Juno News - Leftists wreck “Recall Gondek” signs

00:00:00.000 The mainstream media put forward their best investigative journalists this week

00:00:03.900 to uncover that Conservative organizations are joining forces to unseat Calgary Mayor Jody

00:00:09.380 Gondek. Now, I don't know that we needed the media to tell us that Conservatives don't like

00:00:14.720 Gondek, one of the most unpopular, if not the most unpopular Calgary Mayor of all time. But

00:00:21.020 if they're not in the business of lying, then they're in the business of stating the obvious.

00:00:25.140 Never mind that the recall effort will not be successful. Petitioner Landon Johnston said

00:00:30.560 himself on this very show that it's statistically impossible for him to achieve the threshold of

00:00:35.700 over half a million signatures. That isn't stopping the lamestream media from running cover for Gondek.

00:00:42.680 And nor did it stop two grandmas from defacing a recall Gondek campaign sign earlier this week.

00:00:49.500 Now, the Calgary police have said they're investigating, but let's not kid ourselves.

00:00:53.340 We know they will not be pressing charges. When it comes to the media and the police alike,

00:00:58.620 they're only interested in targeting one type of person. And if you're watching the show,

00:01:03.060 there's a good chance you're one of them. I'm Rachel Emanuel, and this is the Alberta Roundup.

00:01:16.780 Okay, everyone, taking a look at our first story here, Calgary police say they are investigating

00:01:21.780 after a recall Mayor Jody Gondek campaign sign was defaced this week. A video circulating online

00:01:27.900 shows two elderly women spray painting over a recall Gondek sign and rewriting Respect Gondek over it.

00:01:34.920 Police say officers were called to Parkdale Boulevard Northwest and 30 Street Northwest around 1020 AM

00:01:40.540 on Tuesday, March 19th for reports of property damage to a billboard on a grassy median.

00:01:45.760 Take a look at this video. City police say they're continuing to investigate after two women,

00:02:07.940 Karen Motka and Carolyn Pogue, painted over the message on the sign to read Respect Gondek.

00:02:12.940 Pogue, who posted selfies with a paintbrush next to the face signs on Facebook, also wrote,

00:02:18.600 Respect is such a beautiful word. Hope we can try some for our elected mayor.

00:02:23.160 Later in the week, it was revealed that the roadside sign didn't have a required permit,

00:02:27.960 and I bet we can expect the city to drop their investigation.

00:02:31.440 On Friday, Calgary Mayor Jody Gondek met with petitioner Landon Johnson to discuss

00:02:35.760 his efforts to recall her and what he perceives to be wrong with Calgary City Council.

00:02:40.300 Here's what Johnston had to say about it.

00:02:42.980 I'm okay with the conversation, the way it went, and I'm just not happy with the resolution, right?

00:02:49.160 She's still the mayor.

00:02:50.360 Johnston also said him and the mayor discussed affordability, public safety,

00:02:54.440 and the mayor's declaration of a climate emergency.

00:02:56.920 Here's how Gondek responded following the meeting.

00:02:59.140 He genuinely started a petition to raise awareness of the issues that he thought council had not addressed.

00:03:06.300 I had a very good opportunity to explain to him the investments that we are making

00:03:11.140 and the types of things we are doing.

00:03:12.680 Moving into our next story here, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told an energy conference in Houston

00:03:16.740 that her government will double oil and gas production and be carbon neutral by 2050.

00:03:21.880 Afterwards, Smith wrote on X, quote,

00:03:23.780 We can and we will.

00:03:25.320 And that's the message I just delivered to our American friends and investors at Sierra and Houston just moments ago.

00:03:31.160 Alberta is the answer.

00:03:32.180 While speaking, Smith also said she was disappointed that Environment and Climate Change Minister Stephen Guibo

00:03:37.780 announced in July he wanted to impose a net zero electricity grid by 2035.

00:03:42.740 And we know that Danielle Smith has been trying to convince her federal counterparts to push that deadline to 2050. 0.84

00:03:48.980 And when she was back from the U.S.,

00:03:50.600 Danielle Smith was asked how her fuel tax is different from the federal carbon tax,

00:03:54.580 as both are slated to go up on April 1st.

00:03:57.520 Here's how the premier responded.

00:03:58.680 Well, one thing I would say is that we have a fuel tax that adjusts with the price at the pump.

00:04:04.720 And I wish the federal government would do the same thing.

00:04:06.900 Theirs just keeps going up.

00:04:08.480 Ours, on the other hand, when WTI hits $90 a barrel again, ours will be coming completely off.

00:04:15.020 Taking a quick look at the scene in Edmonton's River Valley,

00:04:18.360 Deputy Chief Warren Drickell is warning that parts of Edmonton's once pristine River Valley

00:04:23.280 are becoming unusable because of homeless encampments.

00:04:26.780 Take a look at this video.

00:04:27.640 I think Edmonton likes to pride itself.

00:04:29.640 We've got the, you know, world's largest or North America's largest uninterrupted park system.

00:04:34.560 And there's parts of it that are becoming unusable for people.

00:04:37.640 This is all along Dawson Park here.

00:04:39.700 This has been a really big entrenched encampment for us for a long time.

00:04:43.780 Litter that's strewn about here.

00:04:45.040 Really hard to clean up, right?

00:04:46.100 Because, you know, you try to get what you can,

00:04:48.500 but if you're going to miss things like the needles and stuff,

00:04:50.920 so just be careful when you're walking around.

00:04:52.360 This is the encampment where, if people remember, where we took the cache of weapons out of,

00:04:57.140 came out of this set of encampments through here.

00:04:59.540 There's a whole series of trails and smaller encampments that are littered about.

00:05:04.740 But you can see that even just there, like, these are almost becoming impossible to clean up.

00:05:09.660 This is a spot that we've been working on for weeks, literally trying to clean up.

00:05:13.000 And you can still see there's extensive amount of garbage in here.

00:05:17.460 Later in the video, the chief shows that there are houses just above the encampment.

00:05:21.620 And he went on to say that due to provincial government policies,

00:05:24.560 the police are able to get people out of these encampments and into the help they need.

00:05:28.700 Taking a look at our next story here,

00:05:30.280 homeowners in Calgary are bracing for an even higher than expected property tax increase this year.

00:05:35.500 And Calgary Mayor Jody Gondik is blaming the hike on the province.

00:05:39.840 Take a listen.

00:05:40.380 If they had wanted to bring down that amount, they could have.

00:05:43.700 They could have changed their rate, but they didn't.

00:05:45.800 So they are benefiting from higher property values and taking their full share.

00:05:50.140 And that means an increase on your provincial share of property taxes that we didn't necessarily anticipate.

00:05:56.320 The municipal portion of the tax bill has dropped to 7.2% from 7.8%,

00:06:01.060 while the province is taking 11.5%.

00:06:03.860 Alberta's Minister of Municipal Affairs, Rick McIver,

00:06:06.600 said Calgary's increase in property taxes has nothing to do with the provincial government.

00:06:11.560 In a statement, he said, quote,

00:06:12.880 The education property tax is an important revenue source that helps support the growing population of students

00:06:18.220 and the need to build new schools, hire new teachers and education assistants.

00:06:23.280 Moving into our controversy of the week,

00:06:25.020 members of Edmonton City Council are getting an automatic pay raise for the second year in a row.

00:06:29.500 And now, Amory Sohi is among the highest paid mayors in the country.

00:06:34.360 He also makes more than Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

00:06:37.180 Salaries are going up 2.41% in 2024, the same rate as last year.

00:06:42.160 Raises were revealed in a January 17 memo to council made public on the city's open data website last week.

00:06:48.080 Increases are automatic as they were set using a regulatory mechanism in a council policy last reviewed in 2020.

00:06:54.580 Mayor Amory Sohi's base salary for 2024 is $216,585.

00:07:02.400 That's up from just over $211,000 in 2023.

00:07:07.080 Edmonton City Council's base salary is $122,363.

00:07:12.280 That's up from just over $119,000 in 2023.

00:07:16.440 The Edmonton salaries are comparable too, but slightly higher than their Calgary counterparts.

00:07:20.660 Calgary Mayor Jody Gonnick's base salary is $213,737.

00:07:27.080 And councillors will be paid $120,755 in 2024.

00:07:32.860 Those figures don't include other benefits and spending accounts.

00:07:36.780 But Amory Sohi's pay stands out as among the highest in major Canadian cities for mayors.

00:07:41.980 With the pay for the city of Markham Mayor being the highest at over $260,000.

00:07:46.600 For contrast, Alberta Premier Daniel Smith's salary in 2023 was $186,180.

00:07:54.920 And finally, moving into our watching in the weeks to come, as the city ushers in the spring season under persistent drought conditions,

00:08:01.560 Calgary officials are hinting at the imminent need for water conservation orders for the second consecutive year.

00:08:06.560 The potential of outdoor water restrictions as early as May comes in response to a forecast predicting warmer than usual temperatures,

00:08:14.360 raising alarms over the city's water supply sustainability.

00:08:17.700 Calgary Mayor Jody Gondick said Calgarians have reduced water consumption over the last 20 years.

00:08:22.800 She said the city is taking less water from the river than it did in 2003, with a population that has increased by half a million.

00:08:29.300 This April, Calgary will begin a campaign called Together We Can Make Every Drop Count,

00:08:33.560 which aims to provide Calgarians with ways to conserve and consume water.

00:08:37.520 Here's what Calgary Mayor Jody Gondick had to say about it.

00:08:39.740 Holding off on doing laundry until you've got a full load.

00:08:42.920 Same thing goes with the dishwasher.

00:08:44.740 Wait until you've got a full load.

00:08:46.620 Taking shorter showers.

00:08:48.320 We can certainly set timers and get into better habits about shower length.

00:08:52.520 And turning off the tap while you're shaving or brushing your teeth.

00:08:55.540 The city will also contribute to saving water, saying in a news release that its vehicles will be less sparkling clean,

00:09:01.160 that park spaces will be less green, and that fountain displays will operate less frequently.

00:09:06.100 When outdoor water use is required, Calgary will be more prudent about how it is used.

00:09:10.440 The city plans to reuse storm water to water golf courses, park spaces, and flower baskets,

00:09:15.280 and use an efficient irrigation system, which uses 30% less water to keep sporting turfs in good condition.

00:09:21.220 Okay everyone, and finally moving into our weekly comment roundup.

00:09:23.660 You might remember that last week I was removed from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's press conference.

00:09:27.800 Actually, I wasn't even allowed in the room.

00:09:30.160 I wasn't even allowed to stand next to one of the Prime Minister's vehicles while I waited for him to exit the building and head out.

00:09:37.500 For fear that one of my questions might offend the Prime Minister's beloved ears.

00:09:43.020 Let's see what you guys had to say about it.

00:09:44.700 User Donna Fleming said,

00:09:45.960 How did we end up with such a horrible leader?

00:09:48.520 How is it that there is no way to remove a Prime Minister that works against Canadians?

00:09:52.980 I think that would be a good question to ask, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh.

00:09:56.640 And maybe we should finally have that talk about mass immigration.

00:10:00.420 Moving into our next comment here, user John C. said,

00:10:03.360 Red Deer School Board speaks for us.

00:10:06.160 We are your base.

00:10:07.180 We are also conservatives.

00:10:08.220 Do not cast doubt on Red Deer policy.

00:10:10.200 No pronouns, no rainbow flags.

00:10:12.580 Danielle, hear us.

00:10:13.740 I am right on side with you.

00:10:15.500 Danielle Smith said last week that she was concerned about a policy from the Red Deer Catholic School Board,

00:10:20.540 which would ban pronouns in emails from staff and in course outlines.

00:10:24.620 It would also ban pride flags.

00:10:26.460 I think the Red Deer Catholic School Board is making the right move.

00:10:29.440 And finally, user Luanne Cortlett said in response to a comment giving me a compliment,

00:10:34.660 she said,

00:10:35.340 Our Burmese python is more beautiful.

00:10:38.100 I think she was saying that a Burmese python is more beautiful than me.

00:10:40.680 And hey, I'm not going to argue with that.

00:10:42.240 There's nothing I love more than being out in nature and looking at all the amazing creatures that God designed

00:10:47.560 and how creative and unique he was with each and every one of them.

00:10:50.540 I personally would not want a snake for a pet,

00:10:53.100 but I think we can all agree that it is incredibly amazing and beautiful to look at.

00:10:57.220 Okay, everyone, that is all that I have time for today.

00:10:59.440 Thank you so much for tuning in.

00:11:00.780 As always, please like this video and subscribe to True North.

00:11:04.200 You can support our work over at donate.tnc.news.

00:11:07.680 I hope that you guys have a great weekend.

00:11:09.600 I'll see you next week.

00:11:10.560 God bless.

00:11:11.040 God bless.

Juno News - March 23, 2024

Leftists wreck “Recall Gondek” signs

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript