Party claims 11 UCP MLAs want to separate from Canada. https://albertarepublicans.com/actionhub/mla-independence-scorecard/

Health Care:

• Measles continues to spread in Alberta. There is no information from the Temporary Chief Medical Officer on vaccinations.

• Mraiche denies any wrongdoing in the AHS procurement scandal, then follows it up with a letter.

• Alberta passes Bill 55, which would allow the government to appoint anyone who is not a provincial health agency or provincial health corporation to operate Alberta’s hospitals.

• Acute Care is being introduced as Alberta continues to take apart the healthcare system.

• Employees are instructed not to speak with the Auditor General without a Government Lawyer regarding the investigation into corrupt care.

• The Smith government sought an injunction in the Corrupt Care Scandal to stop information from coming out.

• It comes out that the Government knew Dynalife was in trouble, but they signed lab services over anyway. It cost Albertans over $100 million.

• Dr. Mark Joffre, interim CMO, resigns.

• Friends of Medicare continue to call on the government to improve home care.

• Alberta issues 81 invitations to healthcare workers to relocate here.

• Retired doctor wins defamation lawsuit, over his attempt to educate the public re: COVID-19.

Mental Health and Addictions:

• Dan Williams organizes a “Made in Alberta Prayer Breakfast.” It was a bargain at $86.64/ticket. (This was modeled after the Washington, DC, prayer breakfast he and other MLAs attended on taxpayers’ dime)

Transportation:

• Devin Dreeshan, Minister of Transportation, writes a letter to the City of Edmonton to cancel bike lanes. It seems the province once again is stepping out of its lane.

May:

Alberta is Calling:

• People who move to Alberta for the Alberta is calling campaign can now apply for the $5000 moving bonus.

By-Elections:

• Three by-elections called in Alberta - Voting June 23, 2025. There will be no debates.

Education:

• Edmonton Islamic Academy is breaking ground on a new campus to house 1,600 students - they raised $20 million the government is picking up the rest of the tab.

• 81% of eligible teachers voted (35,187 out of 44,183) and 62% voted against accepting the mediator’s contract recommendations.

• Junior High teachers are concerned about the planned curriculum changes this fall, as they haven’t seen the curriculum changes yet.

• Alberta Education is introducing plans to govern books in school libraries. Christian Action4Canada lobbied for a review of books in Alberta schools.

• Alberta passed Bill 51, giving public school land to Alberta Infrastructure.

Energy:

• Oil and gas continue to make money, are still taking Government subsidies, and not cleaning up the environment. Who is holding them to account? Not our provincial Government.

• Smith assures Albertans that there will be no open-pit mines. Alberta Court dismisses Grassy Mountain appeals.

• The AER met Northback before reversing the decision regarding exploratory coal mining.

Executive Council:

• Smith installed a 6,500 sq ft red carpet in her office for $260,000. That works out to $40/sq ft. Here is what a typical carpet would cost - $5 to $13 per sq ft. https://lcfflooring.ca/carpet-flooring-prices-in-edmonton/

• Rob Anderson explains why he has to fly first class. It comes out that it cost $10,000 for Smith and 3 staffers (including Anderson and Polak) to visit Mar A Lago in January.

• Nathan Cooper resigns as House Speaker to take a position in Washington for the Alberta Government.

• Smith launches the Alberta Next Panel Summer tour.

• MLA travel spending increases by nearly $1 million compared to 2024.

• Smith rearranges her cabinet, adding three new parliamentary secretaries - two for rural health, north and south, and one for water. She also swears in the three new health Ministers.

Federal Relations:

• 70% of Albertans turn out to vote in the Federal Election.

• Damien Kurek steps down in Battle River Crowfoot so Pierre Poilievre can run in a by-election.

• Smith starts pressuring Carney to cooperate with Alberta.

Human Rights/Transgender/LGBTQI2S+:

• Alberta Doctors take Alberta to court over Bill 26 - Gender Affirming Care

Justice:

• MHCare urged an audit release, stating it would clear the name of its CEO. MHCare wants access to report on the investigation by AHS into contracts.

• The courts ruled against the Alberta government’s blocking of gender-affirming care.

• The Premier pushes back on the court injunction against the law banning doctors from providing gender-affirming care to youth.

Separatists:

• Separatists hold their first rally at the Legislature on May 4th. Smith claims that 30 - 40% of Albertans want to separate from Canada. The Alberta Prosperity Project shifts gears from promoting an Alberta Pension Plan to an Alberta Separation Plan. They start touring the province.

• Former Deputy Premier Thomas Lukazuk files the “Forever Canada” petition.

• The Alberta Republican Party is gaining supporters.

June:

Education:

• Bill 51 is set up to transfer any new schools built to Alberta infrastructure. Calgary is concerned about how that will affect public school property ownership.

• Teachers leaving the profession have an average time is five years.

• Schools are converting libraries, music rooms, etc, into classroom space because of a shortage.

• Teachers vote 95% to strike.

• Nicolaides announces 16 new Collegiate programs for Alberta Schools.

• Jordan’s principle funding was canceled by the Federal government. Hundreds of educational assistants are out of work.

• Education Minister Nicolaides announces a new review panel to combat classroom violence. The report is due out in September.

• Alberta Government gets a failing grade on education funding.

Energy:

• Coal mines on the eastern slopes could push fisheries beyond recovery.

• The Premier and several MLAs face an angry crowd in the town hall in Fort MacLeod over the province’s coal policy. She says it will cost the province up to $14 billion to get out of contracts with Australian coal companies. Our fresh water is priceless. It’s time to let Smith know that Albertans don’t want coal in the Rockies.

• Dormant oil and gas wells are more of a problem than previously thought.

Executive Council:

• The Alberta Government continues to pick fights with the Federal Government.

• Albertans, not Ottawa, should shape Alberta’s future.

• The Alberta Next Panel is hitting the road to engage directly with Albertans and chart a path forward for the province. The projected cost to Albertans is $2 million.

• The online survey has stacked questions leading to a referendum on grievances with Ottawa.

• Smith gives Carney until the fall to cancel the anti-Alberta actions. According to her, there are 9 steps she wants him to take. Smith lays out her nine steps to reset relations between Alberta and the federal government

• Referendum rules are set to change on Friday, July 4, 2025.

• Smith now controls the communications office. Giving her 228 employees and $38 million to add to her budget.

Technology:

• Alberta actively starts looking into bringing in foreign Bitcoin and AI investors to invest in Alberta.

That is our summary for these three months. Coming next in part 3 are July, August, and September - They did not sit at the Legislature during those months. In fact, the last day of sitting was May 14th.