Dave Cournoyer 🇨🇦

Alberta is getting a new map for the next provincial election Boundaries commission collecting feedback on interim report for new riding boundaries

🤠Alberta is getting a new map for the next provincial election. The Electoral Boundaries Commission is currently collecting feedback on interim report for new riding boundaries.

daveberta.substack.com/p/alberta-is...

Alberta Energy Regulator ignored its own rules, data suggests | The Narwhal New evidence suggests the Alberta Energy Regulator ignored a ministerial order — and critics say that’s just the tip of the iceberg

Either the Alberta Energy Regulator ignored a ministerial order meant to protect rural municipalities, or it doesn't bother to do basic fact-checking on company claims, or the systems it put in place doesn't work. AER response to questions? No comment. #ableg #cdnpoli thenarwhal.ca/alberta-ener...

Try my hack for a better holiday. 5,000 destinations. 190 countries.

A project I built for school and my blog. I spent the fall gathering geographic, architectural and economic data to find beautiful, less-crowded places that could use more visitors...

Table showing Alberta daycare facilities and capacity: June 2025 vs. June 2021 Values show the number of facility-based childcare centres and their total capacity (i.e. number of spaces), and how those figures have grown over four years. Top 10 municipalities shown. Calgary has grown the most in terms of capacity, up 15,808 spaces to 60,733 total. The number of facilities in the city grew by 154 to 769 over that time.

Alberta's childcare deal with Ottawa is four years old and set to expire on April 1, 2026.

Every other province has signed an extension.

Part of the deal involved space creation.

Anecdotally, I've certainly seen WAY more daycares in Calgary than there used to be.

And the data bears that out:

Alberta amends Bill 14 after chief electoral officer raises red flag about 'partisan influence' | CBC News The chief electoral officer copied all MLAs on a letter outlining his concerns, sent before the bill went to second reading.

This bit of legislative manoeuvring by Amery:
Elections Alberta warns that Justice Minister is usurping its discretion on vetting citizen's initiatives...
so Amery amends Bill 14 so that NOBODY can vet a referendum question for fact, jurisdiction, constitutionality, etc www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

The world is a big place and there are lots of other countries to visit.

*I meant to write “pretty clear signal”

Alberta legislature passes bill invoking Charter override for fourth time EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA - Alberta's governing United Conservatives stayed up into the early pre-dawn hours of Wednesday morning to pass a bill that marks the fourth time in under two

www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/national/alb...

Recall petition targeting Alberta Premier Danielle Smith approved | CBC News Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, along with two additional members of her cabinet, are now the latest MLAs to face a recall petition from constituents.

These MLA recall campaigns are a pretty signal that a growing number of Albertans are unhappy with the UCP and want to do something about it. This should be a big wake up to the opposition NDP that it’s time to start nominating candidates who can try to harness some of this volunteer power.

Alberta to invoke notwithstanding clause to shield 3 transgender bills from court challenges | CBC News The Alberta government has tabled legislation that seeks to invoke the notwithstanding clause to shield a suite of bills that affects transgender youth and adults from legal challenges.

The government has also tabled or passed motions to limit debate on bill 9 at each stage to one hour.

Background on bill 9 www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... #AbLeg #AbEd

December 9th, 2025 - Evening Session - Legislative Assembly of Alberta YouTube video by Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Awkwardly, the Alberta legislature TV channel has broken in the middle of debate (committee of the whole) for Bill 9, in which the government seeks to use the notwithstanding clause to shield three gender bills from legal challenges.

The YouTube stream IS working www.youtube.com/live/ryA5Lq4...

Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie announced on LinkedIn that he’s now the leader of the Alberta Party, becoming that party’s first MLA since it was shut out of the Legislature in the 2019 elections.

Lethbridgians worried MLA recall drive is a 'sham' that's ignoring volunteers | CBC News Locals can't sign up to canvass for petitions against United Conservative MLA Nathan Neudorf or find out where to sign forms.

Some people in Lethbridge who want to recall their MLA are now worried the petition against him is actually designed to *protect* the MLA from being recalled.

Alberta's recall rules say that once a petition is launched and fails, no subsequent petitions can be launched.

Via @markusoff.bsky.social:

Alberta has had justice ministers since 1905 yet the “political activism” Mickey Amery is seeking to shield himself from seems to have only been an issue since the UCP formed government six years ago. 🤔

The people demand an Andy segment about Peter Jackson’s decision to have Elves fight at Helm’s Deep.

YouTube video by Real Talk Ryan Jespersen RESULTS: Best of AB Politics // Referendum Details

🎙️In what’s become a bit of an annual tradition, I joined Ryan Jespersen on Real Talk this morning to talk about the winners of this year’s Best of Alberta Politics Survey. www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx39...

Country singer Corb Lund gets OK to launch anti-coal petition drive in Alberta | CBC News Alberta singer Corb Lund has been given the go-ahead to start collecting signatures for a petition to ask the province to pass a law banning new coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountain...

"My animals drink the water, my mother drinks the water. So I'm not a guy flying in from L.A. on a private jet. I am a sixth generation rural Albertan, and I'm just trying to keep the water clean."

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Janis Irwin, Peter Guthrie, and Rakhi Pancholi big winners in Best of Alberta Politics 2025 Survey Marlin Schmidt voted MLA with Best Sense of Humour and Brooks Arcand-Paul is the MLA to watch in 2026

🥇After a week of fierce campaigning, all the votes have been counted and the winners of the ninth annual Daveberta Best of Alberta Politics Survey have been chosen.

Thank you to everyone who voted and congratulations to the nominees and winners. 🤠

daveberta.substack.com/p/janis-irwi...

I think it’s still a total of 18 right now. There were news reports about it but I don’t think Elections Alberta has officially announced it has approved the start of the recall petition against Danielle Smith in Brooks-Medicine yet.

WOW!!!

Not only have the courts ruled that the separatists referendum is unconstitutional and that separatism would require the consent of First Nations...

A SCATHING epilogue directly called out Alberta trying to legislate away the courts ability to issue a decision!

#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli

BREAKING!!!

The day after the UCP attempted to stop the courts from issuing a ruling...

The courts have ruled.

And they not only rule the question is unconstitutional, but that separation requires the consent of First Nations period!

#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli

I’ll be shocked if any of the recall campaigns are able to collect the required number of petition signatures to actually trigger a recall vote. It’s a very high threshold.

Four more MLA recall campaigns have been given the green light to start collecting petition signatures, bringing to total number to 18. This batch targets 3 UCP MLAs and 1 NDP MLA. Calgary-Beddington MLA Amanda Chapman is the first opposition MLA targeted by the Kenney-era recall law.

Sam Mraiche was investigated by Elections Alberta over alleged illegal political donations Regulator says Mraiche was being investigated this year in connection to an alleged straw donor scheme

SCOOP: Elections Alberta investigated Sam Mraiche over allegations he made illegal political donations in 2023

www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... w @tomcardoso.bsky.social

Alberta legislation would change citizen referendum rules, restrict political party names | CBC News Bill 14, introduced Thursday by Justice Minister Mickey Amery, transfers powers from the chief electoral officer to the minister when deciding whether citizen petition initiatives should proceed. It a...

There’s a lot happening in the Alberta Legislature this fall but one of the most shameless is the UCP amending elections laws to ban any other party from using the word “conservative” in their name in order to block the Alberta Party from changing its name to the PC Party.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Alberta bill aims to clear further obstacles to citizen-driven referendum questions EDMONTON - The Alberta government is clearing more legal hurdles faced by citizens aiming to put referendum questions on a ballot, including the prospect of leaving Confederation.

With enthusiastic approval from separatists, Alberta’s government makes it even easier to put referendums forward — questions don’t even need to be factually accurate before people can start getting signatures.

From @reportrix.bsky.social and me today:

www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/politics/alb...

Here's Premier Danielle Smith in July, responding to a question about two former UCP MLAs trying to relaunch a party named "Progressive Conservative" in Alberta:

At the recommendation of the premier, CPE was moved from the Ministry of Treasury Board and Finance to Executive Council in April, making Danielle Smith the minister responsible for overseeing the department. CPE has approximately 288 full-time staff and a budget of $38 million.

Janis Irwin, Peter Guthrie, and Rakhi Pancholi big winners in Best of Alberta Politics 2025 Survey Marlin Schmidt voted MLA with Best Sense of Humour and Brooks Arcand-Paul is the MLA to watch in 2026

🥇😎 Janis Irwin, Peter Guthrie, and Rakhi Pancholi are the big winners in the Best of Alberta Politics 2025 Survey.

After a week of fierce campaigning, all the votes have been counted and the winners of the ninth annual Daveberta Best of Alberta Politics Survey have been chosen. 🤠

The businessman at the heart of Alberta’s health care controversy An investigation into the businessman whose dealings with the government have come under scrutiny

Oh hey! A podcast on Sam Mraiche and his ties to the Alberta government! Including audio from when I asked Justice Minister Mickey Amery about his relationship to the businessman.

www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/the... w @tomcardoso.bsky.social