Dave Cournoyer 🇨🇦

ANALYSIS | Alberta minister threatens to axe bike lanes. Can he make his case? | CBC News Province claims urban bike lanes worsen congestion. Ontario said the same thing — then a judge found they lacked evidence to back up their point.

"Whether it's dubbed ending the 'war on cars' or fighting for 'common sense,' the fight over which road users get asphalt space has sounded similar across the country."

And candidate nomination season restarts in Alberta. 🤠

Former UCP MLA Jordan Walker has announced his plans to seek nomination in Sherwood Park for the next provincial election. Walker was MLA from 2019 until defeated by NDP candidate Kyle Kasawski in 2023. He was hired as a manager at the Invest Alberta crown corporation not long after his defeat.

BREAKING: Canadian C-130J Hercules aircraft have begun airdropping humanitarian aid into Gaza. This marks a major shift in Canada’s approach to the crisis. #cdnpoli

20 years of Daveberta I've been writing about Alberta politics since 2005 and it's been a wild ride

👍 Thank you to everyone who has, over the past 20 years, kept on reading and listening to the podcast and who has subscribed to Daveberta on Substack.

Thanks for joining me on this ride.

Dave

daveberta.substack.com/p/20-years-o...

Get ready for a big fight over Alberta's separation referendum It's going to be messy but the Chief Electoral Officer needs to hold his ground - and his independence.

Now, more than ever, Albertans need to have confidence that the person tasked with administering our free and fair elections and referendums is able to do their job independently without interference from politicians and political activists at home and abroad.

daveberta.substack.com/p/get-ready-...

Bell: 'Do your damn job' — Premier Smith's point man on cities warns local politicians Premier Danielle Smith's cities boss Dan Williams warns Alberta local politicians to mind their own business or he'll show them who is boss.

This kind of stuff is very unhelpful but that’s why Dan Williams was put in the role. He’s the guy you bring in to break stuff and start culture war fights.

calgaryherald.com/opinion/colu...

Thank you for the kind words! 👍

Weekly Writ 7/31: How Battle River–Crowfoot will actually make history (for real) Plus, the NDP sets its leadership rules and we get a look at 2025 election fundraising.

Pierre Poilievre says the Battle River–Crowfoot byelection is the most important one in Canadian history. I share my thoughts on that claim. Plus, we've got fundraising figures for Q2 (including the election!) and lots more this week: www.thewrit.ca/p/weekly-wri...

Get ready for a big fight over Alberta's separation referendum It's going to be messy but the Chief Electoral Officer needs to hold his ground - and his independence.

Now, more than ever, Albertans need to have confidence that the person tasked with administering our free and fair elections and referendums is able to do their job independently without interference from politicians and political activists at home and abroad.

daveberta.substack.com/p/get-ready-...

With fentanyl-from-Canada back in the news, a quick note: Canada is not a major source of fentanyl to the US.

It’s become one of those regimes

Get ready for a big fight over Alberta's separation referendum It's going to be messy but the Chief Electoral Officer needs to hold his ground - and his independence.

👀💥 Get ready for a big fight over Alberta's separation referendum. It's going to be messy but the Chief Electoral Officer needs to hold his ground - and his independence.

daveberta.substack.com/p/get-ready-...

Get ready for a big fight over Alberta's separation referendum It's going to be messy but the Chief Electoral Officer needs to hold his ground - and his independence.

👀💥 Get ready for a big fight over Alberta's separation referendum. It's going to be messy but the Chief Electoral Officer needs to hold his ground - and his independence.

daveberta.substack.com/p/get-ready-...

🤦‍♂️

A table with a list of countries ranked by the number of measles cases. Headline reads: "Canada Ranks Among Top Countries in Measles Cases." Source: CDC.

Measles cases in Canada have far surpassed those in the U.S. as health officials in Alberta, a western province that has become a hot spot for the outbreak, have urged the provincial leader to declare a public health emergency to stave off infections. https://nyti.ms/3J8Wfr8

Premier Stelmach, thank you for your support of #ForeverCanadian. We too can’t imagine Canada without Alberta.

#ableg #cdnpoli

Potential Alberta separation referendum question referred to judge for approval EDMONTON - A potential referendum question on Alberta separating from Canada has been referred to a judge for confirmation that the question doesn't violate the Constitution.

News from me today: Potential Alberta separation referendum question referred to judge for approval

www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/politics/pot...

Higher Than Usual Number of Candidates on Ballot in Battle River–Crowfoot By-election News Release GATINEAU, Monday, July 28, 2025 As a result of the high number of candidates in Battle River–Crowfoot (Alberta), electors voting at advance or election day polls will vote using an adapted ballot. The adapted ballot will feature a blank space where electors can write the name of their preferred candidate. This will replace the typical list-style ballot, on which electors mark a blank circle next to the name of the candidate of their choice. For their vote to be counted, electors must write the name of their candidate of choice. As long as the elector's intention is clear, their vote will be counted, even if they misspell the candidate's name. Along with the candidate's name, electors can also write the name of the candidate's political party. But if the elector writes only the party's name, their ballot cannot be counted—it must have the name of the elector's preferred candidate. The list of candidates will be available at every voting table so that electors can find the name of their candidate of choice. The adapted write-in ballot will feature the same security and integrity measures found on a typical ballot. Elections Canada is aware that the changes to the ballot may reduce its accessibility for some electors. All regular accessibility tools will still be available, but some of them, such as the braille list of candidates and adapted braille voting template, will only be available on election day (Monday, August 18). Anyone who has concerns can contact the Elections Canada office in Battle River–Crowfoot to find out what options and accessibility supports are available to them. Electors who need support when voting are welcome to bring a friend, family member or caregiver to assist them, including helping them to complete their ballot. Election workers, who are sworn to maintain the secrecy of the vote, are also available to help. …

There are 200+ independent candidates now registered for the byelection in Battle River-Crowfoot where Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is running.

So Elections Canada has now decided to just have people write in the name of the person they want to vote for, instead of marking an 'X' on a list.

Alberta Insider: Globe journalist targeted online Carrie Tait has been investigating allegations of political interference at the provincial health authority in Alberta

The Globe and Mail has been breaking stories on MHCare and the children's medication from Turkey since 2023. And we are gonna keep doing it.

--> www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alber...

It wasn’t a book, but I really appreciated the series on climate change and ocean temperature warming that you did with Ezra Klein on his podcast a few years back. It was very useful in helping me understand the science and impact of changing ocean temperatures in plain language. Thank you.

Definitely too many car roads in my neighbourhood. Someone should do something about that.

And viewing alumni relations through the singular lens of fundraising is a big missed opportunity for the institutions and alumni associations to build a constituency of support off-campus.

YouTube video by Real Talk Ryan Jespersen Politics Round Table // Disability Pride Month

Happy Friday! I joined Ryan Jespersen and Edify magazine’s Omar Mouallem for a fun chat about Edmonton and Alberta politics this morning on Real Talk. 🎙️☕️

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE3_...

Dave Cournoyer & Chris Spearman Blogger Dave Cournoyer & Former Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman discuss the week's biggest political stories on Alberta Primetime's Politics Panel

💸📺 Government coal lawsuit payments, the Alberta Party’s PC-inspired return, and the federal NDP leadership race. There was lots to talk about when I joined former Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman and host Michael Higgins on CTV’s Alberta Primetime this week.

www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/vid...

Dave Cournoyer & Chris Spearman Blogger Dave Cournoyer & Former Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman discuss the week's biggest political stories on Alberta Primetime's Politics Panel

💸📺 Government coal lawsuit payments, the Alberta Party’s PC-inspired return, and the federal NDP leadership race. There was lots to talk about when I joined former Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman and host Michael Higgins on CTV’s Alberta Primetime this week.

www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/vid...

Sounds like some candidates could use some brand-defining, ballot-question-shaping policy ideas to give them a sales hook, eh? Edmonton, AB mayoral race....

Low key, low energy mayoral race starts to take shape in Edmonton Who's on first in the race to replace Amarjeet Sohi? It's hard to tell.

Low key, low energy mayoral race starts to take shape in Edmonton. Who's on first in the race to replace Amarjeet Sohi? It's hard to tell.

daveberta.substack.com/p/low-key-lo...

Falice Chin: What if Alberta was already independent? What flipping the separatism debate on its head can teach us about navigating Alberta’s place in Confederation

The separation referendum will come down to emotion.

Many Albertans "feel like Alberta is there for everybody else when they’re falling upon hard times... When we fall on hard times, nobody’s there for us,” Wesley said.

“It’s unrequited love.”

Great discussion.

thehub.ca/2025/07/26/f...

Low key, low energy mayoral race starts to take shape in Edmonton Who's on first in the race to replace Amarjeet Sohi? It's hard to tell.

Low key, low energy mayoral race starts to take shape in Edmonton. Who's on first in the race to replace Amarjeet Sohi? It's hard to tell.

daveberta.substack.com/p/low-key-lo...