Municipal Round-Up — September 9: Nenshi Says Province is Throwing Spaghetti at the Wall
Masks and Donors Lists Hit the News this Week
Mayors across the province are fed up this week. Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson said in a council meeting he's upset that no one outside of government has seen the data that’s fueling COVID decisions in Alberta.
Rage reached out to Iveson for further comment but his office said he wasn’t available this week. Nonetheless, at Edmonton’s council meeting on September 3, Iveson had strong words about reactivating the bylaw that requires people to wear masks and the lack of leadership from the province.
After Edmonton re-instituted the mask bylaw, Coun. Mike Nickel, who’s also running for mayor, took to Twitter and Facebook to decry these new restrictions at the municipal level. This happened before Premier Jason Kenney instituted the province-wide mask mandate on Friday.
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi also criticized the province’s leadership on COVID-19 after Premier Kenney’s announcement Friday that people who now get vaccinated — after ALL THIS TIME — will get $100.
By contrast Calgary Coun. Jeromy Farkas, who’s also running for mayor, implied that any attempts at a vaccine mandate were unlawful. He later withdrew the comment.
Also this week, Farkas appears to have had some door knocking help from Tyler Shandro, a member of the United Conservative Party and the Minister of Health.
Mask mandates took up a lot of time and space this week for municipalities as regional mayors discussed how best to act given the startling spike in new COVID-19 cases in Alberta.
Former mayor of Wabamun, and friend of Rage, Charlene Smylie, thanked the mayors in attendance for doing something.
In Lethbridge, there have been calls for Coun. Joe Mauro to resign. Rage wasn’t able to determine what comments the councillor made but hope to have more details soon.
The strain on municipal leaders became palpable this week. Spruce Grove Coun. Erin Stevenson called for civility as anti-masker and anti-vaxxer people have been protesting, threatening and insulting elected officials as they try to navigate the pandemic.
Facing similar pushback, Edmonton Coun. Knack made light of the situation.
Donor Time
Three Calgary city councillors (who are also running for mayor) have recently released their donor lists: Jeff Davison, Jyoti Gondek and Jeromy Farkas. At six weeks before the election, these candidates are ahead of the election campaign requirements handed down by the province, which do not require candidates to release their donor lists before election day.
Previously, Davison was criticized for his alleged involvement with third-party advertisers. The CBC reported that a campaign official sent out invitations to a golf tournament fundraiser, initially listed as a Jeff Davison for Mayor fundraiser, and then switched to drive donations for the third-party advertiser Calgary Tomorrow.
Gondek’s campaign manager didn’t find Davison’s disclosures all that impressive.
The Gondek campaign releasing their donor list is actually a reversal. Carter previously told 660 News the campaign didn’t “have any intention” of releasing the list in advance of the election, adding they may release it in “the last hours of the campaign.”
The lists
Some notable donors:
Marco Civitarese, former chief building official for the City of Calgary (donated in the $1 to $1,000 category)
Bravin Goldade, president of WestCreek Developments (donated in the $2,501 to $5,000 category)
Simer Rattan, Eagle Crest Construction (donated in the $2,501 to $5,000 category)
Luke Simpson, president of the CANA group of companies (donated in the $2,501 to $5,000 category)
George Trutina, president of Truman homes (donated in the $2,501 to $5,000 category)
Gondek' did not release the dollar range for donations to her campaign. Some notable donors:
Ken Lima-Coelho, YMCA communications person, Calgary Twitter personality and Heebee-jeebee band member
Bill Lister, owner of Securfund Development Corporation
Catherine Agar, vice president, WestCreek Developments
Conrad Ayasse, president and chief research officer, Canada Chemical Corp
Some notable donors are difficult to determine on this list without some more digging as only the initial of their first name and their last name is included. However, the list is grouped by the dollar amount of the donation.
Are there any donors you find notable on these lists?
Speaking of Money…
Our co-editor, Tim Querengesser did a deep dive with multiple interviews of Calgary candidates and a look into the costs of a mayoral election. We just updated the story with additional comments from Jeff Davison and Geoff Rainey.
Did Someone Say Free Food?
Finally, our favorite story of the week is about pancakes! Edmonton Journal reporter Lauren Boothby reported on a local food truck lot owner, Hon Leong, organizing free pancake breakfasts to give Edmontonians a chance to meet candidates running in both the municipal and federal elections. Give it a read.
Questions, comments, concerns? Email us ragemunicipal@protonmail.com