So if you’re looking for possible reasons why Smith has so enthusiastically said that Calgary needs an new arena…
Let’s go down a little rabbit hole together, shall we?
Let’s start with what Smith was doing in April of 2021…
/1
#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli #YYC
She got a new gig!
President of the Alberta Enterprise Group!
6 months before the municipal election in #YYC where the arena deal was already a highly contentious issue!
/2
Hey, what do the folks at the Alberta Enterprise group do?
They promote business! And create business friendly environments and stuff!
But what’s really intriguing about their about page is if you scroll down juuuuuuuust a bit farther…
/3
#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli
So to recap...
Smith was (at the height of her COVID conspiracy rhetoric, branding matters you know ) brought on to be the face of a "yay-business" organization, and one of their most prestigious members is an owner of the Calgary flames!
/6
#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli
Fast forward to this week and Smith is pushing as hard as she can to make sure that taxpayer dollars are going towards a new arena for...
(Checks notes)
The Calgary Flames!
What a coincidence!
/7
Hey, Just for fun…
Let’s swing by the EA Financial disclosure page and see if there have ever been sizeable donations to the Wildrose or the PC’s!
Huh!
$30,000 is a whole lot to drop in one shot!
But why did the donations stop after 2015?
/8
#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli
And for the bonus round, does engine remember who was “the chief political driver” of the deal with the city before his unsuccessful mayoral bid with the deal falling apart shortly after?
/10
#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.