A Warburg, Calgary Environmental Roundtable, and AB Resistance Warm Welcome!
A Week in the Life of Alberta Activism
A crowd of more than 70 Albertans gathered in Warburg, Alberta and received a warm welcome from Carl and C4RE campaign leader Mark Dorin. We were there to learn about the Government of Alberta’s im-Mature Asset Strategy (MAS). Brian Jean’s Chief of Staff plus Political Third Party Advertiser, Vitor Marciano, and the Premier’s advisor plus Alberta Energy Regulator board member, David Yager, presented the government’s MAS strategy for oil and gas liabilities. In short, no MAS! Thanks for the line, Phil.
As I offered Vitor and the crowd in Warburg, a MATURE asset strategy would include a plan to prevent ecological collapse via site restoration. The audience would see the best producers and worst offenders outlined with a plan to address the MOST urgent site closures across the province for decades to come. A $260 billion economy, in wait because the Alberta Government and Regulator are both captured by industry and focused on the profitability of mostly foreign investors rather than the safety of Albertans.
The Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) was present to ensure that the government did not misrepresent their support of MAS. The Alberta Surface Rights Federation offered the government a simple plan to acquired financial deposits: apply a moratorium exactly like the one imposed on the renewable industry in 2023. Landowners shared their stories about cattle dying due to venting, and unpaid surface lease rentals MONTHS after submitting formal requests through the Land and Property Rights Tribunal (LRPT). Vitor had suggested that unpaid lease payments may serve as a LEADING (oops!) indicator for the AER to intervene. I asked David Yager what deposits or forfeitures the AER has completed since his arrival. He took a couple minutes to say, “Zero”. The former head of the RMA Paul McLaughlin saved his comments until the end, he explained it is clear there is no support in the room for MAS which clearly is Premier Smith’s R-Star program rebranded. He said its time the government starts over to include the people of Alberta. Hear, hear!
Feedback from Calgary on the Forever-Canadian.ca campaign
I organized two Forever Canadian events in the past two weeks, one on the northside of the Edworthy Park bridge and one at the Memorial Drive (or Calgary Curling Club stairs), great locations! The people who sign are amazing, they’re both excited and grateful. And the energy of the campaign is like magic, “Good trouble” as Tami Smith of
likes to say. There is, however, a common irritation among a significant portion of the population. I hear, “we shouldn’t have to do this” or “this question is misleading because Alberta is already within Canada.” For the first question, tell me about it. None of the volunteers are getting paid but believe in the concept of social democracy. As for the second—wut? In order to remain a part of something you need to be a part to begin with—yes. I am in Smokey Lake next week for the ACFN’s Inaugural Decolonizing Land & Water Summit and will return to FC action the week after next.Upcoming Events
September 13th: Calgary Unitarians Fall Faire
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: The
has been invited to the Calgary Unitarians Community Fall Faire this Saturday, September 13th from 11 am to 3 pm, an event that brings artists, community organizers, and the general public together in hopes of raising awareness of issues that impact all Albertans. Can you join Marg at the ABR table? Message me or .📍 Calgary Unitarians
📅 Saturday, September 13th
🕙 11 am to 3 pm MST
September 20th: Draw-the-Line Rally
Seniors For Climate and Eco Elders of Calgary Climate Hub are pleased to invite The Gravity Well and your supporters to attend a global mass mobilization in support of climate regeneration and social equity on Saturday September 20th, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM, at Calgary City Hall Plaza.
📍 Calgary City Hall
📅 Saturday, September 20th
🕐 1 to 3 pm MST
"Draw The Line - For People. For Peace. For The Planet" highlights the need to minimize global warming, build the world we want for our grandchildren and eliminate social inequity and corporate greed.
Draw the Line has five demands of legislators (Details on the website HERE):
Uphold Indigenous sovereignty.
Put people and communities over corporate profit.
Protect Mother Earth. End the era of fossil fuels.
Treat immigrants fairly. Stop blaming migrants.
Stand for justice and peace. End the war machine.
September 23th: AB Resistance Inglewood Town Hall
Marg Tokar is coming to town to hear from you, Inglewood and Calgary. Please join us to hear updates from
and offer your thoughts for recalling your or other Alberta Government MLAs.📍Inglewood Hall
📅 Tuesday, September 23rd
🕖 7 pm MST
Campaigns & Podcasts
The Calgary Environmental Roundtable (CERT) Municipal Election campaign is a non-partisan coalition initiative of environmental and climate organizations in Calgary, led by the Gravity Well Podcast. We aim to prioritize water, nature, and climate issues in the City of Calgary's future planning by engaging residents and candidates through questionnaires, mayoral ward panels, and voter engagement tools. The campaign emphasizes the importance of clean water, biodiversity, and bold climate action to ensure a sustainable future for Calgary.
Our campaign launch featured speakers Preet Kang from the Alberta Environmental Network and former councillor Bob Hawkesworth, who answers the survey questions by sharing his strategies for addressing the climate emergency, protecting biodiversity, and ensuring affordable housing and transit in Calgary. Key points included the need for strong policies, increased funding for non-market housing, the adoption of green building standards, and the role of ENMAX in achieving the city's 2035 clean electricity goals. Bob also highlighted the importance of civic engagement and collaboration among environmental organizations to influence municipal decisions and promote a sustainable future for Calgary. A wonderful start to the campaign, thank you, Bob! Watch the full episode here.
Water in Southern Alberta
Bob Morrison has been working hard to identify the outstanding conversations for the Water in Southern Alberta podcast. We will pick up where we left off after the municipal election on October 20th.
Self-Regulation Training
Sessions 1-4 (of 8) with Brad Chapin are available for paid subscribers. If you participated, I would greatly appreciate any feedback!
Take Action | In the News
Oppose the Cancellation of a Public Hearing for Summit Coal Inc.’s Mine 14 Project via the Alberta Wilderness Association
The CEO of the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) cancelled the public hearing for Mine 14, an underground metallurgical coal mine near Grande Cache, Alberta, proposed by Summit Coal Inc.
Summit has now successfully circumvented the public hearing process and invalidated all the previous decisions made by the AER’s own hearing commissioners and panel by appealing directly to the CEO of the AER. The CEO’s decision undermines the authority and credibility of the AER, the hearing commissioners, the panel appointed to review Mine 14, and the entirety of the public hearing process.
Tell policymakers we need bold action on methane pollution with For Our Kids
We need the federal government to pass bold methane regulations and get to near-zero emissions by 2035, matching BC’s leadership. This means preventing methane from ever entering our atmosphere – avoiding future disasters, creating good jobs, and showing our kids we care about their future.
The good news? Cutting methane is the low-hanging fruit of climate action. Solutions already exist, and companies are ready to scale them up right now.
Lookback | Engagement | Measurement
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This week’s shout out goes to Preet Kang, she has worked tirelessly to help me with the launch of the CERT candidate campaign. I look forward to hosting candidates with you!