The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - March 23, 2024


Leftists wreck “Recall Gondek” signs


Episode Stats

Length

11 minutes

Words per Minute

184.18073

Word Count

2,060

Sentence Count

127

Misogynist Sentences

2

Hate Speech Sentences

1


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 The mainstream media put forward their best investigative journalists this week
00:00:03.920 to uncover that conservative organizations are joining forces to unseat Calgary Mayor Jody
00:00:09.420 Gondek. Now, I don't know that we needed the media to tell us that conservatives don't like
00:00:14.740 Gondek, one of the most unpopular, if not the most unpopular Calgary mayor of all time. But if
00:00:21.160 they're not in the business of lying, then they're in the business of stating the obvious. Never
00:00:26.020 mind that the recall effort will not be successful. Petitioner Landon Johnston said himself on this
00:00:31.220 very show that it's statistically impossible for him to achieve the threshold of over half a million
00:00:36.620 signatures. That isn't stopping the lamestream media from running cover for Gondek. And nor did it stop
00:00:43.460 two grandmas from defacing a recall Gondek campaign sign earlier this week. Now, the Calgary police
00:00:50.620 have said they're investigating, but let's not kid ourselves. We know they will not be pressing charges.
00:00:56.020 When it comes to the media and the police alike, they're only interested in targeting one type of
00:01:00.880 person. And if you're watching the show, there's a good chance you're one of them. I'm Rachel
00:01:05.100 Emanuel, and this is the Alberta Roundup. Okay, everyone, taking a look at our first story here,
00:01:19.920 Calgary police say they are investigating after a recall Mayor Jody Gondek campaign sign was defaced
00:01:25.620 this week. A video circulating online shows two elderly women spray painting over a recall Gondek
00:01:31.480 sign and rewriting respect Gondek over it. Police say officers were called to Parkdale Boulevard
00:01:37.320 Northwest and 30th Street Northwest around 1020 AM on Tuesday, March 19th for reports of property damage
00:01:43.800 to a billboard on a grassy median. Take a look at this video.
00:01:46.940 What are you ladies? What's your names?
00:01:51.940 You're despicable. You're absolutely despicable.
00:01:57.380 Thank you. Both of you. Thank you.
00:02:00.060 You should be thrown in jail for this. Really? Yes.
00:02:04.160 City police say they're continuing to investigate after two women, Karen Motka and Carolyn Pogue,
00:02:09.580 painted over the message on the sign to read Respect Gondek. Pogue, who posted selfies with
00:02:14.980 a paintbrush next to the face signs on Facebook, also wrote, Respect is such a beautiful word.
00:02:20.820 Hope we can try some for our elected mayor. Later in the week, it was revealed that the
00:02:24.640 roadside sign didn't have a required permit, and I bet we can expect the city to drop their
00:02:30.080 investigation. On Friday, Calgary Mayor Jody Gondek met with petitioner Landon Johnson to discuss
00:02:35.780 his efforts to recall her, and what he perceives to be wrong with Calgary City Council.
00:02:41.040 Here's what Johnston had to say about it.
00:02:42.840 I'm okay with the conversation, the way it went, and I'm just not happy with the resolution, right?
00:02:49.180 She's still the mayor.
00:02:50.360 Johnston also said him and the mayor discussed affordability, public safety,
00:02:54.480 and the mayor's declaration of a climate emergency. Here's how Gondek responded following the meeting.
00:02:58.800 He genuinely started a petition to raise awareness of the issues that he thought
00:03:04.340 council had not addressed. I had a very good opportunity to explain to him the investments
00:03:10.420 that we are making and the types of things we are doing.
00:03:12.700 Moving into our next story here, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told an energy conference in Houston
00:03:16.780 that her government will double oil and gas production and be carbon neutral by 2050.
00:03:21.900 Afterwards, Smith wrote on X, quote, we can and we will. And that's the message I just delivered to
00:03:27.380 our American friends and investors at Sierra and Houston just moments ago. Alberta is the answer.
00:03:32.500 While speaking, Smith also said she was disappointed that Environment and Climate Change Minister
00:03:36.920 Stephen Guibo 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
00:03:47.380 deadline to 2050. And when she was back from the U.S., Danielle Smith was asked how her fuel tax
00:03:52.660 is different from the federal carbon tax, as both are slated to go up on April 1st.
00:03:57.380 Here's how the Premier responded.
00:03:58.760 Well, one thing I would say is that we have a fuel tax that adjusts with the price at the pump,
00:04:04.740 and I wish the federal government would do the same thing. Theirs just keeps going up.
00:04:08.420 Ours, on the other hand, when WTI hits $90 a barrel again, ours will be coming completely off.
00:04:15.040 Taking a quick look at the scene in Edmonton's River Valley, Deputy Chief Warren Dricol is warning
00:04:20.240 that parts of Edmonton's once pristine River Valley are becoming unusable because of homeless
00:04:25.760 encampments. Take a look at this video.
00:04:27.680 I think Edmonton likes to pride itself. We've got the, you know, world's largest or North America's
00:04:32.500 largest uninterrupted park system, and there's parts of it that are becoming unusable for people.
00:04:37.660 This is all along Dawson Park here. This has been a really big entrenched encampment for us for a long
00:04:43.220 time. Litter that's strewn about here. Really hard to clean up, right? Because, you know, you try to get
00:04:48.020 what you can, but if you're going to miss things like the needles and stuff, so just be careful when you're
00:04:51.880 walking around. This is the encampment where, if people remember, where we took the cache of weapons
00:04:56.100 out of, came out of this set of encampments through here. There's a whole series of trails
00:05:00.960 and smaller encampments that are littered about, but you can see that even just there, like, these are
00:05:07.280 almost becoming impossible to clean up. This is a spot that we've been working on for weeks, literally
00:05:12.340 trying to clean up, and you can still see there's extensive amount of garbage in here.
00:05:17.180 Later in the video, the chief shows that there are houses just above the encampment, and he went on to
00:05:22.320 say that due to provincial government policies, the police are able to get people out of these
00:05:26.780 encampments and into the help they need. Taking a look at our next story here, homeowners in Calgary
00:05:31.260 are bracing for an even higher than expected property tax increase this year, and Calgary Mayor
00:05:36.560 Jody Gondik is blaming the hike on the province. Take a listen.
00:05:40.640 If they had wanted to bring down that amount, they could have. They could have changed their rate,
00:05:44.660 but they didn't. So they are benefiting from higher property values and taking their full share,
00:05:50.200 and that means an increase on your provincial share of property taxes that we didn't necessarily
00:05:55.560 anticipate. The municipal portion of the tax bill has dropped to 7.2% from 7.8%, while the province is
00:06:02.140 taking 11.5%. Alberta's Minister of Municipal Affairs, Rick McIver, said Calgary's increase in property
00:06:08.620 taxes has nothing to do with the provincial government. In a statement, he said, quote,
00:06:12.680 The education property tax is an important revenue source that helps support the growing population
00:06:17.620 of students and the need to build new schools, hire new teachers, and education assistants.
00:06:23.320 Moving into our controversy of the week, members of Edmonton City Council are getting an automatic
00:06:27.760 pay raise for the second year in a row, and now Amarit Sohi is among the highest paid mayors in the
00:06:33.720 country. He also makes more than Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Salaries are going up 2.41% in 2024,
00:06:40.060 the same rate as last year. Raises were revealed in a January 17 memo to council made public on the
00:06:46.100 city's open data website last week. Increases are automatic as they were set using a regulatory
00:06:51.000 mechanism in a council policy last reviewed in 2020. Mayor Amarit Sohi's base salary for 2024
00:06:57.440 is $216,585. That's up from just over $211,000 in 2023. Edmonton City Council's base salary is $122,363.
00:07:12.260 That's up from just over $119,000 in 2023. The Edmonton salaries are comparable too, but slightly higher
00:07:19.480 than their Calgary counterparts. Calgary Mayor Jody Gonnick's base salary is $213,737. And
00:07:27.320 councillors will be paid $120,755 in 2024. Those figures don't include other benefits and spending
00:07:35.900 accounts. But Amarit Sohi's pay stands out as among the highest in major Canadian cities for mayors,
00:07:42.000 with the pay for the city of Markham mayor being the highest at over $260,000. For contrast,
00:07:48.320 Alberta Premier Daniel Smith's salary in 2023 was $186,180. And finally, moving into our watching
00:07:56.520 in the weeks to come, as the city ushers in the spring season under persistent drought conditions,
00:08:01.600 Calgary officials are hinting at the imminent need for water conservation orders for the second
00:08:05.760 consecutive year. The potential of outdoor water restrictions as early as May comes in response
00:08:11.080 to a forecast predicting warmer than usual temperatures, raising alarms over the city's
00:08:15.940 water supply sustainability. Calgary Mayor Jody Gonnick said Calgarians have reduced water
00:08:20.780 consumption over the last 20 years. She said the city is taking less water from the river than it
00:08:25.860 did in 2003, with a population that has increased by half a million. This April, Calgary will begin a
00:08:31.020 campaign called Together We Can Make Every Drop Count, which aims to provide Calgarians with ways to
00:08:35.700 conserve and consume water. Here's what Calgary Mayor Jody Gonnick had to say about it.
00:08:39.760 Holding off on doing laundry until you've got a full load. Same thing goes with the dishwasher.
00:08:44.760 Wait until you've got a full load. Taking shorter showers. We can certainly set timers and get into
00:08:50.460 better habits about shower length and turning off the tap while you're shaving or brushing your teeth.
00:08:55.640 The city will also contribute to saving water, saying in a news release that its vehicles will be
00:08:59.700 less sparkling clean, that park spaces will be less green, and that fountain displays will operate
00:09:05.080 less frequently. When outdoor water use is required, Calgary will be more prudent about how it is used.
00:09:10.480 The city plans to reuse storm water to water golf courses, park spaces, and flower baskets, and use an
00:09:15.880 efficient irrigation system, which uses 30% less water to keep sporting turfs in good condition.
00:09:21.260 Okay everyone, and finally moving into our weekly comment roundup, you might remember that last week
00:09:24.760 I was removed from Prime Minister Justin Dredo's press conference. Actually, I wasn't even allowed in the room.
00:09:29.900 I wasn't even allowed to stand next to one of the Prime Minister's vehicles while I waited for
00:09:35.060 him to exit the building and head out, for fear that one of my questions might offend the Prime
00:09:41.300 Minister's beloved ears. Let's see what you guys had to say about it. User Donna Fleming said,
00:09:46.100 how did we end up with such a horrible leader? How is it that there is no way to remove a Prime
00:09:50.940 Minister that works against Canadians? I think that would be a good question to ask NDP leader Jagmeet
00:09:55.920 Singh, and maybe we should finally have that talk about mass immigration. Moving into our next comment
00:10:01.320 here, user John C said, Red Deer School Board speaks for us. We are your base. We are also
00:10:07.520 conservatives. Do not cast doubt on Red Deer policy. No pronouns, no rainbow flags. Danielle, hear us.
00:10:13.740 I am right on side with you. Danielle Smith said last week that she was concerned about a policy from
00:10:18.900 the Red Deer Catholic School Board, which would ban pronouns in emails from staff and in court's
00:10:23.560 outlines. It would also ban pride flags. I think the Red Deer Catholic School Board is making the right
00:10:29.140 move. And finally, user Luanne Cortlett said in response to a comment giving me a compliment,
00:10:34.680 she said, our Burmese python is more beautiful. I think she was saying that a Burmese python is more
00:10:40.120 beautiful than me, and hey, I'm not going to argue with that. There's nothing I love more than being
00:10:43.960 out in nature and looking at all the amazing creatures that God designed and how creative and
00:10:48.480 unique he was with each and every one of them. I personally would not want a snake for a pet,
00:10:53.140 but I think we can all agree that it is incredibly amazing and beautiful to look at.
00:10:56.800 Okay, everyone, that is all that I have time for today. Thank you so much for tuning in.
00:11:00.800 As always, please like this video and subscribe to True North. You can support our work over at
00:11:05.720 donate.tnc.news. I hope that you guys have a great weekend. I'll see you next week. God bless.