Erin Collins of the CBC National reached out for an interview regarding the newly announced AI data centre permit ban in Texas. I explained I am a geophysicist who spent 22 years in the oil and gas industry before being pushed out while advocating for environmental goals aligned with Justin Trudeau’s land back through industrial site cleanup and restoration and that I host The Gravity Well podcast, to focus on social and environmental issues for the public. The conversation centers on my concerns about AI data centres—which I explain is as an extension of the oil and gas industry. Before it was: methane gas as a bridge fuel, bitumen beyond combustion, carbon capture and utilization (not storage), pipelines to the west coast, “blue” hydrogen or nuclear—and surveillance systems backed by nefarious actors, like Meta who monetize misinformers, funneling money to politicians, the police and military. I also argue that what is marketed as artificial intelligence is actually machine learning that lacks genuine intelligence and can be manipulated, citing websites allegedly designed to mislead Albertans toward a separatist referendum as an example.
Erin raises serious concerns about the resource demands of data centres, particularly regarding water and energy. I note that Alberta’s oil sands already consumed 260 billion liters of fresh water in a single year, and that adding AI data centre power demands could increase water usage by 12 times. I draw a parallel to Corpus Christi, Texas, which is facing water bankruptcy due to AI data centres, LNG facilities, and petrochemical plants. I also warn that data centres (correction) require diesel backup storage for natural gas turbines at a time when refined fuel supplies are under strain globally.
I go further than what the Texas Governor has done—halting all new AI data centre permits—by calling for a complete halt to AI data centre construction and operation across North America, framing it as a choice between essential resources like food, water, and healthcare versus information systems she sees as providing no societal value. I reference a CNN report about an AI hallucination that allegedly nearly caused a major international military incident with China as evidence of AI’s dangers. I urge political leaders to consult the oil and gas industry to understand what is at stake, arguing that informed decisions must be made urgently.
The interview closes with my expressing appreciation for the Texas Governor’s decision to pause data centre permits, acknowledging it as an example of political courage needed from leaders facing these limits. I emphasize that the most urgent priority should be centering the economy on water restoration and halting all hyperscale AI data centre construction and activities, immediately.
Two Alberta teachers and education advocates, Tania and Lindsay, who run the pages “Remove Nicolaides” and “Let’s Talk Alberta Education” respectively, join me to discuss the realities of Alberta Public Education: its mismanagement at the hands of our Education & Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides, and his predecessor: Adriana LaGrange. Tania is a kindergarten French immersion teacher in Calgary-Bow who became involved in advocacy after simply trying to sign Nicolaides’ recall petition, while Lindsay describes herself as a “reluctant influencer” with nearly 20 years of teaching experience who started her online presence the same summer the first screeners were introduced. Both discuss how the UCP government’s decisions since 2019 have systematically eroded public education in Alberta, beginning with dramatic cuts to Program Unit Funding (PUF), which had previously provided holistic early childhood assessments and in-school therapeutic supports such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists working weekly with students. Removing these supports after COVID, when students arguably needed them most, has caused unaddressed developmental gaps to snowball as children progress through the school system.
In place of the earlier holistic screener system, the government introduced mandatory literacy and numeracy screeners that both teachers argue are developmentally inappropriate, anxiety-inducing, and produce no meaningful data or corresponding support. Lindsay describes the current screeners as something no teacher asked for, and notes that even the expert credited with designing them bases his university courses on “screening and intervention,” not screening alone. Weber Academy, a high-tuition private school, publicly stated the government screeners were “far too basic” and provided “no meaningful or valuable feedback,” and that administering them would come at the school’s own expense. Administering the screeners requires one-on-one time, substitute teacher coverage, and additional planning burdens that fall entirely on already overstretched teachers, with any resulting intervention also placed on teachers’ shoulders rather than dedicated support staff.
The conversation also explores the political and ideological influences shaping these education policies. Tania identifies a Christian think tank called Cardus that has sent policy memos directly to Minister Nicolaides, with . One such memo, sent before the teacher strike, outlined strategies for the government to manage a prolonged strike, from savings on teacher salaries and . Both teachers emphasize that the three days after the strike began rather than using the notwithstanding clause immediately, which
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Ground Zero: Oct 1 AI Data Centre Town Hall in Olds
Season 3 · Episode 44
Saturday, September 19, 2026 • Duration 12:47
This episode features a discussion with Kayla Piccinin, Carol Edwards, and Jasona Rondeau -- who are promoting a province-wide town hall event called “Ground Zero,” organized by the Alberta Transparency Project. The event is centered on the issue of AI data centre development in Alberta, particularly following the Synapse project, which the group successfully opposed in Olds. Carol Edwards, a retired professor and project analyst, became involved after the project was proposed near her home, while Jasona has spent four years helping landowners navigate regulatory processes when projects arrive in their communities.
The guests emphasize that the event is relevant to anyone concerned about environmental impacts, health, property values, water, and agricultural land. Jasona stresses the importance of learning the facts and understanding how to act at the municipal level, noting that project approvals involve four separate regulatory streams. Carol urges people of all skill sets to get involved and participate on the front lines, while Kayla highlights the importance of everyday conversations and sharing information to raise awareness.
The October 1st event will be held at the local legion hall in Olds, Alberta, doors open at 5 pm, with plenty of parking! Jasona notes that people from around the world are already anticipating the live stream! The event is volunteer-run and funded, with a donation option planned for attendees. I express hope that the model developed in Olds to fight data centres can be replicated elsewhere across the province.
Want to learn more?
BIG TECH, BIGGER QUESTIONS IN ALBERTA
CJSW radio in Edmonton covered the St. Alberta data centre town hall hosted by Give Voice: a grassroots organization of mostly retired women. Keepers of the Water Director, Jesse Cardinal, Olds Resident and retired Simon Fraser University Professor, Carol Edwards, and I spoke.
DATA CENTRES: Who benefits? Who pays?
Plans for new data centres in Alberta threaten water resources and energy prices, I sat down with The Climate Lens’ Steve Bentley to discuss.
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Rebellion Ahead
Season 3 · Episode 43
Friday, September 18, 2026 • Duration 01:03:32
Before listening to this conversation, consider:
* Premier Smith’s first action in office was an attempt to exert Alberta sovereignty, over Canada, but most importantly, ahead of First Nations who proceeded all of us, and have fought for their sovereign rights since time immemorial.
* After two court ruling, a hurdle-smashing Forever Canadian petition, we are still facing a 10-question referenda most of us do not want.
* The US has declared war against us, yet Alberta’s Premier won’t cut them off. Despite all other provinces agreeing to fight, Canada continues to capitulate to Smith.
* Both Smith and Carney are throwing out environmental protections, climate targets, and International law in the name of AI surveillance technology and threats to national security.
* Developers, like Sam Altman of OpenAI, are sounding the alarm that deregulation seems to be leading to self-destruction, by way of uncontrollable AI algorithm agents.
* Fueled by and for the fossil fuel industry who is destroying itself, and our way of life with it, with our money through illegal, unprovoked wars and genocide. Blocking renewable and restoration alternatives whilst they destroy the global trade system, which feeds us, for all the world to see.
* The referenda agenda is already underway: students are being cut off from public school and families from healthcare. Jobs are drying up, along with our freshwater table, and any logical reason to let this agenda continue.
A rebellion is urgently needed, what are you waiting for?
The conversation opens with a focus on the ongoing situation in Gaza and Palestine. Wesam Cooley, a regular on The Gravity Well, describes the conflict as a genocide now approaching its three-year mark, continuing despite a ceasefire that Israel has not respected. Recent incidents include a building collapse where a child was found alive among dead family members, and a quadcopter drone strike that killed both a paramedic and a 15-year-old boy who had gone to help him. We note that Israeli political opinion polls show near-unanimous support for the military campaign among Israelis, and that upcoming Israeli elections are unlikely to change the direction of the genocide, as no candidate campaigns on ending it.
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Reuters & Referenda
Season 3 · Episode 42
Saturday, September 12, 2026 • Duration 55:22
I welcome Edmonton-based journalist Jeremy Appel, of The Orchard who is based in Edmonton and contributes to numerous news outlets including the National Observer, the Toronto Star, and Ricochet. Appel also has a book forthcoming on Premier Danielle Smith titled “Dark Phoenix: The Rise, Fall and Reemergence of Danielle Smith,” which he describes as a spiritual sequel to his earlier book on Jason Kenney. We then turn to a story Appel covered regarding Reuters, which is owned by Canada’s Thompson family and derives much of its revenue not from journalism but from data and AI services. Specifically, Reuters operates a database called CLEAR that aggregates personal information on Americans, including immigration status and social security numbers, and has contracted with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to assist with deportation efforts. When Reuters was asked about safeguards, their response amounted to cancelling the contract if misuse were discovered, which Appel found unconvincing.
The discussion then broadens to the role of big tech in serving state interests, including Google Maps renaming Lake Ontario to “Lake America” at Trump’s informal request and Zuckerberg gutting Meta’s fact-checking apparatus upon Trump’s return to office. Appel connects this to the Alberta referendum, arguing that the immigration questions underpinning it are built on fiction and that the broader separatist movement is fundamentally about liberating the oil and gas industry from federal constraints. He traces this narrative back to Jason Kenney, who amplified Alberta grievance politics around equalization payments and pension contributions, framing federal structures as conspiring against the province despite Alberta being among the wealthiest provinces per capita. Appel argues that Danielle Smith has taken this further, fusing state power with corporate interests in a manner he describes as more authoritarian than the neoliberalism practiced by Kenney.
Our conversation turns to the political landscape ahead of the referendum, with both speakers expressing frustration at the Alberta NDP’s strategic approach of targeting an imagined suburban Calgary swing voter rather than articulating a bold alternative vision. The host shares her own experience running as an independent candidate after Notley refused to discuss a just transition before the election, and argues that the NDP cannot win by trying to out-promise the UCP on oil and gas. Appel notes that Smith is skilled at framing hard-right positions, including restrictions on immigrant access to healthcare and schooling, as reasonable compromises, while the underlying claims are based on misinformation. He also raises concerns that gerrymandering of Calgary ridings may render electoral strategy discussions largely moot.
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Meet Kyle Campbell for Calgary-Shaw
Season 3 · Episode 41
Sunday, September 6, 2026 • Duration 18:26
Monday, September 14 is the Calgary-Shaw By-Election
Early vote between September 8-12.
Calgary-Shaw Communities
* Shawnessey
* Somerset
* Yorkville
* Belmont
* Pine Creek
* Chaparral
* Walden
* Wolf Willow
* Legacy
Tell your Calgary-Shaw friends this is an option to send Premier Smith and the United Conservative Party (UCP) of Alberta a strong message.
Become a member. Volunteer. Donate. Vote.
Kyle Campbell, the Alberta NDP candidate for the Calgary-Shaw by-election, introduces himself as a longtime South Calgary resident who coaches his kids in basketball and baseball and works in insurance. He states clearly that he supports remaining in Canada, noting that the overwhelming majority of people in Calgary-Shaw share that view and do not understand the need for a separation referendum, particularly given its enormous cost. On the broader referendum questions, he argues that the immigration-related questions unfairly blame newcomers for the UCP government’s own financial mismanagement, and that he would not trust the UCP with any attempt to alter the Canadian constitution. He also criticizes Premier Danielle Smith for travelling to the United States during tariff negotiations and urging Canada to accept whatever terms the Trump administration offers, arguing that Canada is stronger when all provinces stand united.
On the issue of AI data centres, Campbell supports the Alberta NDP’s position of pausing all new data centre implementations until proper consultation is completed, a framework is established, and clear benchmarks are set to measure whether projects are meeting Albertans’ needs. He notes that Alberta already has deep expertise in energy-intensive infrastructure and should apply that knowledge to this new sector. Regarding healthcare, Campbell shares his personal experience of being diagnosed with cancer in 2023, during which he faced a six-week wait for a basic blood draw due to the province’s privatization of blood work, and his physician had to call him from personal holidays because no one was covering her practice. He argues that meaningful healthcare improvement is achievable by consulting frontline workers, collecting their incremental suggestions, and implementing them, describing it as a listening and doing problem rather than an insurmountable one.
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Mikayla Interrupts Alberta Independence
Season 3 · Episode 40
Saturday, September 5, 2026 • Duration 01:01:25
The conversation opens with Mikayla Resists—last on The Gravity Well in May—arguing that global conflicts and Alberta’s political situation are driven by imperialism, greed, and resource extraction, framing the struggle as “people versus the power” rather than left versus right. She expresses frustration with the separatist movement, noting that despite sharing some anti-establishment rhetoric, separatists refuse to consider tools like general strikes and openly oppose unions, even though unions secured workers’ rights and benefits. The conversation then shifts to an ongoing data breach involving the Centurion Project, with Mikayla stating she is still monitoring the situation and working with a developer to build blockchain-based voting verification, while warning that Elections Alberta has only a year to issue fines and has not updated its website since late April. I connect the data breach to Premier Danielle Smith’s behaviour, suggesting US involvement and noting that Smith immediately travelled to the United States after the breach became public.
We then discuss two confrontational events Mikayla attended. At a pancake breakfast, Mikayla planned to confront Danielle Smith about AISH and ADAP policy changes, and also noted the presence of Chief Warren Driechel, whom she had been seeking accountability from regarding a trip to occupied Palestine. After her friend raised issues including trans rights and AI data centres, Smith deflected with a question about social media use, prompting Mikayla to loudly challenge her for platforming separatists, resulting in the now-known “f**k your fascist pancakes” moment. Following this event, Mikayla received, and is still receiving, serious threats and was followed by separatists. At the Alberta Independence rally at the legislature, a speaker named Leyton Grey, described as an indigenous lawyer, made statements defending residential schools, and a preacher called for bringing God into the separatist movement. Mikayla interrupted the rally, called attendees traitors, and was subsequently given a 90-day ban from the legislature by provincial sheriffs, while her friend was physically roughed up and briefly handcuffed.
The discussion broadens to cover US demands on Canada, with me listing 13 proposed conditions (https://finance.biggo.com/news/934d7490-f69f-4fa3-8cec-ccecd7485b62#:~:text=According%20to%20Canadian%20media%20reports) including veto power over Canadian infrastructure decisions, right of first refusal on critical minerals at a preferred price, elimination of cultural and language protections, and the ability to sue the Canadian government. I also make reference to the
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Meet Kyle Joseph for Calgary-Shaw
Season 3 · Episode 39
Thursday, September 3, 2026 • Duration 17:40
Welcome back to The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy! I sat down with Kyle Joseph yesterday, a grade six teacher and Progressive Tory Party candidate for the Calgary-Shaw by-election on September 14th, to chat about his stepping up during a significant moment in Alberta’s history. Kyle firmly states that Alberta must remain in Canada, noting that separation would be logistically problematic given treaty rights, and legally difficult under the Federal Clarity Act, which requires a two-thirds majority in the House of Commons. He also expresses concern that the premier is dangerously fueling the idea of separation and questions the UCP’s direction, pointing specifically to the fact that UCP candidate for Calgary-Shaw Mike Derry’s campaign manager, Craig Chandler, has openly supported separation. On the referendum’s nine questions, Kyle states he will personally vote no to all of them, distrusting the government’s motives and concerned that some questions are being used to target immigrants.
Regarding US trade negotiations, Kyle criticizes the premier for abandoning a Team Canada approach and giving up leverage with both Ottawa and Washington. He draws a pointed contrast between the premier’s willingness to use Alberta’s resources as leverage against BC but not against the Americans, questioning where her loyalties lie. He illustrated the importance of cooperation with a story about his own grade six students, noting that fighting against others rather than negotiating guarantees no one will want to help you.
On data centres, Kyle raises concerns about the provincial government pushing the initiative through without proper community consultation or environmental review. He notes that public feedback, including at AI data centre town halls, has been overwhelmingly negative, yet the government has proceeded regardless. On education and healthcare, Kyle argues that per-student funding has fallen far behind the rest of Canada, that there are not enough schools, teachers, or education assistants, and that the healthcare system faces similar pressures. His party’s approach centres on a strategy of recruit, retain, and collaborate with frontline workers such as teachers, nurses, and doctors, emphasizing that simply hiring large numbers of new workers is ineffective if burnout drives hundreds to leave the profession shortly after.
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How to Fix a Broken Water Cycle
Season 3 · Episode 38
Saturday, August 15, 2026 • Duration 48:53
The water cycle is broken. The sustainable development narrative has failed and Water Bankruptcy is on the Horizonbut the solutions and expertise needed are here and clear. In this episode of The Gravity Well Podcast with Jenny Yeremiy, co‑hosted by Bob Morrison, I speak with Dr. Tricia Stadnyk—a Canada Research Chair in hydrologic modelling and environmental engineer at the University of Calgary—about water modelling and water security in southern Alberta and beyond. Tricia explains that her work spans global to local scales, using models to understand how climate change affects continental water supply and then zooming down to impacts on communities, ecosystems, farms, Indigenous communities, and urban areas.
Tricia outlines a “modelling chain” of distinct but linked tools: climate models provide temperature and precipitation inputs, which feed land‑surface or hydrology models that estimate bulk water supply from rain and snow before human use. Groundwater and groundwater–surface water interactions are often modelled separately because of their complexity and long timescales, while hydraulic models simulate how water moves through rivers, enabling flood forecasting and floodplain mapping that influence insurance rates. At the end of the chain, water resource management models (“worms”) incorporate human interventions such as licences, irrigation withdrawals, reservoirs, and releases to estimate post‑use water supply. These models are usually run sequentially rather than fully coupled, with each step increasing in resolution to translate global climate signals into local hydrologic and hydraulic predictions.
The discussion then turns to specific processes and uncertainties, including glaciers, groundwater, and land‑use change. Tricia notes that the contribution of glacier melt to systems like the Bow and South Saskatchewan Rivers is complex and only recently being studied in detail, with earlier climate models underestimating glacier loss because they missed feedbacks such as wildfire ash darkening ice and accelerating melt. She explains that glaciers are crucial for headwater supply and that their melt feeds both rivers and groundwater, affecting late‑summer baseflows and water temperature, which are vital for aquatic ecosystems. Land‑use changes such as logging are incorporated by dynamically updating land‑cover data from satellite imagery so hydrology models can adjust runoff responses, while other cumulative effects (like fish health) are handled by separate ecological models that use hydrologic outputs such as flow and temperature. Throughout, Tricia stresses that model choice and complexity must be “fit for purpose,” balancing computational limits and the need for timely decisions, especially for operational tasks like flood forecasting.
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Seems timely to revisit Bob Morrison and I’s interview from last September with Dr. Brad Stelfox (who also appeared in The Harms of Coal Mining), a zoologist and land-use scientist who has spent over 35 years developing cumulative effects models that integrate overlapping land uses—such as roads, agriculture, oil and gas, and forestry—to show how they reshape landscapes in Alberta and beyond. His work focuses on linking social, economic, and environmental dimensions, quantifying benefits like jobs and royalties alongside impacts on natural capital, including biodiversity, soil carbon, and water quality and quantity. Stelfox argues that most models used by industry and government chase “win‑win‑win” scenarios and fail to honestly represent trade‑offs, leading to a narrative that Alberta can expand all land uses without compromising water or biodiversity—something he says has never been achieved anywhere. He points to evidence of profound losses in natural capital since Alberta became a province, with rapid ongoing degradation of water, biodiversity, and soil carbon.
In other words, Alberta and Canada need to adopt a “Less i$ more” economic model: where more land (water, air, and biodiversity) is restored rather than developed.
Brad, Bob, and I discuss how Alberta’s growing population and sharply increased per‑capita resource use have driven extensive externalization of natural capital, meaning environmental costs are left out of economic and political decision‑making.He explains that humans and land use inevitably consume water, carbon, and biodiversity, and that Alberta is no longer just drawing on “interest” from these systems but is cutting deeply into the ecological “capital.” Using native mammals as an example, he estimates that pre‑European times they made up about 99.2% of biomass, whereas today Alberta has perhaps only 4% of its pre‑European native mammal biodiversity, with most biomass now in humans, livestock, and pets. Water quality and quantity have also deteriorated, with many prairie creeks ploughed over or converted to irrigation canals and parents reluctant to let children play in creeks due to health risks, especially in southern Alberta. He characterizes Alberta’s prevailing mindset as “me here now,” focused on short‑term economic growth and local interests rather than long‑term landscape health or the well‑being of future generations.
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at least three policy directions being implemented by the government in near-verbatim alignment with those memos
including paying parents directly
encouraging movement into charter, independent, or homeschool settings
government locked teachers out
they argue was a deliberate strategy to deplete the Alberta Teachers Association’s financial resources and weaken its ability to advocate for teachers.
In closing, both advocates urge parents and Albertans to stay informed, attend school council meetings, and continue supporting public education. Lindsay warns that schools are already in crisis before October, with insufficient resources, growing class complexity, and a widening gap between government rhetoric and classroom reality. Tania notes that Nicolaides has now expanded the screeners into grades four and five, even while schools lack enough hired teachers to manage their existing workloads. Both teachers stress that the future of Alberta depends on properly funded and supported public classrooms, and that the “more is more” framing used by the minister is empty without meaningful, evidence-based action.
Want to take action?
Email your Education Minister at: education.minister@gov.ab.ca. Request that he RETURN Program Unit Funding (PUF) to public school kindergarten students and CANCEL the meaningless and harmful—void of adequate intervention—pre-screening practices.
The discussion then expands to the broader regional war, including Lebanon, the West Bank, and Iran. Wesam explains that the US launched a war against Iran in February, and that Iran has responded by using its geographical control over the Strait of Hormuz to restrict oil flows to any nation supporting the US military action. Brent Crude has surpassed one hundred dollars per barrel, and the economic damage is described as irreversible, with rationing expected in the coming months and years. Yemen’s Ansar Allah has also seized the western coast of Yemen and is positioned to besiege the Bab al-Mandeb strait, while also attacking Saudi oil infrastructure, resulting in Saudi Arabia temporarily exporting zero oil. I add that oil and gas infrastructure damaged through bombing cannot simply be restored, with replacement timelines stretching years or decades, and that the CEO of Chevron has publicly acknowledged coming shortages of diesel, jet fuel, and fertilizer.
The conversation shifts to the geopolitical position of Canada, the Alberta separatism referendum, and the US imperial decline. Wesam argues that the US, facing the collapse of its West Asian presence, is now looking to expand control over weaker targets, with Canada being especially vulnerable. The Alberta referendum is described as dangerous not because the separatism question itself may pass, but because any yes vote on the nine constitutional questions could trigger a constitutional crisis that would be used to legitimize US intervention in the province. I note there is no defined threshold for success in the referendum act, meaning the organizing faction can declare victory on any outcome. Both speakers call for mass public action, with Speaker 2 suggesting that blocking key intersections in Calgary and demanding Danielle Smith’s resignation before October could be decisive.
In closing, the speakers reflect on the Ukraine war and the broader failure of Western institutions. Wesam states that the war in Ukraine has been lost, that a peace agreement was sabotaged by Britain in 2022, and that Ukraine is now forcibly conscripting men off the streets while running short of military age men. Russia is described as warning that continued Western drone supplies being used to attack Russian civilians may make those supplying nations legitimate military targets. Both speakers argue that the root cause of these interlocking crises is a billionaire class that makes decisions insulated from their consequences, and that meaningful change requires collective organization and the removal of that class from power. China is held up as a counterexample of a society providing affordable goods and a collectivist future, with Wesam arguing Canada should be seeking deeper ties with Beijing rather than Europe or Washington.
I prefer a future for the collective than a military state, may the force be with you if you agree.
In the final portion of the conversation, Appel outlines his upcoming work, including a piece for The Walrus on the AI data centre revolt, an excerpt from his book in The Walrus, a piece in Maclean’s on Smith’s new authoritarianism, and a Globe and Mail op-ed arguing that Smith is not a separatist but that the truth is actually worse. The host reflects on the broader stakes facing Alberta, arguing that the province is being distracted by the referendum spectacle while facing genuine existential challenges around water, ecological collapse, and economic transition away from fossil fuels. Both speakers express admiration for federal NDP leader Avi Lewis as a rare political figure willing to speak honestly about these issues. The conversation closes with Appel plugging his book launch in Edmonton on October 13th and a planned event in Calgary in early November.
If you’re in the Edmonton area, get tickets for Jeremy’s book launch event here.
On public education, Campbell points out that the Calgary Board of Education has identified ten schools that need to be built within the Calgary-Shaw riding alone, and that parents returning to school found classroom conditions deeply troubling. Rising busing costs, now at $500 per child per year, are forcing families to send children out of their own communities, undermining the very reason many families move to the suburbs. He recounts conversations with parents who are homeschooling or paying for private school not out of preference but because the public system fails to support children with special needs, including those with autism. Campbell calls on the government to simply build the needed schools, hire the necessary staff, and listen to education experts, arguing the solution is straightforward.
In closing, Campbell frames the Calgary-Shaw by-election as being focused on education, healthcare, affordability, and the question of remaining in Canada. He emphasizes his belief that politicians should do what they say they will do and urges voters to participate in advanced polls running September 8 through 12, with election day on September 14. He presents the Alberta NDP as the only party with a genuine commitment to making progress on these issues and hearing everyday Albertans.
Early vote between September 8-12
Monday, September 14 is the official Calgary-Shaw By-Election voting day.
” surrender document, which Thomas Lucaszuk suggests should be mandatory reading here:
We criticize Smith for continuing to push for an Alberta separation referendum while Canada faces these external threats, contrasting her with Quebec’s premier who refused to discuss any referendum while Canada is under such pressure. Mikayla states that Smith has collaborated with separatists, knowingly allowed them to infiltrate her party, and appears to be acting as an agent for US interests rather than representing Albertans.
Our final segment focuses on grassroots resistance and the AI data centre issue. Mikayla visited Olds, Alberta, where residents are fighting a proposed data centre that would sit across from a local home, with no adequate plan for water or noise, and where the CEO of Synapse admitted he came to Alberta for its natural resources. I raise concerns about old natural gas wells being repurposed to power data centres instead of being cleaned up through the Orphan Fund, and questions the unnecessary use of freshwater when glycol could be used instead. Both hosts conclude on a note of cautious optimism, urging Albertans to vote no in the upcoming referendum, praising growing cross-divide cooperation, and committing to door knocking and canvassing efforts through Public Interest Alberta. Mikayla closes by challenging separatists to consider what they will do when they lose the referendum, noting she has yet to receive an answer.
In closing, Kyle expresses pride in having run a positive campaign and frames the Tory Party as a return to common sense, moderation, and governing for Albertans rather than for political self-interest. I express my gratitude for his participation under Pete Guthrie’s leadership, noting that the by-election and the broader issues at stake represent one of the most significant moments in Alberta’s recent history. Both Kyle and I acknowledge the courage of those willing to challenge the current UCP government, including those facing personal legal consequences for doing so.
If Calgary-Shaw votes UCP does it affirm a separatist agenda?
If you live in or near Calgary-Shaw volunteer to support Kyle and the Progressive Tories here:
A major theme is the shift from traditional “standards‑based” engineering (e.g., designing for a single “1‑in‑100‑year” event) toward adaptive, risk‑based management that embraces uncertainty envelopes and integrates environmental, economic, social, and cultural risk. Tricia argues that decision‑makers must choose where within a range of possible flows to design, based on their tolerance for being wrong and the consequences for communities and infrastructure, and that this inherently political and social process cannot be automated away by AI. She calls for a federal water policy framework that centers water in governance and economic planning, asking what the “resiliency threshold” of Canada’s water supply is rather than aiming merely for “sustainability,” given that basins like the South Saskatchewan are already oversubscribed and in deficit. This includes scrutinizing new industrial developments (from oil and gas to data centres) through a water‑availability lens and recognizing water as the limiting factor in many sectors.
The conversation also highlights serious data and governance gaps. Tricia explains that many social and local water uses are poorly captured: licences are modelled at their full legal volume because actual consumptive use is not monitored, return flows from irrigation are often unmeasured, and tributary and small‑stream uses can be invisible to models.
If your body were as sliced and diced as our water system is—how do you think you would fare?
The discussion then zooms in on southern Alberta’s landscapes and water. Stelfox describes a west‑to‑east gradient where eastern lowlands have already lost most of their biodiversity and water quality, leaving little remaining natural capital to lose, while foothills and mountains—especially the eastern slopes—are now at greatest risk. These high‑elevation areas function as “water towers,” accumulating snow and releasing critical spring flows that support fish, wildlife, and all downstream land uses, including logging, agriculture, mining, oil and gas, transportation, and residential development. He estimates that Alberta receives roughly 700–800 billion cubic meters of precipitation annually, with about three‑quarters evaporating and 130–150 billion cubic meters flowing through rivers and aquifers, forming the basis of all land uses. Yet these headwaters are being incrementally eroded by expanding acreages, roads, recreation, cattle, and especially intensive logging, which alters hydrology, increases sediment, reduces soil organics, and undermines aquifer recharge. He argues that current forestry practices diverge from best management practices on paper and are not adequately enforced, and he questions why mining, off‑highway vehicles, and riparian residential development are allowed in such critical headwater zones.
Finally, the conversation turns to policy, economics, and the difficulty of change. Stelfox notes that the Alberta Land Stewardship Act was intended to sit above other legislation and force explicit trade‑off discussions about limits on water withdrawals, timber harvests, fossil fuel extraction, livestock numbers, and even population growth, but these ideas became politically unpalatable once industry and government realized they implied constraints on economic expansion. He observes that all major land‑use sectors—forestry, energy, agriculture, transportation, residential, recreation—have experienced exponential growth yet still see their current scale as “unacceptably too small,” planning for further expansion under a growth‑driven economic model that systematically depletes natural capital. I connect biodiversity loss to Indigenous community impacts and Species At Risk (such as caribou and trout), arguing that these are indicators of ecological and ultimately human risk, and I highlight how extensive piped‑water systems around Lethbridge and Edmonton show that society is already overdrawing its “water bank account.”
A Less i$ more economy is needed, where industrial sites and access ways no longer serving us are re-naturalized for ecosystem function at scale across so-called Alberta and Canada.
You need to help Brad, Bob, and me create the political will for the polluter to finally pay.
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