[Thanos]

I agree with that, simply because there's always going to be pressure on moderate conservatives to ally with radicals simply to ensure the win. It's just as likely that the next rebuild of Alberta conservatism will be a mirror of the UCP, with the tribes simply having changed their labels. And thanks to the twisted path conservatism in the US has taken into outright ethical & philosophical degeneracy, combined with full-embracing of insane conspiracist hate-mongering, there will always be those (eg. Ezra Levant) who will want to keep doing it in Canada if it opens up a path to victory. They've shown far too many times that they don't care at all about the consequences of their actions, especially during COVID, so it would be irrational to expect them to ever abandon these kinds of tactics.

[Scape]

[DrCaleb]

It's like he doesn't understand that people didn't voluntarily stop going to the big box stores and malls he didn't order to close, and spread the virus leading to a health care crisis.

[Thanos]

The largest co-morbidity in Alberta right now is having a conservative government that would rather hate the leader of the federal government instead of accepting hundreds of millions of dollars of desperately needed assistance for Albertans and Alberta businesses.

[DrCaleb]

[Thanos]

At this stage in the mania I'm now expecting the lunatics to attack a hospital ICU because they've been so stirred up by the likes of Barnes and the freak side of the UCP caucus.

[DrCaleb]

$1:

Racist mayoral candidate Kevin J. Johnston is about to have all Calgary voters' names, addresses

In the not-so-distant future, a man who has a history of racist, hateful, allegedly violent behaviour and is attempting to publish the private information of Alberta Health Services employees is set to receive a list that includes the names, addresses and phone numbers of every Calgarian eligible to vote.

That's because Kevin J. Johnston, known for organizing, leading and speaking at far-right protests against government-imposed pandemic restrictions, is running for mayor of Calgary.

In his capacity as an official candidate, Johnston will receive voter information for everyone in the city the day after nominations close in September.

Johnston is currently facing an assault charge in B.C., hate crimes charges in Ontario and has made numerous posts online attempting to get the addresses of AHS employees with threats to show up at their homes armed.

But when reached for comment by CBC News, Johnston said he did not issue threats.

"That's absolutely inaccurate," said Johnston. "What I've done is I've issued a promise."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ ... -1.6020029

[bootlegga]

Thanos Thanos:

Kenney would probably be safe for at least the remainder of the year because his core of urban MLA's would most likely stick with him to maintain some kind of working minority. I'm assuming they're the ex-PC membership who were forced into this debacle of a marriage with the rural Wildrose types who first bedeviled Danielle Smith and who are now doing the same to Kenney. And the NDP wouldn't force an election until at least fall, when things are more under control, because they can't risk doing it now and end up undermining their own message of safety.

At this stage Kenney is far better off getting rid of the saboteurs than he is in continuing to allow them to torpedo him at every step. He has to know that he won't survive the next leadership review/challenge so right now he has nothing to lose by getting rid of them immediately. The UCP is not going to survive as a unified entity for the next election so starting on rebuilding what used to be the PC's should start sooner rather than later.

Conservatives can no longer sit with radicals & hold their noses and pretend everything is A-OK. This right-wing extremism has to be contained inside their own party entity where they can destroy each other, which they always do because they're so batshit crazy they inevitably get around to attacking each other. When conservatives sit with them though? That just gives them an avenue to spread their poison out even further. Conservatives ALWAYS lose when they ally with radicals and they have to figure it out now.

I think you're right about the urban MLA piece - a lot of Calgary MLAs are former PCs (McIver, Ellis, Issik, etc.) who switched to UCP to avoid another vote split in 2019, which is mostly what won the 2015 election for the NDP. There are some new UCP MLAs in urban ridings like Kaycee Madu (the lone UCP MLA in Redmonton who barely won his riding), but I think a lot of them are going to have a really tough time in 2023 because this government has so thoroughly bungled the pandemic response. I think a key factor in that election will be who replaces Nenshi - if Calgary picks a right wing mayor who kisses UCP ass (instead of fighting like Nenshi), voters may be inclined to vote conservative in 2023.

Having said that, to become premier, you need to win two of three vote groups (Calgary, Edmonton and rural). If the 'new PCs' took Calgary (27 ridings), the NDP took Edmonton (20 ridings), and the RWNJs took most of the rural vote, you'd wind up with a minority government that leans right.

[Thanos]

Oddly enough the NDP could do really well in Fort McMurray this time. All they have to do is relentlessly hammer down on the fact that under the UCP Ft Mac turned into one of the worst COVID hotspots in the entire western world. I'd like to see them compete in Lethbridge too. But I doubt they'd stand a chance in Medicine Hat (Drew Barnes country) or Red Deer, which is the epicentre of the anti-mask/anti-distancing idiocy as well as the eastern lynchpin of Alberta's very own Aryan Alley that stretches westwards to Caroline.

Kevin J. Johnston will get around 60000 votes in Calgary in the upcoming election, just because the disastrous situation will still be fresh come voting day. The assholes will see him as the obvious candidate to express their rage. He won't win but the alt-right will be massively stoked up by the results. And Alberta will be another national/world embarrassment again thanks to him and to those who will vote for him.

[Thanos]

University academics pull their pension plan from Alberta-government run management company after massive $2.1 billion loss. Alberta public school teachers still trapped with AimCo, with no legal recourse to take their savings elsewhere, no matter how badly the fund performs.

Solution for teachers (and for pretty much everyone else now) - leave Alberta, work in a place that doesn't have an insane right-wing government that will leave you poverty-stricken when you retire.

[Thanos]

Is a North Texas county a preview of what's going to happen to Alberta over the next few years?

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/st ... surrection

[Thanos]

More colourful flags a-flyin' today over punch-drunk ol' AB:

https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/nazi-confed ... -1.5423503

$1:

And the stains on the heartland will never be removed
from this country province
that's sick, sad, and confused

- Matt Johnson, The The, 1987

sigh

[DrCaleb]

$1:

Alberta government knew bighorn sheep contaminated with coal-mine selenium: scientist


Some herds of bighorn sheep, Alberta's provincial animal, are heavily contaminated with selenium from old coal mines, says research from a retired senior government biologist.

Jeff Kneteman said Alberta Environment has known about the problem for years. But it has yet to commission any studies about the effects on the three herds and how far the contamination has spread through the local ecosystem.

"There was no interest," said Kneteman, who left government in March 2020. "Why wasn't any of this stuff ever followed up?"

The research comes to light as the United Conservative government tries to persuade Albertans that its regulatory and monitoring systems are capable of ensuring a safe expansion of coal-mining in the Rocky Mountains.

An Alberta Environment spokesperson said the government is aware of the issue.

"Alberta Environment and Parks has engaged with researchers and mining companies and their consultants in the [area] regarding selenium levels in bighorn sheep," John Muir said in an email.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton ... -1.6022966

[DrCaleb]

$1:

'We did not unite around blind loyalty to one man': Jason Kenney faces internal call to quit

Simmering internal discontent within Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's United Conservative caucus has now boiled over into an open challenge to his leadership.

Senior backbench member Todd Loewen, in a letter posted on Facebook in the pre-dawn hours Thursday, called on Kenney to resign, saying he no longer has confidence in his leadership.

Loewen accuses Kenney and his government of weak dealings with Ottawa, ignoring caucus members, delivering contradictory messages, and botching critical issues such as negotiations with doctors and controversy over coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rockies.

"Many Albertans, including myself, no longer have confidence in your leadership," writes Loewen.

"I thank you for your service, but I am asking that you resign so that we can begin to put the province back together again."

Loewen is the member for Central Peace-Notley, a sprawling rural riding in northern Alberta,

He was one of 18 United Conservative backbench members to break with Kenney's government in early April over health care restrictions aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19. They say the rules are needlessly restrictive and infringe on personal freedoms.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton ... -1.6024857

[DrCaleb]

$1:

Maverick Party tries to capitalize on O'Toole's unpopularity in Alberta

The Maverick Party sees an opportunity as Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole suffers from low popularity in Alberta — and the party's interim leader is sticking around to see that momentum through the next election.

The western separatist party is looking for ways to expand its presence in the province in the wake of a difficult few months for the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC).

The CPC is still dominant in Alberta, but a recent poll commissioned by CBC News and conducted by Janet Brown Opinion Research found people in the province aren't keen on its leader.

Only 11 per cent of respondents said they were highly impressed with O'Toole, compared to 16 per cent for NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and 17 per cent for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Support for the party in Alberta is down as well, though not as dramatically. Asked how they would vote if an election were held immediately, 53 per cent of decided voters said they'd pick the Conservatives. That's down from the 69 per cent of the Alberta vote the party received in the last federal election.

Maverick interim leader Jay Hill sees those numbers as an opportunity. The party is discussing whether to expand its presence in more ridings than the 49 originally targetted.

"[O'Toole has] betrayed the people of Western Canada, the conservatives that supported him. And so people are saying to me, 'Why wouldn't you run against a Conservative in every riding in Western Canada where you can possibly get organized,'" the former federal MP told CBC News.

He was referring to O'Toole's climate plan, which included a consumer price on carbon.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ ... -1.6024155