In this episode of The Cory Morgan Show, host Cory Morgan talks to Western Standard reporter Arthur Green about the fires raging in Alberta, the Liberal Party of Canada's new policy on anonymous sources, and why it's a bad idea.
00:08:15.180Yeah, another obviously busy day with fires and election stuff, but websites leading off with something a little on the lighter side today with an impaired driver arrested down in the States wearing a full-size human costume of a Bud Light cab.
00:08:32.680So the picture's up on our website, and it's very strange, and no word on whether it's related to all the current Bud Light controversy.
00:08:42.540We've got bank records being released by the Republicans in the United States that show the Biden family has quietly pocketed $10 million from foreign nationals.
00:08:54.820So it looks like Trump's not the only president who's getting himself into some hot water.
00:09:00.520We've got an epic trolling of the CBC today, Corey, by Elon Musk.
00:09:06.900You remember CBC got all indignant about being labeled government-funded media, so they stopped going on Twitter.
00:09:15.500Well, they announced yesterday that they're going to come back, and Elon Musk sort of did the old Brokeback Mountain theme that,
00:09:25.200I wish I knew how to quit you, CBC is saying to them.
00:10:25.760the reason we can do it and the reason I can get on that high horse and shoot it groups like the1.00
00:10:29.960CBC is that we don't take any tax funding. We're subscription based. We rely on you guys to keep
00:10:35.680us honest and to keep us in business. So if you haven't subscribed yet with the Western Standard,
00:10:40.060get on there guys, westernstandard.news slash membership, $9.99 a month, $99 a year. You get
00:10:47.180full access past the paywall to everything that's going on on our site, all our columnists, our
00:10:51.560copy and all that and of course it helps us remain independent and keep doing it all right so yeah
00:10:56.780before we get to Arthur I'll talk about a few other things here the thing that Dave mentioned
00:11:01.280with Twitter you know and it's interesting it's really been interesting watching Musk
00:11:05.660taking that over I mean he he plays with it almost like a a kid who's you know got a new toy except
00:11:11.640he's a kid with with hundreds of billions of dollars buying some pretty influential toys I
00:11:17.040mean a few things have been interesting since he bought it it's driven the left into a complete
00:11:20.380tizzy and it really hasn't gotten that bad it hasn't turned into the cesspool of hate and misery
00:11:25.360that some people say it has yeah there's a bunch of trolls on there and there's some jerks but you0.75
00:11:28.860know what you do you block them holy cow yeah you just block them it's not that hard people learn
00:11:33.220to do that and it hasn't gone away he laid off what 75 percent of the twitter staff and guess
00:11:38.780what it's still running it's still doing okay it should have died any other company if you lay off
00:11:43.48075 of their staff you're gonna have some serious serious problems twitter's doing fine now part of
00:11:49.960his battle with CBC yeah you know and he's been doing that with other news outlets because he
00:11:53.500dared to label them as being government funded but they are government funded I mean they're a
00:11:56.960state broadcaster so I mean it was an accurate label but they got very upset and the CBC had a
00:12:01.360tantrum and said we're not gonna come on to your uh outlet or your channel anymore with Twitter
00:12:06.320and uh yeah that didn't last very long you know it's it's uh like a smoker threatening to quit
00:12:11.820and you find them behind the building smoking cigarettes or in this case uh busks a little
00:12:16.260meme with them not being able to quit each other. Either way, something else that's interesting
00:12:23.020that's been coming on the news. Now, Tucker Carlson, who's had his battle with Fox News,
00:12:31.400and he's gone. He's out. There's a whole mess going on there and everything. But now it's been
00:12:36.800announced that he's going to take his show to Twitter. Now, this is a big deal. I mean,
00:12:41.920he has a huge audience and this could really change what twitter is all about now twitter
00:12:46.960for those who don't use it i mean it's a short form site it started with i think only what 140
00:12:51.920or 180 characters you could use for short messaging at each other but quick and spreading
00:12:56.900fast and it's a useful tool for for some degree it's not good for extended debate but it now it's
00:13:02.320carrying video and it's carrying other things and when you bring somebody like tucker carlson on
00:13:05.800he's going to do his show on twitter he's going to bring millions of viewers on not just people
00:13:10.940who tweet, but view. This is a whole new platform. This is not YouTube. This is not TikTok or any of
00:13:17.520those things. This is through Twitter. And one of the things I saw Elon Musk tweeted about,
00:13:23.920somebody else saying, you know, this could become the whole new podcast platform. And I see that's
00:13:27.520what Musk has in mind. And if anybody could pull it off, very possibly Elon Musk. I mean, right now
00:13:33.720we are streaming this show, I believe, live to Twitter. Yes, we are. And you can see that
00:13:39.060streaming on there well we're going to see more and we're going to see bigger names and as my name
00:13:42.800grows eventually i'll compete directly with with mr tucker but i still got a little ways to go
00:13:47.320but uh it's a big development it really is in the evolution of social media you know
00:13:52.860these these uh social media giants they don't move quickly or easily most often and uh when you see
00:14:00.020somebody like musk getting in there and stirring it up with that stick though you see some things1.00
00:14:04.740changing pretty dramatically and fast so watching tucker on there as you see with the commenter did
00:14:09.580work into you saying i might have to check out twitter now yes you know maybe it's worth having
00:14:13.100a look uh because he's not just static i think that's part of the problem with some of these
00:14:17.220social media giants too they come up with something successful and then it just stays the same until
00:14:21.580it sort of wears down and fades out and you have to evolve you have to keep up you have to do
00:14:27.580different things if you want it to keep managing so mary don smith saying i'll have to sign up for
00:14:31.740Twitter, if Tucker's going to be there, Fox News can pound sand. You know, and similar to the Bud
00:14:36.340Light thing, know your audience, guys. Know your audience. Now, I understand there was a problem.
00:14:42.180It looked like Fox News had lost a giant lawsuit with Dominion voting machines, and it was due to
00:14:46.960stuff that Tucker said on his show. We're talking $700 million, not a small amount. And in the end,
00:14:51.920it led to them firing him. As a business decision, I don't know. But I mean, he's taking his viewers
00:14:57.600with him. Likewise with Bud Light, as Dave mentioned, some guy driving around drunk dressed
00:15:03.140as a Bud Light can, Bud Light has turned itself into a joke. It's turned itself into a caricature
00:15:07.500and their sales are down now 18% all over an idiotic relationship they decided to build with0.77
00:15:13.840a social media influencer. I mean, I believe it or not, I really don't, I don't care about trans1.00
00:15:19.720people. Go for it. If it makes you feel better, you're an adult, I wish you all the best. But
00:15:24.560these businesses falling over backwards to try and embrace some of this stuff and not realizing
00:15:28.520who their business base is, they're paying a price for it. They're getting stung. So Fox's loss
00:15:34.400might be Twitter's gain. And likewise, Bud liked, it was always crappy beer, but now people can
00:15:39.020switch to crappy Coors Light instead. Well, it's up to them. It's their businesses, but they're
00:15:43.920evolving and going. All right, let's get on to stuff a little more domestic and bring in Arthur
00:15:48.640Green, Western Standard, Alberta, main reporter up there in the legislature and talk about his
00:15:53.360coverage on the forest fires and wildfires we've had running pretty rampant here in Alberta for
00:15:59.240almost a couple weeks now. How's it going Arthur? It's going Corey. Yeah so I mean you got an
00:16:05.100opportunity to get out there and get on the road though it was pretty serious business. You went
00:16:09.040out there to Drayton Valley and some of the fire affected areas and you got some on the ground
00:16:13.920coverage on what's happening out there did you? I did. Like I said I told Nigel a couple days ago
00:16:21.180I went to Drayton Valley on Friday evening and managed to get past the roadblocks, having a media idea around my neck.
00:16:30.860And I was right in the forest fire zone, Corey.
00:16:35.420I mean, it was quite hot and smoky in many places and quite concerning.
00:16:41.300I mean, you know, when you're the only person in a town with just firemen, EMS and police and forestry officers and everyone else is going the other way, it's quite scary.
00:16:53.880But, you know, as of last night, the UCP government is holding a town hall for fire evacuees now.
00:17:01.040So every evening at around 730 from May 9th to May 14th, you can call in.
00:17:07.840it's virtual. So the number is 1-833-380-0691. And I'll just say that number again, 1-833-300-0691.
00:17:18.240And it's a virtual conference where anyone who's evacuated, they can join a nightly
00:17:26.360telephone town hall for updates to the fire situations. And the Alberta government will
00:17:34.100also listen and answer questions. Well, that's good to see, you know, because a problem that
00:17:39.480I've seen happen over and over in disasters across the country or incidents as they're breaking off,
00:17:44.120and if a government's going to mess up in any way, it's not communicating enough or it's allowing
00:17:47.960misinformation to sort of run rampant. So, I mean, giving a centralized spot where people can get
00:17:53.300information, you know, it's a good plan. I mean, people need to be up to date. I mean, some people
00:17:58.140are hearing that the evacuation's off, the evacuation's on, this area is burning, this area
00:18:02.400so that they can find some clarity at these town hall meetings.
00:20:17.920um again i i will explain the situation uh to the drayton valley listeners right now
00:20:24.580um so i headed to the evacuation center uh being a news reporter i i like to talk to people
00:20:30.520and i and i spoke to you know upwards of 20 people that day 30 people and i found one
00:20:36.500newfoundlander who told me that he returned home for man's best friend um to find people looting
00:20:41.580his house. Now, there's a bigger story to this, Corey, as Drayton Valley residents have
00:20:47.960contacted me and told me that the Newfoundlander is actually an alleged criminal himself.
00:20:55.880And I've been talking to the RCMP for the last couple of days, trying to get Mr. Dove's criminal
00:21:02.100history. And I've spoken to people in Drayton Valley who have had dealings with him in the past.
00:21:08.900So it just surprised me, Corey, that, you know, being a news reporter, yes, we do dig into people.
00:21:15.180But when we're doing an evacuation story, you know, we wouldn't assume that someone who is allegedly a criminal and stealing, allegedly stealing vehicles and property would actually come to the news to ask for gas money from from Albertans after being evacuated.
00:21:32.880So I just found that quite astounding and ironic, Corey.
00:21:38.900Well, that's part of the problem, I guess. Yeah, misinformation can be spread, but we follow up and we dig further. So, I mean, for those unfamiliar with Drayton Valley, too, I worked there a lot when I was back in the oil field. It is kind of a special sort of town. There's some fantastic people there, but there's always been quite a bit of a rough element there as well. I mean, something that was confirmed, the police did find some actual looters in the act of the gas station, I believe, at one point early in the evacuation.
00:22:02.080Yeah, that's correct. On Friday night, when everyone else was left the town, they did find four individuals breaking into a gas station trying to score while people are trying to get out of this town, which, you know, I don't really state an opinion too often, Corey.
00:22:21.340But like, that just seems like the lowest of the low to me, you know, you prey on people when they're when they're down and out and at the worst, you know, hard enough leaving everything you work your entire life for behind and wondering if it's going to be swallowed by fire.
00:22:37.500But then having to worry that someone's going to break in as well, like it just it's appalling to me.
00:22:44.340So, as you said, you've spoken with Parkland County officials and others.
00:22:47.820So, I mean, the fire sort of backed off a bit or, you know, but they're still burning.
00:22:51.480As you said, they could burn for a year, but that hasn't stopped them from working.
00:22:54.280So, I mean, the reason they're allowing some people back to Entwistle and some of those smaller towns is that they've also cut some fire breaks and done things so that if it flares up again, the areas where people live will be safe, hopefully.
00:23:07.180So I imagine that activity is still ongoing as well around those towns.
00:23:11.600The fire chief in Parkland County last night said, you know, they're actively working very hard to still combat the issues that they're facing.
00:23:24.580But it's amazing to watch how fire moves, Corey.
00:23:28.200You know, I was in N-Whistle with the Premier.
00:23:30.780She picked me up on the side of the road, believe it or not.
00:23:33.740Anyway, I was in N-Whistle with the Premier.
00:23:35.960And it's amazing to see how fire moves and how like it can start and stop in an instant.
00:23:42.860You know, I did view one house that had some property damage and it appears that the owners of the house used to regularly water their lawn.
00:23:53.620And the watered lawn actually like kept the fire from going to the house.
00:23:58.540And then it just, you know, found the dry brush next to the watered lawn and continued on.
00:24:02.980so it was amazing to just see how how devastating and how quickly fire can move across rivers and
00:24:11.340roads across a road yeah it's expected i mean the cooler weather has slowed it down and a few have
00:24:20.020gotten brought under control but some others are still burning it's supposed to get hot again next
00:24:24.300week though uh but i guess like this is the turning point this is the spring fire season as
00:24:29.300you pointed out a dry lawn will burn but a green one won't and in this period of the last few days
00:24:34.500with cooler weather and a little bit of rain hopefully some more of the leaves are popping
00:24:37.720and things like that because that'll slow the fire as well they're not going to have all that
00:24:40.580dry stuff to feed on even if it gets hotter again uh that's correct cory i mean we're we're praying
00:24:46.640for rain in alberta of course now uh as it gets hot again the weekend i would i would assume
00:24:52.500that the uh the fire count number will rise again now of course we'll have uh more personnel on the
00:24:59.240ground. I know that Wildfire Alberta did say that there was upwards of 100 people from the private
00:25:07.160sector, which emailed yesterday to volunteer. So, you know, Albertans are tough and strong,
00:25:13.080Corey. We're resilient people. And, you know, it's amazing to watch how communities are starting
00:25:20.340to come together when we've been divided for so long. Well, and I mean, I certainly don't want
00:25:26.200to make light of what's happening now but so far anyways i mean as scary as it's been and as awful
00:25:31.900as it is for the the nearly 30 000 people who got displaced from their homes uh when we compare this
00:25:36.940to the the fort mcmurray fire of of some years ago when basically a whole large segment of the town
00:25:43.220burned to the ground i i know some communities such as the whitefish settlement and others have0.77
00:25:47.920lost some houses and some other areas i think it's all straightened but for the most part uh
00:25:52.820we've been very fortunate in a lack of of uh homes lost so far um there hasn't been an updated
00:26:00.320number yet um on homes that have been lost again now i was into a couple of the towns and uh
00:26:09.300out of respect for albertans i i didn't post any pictures of uh burned houses uh in the fear that
00:26:16.000you know they would go on our website or online and see their house burned but uh parkland county
00:26:21.520They confirmed that one house was completely lost and some outbuildings.
00:26:27.040I plan on, again, covering an election is quite busy, but then covering a wildfire during an election is even more busier.
00:26:34.200I plan on trying to get to rural Alberta this weekend and maybe talk to some of the homeowners.
00:26:41.840So if there's any homeowners that are property owners that are watching right now that experience damage and you want me to come view that damage, you can just fire me an email.
00:26:49.900It's artgreen, or agreen, sorry, at westernstandard.news.
00:26:56.080Yeah, and, you know, another aspect of that area is kind of a very much mixed brush and agricultural.
00:27:02.280Actually, my wife stables her horse out west to Vent Whistle.
00:27:07.180Like, livestock is another big concern up that way.
00:27:10.560Have a lot of people managed to move their livestock fast enough to get them out of harm's way before the fires got there?
00:27:16.560Again, Corey, those details are scarce as well.
00:27:20.340I mean, in a lot of the places, they still have to wait for smoke to clear to be able to do some assessments.
00:27:27.300But the government did say that they did have some livestock that was moved.
00:27:32.680And again, once I get to rural Alberta this weekend, I'm hoping to speak with some farmers that were able to save their livestock or vice versa.
00:27:42.460And I understand that the government is quite busy.
00:27:49.560I spoke to Mike Ellis just before this interview, actually.
00:27:53.380And, you know, he's kind of taken a step back because he's still the minister.
00:27:58.320And he's taken a step back from his campaign to help the people of Alberta.
00:28:02.440And, you know, the election, like I said, is busy for our politicians.
00:28:10.740And, you know, I won't say it's hindering their campaigns, but, you know, the safety of Albertans is their top priority, and that's what I've been told.
00:38:05.480So when you sit here and ignore the crime waves going on, by the way, this morning in Calgary, I was greeted by news stories of a knife laying on an LRT platform, a train platform, another stabbing, another one person in critical condition in the hospital.
00:38:18.200Gee, I wonder why nobody wants to ride the train.
00:38:21.140Well, Smith is addressing those things.