AB Today – Daily Report January 10, 2019

Quotation of the day

“It is a dangerous game to dismiss harassment or intimidation of political opponents.”

Environment and Parks Minister Shannon Phillips denies UCP claims that Bighorn Country consultations were cancelled to sidestep criticism from the public.

Today in AB

On the schedule

The government has not committed to holding a spring legislative session or to tabling a budget before next year’s election, which must be held between March 1 and May 31, 2019.

Should no changes to the parliamentary calendar be made, the House will resume on February 12.

In-person information sessions on the Bighorn could go ahead if public safety is assured: Minister

Environment and Parks Minister Shannon Phillips says the government will consider going ahead with in-person consultations on the Bighorn Country project if the province can ensure the public safety of attendees.

The government decided to cancel in-person sessions last weekend following reports of threats and harassment against Albertans in favour of the proposal to convert parts of the backcountry area into provincial parks.

On Wednesday, Phillips said her office is aware of two complaints made to the RCMP, nine cases of harassment against Government of Alberta employees — mostly verbal — and one case where the venue itself did not wish to continue holding consultations due to threats.

“It is a dangerous game to dismiss harassment or intimidation of political opponents,” Phillips said.

Phillips pointed to an information session held in Rocky Mountain House where RCMP officials ensured the meeting itself was safe but said trouble arose after one of the meetings ended. No more details about the alleged incident were provided to reporters.

The government is holding telephone town halls to replace the cancelled public sessions next week. The minster said more than 23,000 people have already participated in telephone town halls since the process began in December, which she called proof “people care.”

The minister said the government has already come up with “tweaks” it will make to the proposal thanks to the feedback it has received.

Phillips said public statements made by the UCP slamming the government for cancelling the meetings are irresponsible and “[fly] in the face of anything Jason Kenney has said about respectful dialogue.”

UCP Justice and Solicitor General critic Mike Ellis held a news conference on the Bighorn Country consultations in Calgary Wednesday where he accused Phillips of painting opponents of the Bighorn proposal as criminals.

“Sadly, this minister chose to politicize our law enforcement, mislead Albertans, and slander countless concerned Albertans,” said Ellis, who is a former police officer.

At issue is Minister Phillips backtracking on a Wednesday morning comment she made about her knowledge of two open RCMP investigations into alleged harassment. Phillips’ office later clarified that it was aware of two open RCMP case files, not investigations.

Ellis accused Minister Phillips of casting “aspersions between Albertans who are affected by the Bighorn plan and the RCMP that serves the area.”

Ellis called on Premier Rachel Notley to appoint another minister to take over the file. “Given the minister’s diminished credibility on this file, only another minister can restore trust on this important matter concerning many Albertans.”

Ellis also called for the timeframe of the consultation process to be extended.

Today’s events

January 10 at 9 a.m. — Edmonton

The NDP‘s treasury board committee will meet in the cabinet room of the Alberta Legislature.

January 10 at 10:15 a.m. — Fort Saskatchewan

Premier Rachel Notley will visit the Inter Pipeline’s Heartland Petrochemical Complex, the site of the largest load transported on Alberta highways — an 820-tonne polypropylene splitter. The facility, currently under construction, will turn propane into recyclable plastics.

Topics of conversation

● University of Calgary political scientist Melanee Thomas told CBC the number of candidates each party has in place as the election nears is not the most important tell of election readiness — the real question is whether the parties have the cash on hand to spend to the maximum allowable limit during the campaign period. ○ The UCP is leading the way in nominated candidates with 79 of 87 in place. The Alberta Party currently has 52 candidates and is hoping to run a full slate for the first time in the upcoming election. The NDP has 32 endorsed candidates. ○ Thomas suggested the NDP may be lagging behind because it is focused on running a diverse array of candidates.

● UCP Leader Jason Kenney criticized media coverage of the Wet'suwet'en protests, saying media outlets did not clearly outline the differences between hereditary and elected band officials. ○ “In much of the coverage of [Tuesday’s] protests, disappointing how hard one needs to search to find out that the democratically-elected band council *supports* the pipeline,” Kenney tweeted. “Readers left with the opposite impression.” ○ In an earlier tweet, responding to Globe and Mail political columnist John Ivison’s suggestion that the protests bode ill for the future of the Trans Mountain pipeline, Kenney tweeted, “Very disappointing. Those democratically-elected band councils on the GasLink route have all signed economic benefit agreements. Responsible resource development as a path to prosperity for their

people. This mob rule cannot be allowed to succeed.”

● The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, which investigates complaints against police officers, is looking into the conduct of a Lethbridge police officer caught in a cellphone video running over a deer with his police vehicle multiple times. ○ The officer was responding to a call of an animal in distress on January 5, but instead of responding to the injured deer — which had been accidentally hit by another car — humanely, he proceeded run over it two more times. ○ The investigation will be done in partnership with Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement and the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

News briefs – Governmental

Government updates progress on new and improved schools

Alberta Education Minister David Eggen gave an update on previously announced school infrastructure projects at Ross Sheppard High School in Edmonton on Wednesday.

Eggen said since the NDP took office in May 2015, 244 school projects have been funded, 169 were completed and 12 more are expected to be finished by June.

News briefs – Non-governmental

End carding before the election: Alberta Liberal Party

Alberta Liberal Party Leader David Khan is calling on the NDP government to end police street checks, also known as carding, before the next election.

In August 2017 the province announced a six-week consultation on the police practice.

Khan said, since then, the NDP government has made no changes.

“If the UCP win the next election, then Jason Kenney could be making the decision on this important issue. He has not expressed any condemnation of this practice. His right-wing values will not support a humane outcome,” Khan said.

“I demand this government end carding. Police should not be asking for ID with no grounds for suspicion. At the very least there should be guidelines in place before the next election. Some Albertans are being harmed and humiliated by this practice. That cannot continue.”

In Ontario, Court of Appeal Justice Michael Tulloch released a report last week that found there is no evidence street checks reduce violence or crime levels and said resources would be better allocated to more focused policing.

Rural Alberta needs high-speed internet access, Alberta Party MLA says

Alberta Party critic for economic development and trade Karen McPherson called on the NDP government to release its promised rural high-speed internet plan.

“Successive governments have been talking about implementing rural high-speed internet for the past 20 years, and all of them have failed to make it a reality,” said McPherson. “Reliable internet service isn’t a luxury — it’s an economic necessity, no matter where in Alberta you live, and rural Albertans shouldn’t be discriminated against because they don’t choose to live in a big city.”

Last summer, Service Alberta Minister Brian Malkinson said he expected the province’s expanded rural broadband strategy to be released in fall 2018.

However, in a statement to AB Today, a government spokesperson said consultations only concluded two months ago and that the province is taking its time because it wants to make sure it gets the policy right.

“The first round of engagement on a provincial broadband strategy occurred from January 2018 to April 2018, and a second round of engagement began in October 2018 and wrapped up in November 2018,” per the statement.

The government said it will unveil “a solution” in the near future “that will ensure all Albertans have quality, affordable Internet access.”

AB Today is written by Catherine Griwkowsky, reporting from Alberta's legislative press gallery.

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