Rather than say he supports remaining in Canada like other Danielle Smith ministers have, Transportation Min. Devin Dreeshen said the onus is on Ottawa to fight to keep Canada together. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

There is no expiration date on the Alberta paper health card. As per the one health ministry that rules them all, you can use that paper puppy for a while. If you want/need a new/renewed ID card/drivers licence, that’s when your “strong and free” status becomes NOT optional, with the fee.

Alberta's Smith says law will be enforced if separation vote spurs civil disobedience nationalnewswatch.com/2026/06/05/a...

From 2020 as “anarchy” was afoot. The bill, still on the books, was spurred by federal regs, and “the general atmosphere of lawlessness that we have seen take hold of parts of our country and much of our economic infrastructure in the past three weeks,” said Kenney at the time: l1nq.com/1ryprde

“If they’re ignoring courts, ignoring the rulings, it shows to me that they are lawless,” Treaty 8 Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi said of Smith’s UCP. Immediately brought to mind today was Kenney’s anti-protest law, the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act (2020): globalnews.ca/news/1189105...

Yeah. There’s that. There’s also some wiggle room in terms of the timeline. The Alberta government didn’t give a drop dead paper health card date. Nally expects the switch will take six years — no doubt because some people can renew driver’s licences for five years. Like now. Between now and July 2

Lest some Albertans take this statement from the premier's office to mean it's optional ... Dear reader, it is mandatory. www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/prairies_bc/...

Former judge — and UCP donor — tapped to chair new Alberta panel redrawing electoral boundaries UCP backbenchers claim the past donations doesn’t mean the former justice will bring partisanship to the job. By @reportrix.bsky.social: ca.news.yahoo.com/former-alber...

What a colourful opinion.

Holding a separation referendum in hopes it loses and the movement withers away, eh, Premier Smith? Ask a Brit or Quebecer how that turns out. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... by me

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith blames Liberal MPs, NDP leader Avi Lewis, and unnamed leaders in BC, for the national unity crisis that erupted after she announced a secession referendum: www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alber... w @mattscace.bsky.social

Alberta must be ‘at the centre’ of making Canada better, Carney says globalnews.ca/news/1186022... Find out more at nationalnewswatch.com

Smith says Alberta separatists should aim to win fall vote and respect the result nationalnewswatch.com/2026/05/22/s...

I'm so very pooped. @jack-farrell.bsky.social w/ reaction from Stay Free Alberta's Jeff Rath on Smith today. “I think Danielle just kicked over a hornet’s nest,” Rath said in an interview. “It remains to be seen whether she’s still premier come September.” www.timescolonist.com/national-new...

If the past is any indication, you will likely see a flood of misinformation about this, if you haven't already. Here is the #ableg committee meeting today in full: www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8SA...

We could see the Alberta government call a referendum tomorrow when the committee comes back at 2pm. The Lukaszuk question, you ask? From the retracted UCP release: "Albertans will be informed once Cabinet has decided whether a question will proceed to a referendum and what that question will be."

Been covering #ableg just 'bout 7 years now and I've never seen any caucus release a statement announcing a decision before the vote. UCP caucus then said: "We would like to clarify that the previous statement was inadvertently distributed in eror (sic). Please disregard the earlier communication."

Something from me with retirement looming: A Substack, with some advice for reporters interested in covering politics. #mbpoli substack.com/@stevelamber...

Eight of us weigh in on the court's separatist petition ruling. thewalrus.ca/alberta-sepa...

Tight read, some intriguing forward looking analysis. Thought I had absorbed all the referendum talk this province could offer and then comes this reference to Napoleon’s plebiscites of authoritarianism. Missed opportunity for certain X accounts to make AI of Smith in Napoleonic war gear on a horse

When Events Demand A Flowchart open.substack.com/pub/lisayoun...

Must listen if you haven’t already - big ups to @jack-farrell.bsky.social who brings important context and facts to the discussion on the #ableg separatism court decision

Smith: "We think that this decision is incorrect in law and anti-democratic, and we will be appealing it." Nenshi, on Smith (maybe) sidestepping and calling a ballot Q anyways: "They cannot do it without defying the law." From @jack-farrell.bsky.social www.timescolonist.com/alberta-news...

This is being overshadowed with the petition news, but Elections Alberta confirmed today it actually thinks ‘thousands’ accessed the leaked voter list, not just the 566 it sent cease-and-desist letters too last week. From me & @reportrix.bsky.social: www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/prairies_bc/...

Late night statement hit the inbox from a lawyer for David Parker asserting Elections Alberta is pushing a false narrative about his participation in the Alberta voter list leak investigation. Here’s statement in full:

ICYMI: Elections Alberta received ** two ** tips that the Centurion Project may have had unauthorized access to Alberta's list of electors and twice said it did not have enough info to launch an investigation: www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alber... w @mattscace.bsky.social

Separatist organizer David Parker is stonewalling investigators following allegations his org misused Alberta's list of electors www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alber... w @mattscace.bsky.social

Another great piece from @rwarnica.bsky.social. Gift link*: www.thestar.com/gift-redeem?... *Please subscribe to the Toronto Star, the Globe, the National Observer, and other outlets. Great journalism is expensive, and democracy isn't free.

Trying to blast through all this coverage from the Star this morning almost made me late for work. It's a must read -- all of it.

Shortly before this story went to bed, a spokesman told me Sylvestre did not literally mean much of what he said. I sent his team almost 30 fact checking questions and in at least 11, the spokesman said Sylvestre was speaking rhetorically, not literally.

Scott Sinclair has rejoined Alberta's UCP caucus — not long after voting for a public inquiry into alleged gov health care corruption and criticizing the UCP for being a “separatist party.” He says he regrets that now. By @reportrix.bsky.social: www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/sports/alber...

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been granted security clearance to receive briefings from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, her office confirmed. From @jack-farrell.bsky.social today globalnews.ca/news/1183942...

Alberta Premier Smith is criticizing the Opposition NDP for not telling her about a massive privacy breach involving a website after the site was demonstrated in a meeting attended by one of her caucus staffers. From @reportrix.bsky.social and me today: www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/politics/alb...

Elections Alberta says over 550 people accessed the database with the leaked personal info of nearly 3 million people under investigation. And Alberta’s privacy watchdog now says she’ll be doing her own probe too. From me and @reportrix.bsky.social: www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/prairies_bc/...

“Get a grip man.” Premier Smith's adviser speaks about staffer at separatist meeting, Alberta voter list breach- and pushes back against NDP claims www.westernwheel.ca/alberta-news...

NEW: What I learned spending Monday outside the closed-door Alberta Christian Leadership Summit, formerly known as the Premier’s Christian Summit. thetyee.ca/News/2026/05...

Alberta UCP staff attended meeting about voter database before app was shut down UCP says staff didn’t know database wasn’t above board — NDP leader Nenshi says premier must’ve known sooner than she’s claimed. From me & @reportrix.bsky.social: www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/politics/alb...

Latest Janet Brown poll shows that Nenshi is ranking behind Danielle Smith, even among all the groups Notley dominated: Edmontonians, women, seniors… all except the minority of Albertans with graduate degrees. But no, NDP knives aren’t out for him: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... by me

Elections Alberta issued a statement this morning about the alleged inappropriate access and use of the official voters list. Very unusual that Elections Alberta would even comment on this — it shows they are taking these allegations very seriously.

SCOOP: I attended the launch of David Parker’s Centurion Project last night. I happened to step outside when an Elections Alberta investigator and the cops arrived. open.substack.com/pub/theorcha...

First the scandal, then surveillance. Last year, someone harassed and followed people who spoke out about an Alberta procurement controversy – and a journalist who told their story. Who was behind it? by @tuthanhha.bsky.social Thanh Ha www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... @theglobeandmail.com

Committee chair and UCP backbencher Brandon Lunty (yes, he is the chair of two major legislative committees in the spotlight today) told reporters he’s going to make sure they can co-ordinate a schedule as soon as possible, but he didn’t commit to a deadline. www.thestar.com/news/canada/...

UCP MLA Lunty, committee chair overseeing the new review, said he was disappointed the NDP would politicize it and frame it "in a way that risks undermining the confidence in a process that is clearly designed to establish and prioritize the independence of the advisory panel." tinyurl.com/mry7w2hx

Researchers have been watching this network of YouTube accounts for awhile--the accounts post regularly, push a consistent message and if one goes down, another pops up. They've now turned attention to Alberta separation, and US annexation. www.thestar.com/news/investi...

Alberta premier rejects Opposition claims UCP interfering on electoral boundaries Commissioner Susan Samson says “something or someone” sure did, but she doesn’t expect to ever learn the truth. www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/prairies_bc/...

The Canadian Press attended and took photos and recorded video of the event. In the full video, Carney does not make the comments attributed to him in the clip, nor does he discuss Alberta separatism at any point.

This is the scrum with Brandon Lunty and reporters today in the Alberta legislature. He’s the UCP MLA tasked with overseeing the Alberta government’s re-do of the Electoral Boundaries commission report, with the help of a new panel.

Another @jack-farrell.bsky.social appreciation post: the UCP messaging today really focused on the importance of establishing 91 ridings (as opposed to the current 87). The track to 89 that we were once on was laid in 2024, by the UCP. Read this throwback www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/prairies_bc/...

The (previous) #ableg electoral boundaries commission report is a bit of a beast, and there was some real spin today. But I have @jack-farrell.bsky.social -- if you want to understand what happened and what's changing, this piece takes you by the hand www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/prairies_bc/...