MERRY CHRISTMAS: The Edmonton Police have sent out an email to homeless serving agencies informing that that next week they'll be doing what is likely the largest coordinated encampment eviction in Edmonton history. 134 structures at 8 different sites will be removed. #yegcc

If we estimate an average of only 2 people per structure that's more than 260 people who will be forced out out of their makeshift homes. The plan is is take out two encampments a day between Dec. 18 and Dec. 22.

Content warning: Police brutality and violence.
A video has surfaced online of an Edmonton police officer violently pushing an unsuspecting woman to the ground. The video was originally posted to the Bear Clean Beaver Hills House Facebook account. According to a witness who wishes to remain anonymous the incident took place at 4pm on Thursday, Sept. 15 at the intersection of 106 Avenue and 100 Street near Hope Mission.

The Edmonton Police Commission's press release where it compares Chief McFee's $340K yearly salary to other chief salaries is not only blatant media spin but it appears to have a rather large error contained within it. Here it is. #yegcc The release states that Toronto Chief of Police makes $356K per annum. The Ontario Sunshine List puts the Toronto Chief of Police's 2021 salary at $332K. We've inquired with the Edmonton Police Commission about the discrepancy. Click the link for proof. ontariosunshinelist.com/people/donald-…

Bad news. The Progress Report is not doing well financially and me (@duncankinney) and @jimstorrie are down to half-time. We can’t sustain the organization much longer like this. To get back to full capacity need 100 new patrons this month. theprogressreport.ca/patrons We're not the greatest fundraisers over here. We don't hit up our supporters for money constantly. And being able to fight for what’s right—as our day jobs!—is such a great privilege that we get a little shy about asking for help. But right now we need it.

Edmonton city council got absolutely played by police. The base police budget has increased by $22 million and the Safer For All Task Force's recommendation, that council freeze the police budget and invest that money in community, is effectively dead. #yegcc That modest half measure was killed by these Edmonton city councillors. They voted for the status quo, to continue a policy of guaranteed funding increases that literally no other police department gets in Canada.

Edmonton city council is currently debating the police funding formula. Stay tuned to this thread for updates. Councillors are currently asking questions of administration. Police commissioner Ashvin Singh is in attendance. #yegcc Commissioner Singh is currently making the case for why Edmonton Police need their guaranteed funding increases no matter what. Argues that moving from a guaranteed funding formula to not having a guaranteed funding formula could throw the police and their budgeting into disarray

Below is every single tweet that was submitted to the Integrity Commissioner by Staff Sgt. Michael Elliott as part of his code of conduct complaint against Councillor Janz. Every single complaint was dismissed. Below we have two "known critics," Engel and Mohammed. #yegcc Councillor @aaronpaquette makes his first appearance and in three of these cases Janz is retweeting and commenting on the work of journalists @mastermaq and @TheMaimann and our editor @duncankinney.

The Kent report on former Justice Minister Kaycee Madu's phone with Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee is out. You can read it here alberta.ca/external/news/… and here's the emailed press release from Kenney's office. #ableg Here are some highlights.
"[Madu] then asked whether the constable knew who he was. [Madu] said that he was the Minister of Justice and that he would never do anything to break the
law. He said he was the Minister of Justice 3 or 4 times during the discussion at the window."

In an exchange with a counter-protest police liaison an Edmonton Police officer said, "You know it’s illegal to block the road, and you could be in violation of the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act." Photos via @SomeCanadiaNews #yegcc #ableg The police liaison interrupted, "To clarify are you saying you would arrest us under the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act?”
"You’d likely be arrested for mischief but you could be found in violation of the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act," said the cop.

Paragraph 1234 of the Allan Inquiry's report invalidates the whole enterprise. “I agree that, on its own, the label “anti-Alberta” or “anti-Albertan”, is not helpful or constructive; it does not reflect the objectives or work of this Inquiry.” #ableg The numbers that Sonya Savage are referencing are hilariously torqued. The report states that total foreign funding for “Canadian-based” environmental initiatives was $1.28 billion between 2003 and 2019. A third of that total comes from Ducks Unlimited.

The impending collapse of our healthcare system has brought Minister Shandro Dr. Hinshaw out in front of the cameras for a press conference. We're on hold listening to Verdi's Spring waiting for it to begin. We will be live-tweeting the presser. #ableg The presser also features Dr. Verna Yiu of AHS. Shandro is here to unveil new measures to increase healthcare capacity by freeing up beds and resources.

The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies has put out a statement calling for the "Removal of Monuments to Nazis in Edmonton" #ableg #yegcc “It is beyond shameful to have monuments here in Canada honouring Nazi collaborators and war criminals,” said Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, Director of Policy at FSWC.

In July 2020 the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex, the facility that houses the statue glorifying a Nazi collaborator responsible for the deaths of more than 100,000 Jews, Poles, Roma, and Ukrainians, recieved $35K from the federal government search.open.canada.ca/en/gc/id/ps-sp… The grant comes from the Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Program. The expected results from the grant are: reduction of incidents of hate-motivated crime in targeted areas/an increased sense of security in communities at risk of hate-motivated crime in targeted areas

Here's a particularly unhinged part from Kenney's press conference today. Here's the one off the top but more below. “We think we signed a contract that minimized risks for the government of Alberta" "Had we not entered into a partnership with TC Energy no construction would have been undertaken. Construction that has helped create 1000s of good paying jobs this year ...

Jason Kenney is bringing up the conspiracy theories referenced in the Allan inquiry reports. That nefarious forces are conspiring to crush Alberta's oil industry for... reasons. Shame that they haven't actually proven that out. Kenney just called the $1.5 billion investment in Keystone a "prudent investment" that "protects taxpayers." He's entered cuckooland.

Jason Kenney is giving a press conference that was supposed to be an update on vaccine supply but Kenney is currently blustering about the upcoming cancellation of Keystone XL. Follow along for updates. #ableg Jason Kenney is currently making the ethical oil argument. Incredibly persuasive stuff. As we've seen.

Christmas is canceled. And it's worth pointing out just how badly Jason Kenney performed yesterday. The lockdown announcement was a real opportunity to show some empathy, to show that he was a real human being. Kenney was unable to demonstrate this. Manitoba premier Brian Pallister was able to garnish a viral moment from a sympathetic press looking for something, anything resembling leadership but the only viral moment Kenney was able to garner was him getting flustered at a reporter's question.

We are going to be on the Hinshaw/Kenney presser in a few minutes but it seems like the vast majority of what's going to happen is in this CBC story cbc.ca/news/canada/ed… For some reason these won't be starting until next Monday but here's what apparently coming:
No in-person service for restaurants, pubs, bars, lounges and cafes. Only takeout, curbside pickup and delivery services will be permitted.

We're on the daily Hinshaw presser.
*1735 new cases
*Positivity rate of 8.5%
*20,000+ active cases
*600+ hospitalized
*108 in ICU
*16 deaths
6 of the deaths reported today are from the Edmonton Chinatown Care Centre. #ableg New records in active cases, hospitalizations and people in ICU.

We know wildcat strikes are happening at these locations. We'll keep updating as reports come on. Foothills Hospital
Royal Alexandra Hospital
Glenrose Rehab Hospital
Peter Lougheed Hospital
Red Deer Hospital
Westlock Healhcare Centre
Athabasca Healthcare Centre South Health Campus Calgary
Lethbridge Home Care
Alberta Hospital in YEG
Whitecourt Healthcare Centre
Cold Lake Healthcare Centre
Peace River Community Healthcare Centre
Leduc Community Hospital
WestView Health Centre in Stony Plain
Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital

The UCP ended the year with a massive deficit (seems they really do understand the power of deficit spending) but if you dig into the UCP donation disclosure there is one donor conspicuosly missing #ableg efpublic.elections.ab.ca/reports/UCP201… Not a dime from Jason Kenney.

However, his top staff donate. Howard Anglin, $4k. @MattWolfAB , $3k, Jamie Huckabay $3,233, Paul Bunner $3k, @katy_merrifield $1,350, @ChristineMyatt $400.