Juno News - Alberta greenlights Christian concert at Legislature

00:00:00.000 Alberta allowed Christian musician Sean Foyke's worship night to proceed on the

00:00:14.920 legislature grounds as other cities tried to shut him down. Meanwhile, newly

00:00:19.480 reviewed federal records show most Alberta First Nations haven't publicly

00:00:23.440 posted audits in years after Ottawa stopped enforcing the First Nations

00:00:27.560 Financial Transparency Act. Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Drieschen waded into Edmonton's

00:00:33.400 bike lane fight and actually showed up and dealt in to hear more about concerns from residents.

00:00:38.600 Edmonton City Council also approved a $50,000 pilot to deploy cameras and microphones against noisy

00:00:45.080 vehicles, prompting privacy concerns. All that and more on this week's Alberta Roundup. I'm your host

00:00:50.280 Isaac Lamoureux and let's jump into that first story right away. So Christian Singer and Let Us Worship

00:00:55.080 founder Sean Foyke wrapped up his Canadian tour with a stop at Alberta's legislature grounds,

00:01:00.120 one of just two Canadian cities that allowed his event to proceed, with the other being Saskatoon,

00:01:05.560 after a string of last-minute permit cancellations elsewhere. Thousands gathered to pray, sing, and as

00:01:12.280 Foyke framed it, participate in revival, which he deemed was not a concert. He said that it was,

00:01:17.480 quote, to see the lost, save the sick, and see the Lord come alive. Foyke said, quote,

00:01:22.840 the greater the resistance, the greater the breakthrough, arguing that hostile coverage

00:01:27.400 and protests have only strengthened the movement. He repeatedly emphasized a spiritual turning point,

00:01:33.000 saying, quote, God is moving in this nation. Foyke and his band, which were from Calgary,

00:01:38.280 played music while prayer was a constant throughout the night, and it began with everyone, in fact,

00:01:42.920 joining hands and praying. Prayers continued throughout the night, including a moment where

00:01:47.240 those who had attempted suicide in recent years raised their hands to be prayed over,

00:01:51.160 and students also volunteered to be prayed over before the school year recommenced. Foyke,

00:01:55.800 an American, said God tasked him with visiting all 50 states, but many, he said,

00:02:00.520 would rather allow drag queen story hour than see Christians praying. Foyke said he,

00:02:06.680 despite being an American, or perhaps because he is an American, he said he always felt a strong

00:02:11.160 connection between Alberta and the United States, and he also compared the CBC to CNN. He added that he was

00:02:18.920 the most slandered Christian in Canada over the last month, and that his wife's direct messages

00:02:24.200 were full of death threats. True North spoke with supporters and protesters at the concert.

00:02:29.560 One woman who was volunteering at the event told True North the protesters, quote,

00:02:33.880 just needed to find love, adding such protests came from a place of pain. A protester told True

00:02:39.880 North that Foyke was homophobic, transphobic, and supports Donald Trump and the mega movement. He said, 0.84

00:02:45.400 in fact, that anyone who supports Trump is homophobic by default. Another protester told 0.59

00:02:50.360 True North that she supports free speech, but not hate speech, and that Foyke was engaged in the latter.

00:02:55.240 Foyke claimed to be the top COVID-19 violator in 39 states. He also recounted that Antifa threw

00:03:01.640 smoke bombs at him during a church performance, noting that the fire alarms, which apparently were

00:03:06.200 usually triggered by mere candles, did not activate, which he called a miracle. Foyke also hosted a

00:03:11.320 communion with bread and grape juice, which he said was extra important to take place at a government

00:03:16.680 high place. In fact, later that night, after all the attendees had left, Foyke had a worship session

00:03:21.960 inside the legislature building, to the dismay of a Trudeau-appointed left-wing partisan senator and

00:03:27.240 many people on the left. Foyke also dedicated a section of the night where people could throw their

00:03:31.480 addictions on stage, during which attendees threw cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and more on the stage.

00:03:36.680 Shortly after, he called anyone willing to come to the stage, which he said symbolized an altar,

00:03:41.480 to fall to their knees and surrender to Christ. Hundreds rushed to the stage and fell to their

00:03:46.760 knees. Attendees knelt in prayer and surrendered as pastors individually prayed with each one of them

00:03:51.880 and anointed many new devotees with oil. Foyke claimed that 5,000 people showed up in Edmonton.

00:03:57.960 He explained that Edmonton's event was far beyond what he ever could have imagined. He said,

00:04:02.280 quote, It's almost like a nation is waking up. The media and the protesters and this push of the

00:04:07.080 enemy is like a last gasp at stopping a kingdom that's unstoppable. Foyke said negative media

00:04:12.360 coverage and protesters' actions paled in comparison to seeing God's glory, such as when

00:04:18.200 teenage girls wept tears of joy after being freed from drugs, suicide, and addiction.

00:04:23.880 And by the way, there were only like 25 protesters there. I saw numbers up to 100. There's no way it

00:04:29.080 was like 25 to 50, maybe 100 over the night and some came and went, but yeah. For our next story,

00:04:33.640 newly reviewed federal records show that 13 of Alberta's 44 First Nations have not posted an

00:04:40.360 audited financial statement since at least 2020-21, with some, like Susina Nation, not posting since

00:04:46.840 2014-15. Only 11 of 44 have published a 2023-24 consolidated audit, and the decline followed the

00:04:54.600 federal government's 2015 decision to stop enforcing the First Nations Financial Transparency Act,

00:05:00.600 which requires audited financials and chief's councillors' salaries to be posted publicly.

00:05:06.040 Gage Hobrick, Prairie Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, called Ottawa's non-enforcement,

00:05:11.400 quote, very unfortunate. He noted that in non-indigenous communities, citizens can readily access

00:05:16.840 budgets and salary data online. He said, quote, It's the most basic part of transparency that we expect

00:05:23.160 from governments of all levels, and First Nations community shouldn't be left out of that. He added

00:05:28.120 that a lack of posted audits hurts band members who want to ask where money is going, especially in

00:05:33.240 communities facing addiction and poverty. Hobrick also pointed to a case at Frog Lake First Nation,

00:05:38.680 saying, quote, We're working with a number of activists on things like this one from Frog Lake

00:05:42.920 First Nation, who's trying to find out where almost $100 million that used to be in his band's trust fund went.

00:05:48.920 He's being stonewalled. He said better access to documents would have helped the search.

00:05:54.360 SecondStreet.org President Colin Craig, who helped push for the First Nations Financial

00:05:58.920 Transparency Act in 2009 after leaked salary records, showed councillors at Pugui First Nations

00:06:05.000 were earning more than the Prime Minister recalled the law's intent. He said, quote,

00:06:09.880 Eventually, the government responded by passing the First Nations Financial Transparency Act.

00:06:15.000 Once salaries began being posted nationwide, there were all kinds of stories about band members

00:06:20.040 shocked to find out how much their politicians were making. Craig stressed the aim was to protect

00:06:24.680 community members, not shame leadership. He said, quote, Lots of chiefs and council members weren't

00:06:30.280 rolling in money while serving their communities. They didn't seem bothered by the transparency law

00:06:34.840 because they were genuinely trying to help their communities. But there certainly were many cases where

00:06:39.800 chiefs and council members were abusing their power to set salaries extremely high and then

00:06:45.080 keep the details hidden. After Ottawa halted enforcement, it promised to co-develop a new

00:06:49.800 approach. In 2016, the federal government and Assembly of First Nations signed an MOU to explore

00:06:56.120 a new fiscal relationship. The Canadian Audit and Accountability Foundation subsequently recommended

00:07:02.120 considering a First Nations Auditor General, with their report concluding, quote,

00:07:07.160 A First Nations Auditor General would provide many benefits, both today and in the future. Most

00:07:12.360 importantly, First Nations citizens would benefit from the recognized power of audit to improve the

00:07:17.640 delivery of essential public programs and services. In 2017, the federal government held

00:07:23.160 engagement sessions to explore alternatives to the First Nations Financial Transparency Act,

00:07:27.960 but has not introduced a replacement policy or legislation. With Edmonton's neighborhoods bracing

00:07:33.160 for lane reductions, lost parking, and one-way conversions under the active transportation network

00:07:38.360 expansion, Transportation Minister Devin Drieschen met Delton residents to hear their concerns firsthand

00:07:44.360 in their neighborhood. He spent the first 15 minutes of his roughly 30-minute visit hearing from

00:07:49.160 concerned residents, who raised concerns ranging from emergency vehicle access, loss of parking for homes and

00:07:54.840 businesses, lack of consultation, and their petition showing a majority of residents opposing the bike

00:08:00.200 lanes being ignored by the city. Many residents said handicap parking would be removed, and the city told them

00:08:05.880 to use the back alley, which they deemed unsafe. In fact, one resident, Richard, showed Drieschen and myself

00:08:11.960 CCTV footage from his back alley of a man being attacked with a machete. Drieschen, who had just met with Edmonton

00:08:18.440 Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, said Sohi admitted the city's 2019 consultation on bike lanes was broad, not

00:08:24.600 community-specific, and involved only one percent of the population. Conversely, the petition submitted by

00:08:32.200 Delton residents to the city had 292 signatures, a clear majority representing 57 percent of the homes

00:08:39.080 along the bike lane. Drieschen told True North his government is drafting legislation to amend the Traffic

00:08:44.120 Safety Act, which will force municipalities to conduct traffic impact assessments when implementing

00:08:48.840 bike lanes that replace driving roads. He confirmed that legislation is the best provincial intervention

00:08:54.440 method. He said, quote, we obviously don't want to have to do that. If the new councils in Edmonton and

00:08:59.320 Calgary see the light of day in making sure that bike paths are being designed and built that don't

00:09:04.280 actually impede with road and vehicle traffic and parking, then that provincial legislation would never

00:09:09.400 have to be used. He then walked six minutes through the community with the lead petitioner in

00:09:13.720 Delton, Jeremiah Rawling, to discuss his concerns one-on-one. Drieschen questioned Rawling to better

00:09:19.400 understand the community's frustrations. However, Drieschen referenced the upcoming municipal election,

00:09:23.800 stating that candidates' stances on bike lanes could determine how residents vote,

00:09:28.200 and in fact he said he hoped this would be the case. Mayoral candidates have generally expressed

00:09:33.240 displeasure for bike lanes, at least leading up to the election. Delton residents have criticized City

00:09:38.600 Councillor Ashley Salvador for failing to meet with them, forcing them to invite the province

00:09:43.560 residents instead. Rawling said Salvador provides copy-and-paste answers instead of engaging with

00:09:48.840 residents, and she pretty much just advises how things will proceed, citing that one percent general

00:09:54.200 consultation as justification. Before leaving, Drieschen had Rawling show him the map of the proposed

00:10:00.040 changes at one point, literally just chuckling at the proposal, he's just laughing. He said, quote,

00:10:06.600 I'll do everything I can before he left. And the city, of course, fast-tracked Delton's bike lane

00:10:11.240 construction, with completion expected by the end of 2025, just after the municipal election in

00:10:16.680 October. We'll stick with the City of Edmonton for our next story, because Edmonton City Council has

00:10:21.240 approved a $50,000 pilot to deploy cameras and microphones that identify noisy vehicles. A first

00:10:28.680 in Canada move that Councillor Michael Jans says is now so precise it can pinpoint exactly what vehicle is

00:10:35.480 emitting that noise. He stressed this tech has been tested in multiple US court challenges and is used in

00:10:40.280 France, the UK and America, though not yet in Canada. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he constantly

00:10:45.640 hears complaints from residents about deliberately noisy vehicles. He said, quote, people who deliberately

00:10:51.880 disturb the peace of their neighbours and I have no way to tell them that we are doing something to

00:10:56.520 control it. But administration warned the budget looks unrealistic. For example, a similar pilot in 2020

00:11:02.520 cost about $200,000 and staffing would require reducing services in other areas. Crucially,

00:11:09.640 Acting City Solicitor Michael Gunther told councillors the city cannot use the technology for ticketing or

00:11:15.480 enforcement under current provincial law. At best, the pilot could collect data and privacy implications

00:11:21.720 must be reviewed. Councillor Aaron Paquette called the budget and utility into question. He warned that

00:11:27.880 costs would inevitably grow into broader requests for resources and liken the move to a quote,

00:11:33.000 hail Mary. And lots of people, unsurprisingly, reacted negatively on X. For example, the Alberta

00:11:39.080 Prosperity Project asked, quote, so surveillance? Another user said, quote, ah, yes, public surveillance

00:11:45.240 programs for your safety. Daniel Smith, don't let our cities turn into woke authoritarian sanctuaries.

00:11:52.040 And at the city councilor meeting, city solicitor Michael Gunther confirmed that even pictures showing

00:11:56.600 silhouettes of people could be considered personal information and raise privacy concerns. The city

00:12:02.760 expects a report on the pilot project to be submitted by early 2027. That wraps up this week's Alberta

00:12:08.200 Roundup. My name's Isaac Lamoureux. Have a great weekend. Thank you, and God bless.

Juno News - August 31, 2025

Alberta greenlights Christian concert at Legislature

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