Mark Dorin's message for the Alberta Energy Regulator: “Do your damn job – or landowners are going to take action and protect themselves.”
drillanddash.substack.com/p/get-the-he... @cuym-alberta.bsky.social @markdorin.bsky.social #ABLeg #ABPoli #CDNPoli
The reintroduction of corporate political contributions in Alberta has created a new avenue of influence for lobbyists, an @theijf.org data analysis suggests. @brettmckay.bsky.social reports. #abpoli
SPEAKER SERIES Monday March 16th at 7 pm Claire Kraatz from For Our Kids Claire is an educator, environmental advocate motivated by an unwavering commitment to the well-being of people and our planet. She Co-Founded FOR OUR KIDS Alberta, a parent-led group driving climate action in a province where oil and gas are central to the economy and deeply rooted in the psyche of its citizens. With a focus on clean air to support children's health and learning, Claire brings together parents and caregivers united in the pursuit of a sustainable future. She is building a resilient network advocating for an oil and gas pollution cap, a renewable energy revolution, and meaningful change to protect our children, communities and our earth. RSVP to: 403-688-0812 ZOOM MTG: 277 275 5886 for those with a Zoom account to join directly. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
Summary The risk of a failure in the Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP) portion of the BPSFM was first identified two decades earlier, following a similar rupture on the same type of pipe at the McKnight Feedermain in 2004. Subsequent studies and assessments repeatedly confirmed the risk to the BPSFM. Despite repeated identification of this risk, the City prioritized other critical needs and initiatives, repeatedly deferring BPSFM inspection, monitoring, and risk mitigation. This deferral was a function of underestimated likelihood of failure, not appreciating the significant impact of a failure, emphasis on other priorities and occasional periods of operating budget constraints. This pattern, which persisted over two decades, across multiple leadership teams and organizational structures, reflects systemic gaps in the Water Utility’s approach to managing critical infrastructure. The Panel has traced these gaps to external pressures, risk and asset integrity processes, ineffective management, and a lack of effective governance oversight. 1. External Pressures: The BPSFM failure occurred in the context of nationwide underinvestment in aging utility infrastructure and rapid population growth. Across Canada, capital investment in utilities has stagnated, leaving roughly 27% of Canadian water transmission mains in need of repair. This underinvestment, combined with population growth, required utilities to manage competing priorities for asset renewal and system expansion. In Calgary, these pressures were particularly acute due to rapid population growth (a 70% increase since 20006) and higher asset capital and maintenance costs (due to low population density, resulting in a large relative asset base). These external pressures exacerbated the risk and integrity challenges that ultimately affected the BPSFM. 2. Risk & Asset Integrity Processes: The City’s Water Utility processes were not sufficiently robust to manage a complex system of this nature, especially …
resources to be directed to other priorities.7 Inspection recommendations made in 2017, 2020, and 2022 were deferred or redirected, with unclear escalation accountability and timelines.8 In addition, the Water Utility lacked traditional planning safeguards required for critical infrastructure: the last Asset Management Plan (AMP) was issued in 20179 (with limited follow-up) and no Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) exists, leaving the system without coordinated, long-term renewal and redundancy planning. 3. Management: These process gaps persisted over two decades within an environment of unclear accountability and a culture of risk tolerance and decision deferral. These gaps exist within today’s organization structure, wherein the Water Utility is split across multiple City departments leaving no single leader accountable for end-to-end outcomes. The first person with full visibility across the Water Utility is the CAO, who also oversees more than 60 other portfolios.10 In the absence of a single accountable executive, decisions were often delayed or deprioritized, compounded by a consensusdriven culture that normalized deferral of action on critical issues. Limited financial transparency was another contributor to these gaps in accountability. Despite its large scale (2026 capital budget $1.1 billion and operating budget of $380 million)11 and Council’s mandate to be self-funded entirely through user rates and levies, the Water Utility operates without segmented financial statements. This results in limited line of sight to the Water Utility’s true financial performance and restricts the ability to directly link revenues and expenditures to service outcomes, ultimately contributing to a lack of accountability. 4. Governance: These gaps persisted across multiple management teams, successive Councils, and organization structures, in part because Council lacked the visibility and expert support to provide effective oversight. Reporting to Council was periodic and high…
An actual review was done by, god forbid, actual experts. Reading the first 2 pages shows that the problem is a deeper issue in #Calgary’s organization that needs to be resolved & cannot be laid at the feet of one person. 2/7
Oh, ya think? Ask Montreal how separatist talk chased head offices & investment to Toronto.
#UCP-MAGA are playing roulette with our future exactly when #cndpoli solidarity is morally & economically demanded.
#UCP #ableg #abpoli #ChooseCanada #ElbowsUp #yeg #yyc
www.cp24.com/news/canada/...
The UCP isn't seeking "direct democracy"—they’re manufacturing it. Jared Wesley warns that Smith’s referendum blitz is a populist shortcut to bypass checks and balances. It’s a "rubber stamp" for a rigged agenda that divides Albertans. We need pluralism, not a power grab. #ABleg #AbPoli
Canada saw a 347% jump in online child exploitation from 2014 and 2024.
In Edmonton, there were nearly 200 cases of child sexploitation last year.
Chatted with Amanda Todd's mom Carol about how to have the tough talk with kids, and red flags to look out for.
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/p...
The grand chief of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations says King Charles "expressed his concern" on Wednesday after hearing about a separatist push in Alberta during a face-to-face meeting with Indigenous leaders.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
#Alberta #abpoli
This response from the ethics commissioner is an indictment of AB's public office ethics legislation & no exoneration of Mr Yager.
The fact that Ms Smith has just reappointed Mr Yager confirms that real ethics, as opposed to narrow legislated ethics, don't mean a thing to her.
#abpoli #cdnpoli
Translating, restraining kids, teaching multiple grades at once: Teachers describe Alberta's dysfunctional classrooms #yeg #yyc #yql #abpoli #abed
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Join me and @friendsofmedicare.bsky.social tonight for this important webinar!
🤬 these senators are not very "senatorial"... #gohabsgo
#habs
I usually prepare and practice my Senate speeches with care, in advance. THIS time, I spoke without notes, unprepared and impromptu, driven by a mix of passion and patriotism. The subject of debate was an amendment to Bill C-12. But I put it in a troubling Alberta context. #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli
Please don’t scroll past. Senator @senatorpaulasimons.bsky.social points out the dangers of Danielle Smith’s nine racist referendum questions.
#Canada #Alberta #cdnpoli #abpoli #ableg #yyc #yeg
youtu.be/7U4evGu-jks
Canada's Hudak, Arendz each claim bronze in cross-country skiing at Milano-Cortina Paralympics
Nordic skiers bring Canada's medal total to 10 on Day 5 in Italy
www.cbc.ca/sports/paral...
SCOOP
A national campaign is underway to shore up the Alberta government's 'finding' that – surprise – its closure of supervised consumption sites didn't kill anyone.
Unfortunately, the study's corruption is showing.
W/ comments from Dr. L. Hardcastle:
drugdatadecoded.ca/centre-of-re...
You can have the best armed forces in the history of the world, but if you are an incompetent criminal without a plan, you can still lose a war, and rather quickly.
While our Premier continues to declare we have enough healthcare workers, she continues to put them out of work and simultaneously declare we need private healthcare to save the public system.
She is intentionally breaking the public system in order to bring in fully private healthcare.
#abPoli
$2.3B for the cancellation of the oil by rail contracts in 2020/2021 by the Kenney regime.
Love seeing this (and we need more municipalities taking action as well). According to data obtained by @brettmckay.bsky.social with @theijf.org, Red Deer County is owed more than $4.6 MILLION in unpaid municipal taxes from delinquent O&G companies. www.thealbertan.com/innisfail-ne... #ABLeg #ABPoli
It's all part of the same playbook the UCP has put in action since 2019.
Don't buy it, and don't let media buy it. They are manufacturing consent for murderous policy.
More issues on the data: 9/ drugdatadecoded.ca/we-can-help-...
🧵 Breaking: Alberta government embarrasses itself again
Today, the Centre of Recovery Excellence (CoRE) published a study. Unfortunately, last month I published two stories showing how their data are junk.
Let's take a look. 1/
The Alberta separatists are delusional enough to believe in the disinformation being financed by the Trump regime
It's also ironic that they want to ditch Ottawa for the cesspool that is the White House under Trump
#ableg #abpoli
Attending the first meeting of 2026 for the Warburg-Pembina Surface Rights Group tonight. Landowner representative Mark Dorin is presenting on: "Land Rights: Do Alberta Government Agencies Support Law Abiding Landowners or Law Breaking Oil Companies?" @markdorin.bsky.social #ABLeg #ABPoli 🧵 [1/N]
"Referendums shrink democracy to its thinnest form: one question, one side wins, one side loses." #ableg #abpoli
What I want is an election... however will vote a hard NO if I must.
Why Danielle Smith's Populist Referendums Are Dangerous to Democracy via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/Opinion/2026...
As reposted by @53swimmer.bsky.social
💯
Three guesses. First two don't count.
#AbLeg
When confronted with her comments about rewriting the separatists petition…
Smith not only refused to answer the question…
She really went out of her way to distance herself from their question.
#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli
