This is YOUR resource - Share any links here on social media to educate others! - “Your Voice For Choice.” Welcome to your Non-Partisan Information Source of Alberta News
This is Alberta’s History sign on the highway by Amber Valley. In our videos this week I have also included Paula Simon’s History of Amber Valley from 2022.
Upcoming Events: See our short three-page ABR Resistor for Updates about upcoming events.
Measles Tracker - We now have the highest number of Measles Cases in the world, and to think it was almost eradicated 50 years ago.https://www.alberta.ca/measles We are up to 1,724 cases so far in Alberta.
We will repost information on Athana’s case when there is an update. (I have been following James DiFiore and David Wallace as they pursue this case. James DiFiore recently reactivated his podcast channel “Blackballed.” They have taken the angle that this is a coup against the UCP government and that everything that has been reported is aimed at taking down the UCP government. The fact that Albertans want transparency and accountability for what is happening in Health Care is being questioned through this lens. Something doesn’t add up here, and I am not sure what it is. I just wanted to highlight this in case you have questions about this interest in Alberta politics from people who live in Eastern Canada, too.) On Friday there was a new development - check the Corrupt Care section for the information.
ABR Spotlight - At the bottom of the newsletter, we take a look at the second Party in Calgary's Municipal Elections, Communities First. The previous weeks have focused on Edmonton’s two Parties - PACE, A Better Edmonton Party - ABE, and Calgary’s A Better Calgary Party - ABC. Next week, we look at the Calgary Party, before moving on to the School Trustees. If you would like us to investigate school trustees running in other cities or rural areas, shoot us an email at abresistance2027@gmail.com, and we will look into them.
UCP on the Road Again - July 10 - 13
Premier Smith is winging her way to Mexico City to promote Alberta agriculture, technology, and oil and gas. She will be there with her entourage for 3 days. This makes 32 days she has been out of province/country on our dime.
The UCP will have taken 50 trips and will have been out of Alberta for 219 days since January 1, 2025. Alberta taxpayers have paid for it.
The legislature will be sitting again on October 27, 2025 - That’s 79 days/50 working days from August 8, 2025 (Still more than teachers are off for the summer)
An Update on the Abu Dhabi office, Smith announced earlier in the year. I had Grok look for who had been hired:
The Government of Alberta has been actively working to establish a trade and investment office in Abu Dhabi, as announced in April 2025, with the office expected to be fully staffed by fall 2025. A job posting for the Director of the Alberta Abu Dhabi Office was advertised with a closing date of April 24, 2025, indicating recruitment efforts were underway. The role involves being Alberta’s lead representative in the UAE and the MENA region, focusing on advancing economic interests, trade relationships, and investment attraction. However, there is no specific information in the available sources confirming whether a candidate has been officially hired for this position as of August 10, 2025. Additionally, Alberta has previously sought to hire a trade specialist for the UAE on a three-year contract, suggesting ongoing recruitment efforts in the region.
… and yes, Canada does have an embassy in Abu Dhabi, just like in the other countries where the Alberta government has set up offices. This is where their new office will most likely be located. The Canadian government does support Alberta.
The UCP Caucus is down 2 members and is now at 46. There are 38 NDP MLAs and 2 Independents.
Peter Guthrie and Scott Sinclair are joining the Alberta Party and rebranding it.
Peter Guthrie has been removed from caucus.
Scott Sinclair has been sitting as an independent since the budget came out. The Slave Lake UCP constituency has removed Scott Sinclair from their association.
VIDEOS (there are three this week)
Return to Amber Valley with Senator Paula Simon. A look at multiculturalism in Alberta (if you Google Amber Valley, there are many more videos online about this community)
Meidas Touch on what is happening economically in the US, a Canadian podcaster living in the US shares what is happening. Are there any similarities that could happen here in Alberta? Canada?
Trade Schools - As part of education re-visioning, we now have Charter and Public trade schools rather than schools with options where students can explore different types of trades. Want to know how to start your own and the purpose of these? Check this out.
Collegiate schools offer specialized programming in a particular subject or field and provide all students with a clear pathway into post-secondary education and careers in their chosen field.
The schools can be public (public, separate, francophone, public charter) or accredited, funded independent (private). (Notice how they are changing the language around private schools?)
They are given special approval and startup funding, if applicable, by the Minister of Education and Childcare.
A collegiate school must continue to meet the requirements of its original school type.
*IMPORTANT UPDATE*
Okay, Resistors here you go:
This is one way you can help us spread the message as we prepare for recalls. We can’t do it without you. We Are The RESISTANCE!
A call to action for Creative and Engaged AB Resistance Volunteers.
Our marketing strategy volunteer, Ashley, has created a detailed marketing volunteer information presentation for Alberta Resistance (ABR), a group of engaged Albertans aiming to drive positive change in the province. The presentation outlines the organization's mission, which includes promoting decency in politics, fostering caring communities, and encouraging optimism. There's an emphasis on the importance of nonpartisan communication and the strategic use of social media to counter misinformation and engage various levels of voters. AB Resistance plans to leverage the recall legislation to empower Albertans and create a more inclusive and transparent political environment. ABR needs volunteers, like you, to contribute content across different media formats and highlight the phased approach to building momentum for recall campaigns. The ultimate goal is to transform uninformed citizens into active participants in democracy, celebrating the efforts of committed volunteers who are building a better Alberta.
Recalls: We are moving closer to a Recall for Change in Calgary Bow and Calgary North West. We would love to hear from you if you are interested in standing up a Recall in your riding. Contact us at: abresistance2027@gmail.com
Build Community: Albertans need to work together to educate and build community.
Town halls will be starting up; watch for one in your area. The Separatists and the Far right, like TBA (Take Back Alberta), are well-organized and have lots of money. (The Breakdown on X is sharing an audio with Dennis Modry’s voice from the APP saying that the US will give the separatists a $500 million loan to separate from Canada - we are not going to become the 51st state right away https://x.com/TheBreakdownAB/status/1948532405431861349 We need to counter that with information and community. Be a part of the change. See our ABR Resistor Update. (We have our first townhall booked for Sherwood Park/Strathcona on September 11, 2025 - stay tuned for details)
There are several opportunities to attend rallies and protests this week.
Join our Facebook page or a group in your area that is sharing events, information, and ideas on how to spread the word.
If you want to be part of the group Forever Canada, the link to sign up for information or to collect signatures is here:
https://www.forever-canadian.ca/
Petitions are out, Canvassers are out. They are looking for your signatures. Check out our Facebook page for locations and times. If you are going to be out in a public place collecting signatures, let us know so we can post it. If you can, join in this activity and promote Forever Canadian. https://www.facebook.com/ThomasLukaszukAlberta - Forever Canadian info has been posted on this page. Go here for updates.
Knowledge: A couple of interesting links we found this week:
Talk to your friends and share what you know. Watching the Socials, we see more outrage and anger about what is happening to Health Care, Education, Social Services, and the Environment in this province. These areas affect everyone! It’s time to speak up.
Keeping this one here: The Province has launched another - you guessed it - PANEL Alberta Next Panel. They have scheduled a series of town halls, and you can sign up for them 2 weeks before the event. There is also a survey attached that has you watch a video and then answer 2 - 4 questions. None of the answers allow for any negative feedback, but if you answer the questions, there is an opportunity for you to put in your opinions.
(They only win if we give up!)
Wins this week -
We are working with other groups to show up at peaceful demonstrations around the province. For details, see our ABR Resistor Update.
AB Resistance is a small group of volunteers that pays for expenses solely through donations. Hosting town halls, printing, paying for websites, and social media software all cost money. If you would like to donate to our cause, please etransfer toabrdonate@gmail.com. We are a third-party advertiser, which means we report to Alberta Elections. When you donate, please include your name, address, and postal code in the message. The question is “What province do we live in? = Alberta” even if you don’t live here. It makes it easier for our CFO to accept your money. Thanks to everyone who has already donated.
ABResistance has a “Speaker Series” - check it out on our webpage SPEAKER SERIES - AB Resistance. We are taking the month of July off (unless something emergent comes up) and will be back in August with some new topics. We are also posting the videos on Substack, and you can access them here on YouTube: @abresistance.ca (some nice ab work out videos may show up as well)
We have a merch store! Check out our t-shirts and hoodies.
Once welcomed in Alberta, immigration is now under the microscope and being blamed for the lack of services, when in fact it really is the government's underfunding of services.
Fiddlehead gains well licenses from Ferrier. Fiddlehead Resources announces unconditional transfer of well licenses, results of July 10th Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders, and issuance of shares. What does this mean for landowners?
The Royal Tyrrell Museum is celebrating its 40th anniversary in Jurassic style with a series of special events and dino-sized pop-up exhibits across the province.
Fiddlehead gains well licenses from Ferrier. Fiddlehead Resources announces unconditional transfer of well licenses, results of July 10 Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders, and issuance of shares. What does this mean for landowners?
New industry dollars will tap into Alberta’s vast underground resources to create new, good-paying jobs and keep growing the economy. Three projects are included in this announcement. These look like promising projects, including lithium being taken out of brine ponds to be used in lithium batteries.
Claims Canada is not hit with 35% Tariffs; rather, the average tariff is 5% so Canada is better off than other countries. The US is not treating Canada fairly, and then they try to gaslight us.
Children and Family Services Minister of Children and Family Services Searle Turton issued the following statement on the annual launch of a scholarship to help young adults formerly in care:
New measures are coming to protect Albertans and penalize bad actors in the tow truck industry who use high-pressure tactics to coerce drivers at collision scenes.
How is the Canadian Government helping farmers and ranchers who are facing drought conditions? (A reminder that they also want to have AI centers which use huge amounts of water)
Stephen Harper’s thoughts on government. Remember, he is the Chairman of the IDU - and he is advising Premier Smith and Moe. The IDU members include the Canadian Conservative Party, American Republican party, India, and Hungary to name a few.
The governments of Canada and Alberta, through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, increased the low-yield allowance so farmers can use poor crops for feed.
We will be breaking this down in future issues as the nomination processes get completed.
Alberta Government Links
Here is alink to the assembly website, with a calendar of upcoming events at the Legislature and a list of all the bills this government has passed, as well as bills in progress. Pleasenote that all the UCP members have voted to support these bills.
Legislative Assembly of AlbertaAssembly Dashboard - Has links to each day’s events at the Legislature. The legislative session is from May 15 until October 27, 2025, so 165 days off from the Legislature, and they complain about Educators and other public employees.
The Government is making its news announcements user-friendly. Here is the non-government branded version.
Civic Elections – Calgary’s Communities First is highlighted this week.
Edmonton Politics
Some Edmonton Citizens have put out a questionnaire for candidates and are awaiting replies. The first one that came back was from Andrew Knack, who is running for mayor.
Questions for people in the neighbourhood
1. What can a councillor do for the people who live in Edmonton? Does voting even
matter?
Yes, it definitely matters. Municipal government is the order of government
that still impacts people’s daily lives the most. A Councillor has a lot they
can do for the people who live in the city. A very tangible example is the
work of your Councillor (Ashley Salvador) and how the City is now better
dealing with problem properties and derelict properties.
Councillors are also responsible for many important core services: snow
rescue and police), recreation centres, libraries, etc.
2. What are the actual responsibilities of a councillor?
A councillor is responsible for creating policy to help govern the services
listed in question 1. While councillors are not responsible for the day-to-day operations of those services, they are responsible for overseeing the
work completed by the City Manager. The City Manager is one of two
employees of the City Council, and they are responsible for all the daily
operations within the City of Edmonton.
Councillors will regularly engage residents in the wards they represent to
get feedback on different issues, and to try and help when there is an issue
not being addressed.
Council is also responsible for land use decisions to help determine what
types of buildings can be built in different parts of the city.
3. What are the objectives of the administration? Are outcomes measured? The objectives of the Administration should be to deliver on the approved vision
and direct the City Council. Outcomes are usually measured, but we also
have our City Auditor review different areas to determine if proper
measurement is taking place.
4. Some people are concerned about civic conversation and responsibility.
Is the conversation one where all points of view are valued?
Compassion: Do you show your audience you care about their perspectives?
Clarity: Do you communicate clearly to those unfamiliar with the message?
Conciseness: Is the message short enough to internalize?
Connection: Do you emotionally connect with your audience?
Conviction: Do you demonstrate your commitment to the good of your
organization?
Courage: Do you demonstrate confidence in your ability to lead through
uncertainty?
5. Can all Edmontonians build the city? Are actions like picking up garbage,
shovelling your neighbour's walk in a crunch, saying hello to neighbours
important?
Yes, all Edmontonians can build the city. In fact, I’d suggest it is
necessary in order to help create the best city possible. Actions like what
you have listed go a long way in making Edmonton even better than it is.
6. Is the city responsible for housing? The City’s main role in housing is setting
land use rules where different types of housing can go. The market is
responsible for building most standard housing, and then the government,
primarily the provincial government, is responsible for non-market
(affordable housing). The City has been filling gaps as best they can, but it’s
not officially our jurisdiction.
7. Leadership- As a political leader within Edmonton, what personal/social values will guide your decisions on City Council decisions?
Being willing to bring people together to ensure we are hearing as many different perspectives as possible. We need to approach each discussion with empathy so that we can learn from each other. This is an older post, but it covers some of my
8. Is the communication between the city administration and Edmontonians user-friendly? Example- forms are simple rather than complex like Impact.
It depends on the issue. We have room to improve in some departments and
on some projects. This is an area of focus for me because it can’t just be
up to our City Administration to make communication user-friendly.
9. Is a list of candidates available that identifies those who are independent and those who are affiliated with a party?
Yes, the City of Edmonton's official Edmonton Elections website lists candidates and their affiliation.
10. Why does it matter if it is a party or a single candidate?
I have covered this in a few areas, and you can learn more about it in this link:
- Knack on running as an independent | Alberta Primetime I’ll add that I believe the partisan system demands that someone running in a party provide their loyalty to the party first, and the people they serve are below. I think the people we serve should always be first.
11. If you were the neighbour asking the mayoral candidate a question, what would it be?
It would be hard to ask only one question, as I’d want to know what
their core values are and what drove them to serve in the first place. For
me, while I absolutely care about what issues someone hopes to address, I
need to know how they will try to address issues. Will they be
collaborative? Will they seek to hear different perspectives? How will those
perspectives inform their decision? Those are the types of questions I like
to understand because I’d rather vote for someone who I agree with a bit
less often but who is leading with kindness, empathy, compassion, etc.
than have someone who I agree with a bit more, but isn’t interested in
bringing people together.
***********************************************
Calgary Municipal Political Parties:
Communities First
An article about how the Calgary Municipal Parties split in a spat over candidates.
So far, its candidates include Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong, Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean, Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot, Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp, as well as former councillor John Mar in Ward 6, Cornelia Wiebe in Ward 8, and Rob Ward in Ward 11.
Sharp has served as Ward 1 councillor since 2021. Prior to being elected, she worked in city administration as the manager of business and local economy, in addition to other previous roles at city hall. In her term on council, Sharp spearheaded the new Calgary Flames arena deal, dealt with the Bearspaw water main break in her ward, and has been an outspoken critic of blanket rezoning. Sharp announced her mayoral run on March 31, 2025, pledging to cut red tape, reprioritize public safety, and rebuild relationships with the provincial government.
None of this information in the wiki article has been verified by us, but has been there since 2023, so assuming there is nothing false or misleading in it.
Sonya Sharp Takes Over Calgary Ward No.1: Everything We Know About The Politician
Tyers ran in Ward 2 in 2021, placing second behind Jennifer Wyness. She has worked as a constituency manager and assistant for multiple provincial and federal conservative politicians, including MP Michelle Rempel Garner and former UCP social services minister Jason Luan. Tyers has also volunteered for the local chapter of Equal Voice, an organization that advocates for more women in politics. Tyers is campaigning for lower taxes and strong city services.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimtyers/ On her linked in page she also worked for the Alberta Government in the constituency office of the former Minister of Energy - Check it out for yourself.
Wong has worked as a policy coordinator for the City of Calgary and as a pastor for Calgary Chinese Alliance Church. He ran as the UCP candidate for Calgary-Mountain View in the 2019 provincial election, losing to the NDP candidate by more than 2,000 votes. Wong says he is focused on strengthening public infrastructure, creating safe neighbourhoods, and government transparency.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremywongab/ He has worked for the Alberta Government as a policy advisor in both Indigenous Relations and Culture. He has also worked for the City of Calgary as a policy advisor.
Wong has served as Ward 7 councillor since 2021. Prior to being elected, he helped create the Chinatown Business Improvement Area, where he served as executive director. He’s also a past president of the Hounsfield Heights Briar Hill Community Association. For 30 years, from 1984 to 2014, Wong worked for city administration in various management and IT roles.
Wiebe has owned Leo Boutique, a clothing store on 17th Avenue S.W., since she co-founded the business in 1997. She ran in Ward 8 in 2021, placing fifth. Wiebe has described herself as an "economically driven, fact-based decision maker" and has said inner-city development should be a more inclusive experience that isn't "marginalizing our citizens as a stakeholder in how their communities look and feel."
Karim-McSwiney is the longtime executive director of the International Avenue Business Revitalization Zone, where she helped secure funding for the redevelopment of 17th Avenue S.E. She also launched GlobalFest and founded the 12 Communities Safety Initiative, among other community projects. She supports creating discounts on property taxes for business owners, increasing affordable housing units and creating safer streets.
Chabot was first elected to Calgary city council in a 2005 byelection. He ran for mayor in 2017 when his ward was changed due to a redrawing of electoral boundaries, placing third behind Naheed Nenshi. In 2021, Chabot was elected as Ward 10 councillor again. Prior to politics, Chabot worked as a general contractor and volunteered on the board of the Marlborough Park Community Association.
Ward is a marketing manager who ran in Ward 11 in the 2021 election, placing second with more than 10,000 votes (Penner won with 10,889). An outspoken opponent of blanket rezoning, Ward says city hall needs “a more balanced approach” to redevelopment. Ward is chair of the Willow Park Charity Golf Classic, an annual summer golf tournament.
Byciuk has worked for Brokerlink, an insurance brokerage, for nearly 20 years. He previously served as president of the Cranston Community Association and board chair of Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids. Byciuk has also served on riding association boards for the provincial UCP and federal Conservatives. Byciuk says he is running to represent his community through action-based leadership.
McLean has been the councillor for Ward 13 since 2021, when he unseated longtime incumbent councillor Diane Colley-Urquhart. Before being elected, McLean launched and ran a golf cart business called McLean Golf. He also volunteered for conservative political campaigns on both the federal and provincial levels.
I missed a link to a video regarding our volunteer call out for social media creators. It has now been added. Sorry for any inconvenience.