If Danielle Smith tries calling her own separation referendum, a judge could declare it invalid because of lack of First Nations consultation — once again. For the third time. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... by me

Radio-Canada: It seems that you're prepared to make many concessions for Danielle Smith. Would you go as far as if there wasn't the threat of a referendum? Are you trying to build a pipeline to guarantee national unity? Is that what you're trying to do? PM Carney: In one word, no, no, and no.

One in 5 new cars in BC, where EVs are subsidized. One in 20 in Alberta, where EVs face a special yearly tax

NEW: Seattle might declare a civil emergency to help LGBTQ (mostly trans) people fleeing red states, so I looked for a Texas angle. An organizer told me that Texas is #1 among trans people looking to relocate: "The baseline hostility to their existence is unbearable." www.chron.com/culture/arti...

How is this not @acoyne.bsky.social’s column title

Looks like premier has already done some consulting and has received some career advice.

Premier Danielle Smith says government will appeal too, questions judge's legal reasoning and says it's "antidemocratic." And will talk to cabinet about next steps (i.e. calling referendum as government). Wants the petitioners' voice to be heard.

Stay Free Alberta intends to appeal the decision quashing their referendum petition. Don't know if that could be heard by Oct 19, separatists' hoped-for referendum day

Rollercoaster afternoon for separatists.

HUGE: Alberta judge quashes the separatists' referendum petition, in major victory for Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and Blackfoot confederation. Justice Shaina Leonard: "the Crown failed to meet its duty to consult"

A reminder apropos the seemingly imminent Alberta-Ottawa announcement that it won’t actually be a pipeline deal, unless a proponent has suddenly materialized. It’ll be a deal to set the conditions for a pipeline (and various other forms of investment).

Labour is already at the live-Whatsapping of closed cabinet meetings to journalists stage of decline

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

The City of Ottawa posted the raw speed data from before and after Doug Ford banned speed cameras and the effect is so obvious it's not even necessary put a line marking when that happened. This chart shows the percentage of drivers going 15km/h or more over the posted limit.

60 Labour MPs calling for Starmer to go would be like 26 Liberal MPs (15% of caucus) calling on Carney to go. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Peak Edmonton

2025: Alberta passes law to prohibit any public bodies from selling personal information for any reason. 2026: Alberta passes law to exempt itself from that law if it sells its newish online casino Play Alberta. @jantafrench.bsky.social reports: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

[temple of the dog voice] Zohran Mamdani

Seven people died from poisoned Tylenol in 1982, and for more than 4 decades every pill in America has been sold in tamper proof bottles.

Siri tries to predict the next word

Man, given …all of history… it would be something if the Welsh voted for independence before Scotland and Northern Ireland did.

Alberta separatism getting attention in US. It was covered today on NPR's Here and Now... but sheeeeesh couldn't they find a better person to speak about it? www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...

I break down the saga of separatists, voter list abuse and an ever-spiralling mess that's emerged on today's Front Burner pod. The FB team NAILED the episode's title. www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-p...

Amazing work from Richard, and more evidence that COVID drove everyone absolutely insane

While Hoven felt he had to leave his the board of his local chamber of commerce amid the Centurion Project mess, he’s staying as director of Bow Valley Credit Union, whose CEO has done events with another key separatist group. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

NEW: Key figure in Centurion Project has resigned as head of a business group, days after privacy breach investigations launched. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

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.

Canadians Must Read This.

Calgary city council's infrastructure committee just voted 7 - 4 in favour of eliminating the CTrain free fare zone. It will now go to council later this month for a final decision. If approved by council, the free fare zone would be eliminated August 1. #yyccc

NEW: Key figure in Centurion Project has resigned as head of a business group, days after privacy breach investigations launched. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Shocking case here: an Alberta judge sentenced a man to 4 years in prison for cutting off a woman's finger & forcing her to eat it. Court of Appeal found the sentencing decision was rife with errors, including "character assassination" of the Indigenous victim edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/a...

Superb choice as Canada's next Governor-General - Louise Arbour is an extremely principled person. I met her 20 years ago in the Gaza Strip, of all places... www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/p...

Ashley MacIsaac claims Google’s AI overview falsely stated he’s a registered sex offender www.cbc.ca/lite/story/9...

Massive congrats to my old Hamilton elementary school classmate Caissie Levy on her first Tony Award nomination for her role in Ragtime. I knew you were due from the moment I heard you belt a Hebrew version of Fame’s “Out Here On My Own” at Camp Ramah

Jen Gerson: “If she doesn’t, well, then, what we have here is a woman who is willing to put her personal ambitions and her party ahead of the safeguarding of the nation, and the rest of Canada ought to know how to regard her.” www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

The Canadian Association of Journalists is growing, and now we are looking for an extra Alberta-based director! Nominate yourself or someone excellent for our Calgary/Edmonton vacancy. Would be dreamy if we had an Edmontonian join us, tbh caj.ca/about/our-te...

"Sir this *isn't* a Wendy's."

Today’s front pages 10 years ago

So true.

Urban nerd win: led my Jane’s Walk, “The Calgary That Could Have Been” this morn. Among the 50ish walkers, one woman brought along her original copy of the 1914 Mawson Plan that pitched Calgary as a “Vienna on the Bow.” She found it at an antique store in Aberdeen, Scotland, for £20 in the 1980s

Having all the cards in Uno is bad, let’s remember.

In totally unsurprising news, Richard Dawkins is developing AI psychosis. Paywall bypass: archive.is/6RdK9

Organizers of next week's Christian political conference that Danielle Smith is headlining has quietly changed its name from "Premier's Annual Christian Summit" to remove "premier" from it. Spot the difference!

Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Grogu My Dinner with Andre and Grogu When Harry Met Sally and Grogu Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze & Grogu

NEW: Separatist group behind the petition drive distances itself from separatist group ordered by court to take a list of every Alberta voter from its activism website.

RCMP confirms they're investigating the leak of most Albertans' names/home addresses to the Centurion Project separatist group. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...