Alberta's Danielle Smith says new East-West pipeline is necessary as ‘back-up plan'
Smith tells CBC's David Cochrane on Power and Politics than Canada needs to lessen its reliance on the United States in getting its oil and gas to market. Line 5 runs about 1,000 km from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia, Ontario via Michigan.
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Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Will Frank White recall get delayed? What county legislators and lawsuits say
As the future of a planned recall election for County Executive Frank White Jr. heads to the courts, the Jackson County Legislature may be changing its tune to support pushing the vote to a later date. Legislators had initially set the election date for Aug. 26. But in the face of multiple legal challenges and concerns from local election boards, they introduced an ordinance Monday supporting a Nov. 4 election to recall White, a Democrat and former Royals Hall of Famer who has served as county executive since 2016. The ordinance suggests that Nov. 4 — when a county election is already scheduled — would be the next most appropriate date if a 'lawful election date' could not be found within 60 days of when voters submitted the petition prompting a recall vote, which is the timeline outlined in the county's charter. Supporters of the recall effort submitted signatures to the Kansas City and Jackson County election boards, which certified 43,011 valid signatures on June 30, breaking the required signature threshold by 109 names. Along with vocal organizers in Eastern Jackson County, many of the signatures were collected over the course of two years by a dark money political action group. White's opponents have cited disagreement with his handling of Jackson County's property tax assessments in recent years, as well as the 2024 tax question that would have funded a new Royals stadium in the Crossroads. White's chief of staff Caleb Clifford said that he and White are concerned that the legislature introduced an ordinance around a Nov. 4 election while the older ordinance supporting an earlier date still stands. 'Moving forward with setting an election date without first rescinding the prior ordinance and ensuring full legal compliance could result in two unlawful, unbudgeted elections, costing taxpayers millions and requiring the County to once again draw from out dwindling emergency reserves,' Clifford said. The scheduled Nov. 4 election is already set to include a ballot measure about amending the Jackson County Charter to make the role of county assessor an elected position starting in November 2028. Currently, Jackson County is the only county in Missouri where the county assessor is appointed rather than elected. Third District At-Large Legislator Megan Smith (formerly Marshall) sponsored the ordinance supporting a Nov. 4 recall, which was assigned Monday to the legislature's Intergovernmental Affairs Committee. Smith was the only legislator to abstain from a July 18 vote overriding White's veto of an earlier ordinance recommending an August 26 special election. The Jackson County and Kansas City election boards have been advocating for a Nov. 4 date for multiple weeks, arguing that state and federal law afforded them a longer timeline to administer an election. During the July 18 vote, Smith echoed their concerns, noting that an August election date may disenfranchise voters overseas who will not receive ballots in time or voters who need to vote early or by absentee ballot. Forcing an election in violation of state law could open the door for other lawsuits or election results to be invalidated in the future, Smith said. 'I don't know if [the legislature] will get something done before the courts do,' said Tammy Brown, Republican Director of the Jackson County Election Board. 'We'll be happy either way whenever they get settled.' The legislature and election boards have been involved in conflicting lawsuits, both of which ask the Jackson County court system to issue guidance on when a recall election should take place. A lawsuit filed July 9 by four Jackson County residents, including former chairs of both the Democratic and Republican parties of Jackson County – Phil LeVota and Mark Anthony Jones, respectively – asked the court to mandate an Aug. 26 election regardless of any action from either White or the legislature. The next day, the Jackson County and Kansas City election boards filed their own lawsuit, arguing that the proposed Aug. 26 date could not be legally enforced. 'We have certain federal and state laws we have to follow,' Brown said. 'We understand that they wanted a very speedy, quick election, but all of our elections start 10 weeks out, so we had to follow the law and that's what we've done. That's why we had to file the lawsuit.' As of Tuesday, both lawsuits have been consolidated into one case. Jackson County judge Mary Wayne Seaton will hear the combined lawsuit on Aug. 1. Meanwhile, some Jackson County residents and organizations are calling for White to resign before a special election proceeds. The Urban Council, a coalition of civil rights organizations in the Kansas City area affiliated with the Urban Summit, joined LeVota and Sixth District Legislator Sean Smith last week in demanding that White step down. White has said that he would support a Nov. 4 election, while LeVota has called for a special election in September or October if the courts ruled against an Aug. 26 date. Both White and LeVota have said that running the recall question during a special election outside of Nov. 4 would cost taxpayers about $2 million. If Smith's ordinance supporting a Nov. 4 election passes, White would have 10 days to veto it, at which point the legislature could overturn a veto with a supermajority of six votes — as occurred with the previous ordinance supporting an August 26 recall election. However, the final decision on the timing of a recall election for now rests on a judge's decision. 'It's up to the courts at this point,' Brown said. 'We'll have to see what happens.' Solve the daily Crossword
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Alberta's United Conservatives call in lawyers in Progressive Conservative name fight
EDMONTON - Alberta's governing United Conservative Party has brought in its lawyers to challenge a rogue splinter group in a fight over resurrecting the province's legacy Progressive Conservative party brand. The UCP has sent a cease and desist letter to two former United Conservative caucus members who are now seeking to challenge Premier Danielle Smith's government by forming a new party using the old Progressive Conservative name. UCP executive director Dustin van Vugt, in a statement Wednesday, said the cease and desist letter was sent to protect the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta copyright and trademarks that belong to the UCP. 'The PC Alberta name, logo and goodwill were being used by people with no right to it,' he wrote. Van Vugt said neither of the ex-UCP caucus members were part of PC Alberta. 'Their attempt to usurp the goodwill associated with our legacy party in order to confuse voters and avoid the hard work of building a political movement is particularly insulting to the thousands of former PC Party members and supporters who are now contributing members of the UCP,' he wrote. The Progressive Conservatives ran Alberta's government for four decades before collapsing and merging with the Wildrose Party into the new United Conservatives in 2017. The UCP has been Alberta's governing party since 2019. Peter Guthrie, a former cabinet minister in Smith's government, along with former UCP backbencher Scott Sinclair, made headlines earlier this month announcing their plans to resurrect the PC name for a party that would challenge the UCP. Guthrie said Wednesday the letter shows the UCP is worried, and trying to intimidate those who want to move the province's political sphere back to 'normality.' 'They're fearful of us getting off the ground here and offering options to Albertans,' he said in an interview. Guthrie said they're still gathering signatures to register, but now they're also working to join and rebrand the centrist Alberta Party. 'We can get to that official party status now without having to get caught up in all the legal games that the UCP is trying to play here,' he said. Guthrie and Sinclair, both voted out of caucus earlier this year for challenging UCP policies, have said that Smith's government has lost its way, is catering to a narrow band of extremists and separatists, and that centrist conservatives need a place to park their vote. The would-be PCs have told supporters the Alberta Party will take on new board members and begin taking steps to change the name to reflect a progressive conservative alternative in the province. 'It may be that we have to tweak it a bit, but you can't own 'progressive' and you can't own 'conservative,'' said Guthrie. He added the Alberta Party is looking for a new direction, and the partnership makes sense. 'The Alberta Party has that infrastructure in place, and we've come out of the gates — we've had this incredible amount of interest. We started with a very small team, and we've had thousands of people trying to contact us,' he said. The collaboration means it's likely they'll need to hold a leadership contest, Guthrie said, since the Alberta Party already has a leader. Lindsay Amantea took on the role on an interim basis last year. The Alberta Party did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Protest over Bellevue land development reaches premier's desk
A group of Crowsnest Pass residents has appealed to Premier Danielle Smith to halt a controversial housing development in Bellevue, saying it threatens land of deep Indigenous cultural and archeological importance. In a letter sent July 9, the group urged the province to intervene following Crowsnest Pass council's April 15 approval of Bylaw 1221, 2025, a rezoning measure that clears the way for high- and medium-density housing on three municipal parcels — two in Bellevue and one in Coleman. While the land in Coleman has faced little objection, residents say the Bellevue parcels are inappropriate for development due to their historical and cultural significance. According to residents, oral histories shared by Blackfoot communities and archeological studies dating back to the 1970s say the site was used as a winter camp by Indigenous Peoples for thousands of years. 'There's a sign right on the land. It's archeologically designated. You're not even allowed to drive your vehicle across it. Now they want to basically excavate everything and put up a bunch of apartment buildings on a sacred site,' said Vern Harrison, a resident leading the campaign. Residents say the land is protected by a restrictive covenant registered in 1999 under Alberta Land Titles, requiring an archeological review before any development. Despite this, they say the municipality is pressing ahead with no consultation with Indigenous communities and limited transparency around the land sale. What's the issue? On Feb. 11, council passed first reading of the bylaw, which sought to redesignate more than eight acres of public land in Bellevue and Coleman from open space and non-urban area to high-density residential. The changes were prompted by a proposed multi-family development by Pace Industries, which planned to build apartment complexes up to three storeys high. Public opposition mounted quickly. Ahead of a March 11 public hearing, council received 38 written submissions against the proposal. Dozens of residents packed the hearing, prompting council to delay second and third readings to gather more information. On April 15, council passed the bylaw with an amendment — changing the zoning of one Bellevue parcel nearest existing homes from high-density (R3) to medium-density (R2A). While council said the change addressed community feedback, residents say their core concern — the cultural and archeological value of the land — was ignored. Development permit appeal and new bylaws Residents took their concerns to the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board, which in June overturned Pace Industries' development permit, citing issues including inadequate parking. Soon after, residents say, council introduced a new measure — Bylaw 1237, 2025 — to lower parking requirements. Council's July 8 agenda explicitly states the bylaw was brought forward in response to the appeal ruling, Harrison said. According to the agenda, the development permit issued by the municipal planning commission included a 13 per cent variance in required parking — reducing the number of stalls from 126 to 110. The SDAB overturned the development permit due to reduced parking, warning of spillover into neighbourhoods. It recommended stricter rules, citing lack of public transit. But rather than tighten the rules, residents say, council introduced Bylaw 1237 to loosen them further. 'They're changing the bylaws to lower the parking requirements,' Harrison told Shootin' the Breeze. 'The reason for this bylaw is to get around the appeal. And that is the most recent example of how the council and the administration is demonstrating that they can't be trusted.' Tensions rise over heritage concerns Harrison also cited remarks from a council meeting that residents say helped trigger their letter to Premier Smith. According to minutes from council's June 24 meeting, Coun. Lisa Sygutek attended a meeting in Fort Macleod, where she raised the development issue with Smith during a conversation about red tape. 'We have a council that is pro-development, but it's getting logged up by people who are using the Indigenous Heritage section within the Cultural and Status of Women [department] to hold up development in this community,' the minutes quote Sygutek as saying. 'They lock it up.' The minutes go on to say: 'Premier Danielle Smith and Coun. Sygutek spoke on that department and how it is being weaponized to hold up development in Alberta.' 'This just makes us very angry,' Harrison said. 'That was one of the triggers for us to send this letter to Premier Smith, because we saw that this councillor was trying to basically circumvent the law, and try and influence the premier, and portray us as red tape. That's not right, not fair, and also very disrespectful.' Calls for provincial intervention The resident group's letter to Smith was also copied to Indigenous Relations Minister Rajan Sawhney, NDP shadow minister for Indigenous relations Brooks Arcand-Paul, and Arts, Culture and Status of Women Minister Tanya Fir. 'We went to the province because we don't believe we can trust council anymore on this,' Harrison said. 'We really hope that the Alberta government will do the right thing. It's an opportunity for them to demonstrate that these guys are serious about respecting our Indigenous people and their culture.' So far, he added, they have received acknowledgement from the local MLA that the issue is under review. Why not build in Coleman? Harrison said their efforts are not about stopping development altogether but protecting the right place. 'They are saying that affordable housing is an urgent matter. What we don't understand is, they have the approval in Coleman, they have no opposition in Coleman … yet they're not building there,' he said. What's next While the land has been sold, no construction has begun and Pace Industries does not currently have a valid development permit. For now, more than 80 households in Bellevue remain committed to challenging the project and protecting the land they believe should be preserved for future generations. A group called Guardians of Sacred Lands in Alberta has also joined the residents to protect the land, Harrison said. 'We think this is the unique opportunity for the province to do the right thing and protect these lands,' he said. Council's response Deputy mayor Dave Filipuzzi said council's decision reflects the community's urgent need for housing and limited developable land in Crowsnest Pass. 'We can't stop our hospitals or our long-term care facilities because we don't have places for people to stay,' he said, adding that the whole town of Bellevue is designated a 4A archeological area, requiring procedures even for building garages or gardens. Filipuzzi said the designation can be removed and the developer has started the process of hiring professionals to conduct digs and submit findings to the province for review. 'This is just a bunch of people trying to make a big deal out of something because they don't want a two- or three-storey building in their neighbourhood,' he said. 'A view is not an excuse not to develop.' He added that development is essential for community growth, schools and small businesses to survive. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. 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