Charles Rusnell

@charlesrusnell.bsky.social

7683 Followers 1260 Following

Independent investigative journalist in Edmonton, Alberta. Ex Ottawa Citizen, Edmonton Journal, Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Contact in confidence at journalismtips@protonmail.com

Photo of a share certificate from the Alberta Land Consortium Inc. granting the owner one share of Class A preferred voting stock.
Those would include the antisemitic cluster on the left of his party, the kind of people who cheered the murder, rape and torture of Jews that was committed by Hamas on and after Oct. 7, 2023.
The power of the less power starts with honesty. [Carney returns to speaking in English] It seems that every day we're reminded that we live in an era of great power rivalry, that the rules based order is fading, that the strong can do what they can, and the weak must suffer what they must. And this aphorism of Thucydides is presented as inevitable, as the natural logic of international relations reasserting itself. And faced with this logic, there is a strong tendency for countries to go along to get along, to accommodate, to avoid trouble, to hope that compliance will buy safety. Well, it won't.
Nichols said the investigation is more complex because Alberta’s Animal Protection Act exempts rodeo and chuckwagon events from the legislation’s distress provisions when they are conducted in accordance with reasonable and generally accepted practices.
Barber and Lich received 18-month conditional sentences that will allow them to serve 12 months at home with limited outings, then six months under a curfew in addition to 100 hours of community service, CBC and the Toronto Star reported.
As another example, the report points out AIMCo invested $45 million in Whitecap Resources. The report notes Whitecap CEO Grant Fagerheim donated $4,000 to the UCP in 2018. Last year, Fagerheim sent a memo to employees warning Alberta could separate from Canada if Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives lost the election.
Screen capture from Govt of Alberta sole source contract site showing The Western Standard received a $60,000 two year contract for "content."
Wesley sees that tactic at play in Alberta. “Part of the goal of flood-the-zone strategies, like the UCP is orchestrating, is to wear down opponents and make them feel like there is no alternative but the government’s agenda, and as a result, you either shut up or ship out.”
To Stelfox it’s no secret why government and industry have resisted adopting proper cumulative effects assessments on data centres. They “fear that its methodological outcome would reveal the magnitude of environmental liabilities, and that this knowledge might interfere with capital investment or economic growth.”
Recent polling conducted for Global News shows 56 per cent of Albertans disapprove of the job Smith is doing and 58 per cent disapprove of her handling of the issue of Alberta’s potential separation from Canada. Why then is Smith ramming through her unpopular agenda — inviting charges of gerrymandering and pandering to separatists — while ignoring evident conflicts of interest? “Some observers think that the UCP doesn’t care what the public thinks about them,” University of Alberta political scientist Jared Wesley said. “I’m more persuaded that the UCP don’t think the public cares, and there is a difference between those two.” Wesley said the UCP may think the timing of the referendum, with at least 10 questions, will distract people. image atom ‘This Is Just a Plan to Cheat, Pure and Simple’ READ MORE “I think they feel like this flood-the-zone strategy will help them to hide things like a gerrymandered map, if that is what they choose to do,” he said.
Paramedics now say that, as call volumes have increased without staffing keeping pace, the borderless system has evolved into a backstop in which ambulances from rural Alberta are routinely pulled into urban areas, sometimes leaving their communities without coverage. Sometimes the pull into urban areas is gradual, a “stairstep” into city limits: the ambulance will be dispatched to a call close to a city, then “stood down” because a closer ambulance is assigned. But before they can return to their community, they are tagged on another city call. At a certain point they are inevitably the closest available ambulance for city emergencies and are assigned call after call. One rural paramedic likened it to the pull of a “black hole.” “You’re trying to use all of your energy to get away,” he said. Recently, when supervisors took his truck out of service so he and his partner could take their break, they instead drove as fast as they could away from the city, “far enough that there may be another truck closer than [us] when a call comes in.” Several paramedics said it’s difficult some days to take a break, even to go to the bathroom. One rural paramedic described return trips from Calgary where he and his partner were so exhausted that it was no longer safe, and they had to pull over and sleep for 45 minutes.
The University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy has been selected to conduct an independent analysis of the potential economic impacts of secession so that Albertans can make an informed decision. The report will give voters a better understanding of the estimated transition costs, economic impacts, potential savings and risks that could result if the province pursued this constitutional change. “Albertans deserve clear and credible information on the potential impacts of separation. This is a huge decision that will impact our kids and grandkids long into the future, and we cannot approach it lightly.” Jason Nixon, President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance “The University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy is pleased to conduct this analysis to provide a better understanding of the estimated transition costs, economic effects, potential benefits and other economic implications of secession that would impact Albertans. We appreciate the independence and control over our work and final report.” Martha Hall Findlay, director, School of Public Policy, and James S. and Barbara A. Palmer Chair in Public Policy, University of Calgary Alberta’s government has also appointed an expert advisory panel that will provide input and act as a consultative body for both the School of Public Policy and government throughout the process. While the panel will offer input, the school will retain full and independent control over the final report. Economist Dr. Jack Mintz will lead the panel, joined by Ted Morton, political scientist and former Alberta finance minister; Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta; Alex Pourbaix, board chair of Cenovus Energy Inc. and Janice MacKinnon, former Saskatchewan finance minister. “Albertans need to know and understand the potential impacts of separating from Canada. This work is highly complex, carried out by researchers at the School of Public Policy. The advisory council will provide feedback to ensure that …
Description Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors (“TEC” or the “Province”) is exploring opportunities to enhance regional air connectivity for the Province of Alberta through potential future regional air service initiatives. The objective of this RFEI is to collect information regarding regional air connectivity services and potential service models that may support improved air access between Alberta communities and major Alberta hub airports at Edmonton and Calgary. The Province is seeking information from regional air carriers and other aviation operators regarding operational feasibility, potential route opportunities, service models, funding considerations, and other factors relevant to supporting regional air connectivity serving the Province of Alberta. This RFEI is intended for information gathering and market sounding purposes only and does not constitute a competitive procurement process or commitment by the Province to proceed with any future procurement opportunity, funding agreement, or contract award. Information gathered through this Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) process may assist the Province in determining the scope, structure, requirements, and potential approach associated with future regional air connectivity initiatives or procurement opportunities.
Today, Elections Alberta is launching the largest electoral event worker recruitment campaign in Alberta's history and one of the largest referendum recruitment efforts ever undertaken in Canada ahead of the province's upcoming referendum on October 19, 2026. With ten ballot questions, Elections Alberta will print 45 million ballots, far exceeding the 1.8 million ballots cast in Alberta’s 2023 provincial general election and the 19.8 million ballots cast in Canada’s 2025 federal general election. To achieve the 48-hour deadline to complete the unofficial ballot count, a minimum of 60,000 workers will be required. “This referendum will be a colossal undertaking and requires Albertans to work together to deliver the upcoming referendum. Working with us in the coming months provides a great opportunity for students, teams, community groups, and Albertans from all walks of life to get involved in the democratic process,” said Gordon McClure, Chief Electoral Officer.
“(Albertans) have been telling us they have too many pieces of ID in their wallet,” Nally said. “Frankly, their health care card is often disintegrating.
Dan Storyev: Ruchnoye upravleniye, the manual control. It's a newer term. It comes from Putin-era Russia, whereas chelobitye goes back to the times of Ivan the Terrible. Chelobitye literally means you're bowing so hard that you strike your head on the floor. In Russia, you see it all the time where people who need something as basic as having their road paved in their city, they essentially have to record these teary messages to Vladimir Putin asking him to intervene and do something about this.
Mount Royal University political scientist Lori Williams said Smith finally has been forced to take a side. “Danielle Smith was trying to have it both ways: trying to keep the separatists from challenging her leadership, trying to keep them from splitting off and creating a new party and trying to stay onside with the federalists.” “But she has finally realized that she has to take a stand,” Williams said. Or perhaps she has realized, Williams said, that the separatist leaders who have been threatening a coup — Jeff Rath, Mitch Sylvestre, David Parker and others associated with the Alberta Prosperity Project — “are not as influential or as well organized or connected as they have claimed.” “And so maybe she thinks she can get away with taking a stand now, as many have suggested she would have been forced to eventually,” Williams said.
They still don’t get it. Almost 10 years ago, after the Northern Gateway pipeline’s approval was overturned by the Federal Court of Appeal because of the federal government’s failure to properly consult First Nations, the oil and gas industry and their political proxies have yet to learn its key lesson. Rather than trying to understand what the court was saying, they instead retconned its ruling into a purely political decision Justin Trudeau made to deliberately frustrate their economic ambitions — and dined out on that for a decade. The bill for that meal is about to come due, though, because they’re about to make the same mistake with the next proposed oil pipeline to the north coast that they made with the first.
Danielle Smith speaks to a crowd of well-dressed people in a mansion.
Sworn statutory declaration in which Alberta Prosperity Project co-leader Mitch Sylvestre says they confirmed there are more 300K signatures on the referendum petition.
They’re conservative elites who play themselves off as grassroots victims of that toxic dynamic between oil country and The Rest; they’re wealthy lawyers, local business bosses, political power brokers, academic enablers, and media gatekeepers. They operate by exploiting the alienated, the frustrated, the angry, and the insane in order to inch themselves one rung further up a sinking chain. And this incestuous little crew, regardless of how the vote goes, they are going to make out like bandits. Let me tell you, none of these separatists leaders or their enablers care one whit what happens to house prices or the Albertan economy or the enmity or hatred that will be fomented as a result of the chaos they are courting. These local elites have given no consideration to the risks or impacts of foreign interference. They have no serious plan for what happens if a referendum vote succeeds — or fails. They don’t give a shit. They’ll get theirs — the connections they’re building, the profile they’ll build, the email lists they’re creating, the money they’ll raise through crowdfunding. All of it will roll right next into the next cause, and the one after that. Yeehaw. These people are children poisoned by cynicism and self-regard running an ugly little grift and ordinary Albertans will foot the bill in the long run. And they can do this because our elected leaders have let them do it. They’ve allowed themselves to become beholden to this crew. They pander to them, in fact.
March 5, 2026 X post by David Parker in which he says; "Nothing is more laughable to me than the idea that Canadians think we are going to wait for them to tell us whether independence is 'legal' or now. We have American backing us, you fools."
The activities in question, according to the report, range from covert influence campaigns run by countries such as Russia, China and others to foment discord inside the province to public remarks and actions by the Trump administration to encourage Alberta separatists, including meeting with their representatives in Washington. A third category involves online content mills producing AI-generated YouTube videos for profit, stoking and clouding the debate with falsehoods and narratives designed to deepen divisions.
Even as public safety and privacy experts issue dire warnings, and the opposition point the finger of blame at the UCP’s shortsighted structuring of the Elections Act, Smith, who is on a trade mission in the United Kingdom, said that her government is aware of the potential breach and that those responsible must be held accountable. Lennox, the former RCMP intelligence manager, said Smith’s response was totally inadequate. “The minute it became known, the premier should have been on TV or on radio assuring Albertans that the data leak will be traced to the ends of the earth,” he said. “She should have said that searchable databases of their information will be taken down instantly, and any copies of that data will be hunted down with every ounce of their powers and resources.”
“It is also interesting that the members opposite are relying upon an article in The Globe and Mail from Carrie Tait,” he said.
“Listen, Mr. Speaker, I will take Carrie Tait’s writings as seriously as I take dietary advice from Jabba the Hutt,” he finished, referring to the rather rotund gangster from the Star Wars films.
Lennox said that while academic researchers are not going to draw a straight line to U.S. financiers or MAGA influencers, “any common-sense reading of that report would understand it to be for an influence job.” “I think if you just look at it more broadly, it suggests that there is very clearly an American-led attempt to normalize and amplify the idea of Alberta becoming the 51st state of the U.S. annexation. And the co-ordination effort is so obvious.”
When Justice Leonard asked whether the Prosperity Project had disclosed its financial contributions, Ms. Keliher deferred to Elections Alberta lawyer Joseph Redman. He said the elections agency has had “concerns” regarding acquiring records in investigations related to the funding of independence activities.
Asked by Justice Leonard whether Elections Alberta had information about the Prosperity Project’s funding specifically, Mr. Redman said: “I don’t think I could say that we know nothing. I think that there are records that have been requested that have not been provided.”
The Alberta Prosperity Project did not respond to a request for comment.
On X, Marty Belanger, separatist darling, retiree and self-described “unacceptable fact checker,” wrote, “I’ll admit that I’ve become racists [sic] in the last year. I’m sick and tired of all these immigrants from sh*thole countries invading us, and I’m letting them know at every opportunity. You’re not welcome here. Mot [sic] all cultures are compatible with each other.” The Western Standard was so repulsed by Belanger’s racism they gave him his own talk show.
Fraser called the actions of the EPS “reprehensible” and made it clear that he also felt threatened and that the police may have crossed the line into criminality. “The veiled threat that they may release more information about this matter if they are not happy about the sentence I impose comes dangerously close, and may actually cross the line, into an attempt to wilfully obstruct, pervert, or defeat the course of justice in a judicial proceeding,” Fraser said in his ruling.
Photo of the graffiti and art-covered walls of Bon's Off Broadway in East Vancouver.
News Release - Minister of Municipal Affairs Dan Williams will announce proposed changes to strengthen standards of conduct for municipal officials.
“The trust is completely destroyed,” she said, adding that she also no longer trusts the UCP government and its leader, Danielle Smith. “If you’re in construction like we are, it is a huge disappointment to know that our leadership would just give away our money for what were worthy projects, and then wash their hands of it when they’re not completed and when hard-working Albertans are not paid. “It is egregious and we just can’t trust leadership that doesn’t have the gumption to enforce accountability and to enforce the monitoring of taxpayers’ money to ensure that it is being used in the manner that was intended. “That shows you have no backbone, and I can’t trust you, and you’re not a leader, you’re a follower.”
Mr. Jaber was appointed to Invest Alberta’s board at the behest of the Premier’s Office, according to records obtained by The Globe through an access to information request.
In a series of e-mails, government staff discuss Mr. Jaber’s potential appointment. In an e-mail dated Oct. 26, 2023, one official wrote that the Premier’s Office “has indicated this is a priority for immediate action.” Mr. Jaber was appointed to the board by an order-in-council signed by the Premier four weeks later. His term is set to expire next January.
Invest Alberta declined to comment.
The Premier in the summer of 2024 confirmed that Jaberson & Associates furnished her office with tickets to watch the Edmonton Oilers play the Vancouver Canucks in British Columbia during the NHL playoffs that year. Mr. Mraiche joined Ms. Smith in a box suite to watch the game, a photo taken by The Canadian Press shows.
Excerpt from a story on Skypalace with a photo of the building. Wildrose Opposition Leader Danielle Smith said this is entitlement at its worst. "I think this is an example of a government that is totally out of touch with the priorities of Albertans," Smith said. I don't know how much of this can be scaled back," she said. "I don't know how much money we can save at this point. But it is an absolute disgrace that with all of the pressure the government has been under financially, and all of the competing priorities, that this is where they felt taxpayer money ought to have been spent. I think this says a lot about the government."
US considers withholding HIV Aid unless Zambia expands minerals access
Zelenskyy: During the war, everybody has problems, even you, but you have nice ocean and don't feel now, but you will feel it in the future. God bless you. Trump: Don't tell us what we're going to feel. We're trying to solve a problem. Don't tell us what we're going to feel. Zelenskyy: I'm not telling you Trump: You're in no position to dictate that. You're in no position to dictate what we're going to feel. Zelenskyy: You are going to feel the influence. Trump: We're going to feel very good and very strong. Zelenskyy: You are going to feel the influence. Trump: You're right now not in a very good position. You've allowed yourself to be in a very bad position, and he happens to be right about... Zelenskyy: From the very beginning of the war... Trump: You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now
Post by Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean - ALBERTA Oil is the most ETHICALLLY and RESPONSIBLY produced OIL in the WORLD!
Celebrating Alberta newcomers March 04, 2026 Media inquiries Nominations are open for the 2026 Alberta Immigrant Impact Awards, recognizing newcomers’ contributions to making the province a better place to call home. Alberta is home to people from cultures and backgrounds that span the world, many of whom have made significant contributions to their communities through excellence in their profession or field. Through charitable work, entrepreneurship, innovation, artistic expression and more, Alberta is strengthened by the immigrants who have chosen to make the province their home. The Alberta Immigrant Impact Awards were created to recognize the achievements and excellence of foreign-born Albertans, regardless of the time they have spent in the province. Albertans are encouraged to nominate immigrant youth, entrepreneurs, academics, artists, athletes, professionals and community builders for an Alberta Immigrant Impact Award in recognition of their accomplishments. “The contributions of immigrants have a vital impact on Alberta’s success and keeping it a welcome place for all. Whether through supporting businesses, driving innovation or volunteering in their communities, it is important to recognize and celebrate the positive impact newcomers have on our province.” Muhammad Yaseen, Associate Minister of Multiculturalism Nominations are evaluated on criteria such as the nominee’s overall contribution, how their actions fulfilled a need and affected others and how they demonstrated leadership and originality when problem-solving. Nominations are open from March 3 until noon on May 12, and an event will be held in fall 2026 to recognize the recipients of the Alberta Immigrant Impact Awards.
Tkachuk played in the Americans’ victory over Canada at the Winter Olympics on Sunday, which secured the US men their first gold medal since 1980. In the wake of that win, the White House’s TikTok account published video of Tkachuk saying: “They booed our national anthem, so I had to come out and teach those maple syrup eating fuckers a lesson.” Tkachuk never said those words and the video, which has had more than 10m views, is labelled as AI-generated. Kendall Coyne Schofield, left, and Hilary Knight celebrate the US team's gold medal win. US hockey star Hilary Knight responds to Trump’s ‘distasteful joke’ about women’s team Read more “Well, it’s clearly fake, because it’s not my voice, not my lips moving,” Tkachuk said on Thursday. “I’m not in control of any of those accounts. I know that those words would never come out of my mouth. So, I can’t do anything about it.”
The Liberal immigration minister, Lena Diab, is failing Canadians. Mark Carney personally appointed this Liberal immigration minister, and now her own colleagues are questioning her competence. The Liberal government's immigration crisis has already wrecked Canada’s healthcare system, blown up the housing market, and taken job opportunities from Canadians. This is why Conservatives are calling on Mark Carney to: IMMEDIATELY FIRE his incompetent immigration minister! We should be putting our youth first as they face down an unemployment crisis, yet the Liberals are expanding immigration streams that push our young people further away from jobs. Join Conservatives in calling on Mark Carney to FIRE Lena so we can restore order to Canada’s once world renowned immigration system that the Liberals destroyed. Thank you for standing up for Canadians. Team Pierre
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government signed a $70-million deal to import children’s pain relief medication from Turkey in 2022 despite expert advice that the province ask Ottawa to take the lead to avoid the risk of a “significant net loss of funds,” according to briefing documents obtained by The Globe and Mail.
Briefing notes prepared by Alberta Health officials in November, 2022, for then-health minister Jason Copping and Ms. Smith outlined three options to import five million bottles of pediatric ibuprofen and acetaminophen from Atabay Pharmaceuticals amid a North American shortage for children’s pain relievers. The documents detailed the downsides of each path.
The government chose the riskiest option: to sign a deal to import medicine before receiving regulatory clearance from Health Canada, despite warnings that the province could be left on the hook for a product that would no longer be needed or would not be approved.
"“Alberta’s” taxpayers are like every other taxpayers in the country: they pay provincial taxes, and they pay federal taxes. Within Alberta, the provincial government redistributes that money, literally “subsidizing” rural areas, people who need healthcare, etc. The money we all pay into the federal level does the same thing.
Audrey Macklin is an immigration scholar at the University of Toronto faculty of law, where she is also the Rebecca Cook chair in human rights law. Populist politicians in Canada have used immigration, and established immigrants willing to criticize new immigrants, as a tool of deflection for more than 100 years, she said. “Anti-immigration is always a cheap and available tactic for populist governments,” said Macklin, who was born and raised in Edmonton and took her first degree at the University of Alberta. “It is an easy way to blame some other people for the challenges that are faced at any given moment,” she added, but particularly when a government is facing financial challenges due to such variables as the structural changes in the global economy.
“People have said the Klein government was the high-water mark for mismanaging the health-care system,” Hardcastle said. “But honestly, I think that Premier [Danielle] Smith is giving him a run for his money in terms of failure to address obvious problems, and bringing in reforms that are not evidence based.” “If we look back in history, she is certainly among the worst in the last many decades, if not the worst.”
If the county is using its resources, it could be considered a valued contribution, and municipalities are not eligible to make a contribution. Examples are: use of a computer, furniture, or car, promotional items and materials including signage, pamphlets, buttons, etc. use of an office or venue, legal or consulting services, and services from an eligible contributor who normally charges for that service (e.g., a graphic design company that provides graphic design services)
When asked if they would vote for their province to begin the process of separating from Canada and seeking a new agreement to define its future relationship with the country, approximately three in 10 residents of both Alberta (29%) and Quebec (31%) say yes. This includes those who say they would definitely or probably vote yes, and those who say they would lean toward voting yes. However, new Ipsos research which "stress-tested" these sentiments by introducing real-world consequences reveals that actual committed support for separation is roughly half these levels in both provinces, with only 15 to 16% of Albertans and Quebecers maintaining their support after considering possible costs. This means that for roughly half of separatist supporters in both provinces, independence is more a political message than a plan they are prepared to endure costs to achieve.
Photo of Black men apparently on rampage. With #WhiteLivesMatter banner across it.
Now, having said that Paul St Pierre Plamondon got in touch with me in mid September of 2025 and he wanted to meet. He and his entourage wanted to meet with with us, and we did for four and a half hours at the Palliser Hotel.
Meanwhile, the modes through which Europe and Canada have sought to suppress populism involve harsh restrictions on speech, elite collusion and other expression of managerial illiberalism. And what is China’s dictatorship if not managerial illiberalism in full flower? When European elites talk about China as a potentially more stable partner than the whipsawing United States, when they talk admiringly about its environmental goals and technocratic capacity, they aren’t defending a liberal alternative to Trumpian populism. They are letting the magnet of Chinese power draw them away from their own democratic traditions.
Screenshot of a text that says This is Voter Research Services with a public opinion poll. Who would you voter for if a Federal Election occurred? And then it lists the federal parties to choose from.