Alberta

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
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Regina, Saskatchewan
While we are on the business of foreign interference, could we not have — as it were — a “sidecar” inquiry into election interference on the home front: viz, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporations blundering and false (CBC has, in its tepid way apologized) insertions into the recent and oh-so-close Alberta election. Erroneous reporting may well have narrowed margins in that election, maybe even turned seats. How can we possibly know without another full public inquiry into “domestic election interference.”

If we are to do a cleansing of our democracy, I don’t think we can morally or politically overlook the misinformation or disinformation — or was it both — disseminated by our national broadcaster, so strongly propagated during the election, as they furiously “stood by their story.” That false report torqued the vote. Certainly hurt Smith. The apology, such as it was, and it wasn’t much, came much after, and therefore to no effect. They have more care with drag story hour.

And I know it wasn’t an Ontario election, or even, thank all the bilingual spirits who oversee our Dominion, a Quebec election, but still, while Alberta may be on the second page (Second footnote) of Confederation, some attention, some time, must be paid to that “just transitioning” “oil-infested” province.
 
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spaminator

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Oct 26, 2009
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Controversial Calgary professor sues University of Lethbridge for nixing guest lecture
Frances Widdowson was scheduled to give a lecture at the University of Lethbridge in February, but backlash from students forced the institution to cancel her talk

Author of the article:Michael Rodriguez
Published Aug 02, 2023 • Last updated 2 days ago • 3 minute read
The lawsuit is seeking a court injunction to allow Widdowson's lecture to proceed at a future date and a public admission from the university that it breached the applicants' Charter freedom of peaceful assembly.
The lawsuit is seeking a court injunction to allow Widdowson's lecture to proceed at a future date and a public admission from the university that it breached the applicants' Charter freedom of peaceful assembly.
A controversial Calgary professor is suing the University of Lethbridge over its decision to cancel a guest lecture she was scheduled to deliver at the school in February.


Frances Widdowson — who was fired from Mount Royal University following heavy criticism of her comments on Canada’s residential school system and the Black Lives Matter movement — is suing the southern Alberta institution alongside student Jonah Pickle and philosophy professor Paul Viminitz, who invited her to the school. The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms filed the lawsuit July 26 on behalf of the three applicants.


The planned lecture was to cover how “woke-ism” in post-secondary institutions threatens academic freedom, but it was cancelled amid backlash and a reprisal of Widdowson’s views by students and faculty. She said her experience at U of L is a “textbook case” of the topic she planned to speak about.


“Instead of encouraging faculty and students to engage with my ideas in order to reach a better understanding of totalitarian identity politics’ impact on the academy, the University of Lethbridge created an ‘unsafe space’ for critical thinking and open inquiry. This means that the development of knowledge and theoretical understanding is being compromised at this academic institution,” Widdowson said in a news release from JCCF.

Lawsuit doesn’t seek financial restitution
The lawsuit is seeking a court injunction to allow Widdowson’s lecture to proceed at a future date and a public admission from the university that it breached the applicants’ Charter freedom of peaceful assembly, as well as freedoms of thought, belief, opinion and expression. No financial restitution is sought.


Widdowson has been criticized for her assertion that there were benefits to the residential school system and her rejection of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s conclusion that the school system was genocidal. She made headlines for public comments in 2021 that the Black Lives Matter movement “destroyed” MRU.

She was fired in December 2021.

U of L was initially set to allow the lecture to go ahead but backlash forced an about-face from school officials, who cancelled her speech two days before she was to deliver it.

Despite the cancellation, Widdowson went to the university and spoke in the school’s atrium on Feb. 1. On social media at the time, she said, “You will have to haul me away by security to stop me.”


Hundreds had gathered to protest her presence, causing Widdowson to find another place in the university to conduct her lecture, but she was still drowned out by protesters, according to the JCCF. The talk was eventually moved online.



In February, U of L president Mike Mahon said the decision to quash Widdowson’s lecture came after the school received “considerable input” on the matter, including multiple student petitions and the school’s Department of Indigenous Studies condemning Widdowson’s “anti-Indigenous rhetoric.”

“This input confirmed that assertions that seek to minimize the significant and detrimental impact of Canada’s residential school system are harmful,” Mahon said at the time. “It is clear that the harm associated with this talk is an impediment to meaningful reconciliation.”

When contacted by Postmedia on Wednesday, U of L declined to comment as it’s an ongoing legal matter.

mrodriguez@postmedia.com

Twitter: @MichaelRdrguez
 
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spaminator

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Edmonton customs officers find tarantulas hidden in mail
“All animals, including cats, dogs, exotics and reptiles, must be kept safe from harm and injury when they are travelling by land, air or sea"

Author of the article:postmedia News
Published Aug 14, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
The Canada Border Services Agency said two live tarantulas were discovered at Edmonton International Airport in packages from the same sender May 12 and June 1, 2023.
The Canada Border Services Agency said two live tarantulas were discovered at Edmonton International Airport in packages from the same sender May 12 and June 1, 2023. jpg
Two tarantulas are sitting pretty at the Royal Alberta Museum after customs agents at Edmonton International Airport (EIA) found them in packages sent from Hong Kong.


The Canada Border Services Agency said the live spiders were discovered in packages at the Edmonton airport from the same sender weeks apart. The first, a male, was found inside a plastic container May 12.


The second, a female, was found stowed away inside a child’s toy plane, also in a package from Hong Kong, June 1.

Agents checked the spiders out and found that species of tarantula they both belong to, Phlogiellus xinping, is native to Hong Kong and is not considered endangered under international law. There are, however, “strong regulations” around the humane transport of living creatures, so the spiders were seized and live now at the museum.


“CBSA officers were able to find and rescue these two tarantulas from inhumane shipping methods,” Lisa Laurencelle-Peace, CBSA regional director general for the Prairies, said in a Monday news release. “All living creatures need to be transported and imported properly to keep Canada’s ecosystem and biodiversity safe.”

To avoid spreading animal-related diseases and introducing foreign species, all living creatures, including pets, must be declared when importing them into Canada, according to CBSA, which pointed to tips on the Government of Canada’s website.

“All animals, including cats, dogs, exotics and reptiles, must be kept safe from harm and injury when they are travelling by land, air or sea,” the CBSA release stated.
1692197371670.png
 

spaminator

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Oct 26, 2009
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Edmonton customs officers find tarantulas hidden in mail
“All animals, including cats, dogs, exotics and reptiles, must be kept safe from harm and injury when they are travelling by land, air or sea"

Author of the article:postmedia News
Published Aug 14, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
The Canada Border Services Agency said two live tarantulas were discovered at Edmonton International Airport in packages from the same sender May 12 and June 1, 2023.
The Canada Border Services Agency said two live tarantulas were discovered at Edmonton International Airport in packages from the same sender May 12 and June 1, 2023. jpg
Two tarantulas are sitting pretty at the Royal Alberta Museum after customs agents at Edmonton International Airport (EIA) found them in packages sent from Hong Kong.


The Canada Border Services Agency said the live spiders were discovered in packages at the Edmonton airport from the same sender weeks apart. The first, a male, was found inside a plastic container May 12.


The second, a female, was found stowed away inside a child’s toy plane, also in a package from Hong Kong, June 1.

Agents checked the spiders out and found that species of tarantula they both belong to, Phlogiellus xinping, is native to Hong Kong and is not considered endangered under international law. There are, however, “strong regulations” around the humane transport of living creatures, so the spiders were seized and live now at the museum.


“CBSA officers were able to find and rescue these two tarantulas from inhumane shipping methods,” Lisa Laurencelle-Peace, CBSA regional director general for the Prairies, said in a Monday news release. “All living creatures need to be transported and imported properly to keep Canada’s ecosystem and biodiversity safe.”

To avoid spreading animal-related diseases and introducing foreign species, all living creatures, including pets, must be declared when importing them into Canada, according to CBSA, which pointed to tips on the Government of Canada’s website.

“All animals, including cats, dogs, exotics and reptiles, must be kept safe from harm and injury when they are travelling by land, air or sea,” the CBSA release stated.
View attachment 18994
🕷️ :eek:
 

spaminator

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Oct 26, 2009
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Tucker Carlson coming to Calgary for speech, conversation with Alberta premier
It's not yet known what issues Carlson will address during the event

Author of the article:Hiren Mansukhani
Published Nov 07, 2023 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 3 minute read
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is coming to Calgary in January 2024.
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is coming to Calgary in January 2024.
Former Fox News anchor and provocative U.S. political commentator Tucker Carlson will visit Calgary on Jan. 24 for a live speech followed by an interview.


Carlson, whose popularity skyrocketed as he brought far-right talking points into mainstream news on his show Tucker Carlson Tonight, will also be in conversation with Premier Danielle Smith toward the end of the event.


The premier’s office confirmed Tuesday that Smith will attend the event in Calgary.

“The premier participates in a variety of public and private events and does interviews with dozens of reporters, broadcasters and podcasters from across the political spectrum,” press secretary Sam Blackett said in an emailed statement.

“Obviously, she does not subscribe to every view of every interviewer or reporter she speaks with whether that’s the CBC, the Toronto Star, or Tucker Carlson.

“The premier aims to share Alberta’s message with as many people as possible whether they’re from Alberta, Canada, or around the world.”


Carlson, who was one of the most popular hosts on Fox News, occasionally targets Canada and its federal Liberal government on his show and was a vocal supporter of last year’s “Freedom Convoy” movement.

Since being fired from the network, Carlson has started hosting a new show called Tucker on X, where he has challenged the murder of Black man George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, purported the killing of Christians in Ukraine, and deemed the non-profits tending to undocumented immigrants in the U.S.’s southern border as “criminals.”

Carlson, who had his start in journalism by writing for neo-conservative magazine the Weekly Standard, went on to host shows at CNN and MSNBC before being hired by Fox News. There, he was a proponent of Donald Trump and pushed out several conspiracy theories regarding the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and Ukrainian bioweapons.


Fox terminated Carlson after settling a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems by paying $787.5 million for falsely claiming election fraud.


Alberta NDP says Danielle Smith should not appear with divisive personality
Opposition members of the legislature said the premier shouldn’t give time to such a divisive personality.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Carlson has attacked Ukraine, made disparaging remarks about women and endorsed an attempted uprising related to the presidential election in the United States.

“He is not a credible figure,” Notley told reporters at an unrelated news conference in Edmonton.


“The fact that our premier believes it’s appropriate to normalize the things this person would say by appearing on a stage with him demonstrates a profound lack of judgment on her part.”

Notley said it also damages Alberta’s reputation on an international level at a time when the province is trying to attract investment dollars.

“I would call on the premier to immediately cancel that planned appearance, because Albertans deserve better from their leadership,” she said.

“They deserve responsibility. They deserve a measured form of leadership — and appearing with that character on stage is not that.”

“Tucker Carlson is a pro-Putin white nationalist, so naturally Danielle Smith is scheduled to help him promote his event in Calgary in January,” finance critic Shannon Phillips wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.


MLA David Shepard added that Carlson is a loud promoter of “great replacement theory” and other white nationalist ideas — “not someone the premier of a diverse province should be giving time, particularly at a time of rising antisemitism (and) Islamophobia.”

‘His profile is massive’: event organizer
Christian Darbyshire, partner at Tine Public — the organizer of the event and other talks involving notable names, including Barack and Michelle Obama, Oprah and Ellen — said Carlson has grown in popularity in the past couple of years.

“He gets tens of millions of views on each of his shows, sometimes hundreds of millions of views,” Darbyshire said. “So, he’s gotten to the point where his profile is massive now, and so a lot of people want to see him.

“There’ll be additional cities that will probably be announced at some point, but Calgary is the first one that got organized.”

He added that the company reached out to the Alberta government, which showed interest in attending.

Darbyshire said it’s not yet known what issues Carlson will address during the event.

“We’ll probably have clear direction on all that sometime in January, a few weeks before the event,” he said.

Tickets for Carlson’s appearance go on sale at Ticketmaster.ca at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

— With files from The Canadian Press
 
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Dixie Cup

Senate Member
Sep 16, 2006
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Edmonton
I'd love to go see Trucker but I can't afford the ticket price! Oh well, hopefully some of his visit will be streamed. Here's hoping anyway.
 
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spaminator

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 26, 2009
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Mounties investigating after viral TikTok alleges cat abuse in Alberta village
The cat is doing well and recovering

Author of the article:Michael Rodriguez
Published Nov 12, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
A wet cat in a cage, as seen in a viral TikTok. A man in Big Valley, Alberta, is alleged to have been drowning cats. The cat seen in the video is now recovering.
A wet cat in a cage, as seen in a viral TikTok. A man in Big Valley, Alberta, is alleged to have been drowning cats. The cat seen in the video is now recovering. Wyatt Chalifoux/TikTok
Mounties are investigating allegations of animal abuse in a small central Alberta community following multiple reports prompted by a quickly-spreading social media video.


Wyatt Chalifoux posted the 39-second clip to the video-sharing platform TikTok, showing him and a woman taking a caged, wet cat from a person out front of a home in Big Valley, Alta., located 100 kilometres southeast of Red Deer.


The video’s description alleges the man shown is “go(ing) around town trapping and drowning people’s cats.”

“You’ve got issues, man. How dare you do that to a living creature,” says the woman.

“You want me to put you in a bucket of water?” adds Chalifoux.

In the video, the man in question states cats come into his yard and “go after” his dog.

Since it was posted, the clip has amassed nearly two million views on TikTok and further exposure through social media platforms and accounts.

Cat in video ‘doing good’, recovering

Chalifoux spoke with Postmedia on Sunday, providing further context to the viral video. He said he was speaking with the woman in the video when they heard a cat in distress. They walked to a nearby property where they saw “a five-gallon pail with a garbage bag over the top.”

“The noise is coming from there; you can see the bag moving,” said Chalifoux. “So we went into his yard, ripped the garbage bag off and here’s a cat in a cage; that’s the cat in the video.”

He said he pulled the trapped cat out of the water-filled bucket and left the yard when a man approached and shouted at him to give the cage back.

“That’s when the video started,” he said.

The cat from the video is doing well and recovering in Chalifoux’s care.

“She’s our shop cat now,” he said. “She’s doing good.”


Village residents have reported missing, killed cats over the years
Chalifoux said he had two cats die last year — finding them shot dead — and other village residents have made similar reports of suspiciously missing and killed cats for several years.

“I’m in this for the long haul. I need something to happen because I can’t have this guy doing this to people’s animals,” he said.

RCMP say officers from the nearby Stettler detachment are aware of the video and looking into the matter.

“Stettler RCMP have received multiple reports about the TikTok video with reference to a cat and some allegations being made,” said Cpl. Troy Savinkoff.

“There is an investigation underway by Stettler RCMP into the allegations to see if they’re founded. If they are, appropriate charges could be laid.”

Several social media users claim to have identified the man, but as no charges have been laid, police can’t share the suspect’s name.

Savinkoff noted that most reports have referenced the TikTok video, with at least one coming from a person outside of Canada.

mrodriguez@postmedia.com

X: @MichaelRdrguez
Screen-Shot-2023-11-12-at-12.38.17-PM-2-copy[1].jpg
 

Taxslave2

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Aug 13, 2022
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Tucker Carlson coming to Calgary for speech, conversation with Alberta premier
It's not yet known what issues Carlson will address during the event

Author of the article:Hiren Mansukhani
Published Nov 07, 2023 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 3 minute read
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is coming to Calgary in January 2024.
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is coming to Calgary in January 2024.
Former Fox News anchor and provocative U.S. political commentator Tucker Carlson will visit Calgary on Jan. 24 for a live speech followed by an interview.


Carlson, whose popularity skyrocketed as he brought far-right talking points into mainstream news on his show Tucker Carlson Tonight, will also be in conversation with Premier Danielle Smith toward the end of the event.


The premier’s office confirmed Tuesday that Smith will attend the event in Calgary.

“The premier participates in a variety of public and private events and does interviews with dozens of reporters, broadcasters and podcasters from across the political spectrum,” press secretary Sam Blackett said in an emailed statement.

“Obviously, she does not subscribe to every view of every interviewer or reporter she speaks with whether that’s the CBC, the Toronto Star, or Tucker Carlson.

“The premier aims to share Alberta’s message with as many people as possible whether they’re from Alberta, Canada, or around the world.”


Carlson, who was one of the most popular hosts on Fox News, occasionally targets Canada and its federal Liberal government on his show and was a vocal supporter of last year’s “Freedom Convoy” movement.

Since being fired from the network, Carlson has started hosting a new show called Tucker on X, where he has challenged the murder of Black man George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, purported the killing of Christians in Ukraine, and deemed the non-profits tending to undocumented immigrants in the U.S.’s southern border as “criminals.”

Carlson, who had his start in journalism by writing for neo-conservative magazine the Weekly Standard, went on to host shows at CNN and MSNBC before being hired by Fox News. There, he was a proponent of Donald Trump and pushed out several conspiracy theories regarding the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and Ukrainian bioweapons.


Fox terminated Carlson after settling a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems by paying $787.5 million for falsely claiming election fraud.


Alberta NDP says Danielle Smith should not appear with divisive personality
Opposition members of the legislature said the premier shouldn’t give time to such a divisive personality.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Carlson has attacked Ukraine, made disparaging remarks about women and endorsed an attempted uprising related to the presidential election in the United States.

“He is not a credible figure,” Notley told reporters at an unrelated news conference in Edmonton.


“The fact that our premier believes it’s appropriate to normalize the things this person would say by appearing on a stage with him demonstrates a profound lack of judgment on her part.”

Notley said it also damages Alberta’s reputation on an international level at a time when the province is trying to attract investment dollars.

“I would call on the premier to immediately cancel that planned appearance, because Albertans deserve better from their leadership,” she said.

“They deserve responsibility. They deserve a measured form of leadership — and appearing with that character on stage is not that.”

“Tucker Carlson is a pro-Putin white nationalist, so naturally Danielle Smith is scheduled to help him promote his event in Calgary in January,” finance critic Shannon Phillips wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.


MLA David Shepard added that Carlson is a loud promoter of “great replacement theory” and other white nationalist ideas — “not someone the premier of a diverse province should be giving time, particularly at a time of rising antisemitism (and) Islamophobia.”

‘His profile is massive’: event organizer
Christian Darbyshire, partner at Tine Public — the organizer of the event and other talks involving notable names, including Barack and Michelle Obama, Oprah and Ellen — said Carlson has grown in popularity in the past couple of years.

“He gets tens of millions of views on each of his shows, sometimes hundreds of millions of views,” Darbyshire said. “So, he’s gotten to the point where his profile is massive now, and so a lot of people want to see him.

“There’ll be additional cities that will probably be announced at some point, but Calgary is the first one that got organized.”

He added that the company reached out to the Alberta government, which showed interest in attending.

Darbyshire said it’s not yet known what issues Carlson will address during the event.

“We’ll probably have clear direction on all that sometime in January, a few weeks before the event,” he said.

Tickets for Carlson’s appearance go on sale at Ticketmaster.ca at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

— With files from The Canadian Press
Looks like he has the TurdOWE lovers all in a tizzy.
 

Dixie Cup

Senate Member
Sep 16, 2006
5,931
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Edmonton
Looks like he has the TurdOWE lovers all in a tizzy.
Yup, god forbid that someone has a POV that others don't like. Gotta cancel them for sure cuz you never know just what it is they MIGHT say that one disagrees with so of course, they'll try to stop him from coming. It's anti-democratic but stopping people from speaking out means that this has now somehow become the "saving of democracy" How does this even make sense?
 
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spaminator

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 26, 2009
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Alberta Energy Regulator reports runoff spill at Suncor’s Fort Hills oilsands site
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Nov 25, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read

CALGARY — A spill of surface runoff from a containment pond at Suncor Energy’s Fort Hills oilsands site may have spanned more than a year, the Alberta Energy Regulator has announced.


The regulator said that on Oct. 9, the energy company reported an “unplanned release” of around 662 cubic metres from the pond adjacent to Fort Hills into the Athabasca River.


But on Nov. 24, Suncor informed the regulator that the spill was likely much larger than originally reported.

“… Further investigation of this matter indicated the unplanned release volume may have been closer to 10,000 cubic metres,” the regulator said a news release issued on Friday. “Suncor has also informed the AER that the unplanned release may have been in effect since June 2022 and believe the cause of the release is likely to be a faulty valve.”

Suncor has taken water quality samples of the pond, the results of which indicate the water spilled into the river was “within release criteria parameters for discharge,” the AER said.


The pond the water was released from “is not related to mining, extraction or tailings processes, and contains precipitation and snow melt water,” it said.

Suncor also offered reassurances on Saturday that the water in question posed no threat.

“This water does not come into contact with any processes on our site,” Suncor spokeswoman Jessica Depencier said in an emailed statement.

She said testing in 2022 and 2023 showed the water in the collection pond met regulatory release criteria, and Suncor has “no evidence indicating any of the water that may have been released would not have met regulatory requirements. ”

The regulator said it visited the site and found the valve is not currently leaking, adding it will be reviewing sampling data from June 2022 through to November 2023.

Depencier said the release was “potentially due to a valve that controls water flow from the pond to the river not being fully closed.” The company confirmed the valve was completely closed on Oct. 9.

She said Suncor company plans to “implement automated alarms to provide early awareness to changes in operating conditions.”

Suncor and the AER have informed communities and stakeholders in the area, the regulator said, and Environment and Climate Change Canada has also been notified.

— By Rosa Saba in Toronto
 

petros

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Nov 21, 2008
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Low Earth Orbit
Alberta Energy Regulator reports runoff spill at Suncor’s Fort Hills oilsands site
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Nov 25, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read

CALGARY — A spill of surface runoff from a containment pond at Suncor Energy’s Fort Hills oilsands site may have spanned more than a year, the Alberta Energy Regulator has announced.


The regulator said that on Oct. 9, the energy company reported an “unplanned release” of around 662 cubic metres from the pond adjacent to Fort Hills into the Athabasca River.


But on Nov. 24, Suncor informed the regulator that the spill was likely much larger than originally reported.

“… Further investigation of this matter indicated the unplanned release volume may have been closer to 10,000 cubic metres,” the regulator said a news release issued on Friday. “Suncor has also informed the AER that the unplanned release may have been in effect since June 2022 and believe the cause of the release is likely to be a faulty valve.”

Suncor has taken water quality samples of the pond, the results of which indicate the water spilled into the river was “within release criteria parameters for discharge,” the AER said.


The pond the water was released from “is not related to mining, extraction or tailings processes, and contains precipitation and snow melt water,” it said.

Suncor also offered reassurances on Saturday that the water in question posed no threat.

“This water does not come into contact with any processes on our site,” Suncor spokeswoman Jessica Depencier said in an emailed statement.

She said testing in 2022 and 2023 showed the water in the collection pond met regulatory release criteria, and Suncor has “no evidence indicating any of the water that may have been released would not have met regulatory requirements. ”

The regulator said it visited the site and found the valve is not currently leaking, adding it will be reviewing sampling data from June 2022 through to November 2023.

Depencier said the release was “potentially due to a valve that controls water flow from the pond to the river not being fully closed.” The company confirmed the valve was completely closed on Oct. 9.

She said Suncor company plans to “implement automated alarms to provide early awareness to changes in operating conditions.”

Suncor and the AER have informed communities and stakeholders in the area, the regulator said, and Environment and Climate Change Canada has also been notified.

— By Rosa Saba in Toronto
Athabasca River Conditions and Use - Alberta Environment

Flow estimate: 274 cubic metres per second.
 
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Twin_Moose

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Twin Moose Creek
Athabasca River Conditions and Use - Alberta Environment

Flow estimate: 274 cubic metres per second.
Even if the spill was from raw processing the dilution rate would be miniscule compared to the natural leaching from the oil sands bitumen into the water body that already exists
 
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spaminator

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Province of Alberta fires Chestermere mayor, three councillors
The government determined that removing three other councillors would not be justified

Author of the article:Michael Rodriguez
Published Dec 04, 2023 • Last updated 16 hours ago • 4 minute read

Following months of conflict, the Alberta government has made the rare move to fire four elected officials and three top officials at the City of Chestermere, while sparing three councillors due to their efforts to hold the others accountable.


Mayor Jeff Colvin, councillors Stephen Hanley, Mel Foat and Blaine Funk, and the city’s three chief administrative officers, Kim Wallace, Travis Fillier and Cam Wong — who for months have contested a provincial investigation of the city’s governance — were removed from office effective immediately on Monday via an order from Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver.


“I am confident this action is in the best interest of the citizens of Chestermere, who deserve to have trust and faith in their local government,” McIver said during an announcement Monday afternoon.

While the province had initially intended to remove the entirety of the 20,000-person city’s council, as outlined in an Oct. 18 letter from the minister to the city, McIver said councillors Sandy Johal-Watt, Shannon Dean and Ritesh Narayan will keep their jobs. He said dismissal for the three was “not justified,” given their work to hold council to account and move in a more positive direction.


While they won’t be removed from office, Johal-Watt, Dean and Narayan won’t play any role in the city’s governance until a byelection is held to fill the four now-vacant positions. The byelection will occur within six months, according to the ministerial order.


City failed to meet ‘bare minimum’ directives: minister
The dismissals come after more than a year of pushback by Colvin, his three supporting councillors and city administration against the province’s municipal inspection — which was launched in May 2022, partly due to complaints sent to the minister by Johal-Watt, Dean and Narayan. The months-long investigation identified multiple concerns with how the city was being run, including a strong division on council and overreach by elected officials into administrative duties, among several other instances of “irregular, improper and improvident” conduct.


McIver said issues with the city’s governance have persisted since the province handed the city 12 binding directives — intended as a corrective measure — in March following the inspection. The minister said the dismissal comes as a result of the city’s failure to adhere to those directives and the supervision of official administrator Douglas Lagore — installed in September 2022 to keep watch of the beleaguered council.

“The actions that the government was requiring of them through the directives represented the bare minimum of what any Albertan should reasonably expect from a municipal council,” McIver said.

The minister detailed the reasons for his decision in a 46-page document posted to the province’s website, several of which have been covered in previous Postmedia reports. He said council members and CAOs were given an opportunity to respond to his October letter, but after reviewing them, his concerns remained unresolved.


“The city left me no other reasonable choice. I cannot and will not allow a municipality in Alberta to continue to be managed in an irregular, improper and improvident manner,” he said.

Chestermere City Hall

Financial review among ‘first orders of business’
The province has appointed Lionel Patrick Vincent interim CAO and extended Lagore’s appointment as the official administrator. The two will run the city until the byelection, with Lagore essentially acting as the city’s council. McIver said the goal of the interim management will be to stabilize city administration and “get Chestermere’s house in order.”

“One of the first orders of business will be to undertake a financial review of the City of Chestermere,” he said. “I will be using my authority under the Municipal Government Act to order this review, which will be conducted by an independent accounting firm. The results of this review will be shared with the residents of Chestermere in advance of the byelection.”


The minister assured residents that municipal services will continue without interruption.

“To the people of Chestermere, rest assured your rec facilities will remain open, your roads will be plowed and your garbage will be collected. Normal work to serve you, the residents, continues for Chestermere city employees,” said McIver.

Fired officials had alleged inspection a conspiracy
Colvin, his majority bloc of council and city administration have repeatedly argued that the inspection — conducted by third-party municipal adviser George Cuff — was unfair and biased, and the city is challenging it in court via a judicial review launched in September. They’ve alleged the province called the inspection as a result of a conspiracy involving at least one sitting councillor, former city staffers and McIver.



Dean, Johal-Watt and Narayan have continuously opposed the city’s moves against the province, including on votes related to the judicial review.

Colvin, Hanley, Foat, Funk and the CAOs had moved to have the court impose a pre-emptive injunction on the dismissal order before it was issued, but that application was turned down last week. A second judicial review specific to the dismissal order or another bid for an injunction is expected now that the minister’s order has been issued.

Separately, if the current judicial review is successful, the dismissed council members and CAOs could be reinstated.

Postmedia attempted to reach Colvin on Monday afternoon but did not immediately receive a response.


mrodriguez@postmedia.com

X: @MichaelRdrguez
 

spaminator

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 26, 2009
37,237
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Alberta man took teenage daughter for abortion after impregnating her
The father, 51, pleaded guilty to a single charge of incest in connection with the seven-year sexual relationship


Author of the article:Kevin Martin
Published Dec 04, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read

Suicide threats were used by a central Alberta man to force his teenage daughter to maintain a years-long sexual relationship with him, court heard Monday.


And Crown prosecutor Kaitlyn Perrin said the unprotected intercourse the offender had with his daughter resulted in her getting pregnant at 15, after which he took her to get an abortion.


The father, 51, who can’t be named to protect his victim’s identity, pleaded guilty to a single charge of incest in connection with a seven-year sexual relationship he had with his biological daughter beginning in 2007, when she was 13 years old.

Perrin told Calgary Court of King’s Bench Justice Keith Yamauchi the illicit relationship continued until 2013, when the victim was 20 years old.

“The accused . . . is the biological father of the complainant,” Perrin said, reading from a statement of agreed facts signed by the offender and his lawyer.

“The accused groomed (his daughter) throughout the time of their sexual interactions and would treat (her) as if they were in a consensual sexual relationship,” Perrin said.

“The accused threatened to harm himself, or commit suicide, if (she) attempted to stop the sexual interactions or end the sexual relationship between them.”

The prosecutor said throughout his offending, the father never took steps to protect his victim from an unwanted pregnancy.

“During the sexual interactions between the accused and (the victim) the accused never wore a condom or took precautions against (her) becoming pregnant,” she told Yamauchi.

“In November of 2008 (she) became pregnant with the accused’s child,” Perrin said.

“The accused took (her) to a health clinic for her to have an abortion in November of 2008. (She) was 15 years old at the time of this abortion.”

When the prosecutor concluded reading the facts onto the record, Yamauchi asked the offender if he agreed with them.

“Yes,” the father replied.

The man’s lawyer asked the judge to order a psychiatric assessment on his client, noting he has had issues with schizophrenia and depression in the past, but indicated that didn’t diminish his blameworthiness for his crime.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
112,325
12,483
113
Low Earth Orbit
Alberta man took teenage daughter for abortion after impregnating her
The father, 51, pleaded guilty to a single charge of incest in connection with the seven-year sexual relationship


Author of the article:Kevin Martin
Published Dec 04, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read

Suicide threats were used by a central Alberta man to force his teenage daughter to maintain a years-long sexual relationship with him, court heard Monday.


And Crown prosecutor Kaitlyn Perrin said the unprotected intercourse the offender had with his daughter resulted in her getting pregnant at 15, after which he took her to get an abortion.


The father, 51, who can’t be named to protect his victim’s identity, pleaded guilty to a single charge of incest in connection with a seven-year sexual relationship he had with his biological daughter beginning in 2007, when she was 13 years old.

Perrin told Calgary Court of King’s Bench Justice Keith Yamauchi the illicit relationship continued until 2013, when the victim was 20 years old.

“The accused . . . is the biological father of the complainant,” Perrin said, reading from a statement of agreed facts signed by the offender and his lawyer.

“The accused groomed (his daughter) throughout the time of their sexual interactions and would treat (her) as if they were in a consensual sexual relationship,” Perrin said.

“The accused threatened to harm himself, or commit suicide, if (she) attempted to stop the sexual interactions or end the sexual relationship between them.”

The prosecutor said throughout his offending, the father never took steps to protect his victim from an unwanted pregnancy.

“During the sexual interactions between the accused and (the victim) the accused never wore a condom or took precautions against (her) becoming pregnant,” she told Yamauchi.

“In November of 2008 (she) became pregnant with the accused’s child,” Perrin said.

“The accused took (her) to a health clinic for her to have an abortion in November of 2008. (She) was 15 years old at the time of this abortion.”

When the prosecutor concluded reading the facts onto the record, Yamauchi asked the offender if he agreed with them.

“Yes,” the father replied.

The man’s lawyer asked the judge to order a psychiatric assessment on his client, noting he has had issues with schizophrenia and depression in the past, but indicated that didn’t diminish his blameworthiness for his crime.
There is an unopposed abortion. They do happen.
 

spaminator

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 26, 2009
37,237
3,230
113
Move over truckers, it's now Tucker's turn to save Canada from Trudeau's tyranny

Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published Jan 23, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read

First it was the truckers hoping to “liberate” Canada and now it’s The Tucker.


But be careful, Tucker Carlson, because they just might freeze your bank account.


Or throw you in jail for a long stretch without bail, bring out the horses or maybe even have the RCMP give you the David Menzies arrest treatment.

Seems American media star Tucker Carlson doesn’t care and has dared Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to respond – just one day out from the famous media commentator’s scheduled appearances in Calgary and in Edmonton on Wednesday.

It all started with the former Fox News host, who is now running his Tucker Carlson Network, going to Instagram to punk Trudeau by calling his office to leave a message that the mission to free Canada is on its way north this week.

“Yes, hi, I couldn’t understand the French part, but it’s Tucker Carlson calling from the United States, and I’d be grateful if you pass a message on to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. We are coming to Liberate Canada. We are coming to liberate Canada, and we’ll be there soon. Merci.”


The perfect prank call? Funny stuff?



Well, Canada is not always known for its sense of humour on stuff like this. That’s the kind of talk that brought in the Emergencies Act against the truckers in 2022. Some of those who protested Trudeau’s lockdown measures are either still in jail or before the courts.

But Carlson does not seem worried. In fact, he seems to be spoiling for a fight with Trudeau.

It’s not the first time.

In a documentary called O Canada, that was set to air before Fox fired Carlson in 2023, he teased, “For more than 100 years the United States has as a matter of official policy opposed dictatorships around the world. But what if tyranny arrived right next door? Would we liberate the people living under authoritarian rule as we have around the world?”


In this unaired documentary, Carlson interviewed arrested pastors, People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier and Rebel News journalists Alexa Lavoie and David Menzies about the brutal treatment they received from Canadian authority during the pandemic lockdowns.

A year ago, almost to the day, Carlson on Fox mused, “Why are we not sending an armed force north to liberate Canada from Trudeau? And I mean it.”

Of course, he’s only joking. Carlson loves using words to get a rise out of people not as enthusiastic about free speech as he is. He once debated then Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish on CNN after she was quoted of American’s saying, “I hate those bastards,” On X she later called Carlson a “completely sensational idiot.”


But Carlson has made the point that it’s not him that is the idiot but those letting Canada go down the road of communism.

“I’ve always loved Canada because of its natural beauty,” Carlson said last year on Fox News. “Why should we let it become Cuba. Why don’t we liberate it?”

Carlson loves all of this because it gets him what he is so good at achieving: Attention and ratings. On X alone he has more than 11 million followers. Always fun herself, Parrish, who may be running for mayor of Mississauga, has a little more than 5,000 followers while Trudeau has 6.5 million.

“See you there,” said Dr. Jordan Peterson on X, another person who has endured the wrath of the cancel crowd.

Tucker, who some believe could become Donald Trump’s running mate for vice president in November, knows how to drum up interest. His first comments about liberating Canada was him promoting his show. This time his appearances, in which he is scheduled to be joined on stage by Premier Danielle Smith, legendary commentator Rex Murphy and renowned and notorious author and businessman Conrad Black, are about selling tickets for his talks.


Sounds like fun. But not everybody laughs at Carlson’s humour and attempt to stir things up to drive the left nuts.

“You know, some people in Canada thought this was humorous and a joke,” former U.S. ambassador in the Obama era Bruce Heyman told the Associated Press last year. “But it was not a joke, because of the people that he attracts and inspires … I feel he was a dangerous actor.”

Yikes. That sounds ominous. America has said that about Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Moammar Gadhafi in Libya too.



And Canadians understand what words like that from government can mean. Canadians have seen zero-tolerance measures out of Ottawa before. Trudeauites, who are prepared to turn a blind eye to anything on the edge their hero may do, are less tolerant of others. In fact, for Carlson’s Alberta dates, there is actually a Change.org petition with almost 4,000 signatures trying to keep him from being let into the country.

“There’s still time for Prime Minister Trudeau to do the right thing and deny Tucker Carlson, a citizen of the United States, conspiracy theorist, active supporter of Vladmir Putin, promoter of racism and hate monger, supporter of the Jan. 6 insurrection, supporter of the rigged 2020 U.S. elections conspiracy, a visa to enter Canada,” it said.

related_links /]

Music to Tucker Carlson’s ears. His job is to bring in eyeballs and fill seats.

But Canada is also capable of keeping track of names and even seeing people fired for supporting causes like the Freedom Convoy. So, this week could be interesting in Calgary and Edmonton when The Tucker rolls into town to teach us about free speech and, perhaps, lightening up a bit too.

jwarmington@postmedia.com
 

Dixie Cup

Senate Member
Sep 16, 2006
5,931
3,734
113
Edmonton
Move over truckers, it's now Tucker's turn to save Canada from Trudeau's tyranny

Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published Jan 23, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read

First it was the truckers hoping to “liberate” Canada and now it’s The Tucker.


But be careful, Tucker Carlson, because they just might freeze your bank account.


Or throw you in jail for a long stretch without bail, bring out the horses or maybe even have the RCMP give you the David Menzies arrest treatment.

Seems American media star Tucker Carlson doesn’t care and has dared Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to respond – just one day out from the famous media commentator’s scheduled appearances in Calgary and in Edmonton on Wednesday.

It all started with the former Fox News host, who is now running his Tucker Carlson Network, going to Instagram to punk Trudeau by calling his office to leave a message that the mission to free Canada is on its way north this week.

“Yes, hi, I couldn’t understand the French part, but it’s Tucker Carlson calling from the United States, and I’d be grateful if you pass a message on to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. We are coming to Liberate Canada. We are coming to liberate Canada, and we’ll be there soon. Merci.”


The perfect prank call? Funny stuff?



Well, Canada is not always known for its sense of humour on stuff like this. That’s the kind of talk that brought in the Emergencies Act against the truckers in 2022. Some of those who protested Trudeau’s lockdown measures are either still in jail or before the courts.

But Carlson does not seem worried. In fact, he seems to be spoiling for a fight with Trudeau.

It’s not the first time.

In a documentary called O Canada, that was set to air before Fox fired Carlson in 2023, he teased, “For more than 100 years the United States has as a matter of official policy opposed dictatorships around the world. But what if tyranny arrived right next door? Would we liberate the people living under authoritarian rule as we have around the world?”


In this unaired documentary, Carlson interviewed arrested pastors, People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier and Rebel News journalists Alexa Lavoie and David Menzies about the brutal treatment they received from Canadian authority during the pandemic lockdowns.

A year ago, almost to the day, Carlson on Fox mused, “Why are we not sending an armed force north to liberate Canada from Trudeau? And I mean it.”

Of course, he’s only joking. Carlson loves using words to get a rise out of people not as enthusiastic about free speech as he is. He once debated then Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish on CNN after she was quoted of American’s saying, “I hate those bastards,” On X she later called Carlson a “completely sensational idiot.”


But Carlson has made the point that it’s not him that is the idiot but those letting Canada go down the road of communism.

“I’ve always loved Canada because of its natural beauty,” Carlson said last year on Fox News. “Why should we let it become Cuba. Why don’t we liberate it?”

Carlson loves all of this because it gets him what he is so good at achieving: Attention and ratings. On X alone he has more than 11 million followers. Always fun herself, Parrish, who may be running for mayor of Mississauga, has a little more than 5,000 followers while Trudeau has 6.5 million.

“See you there,” said Dr. Jordan Peterson on X, another person who has endured the wrath of the cancel crowd.

Tucker, who some believe could become Donald Trump’s running mate for vice president in November, knows how to drum up interest. His first comments about liberating Canada was him promoting his show. This time his appearances, in which he is scheduled to be joined on stage by Premier Danielle Smith, legendary commentator Rex Murphy and renowned and notorious author and businessman Conrad Black, are about selling tickets for his talks.


Sounds like fun. But not everybody laughs at Carlson’s humour and attempt to stir things up to drive the left nuts.

“You know, some people in Canada thought this was humorous and a joke,” former U.S. ambassador in the Obama era Bruce Heyman told the Associated Press last year. “But it was not a joke, because of the people that he attracts and inspires … I feel he was a dangerous actor.”

Yikes. That sounds ominous. America has said that about Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Moammar Gadhafi in Libya too.



And Canadians understand what words like that from government can mean. Canadians have seen zero-tolerance measures out of Ottawa before. Trudeauites, who are prepared to turn a blind eye to anything on the edge their hero may do, are less tolerant of others. In fact, for Carlson’s Alberta dates, there is actually a Change.org petition with almost 4,000 signatures trying to keep him from being let into the country.

“There’s still time for Prime Minister Trudeau to do the right thing and deny Tucker Carlson, a citizen of the United States, conspiracy theorist, active supporter of Vladmir Putin, promoter of racism and hate monger, supporter of the Jan. 6 insurrection, supporter of the rigged 2020 U.S. elections conspiracy, a visa to enter Canada,” it said.

related_links /]

Music to Tucker Carlson’s ears. His job is to bring in eyeballs and fill seats.

But Canada is also capable of keeping track of names and even seeing people fired for supporting causes like the Freedom Convoy. So, this week could be interesting in Calgary and Edmonton when The Tucker rolls into town to teach us about free speech and, perhaps, lightening up a bit too.

jwarmington@postmedia.com
While I couldn't afford to go see him, what I've seen of his comments are somewhat true & he does have a sense of humor that idiots like the Liberal MP in Edmonton Centre & Guilbault go right over their heads. He exaggerates with purpose to show how stupid & funny (?) things have gotten. They can't seem to see what he says without calling him a "bad actor" or "dangerous". He's a bloody pundit for gods sake. It's laughable that he would be a "good" VP.

He's expressing his views (blatantly), some of which I agree with. It's incredible how the left are sour on any humor at all. They're totally angry, hateful people. It's sad really.