Update from daylight savings-free Alberta, where some devices seem to have changed time last night while others did not; many remain confused.
Alex Boyd
@alexboyd.bsky.social
Senior reporter, provincial affairs. CBC Calgary. Formerly: Toronto Star investigations. Interested in: Misinformation, politics, culture. Signal: alexboyd.56 alex.boyd@cbc.ca
One detail in this I had not heard before: Jeff Rath told me that he went to a NDP event mostly because he and former leader Rachel Notley were once in an honours political science class together. (Which, if true, means Notley went to school with Rath and grew up in the same tiny town as...
Alex Boyd@alexboyd.bsky.social · 2d agoSeparatist leader Jeff Rath, who rose to prominence in the lead-up to the Alberta referendum in his white cowboy hat, has had his membership revoked by the governing United Conservative Party. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Separatist leader Jeff Rath, who rose to prominence in the lead-up to the Alberta referendum in his white cowboy hat, has had his membership revoked by the governing United Conservative Party. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Alberta separatist Jeff Rath kicked out of governing United Conservative Party | CBC News
In an email, the party's executive director said Rath had "made clear" he did "not support" the party.
cbc.ca
Alberta released official referendum results that includes voter turnout data. slight positive correlation between voter turnout and voting No to the Nine. [1/2]
“We all know there’s an urban-rural divide in Alberta politics,” says @jlisayoung.bsky.social. “But the referendum results make it really stark.” www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Edmonton and Calgary rejected her referendum. Does Danielle Smith have a city problem? | CBC News
Nowhere in Alberta was the idea of a second referendum less popular than in urban centres. A year out from an election, Premier Danielle Smith says she's committed to identifying the issues important ...
cbc.ca
I came across the six-page memo I wrote in early 1996 explaining to Globe and Mail reporters how to use the three newsroom computers that had Web access
Referendum highlighted the rural/urban divide, with the small cities situated between big cities and rural Alberta.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I am talking here about western alienation NOT separation. It’s a mistake to conflate the two.
Defence Scheme Enjoyer 🇨🇦🇺🇦🇬🇱🇲🇽🇵🇸@maxp94.bsky.social · 2w agoThere is no indication whatsoever that Albertans do or have ever felt strongly about separation. What actually happened is that the UCP’s base was radicalized by American media, and this accordingly became policy for the governing party.
An inquiry into alleged COVID‑19 vaccine injuries fails to weigh the ethics and risks of Canada’s response with Kari Pahlman and @dsilvaphd.bsky.social in @ca.theconversation.com theconversation.com/an-inquiry-i...
An inquiry into alleged COVID-19 vaccine injuries fails to weigh the ethics and risks of Canada’s response
Assessing the legitimacy of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts should include the values at stake, reasonable trade-offs, and what governments can ethically justify in the name of public health.
theconversation.com
🔎 Alberta journo request 🔎: Can anyone think of any immigration experts (academics, lawyers etc.) who can speak to the impact of Alberta going forward with the referendum questions that seem set to pass? Trying to find someone who gets the nuts and bolts of the immigration system.
“No evidence of ‘any terrorist activity’ as investigation ongoing: DND official.” www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
7 dead in CFB Wainwright 'disaster' in Alberta: sources | CBC
cbc.ca
Horrible news out of Wainwright. I have zero knowledge but wind keeps getting mentioned and the gusts between Calgary and Edmonton (2 hours away) today have been like nothing I’ve ever seen. A few semis tipped over, jackknifed trailers, highway signs down. Awful luck if they’ve had same.
Multiple people dead, injured in 'disaster' at Alberta military base training area | CBC
cbc.ca
My very last story for the Toronto Star is out today! www.thestar.com/news/investi...
He is pitching a vision of economic independence for Alberta, but his own financial history is checkered
As Albertans ready for referendum on separation, a Star investigation reveals movement leader Dennis Modry’s history of severe financial troubles
thestar.com
Pierre Poilievre currently making a more full-throated defense of Canada than we've heard before from him before: being part of Canada makes Alberta more free, keeps us united with people we love: “Canada is more than a government, it’s a people, a land, it’s a promise." www.cbc.ca/player/play/...
Pierre Poilievre speaks in Calgary ahead of Alberta referendum
Conservative leader addresses the Canada Strong and Free conference, days before Albertans will vote in the Oct. 19 referendum.
cbc.ca
the rest of canada will never dare laugh at us again
Check out the CBC team's coverage on Carney's rally last night. What struck me: the people I met who were excited, not even about Carney, but about just standing up and being counted: "We wanted to make sure there was a big crowd that the rest of the country would see." www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
'Vote like Canada depends on it,' Carney says at Calgary rally ahead of Alberta referendum | CBC
cbc.ca
Alternative headline: whither the original separatist petition? (Remember that? It feels like ancient history now, but it has not entirely gone away.) www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Danielle Smith has said no to a second referendum. But that decision might not be hers to make | CBC News
The premier's pledge raises questions about the fate of the original citizen’s initiative petition — still mired in litigation — that called for the vote in the first place.
cbc.ca
“Unified, we urge you to choose Canada and vote No on all the immigration questions, so we can say once again, proudly, that Alberta is open, welcoming and ready to get on with building big things together.” - Joint op-ed by former Alberta premiers Rachel Notley, Alison Redford and Ed Stelmach.
Stay open for growth: Former premiers urge 'No' on the immigration questions
Stay open for growth: Former premiers urge 'No' on the immigration questions
calgaryherald.com
“Our platforms are still monitoring Russian social networks across the world and there is no discernible change in their posting patterns” www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...
Did Ukrainian strikes on Russian datacentres reduce online disinformation?
While some viral online graphs suggest less bot activity, Zelenskyy’s claims of improved social media discourse do not entirely pass muster
theguardian.com
When you see a reporting tactic that is so simple, but so effective 👌
De Facto Journalism Co-op@defactomedia.ca · 3w agoINVESTIGATION: Victoria denies that its bylaw officers put unhoused people’s new, perfectly good tents in the trash. So we tracked them with AirTags. www.defactomedia.ca/bylaw-office...
Have also asked a couple of researchers about this as it pertains to Alberta separatism, and so far there doesn't seem to be clear evidence... though adding the giant asterisk that people are still looking at this!!
Kate Starbird@katestarbird.bsky.social · 3w agoY’all, I hate to rain on the dead bot parade, but the Yandex data center destruction doesn’t seem to have significantly impacted social media bots. I made temporal graphs of X posts about AfD around the time of the attack and there’s no sign of a sudden dip or residual impact on that conversation.
For the record, since this story says media was denied access, I also tried to attend and as I was waiting in the hallway for an organizer (who said go away) I saw a certain scribbler from this very paper leaving the main room and was told he had an arrangement with the premier to hear her speak.
Jason Markusoff@markusoff.bsky.social · 3w agoAn organization barring media from covering “the most important free speech event of the year” is chef’s [redacted]
NEW: When Christa Pike became the first person to survive multiple lethal injections, witnesses at the prison that day suddenly became a part of history. I spoke with @iamstevenhale.bsky.social of Nashville Banner about the things he saw in the execution chamber—and the things he could only hear:
What it's like to witness a botched execution
Q+A with Steven Hale of The Nashville Banner, who watched as Christa Pike survived two lethal injections.
thehandbasket.co
Turning state violence into a public spectacle is a very fascist move BTW.
Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 3w agoWASHINGTON (AP) - Pentagon says the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed in December.
This is such a niche Alberta Rockies story and I'm here for any and all updates. www.rmoutlook.com/banff/off-le...
Off-leash dog rules broken by Banff National Park superintendent
“With a commitment to upholding this same standard, Parks Canada has completed an investigation, and the matter is now considered closed.”
rmoutlook.com
I drove down to Coutts to see the Forever Canadian bus roll through recently, and while I would have guessed there was overlap between those who supported the blockade and separatism, I didn't expect quite this much. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
First came the blockade. Then came separatism. Old tensions revived in Coutts | CBC News
This tiny town made international headlines when truckers angry at COVID-19 vaccine mandates blocked the border with the U.S. Many of those frustrated by how the convoy ended have found new purpose in...
cbc.ca
Tyler Dawson, author of a recent book on the history of separation, columnizing in the Globe about this story: www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Opinion: Alberta’s separatists would sell us out to the Americans
New reporting by The Globe and Mail detail the influence of Republican-aligned interests on the referendum campaign
theglobeandmail.com
Alex Boyd@alexboyd.bsky.social · 4w agoMultiple people had texted this to me before I even looked at my phone this morning; always a good sign. www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...