1/The proposed gender identity legislation announced by the provincial government today is an infringement on human rights, including the rights of trans kids and supportive parents who are navigating a difficult journey. 2/For the Government of Alberta to create a false narrative, set to soft music, that focuses mainly on biological sex, surgeries and sports is irresponsible.

1/I’ll be unpacking all the “reasons” why enforcement teams & the Crown feel the street harassment bylaw & other existing bylaws/legislation are not strong enough to charge demonstrators who spread vile lies & hatred in public. And then I’ll be pushing for more. No more excuses. 2/Asking me to be patient & saying “we got this” didn’t work. We have performers being targeted for weeks & now vitriol in front of children at the library. These are not peaceful protests. This is hate. The kind of hate we rallied against for so long. It’s back, and it’s worse.

1/4 Saddened & frustrated @chinookblast had to cancel a much anticipated show with talented performers this weekend. Why? Because of planned protests rooted in hate & fear-mongering. I respect the decision & the need to prioritize public & performer safety. But this cannot go on. 2/4 At Council on January 17, I pushed for a better way to address protests rooted in hatred. I have received confirmation that @cityofcalgary will leverage our street harassment bylaw to fine those who openly communicate hateful messaging, to stop them in the act.

1/I have been asked by some people why I haven’t made a public statement about the assault on our Deputy Prime Minister. To be blunt, I had to sit with my thoughts for a couple of days. Because this incident is not isolated & it brings up too much pain. And fear. Yes, fear. 2/Why on earth would I openly state that I feel fear after seeing that horrible video? Because you need to hear what actually happens to women after something like this. We have been conditioned to never show fear, but I think it’s high time we talk about it.

1/They will tell you to grow a thick skin as a politician. It is the worst advice. Never grow a skin so thick that you can no longer feel. It is the inability to feel, to have compassion, to be a human being that is resulting in government apathy. Do not tolerate it. 2/Did you shed tears & feel horrified at the news of children being gunned down, a faith community being targeted by a gunman & Black people dying at the hands of an armed racist? Now ask if your elected officials felt the same way.

1/4 I spoke with Beltline residents & businesses this morning. I was in the Beltline this afternoon. The weekly disruption this community faces is not a “protest”. It’s a parade. At Central Memorial Park, it’s a festival with merch & food vendors. Yet no permits or licenses. 2/4 So why not enforce the bylaws? Why is the standard response that this will “fizzle out”? It won’t. This is not about mandates. Those are gone. By waiting for this to die out, enforcement agencies have allowed it to grow. Telling residents/businesses to wait it out = shameful.

1/6 I have spent the last 12+ hours reflecting on the provincial announcement to lift pandemic restrictions. In that time, I have seen concern from healthcare workers, teachers, parents, businesses & many other engaged Calgarians. All feel their voices went unheard. 2/6 As municipalities have said throughout the pandemic, success in public health is best achieved through trust & partnerships. We pleaded for more engagement, more access to data, more input into mitigation measures. It fell on deaf ears, repeatedly. We were frozen out.

1/4 Last night, there were insinuations from Premier Kenney that restrictions & exemption programs would be lifted next week. Today, I asked him to consider an urgent virtual meeting with all interested municipalities over the weekend. We need to be partners in public health. 2/4 The Premier had also mused about restricting municipalities from enacting their own measures. This comes after months of saying municipalities should do what they think is best for their people. We have the legislated mandate to act in the interest of public safety.

1/6 Today, I spoke with Murray Edwards, primary shareholder of Calgary Sports & Entertainment Corp (CSEC), about the future of the Event Centre project.

He informed me of the Flames intention to pull the plug on the Event Centre deal.

Why? Here’s what I know: 2/6 The deal struck in summer of 2019 envisioned a $550 m deal w/costs split equally between CSEC & the City. In addition, the City provided land, 90% demolition of the ‘Dome, excess flood/site remediation, & levies. Total City contribution: $275m + $22.4m = $297.4 plus land.

1/I’m not sure how many tweets this is gonna take so bear with me.

The provincial government has driven us straight into the most hellish pandemic situation in the country, but no one is resigning? Halfhearted apologies with no responsibility or accountability acknowledged? 2/And their idea of a press conference was to spend ten minutes outlining a lockdown & then basically yelling “Psych!”

Why wouldn’t you lead with: if you can prove you’re vaccinated, you can have access to services & amenities.

Just say: vaccination passports.

1/4 I need to reiterate the obvious: I completely support healthcare workers who tirelessly work to save the lives of so many Albertans.

Recognize their efforts for more than the last 2 years. All of us have benefited from their expertise & compassion. cbc.ca/news/canada/ca… 2/4 Politicians have a role to play during this pandemic. We must unequivocally support healthcare providers & the mitigation measures they have recommended.

Yet, councillors like Farkas, Magliocca & Chu use “civil liberties & freedoms” for political gamesmanship.

1/Last summer, the Premier asked Calgary to make its own decision on masks, stating that provincial mandates made no sense because of varying contexts in municipalities. Now he’s upset that we’re prioritizing our duty of care for Calgarians. cbc.ca/news/canada/ca… 2/Perhaps the Premier’s advisors could brief him on what Council actually did. We asked Admin for rate/trend data so we could make an empirically sound decision, because the CMOH was not present. We’re taking duty of care seriously.

1/Why is Alberta the most shameful example of failure in North America at this stage of the pandemic? It’s simple. Our leader has failed us. His party has failed us. Not one elected member of the governing party in this province has the courage or compassion to say: “Enough.” 2/Not one member of the UCP has stood up & represented their constituents. Not one has said their constituents deserve better access to vaccines as they serve on the front lines. Not one has said our children, teachers & school staff are in harm’s way.

1/Allow me to highlight this nugget from the new #abed curriculum: “Freedom of religious practice is encouraged, but acceptance comes less easily - in part, because newcomers bring new and unfamiliar religious faiths and practices.”

A thread on this load of crap...

https://twitter.com/theairplaneguy/status/1376611906077609985

2/Newcomers bring with them similar hopes & dreams for their future in our city, province or country. They wish for their family to thrive & give back to community. They have the same understanding of kindness & compassion as “us”.

1/With the Guidebook for Great Communities coming to #yyccc on Monday, I have worked with several councillors & Admin to address what we’ve heard from communities. Attached is an amendment we will propose to clarify location of single detached homes & the engagement process. 2/With so much misinformation being circulated, we also worked on a one-pager to demonstrate the evolution of the Guidebook over time. Please see below.👇🏼

1/Calgary’s public high school education system gets hit again, with the proposed cancellation of an International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The savings? $16,600. Apparently, our kids aren’t worth that kind of money but $12 million to fight Bigfoot on Netflix is a fine idea. 2/March 17 is the last public opportunity for feedback on proposed programming cuts for public high schools in Calgary. These cuts are aimed at popular “alternative programs” like IB, French Immersion, Spanish Bilingual & Arts-Centred Learning.

1/Why would you hobble the ability of post-secondaries to nurture talent, encourage innovative thinking and produce a skilled workforce? I have no idea. But that’s exactly what the provincial government is doing. By draining funds away from advanced education, our future suffers.

https://twitter.com/DonBraid/status/1356408301693493248

2/Now is the time to properly fund post-secondaries in our province, to encourage the draw of local schools during a pandemic when many families rely on access to affordable education for their young adult children. Now is not the time to limit enrollment through massive cuts.

1/Let’s think for a minute about what’s going to happen between #yyccc & #AbLeg in the coming days. The province - responsible for health policy & related decisions - is wavering on how to deal with the steady increase in pandemic numbers. 2/They’re not keen on making mandatory restriction decisions & they haven’t allowed the fed contact tracing app to be deployed in AB. The number of cases continues to rise everywhere, most evident in places with larger populations like #yyc.

1/This week, our provincial government managed to dismantle a globally recognized emergency dispatch service, destroy parents' confidence in the public education system & obtain their #yyccc fiscal policy updates from a faithful scribe at the Sun. Can't accuse them of being lazy. 2/Terminating the contract for EMS 911 dispatch with the City of Calgary is a headscratcher. The existing service provides call response in 6 seconds, less than half of the 15 second standard. Dispatch time is 45 seconds, also well below standards. Why "fix" something not broken?

1/Buckle up, kids. This is gonna take some words.

“And nothing focuses the mind like a hanging.”

WTF is that supposed to mean, you lunatics @SaveCalgary? Are you seriously that into gaslighting?

I took a screen shot in case this tweet magically gets deleted for its idiocy.

https://twitter.com/savecalgary/status/1286779931968434176

2/I’ll start with some facts, then get to opinion. Fact: the supposed “tax freeze” and even the proposal to cut taxes 7.5% are not actually freezes or cuts. Why? Because the system is set up to start with an operating budget, which then guides distribution of taxes.

THREAD
1/Fear & Loathing, Hope & Belonging - Why is it important to support a ban on the practise of conversion therapy? Because it is a recognized harmful practice that serves to make a segment of our citizens feel like they are not “right”, like their identity is not “right”. 2/Conversion therapy practices are designed to make individuals feel that society & God do not love them for who they are. We must be better than that. On Monday, Council will debate the proposed bylaw banning conversion therapy in Calgary (reviewed by committee May 13 & 14).