Alberta’s biggest stories of 2024
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Summary
In this special episode of the Alberta Roundup for the holiday break, we go over some of Alberta's biggest stories from the past year, including the devastating wildfire that ravaged the town of Jasper, Alberta, and the recent leadership review by Alberta Premier Daniel Smith.
Transcript
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Hello everyone. Today is going to be another special episode of the Alberta Roundup for the holiday break,
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where this time we go over some of Alberta's biggest stories from 2024 that we covered at True North.
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Trust me when I tell you that the amount of shocking stories in Alberta this past year was an extensive list,
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and it was certainly not easy to sort through them all.
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Maybe you can guess some of the upcoming stories before they are revealed.
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My name's Isaac Lamoureux, your host of the Alberta Roundup.
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Let's hop into the first big story of the year now.
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So, somewhat unfortunately, we're going to be starting off today with a story that may be tough for me to get through,
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given its emotional impact on all Alberta residents, that being the Jasper wildfire.
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We'll start off with the exclusive we published at True North,
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where a former senior planner of Jasper National Park blamed, quote,
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unresponsive and politicized leadership for the wildfire.
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He said that the federal agency's fire prevention staff were so confident in their ability to fight and control wildfires
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that they intentionally allowed deadwood to collect inside Jasper National Park.
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Some dead trees, but mainly branches that had fallen off.
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This becomes very dry timber, and it's very well aerated because it's all built up gradually over the years,
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You could light a match, and it's going to practically explode.
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I know that because I participated in some of those transects, and I saw it for myself.
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He estimated that by last summer, nearly 40% of Jasper National Park trees were standing deadwood killed by pine beetle infestation.
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Schultz went as far as calling out the bureaucrats of Parks Canada in a LinkedIn post.
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If Jasper Town burns, I blame the bureaucrats of Parks Canada,
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especially all the Jasper National Park superintendents since 2005.
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Not doing your job because of eco-activists who now will blame climate change
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rather than take responsibility for their own willful ignorance regarding proper forest management.
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Speaking of eco-activists, Environment Minister Stephen Guibault said the opposite.
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To think that over all those decades, we would not have deployed all of the resources necessary
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to try and do everything that is humanly possible to protect a town from a forest fire is simply not true.
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Realistically, I could talk about this story alone for hours,
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but instead of doing that, I'll leave you with this clip from Smith
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to remind you of the emotional toll it took on us all.
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To the residents of Jasper and those displaced far from home looking at the images of your town on TV and online,
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the feelings of loss and fear and loneliness must be overwhelming.
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It was some of the most beautiful scenery in the entire in the world.
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Our grandparents visited to experience the majesty of this place
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to this special spot that they'd spent time in as children.
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And now we take our own kids and our own loved ones and visitors from around the world
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to feel that same feeling that you get with your first glimpse of the mountains on the horizon.
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A feeling that even though you've just left home, you're coming home.
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And so although those of us who experience Jasper as visitors can't imagine what it feels like
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to be a Jasperite right now, we share the sense of loss with all of those who live in the town,
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as everyone works to get their feet back under them
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that being Alberta Premier Daniel Smith's leadership review.
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You'll probably remember that Smith received an overwhelming 91.5% vote
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in the leadership review at the party's annual general meeting.
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I was at the meeting and was truly shocked by the results.
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Here's a short video I took that hardly captures the emotion and energy of the announcement.
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Approximately 6,085 people attended the AGM and the majority voted in the leadership review.
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Additional ballots on some UCP board member voting were provided to members on top of their
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leadership review ballot. Members voted discreetly and then deposited their ballots into a box which
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would be counted later. Smith's actual approval rating might even be higher than 91.5% considering
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some members who attended wanted Smith to win but voted against her to teach her a lesson.
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For example, Wyatt Claypool, journalist and former conservative candidate, told me that he voted
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no despite wanting Smith to win. He argued that she had not been clear enough on some key issues
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like tax cuts and would learn nothing if she got an 100% vote. However, he was, he said, 100% sure
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that Smith would win given that even Kenny won the review despite widespread opposition.
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Of course, Kenny resigned thereafter because he received just over the 50% threshold.
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Speaking of the AGM, I got the chance to speak with Jennifer Johnson while I attended.
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You may recall that Johnson was cancelled by Legacy Media for allegedly comparing transgender
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children to feces but as we previously discussed on the show, that was a stretch at best.
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Johnson later made headlines when attending a meeting with various Alberta pride societies
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when an activist attempted to force her to say that biological men can be women. She refused.
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The interaction caught global headlines with JK Rowling and Elon Musk reacting to it.
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Johnson was then reinstated following the interaction as many Albertans stood up for her.
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Here's a bit of my chat with Johnson at the AGM.
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And obviously you made headlines recently. A lot of the party members rallied around you.
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I'm curious what the reception's been like at this event. Have a lot of people been coming up to you
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like, oh my God, Jennifer, so nice to see you, stuff like that?
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Yeah, it sure has. It's been overwhelming almost in that a lot of people have come up
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who I don't even know. They're from all around the province and wanting a picture or just
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really encouraging me and encouraged me to stand strong and thanking me for remaining true.
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And that means a lot. I'm very grateful for that.
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And prior to this event, like online and stuff, did you get a lot of the similar sentiments
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that were people calling into your office, for example? Can you walk me through a few examples
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on how people have reached out to you before this event?
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Oh, for sure. And of course, the most iconic of those is JK Rowling.
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And if she's watching, thank you. I will be forever grateful.
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And Elon Musk, thank you for commenting as well and bringing some attention to this very,
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Um, for everyone else, it's been around the world. I would say it's into the thousands
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of comments and emails and texts and phone calls that I've received. And, um, I was over
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99% positive for sure, 99.9, probably higher that have been encouraging. And most of them
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from Alberta, but they've been across Canada, the United States, and even the world. And boy,
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And obviously, uh, uh, a select few pride groups slandered you, which I talked about
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on the Alberta Roundup, but have any LGBTQ or pride groups reached out to you in support
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Absolutely. I would say the majority. And I have them in my, in my constituency, one of
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my friends, and I can't mention his name because of his fear of the appraisal and, um, being
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punished for that or getting canceled. I came to the legislature even on Thursday, uh, to attend
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for the dropping of those three pieces of really important legislation. So yes, I've,
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it's been overwhelming even from, from that community. And again, for that time, so grateful.
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Another story we're going to cover was partially mentioned on last week's show when we discussed
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the notable ways that the Alberta government stood up for freedom in 2024. So sorry if you
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feel there's a bit of overlap, but we'll hear, we'll talk about some of the legislation
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implemented by Smith and her government in 2020.
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It's the family and friends event at Shoppers Drug Mart. Get 20% off
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Starting off is the trio of bills recently passed by the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
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that strengthen parental rights, promote fairness in sports, and prevent minors from undergoing
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irreversible gender transition procedures that they may live to regret.
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Bill 26, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, Bill 27, the Education Amendment Act, and
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Bill 29, the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, each passed their third rating and will come
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into effect following a royal proclamation expected on September 1st, 2025.
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The three bills were among the 13 bills the Alberta government plans to introduce in this
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legislative session. The remaining bills focus on personal autonomy, property rights, and
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legal firearm ownership. Bill 27 requires parental consent for children aged 15 and under to change
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their name, gender, and pronouns at school. 16 and 17 year olds will not need parental consent,
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but their parents will be notified of any changes. Parents currently can opt their children out of the
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sexual orientation and gender identity curriculum. The legislative changes will require parents to have
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to opt them in. Executive Director of Parents for Choice in Education, John Hilton O'Brien,
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previously criticized the Edmonton Public School Board's motion opposing Smith for implementing
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What they're claiming is that a child's right to privacy is against the parents and that they,
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as the bureaucrats, could exercise that right. But in fact, the right of privacy is a claim against
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the state. And for the parents to exercise, not the bureaucrats. They're flipping the very idea of
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human rights completely on its head. Also featured in the 13 bills is the Alberta Bill of Rights
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Amendment Act. The Alberta Bill of Rights has not been significantly updated since its introduction
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in 1972. There is some overlap between the Alberta legislation and the federal charter,
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which was adopted a decade later. But a notable point of divergence is the Alberta Bill of Rights's
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guarantee of property rights and the right of parents to make informed decisions about their
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children's education. The 2024 changes include the right for Albertans not to be subjected to
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or coerced into receiving medical care, treatment, or procedure without consent. It includes the right
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not to be compelled or coerced into taking a vaccine. Freedom of expression rights were expanded
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beyond written and spoken language to include other expressive activities. Additionally, rights to
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acquire, keep, and use firearms were added to reinforce the right to lawful firearm ownership.
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Property rights were also expanded. The amendments took effect on December 5th, 2024.
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Another huge story regarding potential legislation is an exclusive I covered at True North Nation
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earlier in the year. So some of you who attended may remember this from True North Nation when Smith
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called on Pierre Poilievre to follow her lead and amend the Canadian Bill of Rights to strengthen
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protections that may be absent in the charter. She said, quote,
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I think that we should stop looking at the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as the full comprehensive
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expression of all rights and freedoms we are endowed with. I think we're entering an era now where
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people are demanding that their governments respect them and not treat them the way they were treated
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during that terrible COVID era. Smith added that Poilievre could probably make these amendments if he's
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elected prime minister without having a huge constitutional discussion. So we'll hop into our last story
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slash stories now and you really didn't think that we could get through this without an entire section
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dedicated towards Calgary and the many developments it saw this year. Starting off with the water
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crisis, we'll remember that Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gundek apologized for having such poor communication
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Going forward, we will do a much better job of explaining what's happened, the expected timeline to
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get back to normal and what we need from you in the way of water conservation. However, only a few
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days later, the City Council proposed permanent water restrictions. The proposed amendments included
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a watering schedule allowing Calgarians to use sprinklers for just three hours a day, two days a week
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between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. Calgary's water restrictions began at voluntary water conservation
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before escalating to stage 1 to 4 restriction levels. Stages were determined by risk of drought
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conditions. Stages 1 to 2 were normally implemented when it was very dry and stages 3 to 4 when it was
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extremely dry. Fines for violating stage 1 began at $400, rising to $600 for stage 2, $1,500 for stage 3,
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and $3,000 for stage 4. If the changes were to be implemented, the voluntary water conservation phase
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would have been replaced with the outdoor watering schedule, which would have been permanently in effect.
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However, that didn't come to be as Calgary eventually returned to normal indoor water use.
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Despite the water restrictions ending, the resulting view of Gondek may be everlasting. Her handling of
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the water crisis resulted in her becoming less popular than Justin Trudeau. As of June 2024,
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Gondek's approval rating was 26% compared to Trudeau's 28%. To be fair, Gondek may now be higher
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than Trudeau, not thanks to her own doing, but of course because of Trudeau's recent handling of the
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Freeland dismissal and the Liberal caucus revolt, along with many Liberal MPs calling for his
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resignation. Adding to the disapproval of Gondek is the ongoing Green Line LRT project, which you may
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remember Alberta Transport Minister Jeven Drieschen called a quote, multi-billion dollar boondoggle that
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will serve very few Calgarians. The Green Line was initially supposed to be 46 kilometers with 29 stations
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and cost 4.6 billion dollars. It was then reduced to merely 10 kilometers with seven stations, but
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somehow Rosen cost the 6.2 billion dollars. Nenshi also faced some of the backlash for it was him at
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the helm of the initial proposal. The province has had to step in to solve the fiasco and their most
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recent update from December 13 said it would save over 1 billion dollars and add five more stops that
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will be 76% longer and serve 60% more Calgarians. But of course none of these fiascos or her record
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low approval rating stopped Gondek from recently being crowned Mayor of the Year by an Ontario-based
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municipal magazine. However, the magazine's executive director, Greg Crone, told me that quote,
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there were no runner-ups, there was no voting, we zeroed in on Mayor Gondek early and selected her by
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consensus of our editorial staff. He added quote, we did not look at polling data as it was a purely
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editorial decision. All right everyone, so that wraps up the stories we'll cover today in our
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2024 roundup. Hopefully you can see this breakdown as a belated Christmas gift from me given that it's
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just passed. I hope you had a great Christmas and an even better New Year's along with the remaining
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holidays. Let me know in the comments if you have any New Year's resolutions or whether you don't
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believe in those at all. Once again, my name's Isaac Lamoureux, your host of the Alberta Roundup.
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Have a great weekend, thank you and God bless. May Alberta prosper strong and free.
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Again, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas receiving all the gifts that you asked Santa for.
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But remember, the greatest gift of all is the ability to spend time with loved ones.
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I hope you were able to. All the best in 2025 and Happy New Year again.