Here are the ridings to watch in the 2023 Alberta provincial election

CBC
Sat, May 6, 2023 

Alberta will head to the polls on May 29. (Dan McGarvey/CBC - image credit)

With polls suggesting the UCP and NDP are nearly identical in support, all eyes are focusing on Alberta ridings that could determine the outcome of the May 29 provincial election.

Calgary and Southern Alberta

Calgary-Elbow

Since former premier Ralph Klein left provincial politics in early 2007, five MLAs from four different parties have represented Calgary-Elbow. It's the riding that sent Klein and former premier Alison Redford to the legislature.

Former UCP MLA and cabinet minister Doug Schweitzer handily won Calgary-Elbow in the 2019 election, defeating ex-Alberta Party leader Greg Clark.

But Schweitzer resigned last summer and the riding has been vacant since. It's never been NDP territory and the UCP wants to keep it in the blue column.

For this election, lawyer Chris Davis is carrying the UCP banner and he's facing off against Samir Kayande, who has worked in the oil and gas sector as well as the tech industry. The Alberta Party has nominated Kerry Cundal.

Samir Kayande/Facebook

Calgary-Acadia

This riding has long been held by conservative-minded politicians. But in 2015, with a vote split between the PC and Wildrose parties, Calgary-Acadia went to the NDP — one of many surprise victories for the party in Calgary that year.

The UCP's Tyler Shandro took the riding in 2019. He's running again and carrying some baggage. A former health minister and current minister of justice, Shandro generated headlines for going into his neighbour's driveway and yelling at him.

Tyler Shandro/Facebook

That led to a complaint to the Law Society of Alberta which resulted in a hearing for Shandro. That matter will conclude in June.

For this election, Shandro is facing off against NDP candidate Diana Batten, a registered nurse and nursing instructor. In the race to form government, both top parties are hoping Calgary-Acadia adds to their list of seats.

Calgary-North West

This is another strongly conservative part of Calgary but it is considered to be in play. This riding is a test of the NDP's suburban strength.

Sonya Savage took this riding in 2019 and was given the plum cabinet post of energy minister. When Danielle Smith became UCP leader last fall, she moved Savage to environment minister.

Jason Franson/The Canadian Press

After securing her party's nomination again, Savage abruptly announced in March she would not stand for re-election. Enter Rajan Sawhney. The UCP cabinet minister had just announced that for personal reasons, she would not seek re-election in her riding of Calgary-North East.

But after Savage's sudden departure, UCP leader Smith named Sawhney to run in Calgary-North West. Sawhney is taking on the NDP's Michael Lisboa-Smith, a teacher. Jennifer Yeremiy is representing the Alberta Party in this riding.

Calgary-Cross

Recent polling seems to show that this northeast Calgary riding could be one of the more interesting races in the election.

UCP cabinet minister Mickey Amery, whose father was a longtime northeast MLA, is seeking re-election. He's up against the NDP's Gurinder Singh Gill who has run in past elections.

The tricky thing to watch in Calgary-Cross is turnout.

For example, the NDP's Ricardo Miranda pulled a major upset in defeating a star PC candidate in the 2015 election, former police chief Rick Hanson. Miranda boosted his vote total in the 2019 election but was defeated by Amery.

CBC

The northeast feels slighted by the UCP government on a number of issues including a lack of provincial response to a major hailstorm a couple of years ago that devastated many homes. Health and education are also key concerns in the riding.

If the NDP's message resonates here, it could be a sign that other ridings in the northeast are in play in this election. The UCP wants to hold that line in the northeast to help it stay in power.

Lethbridge-East and West

Lethbridge's two ridings could also be key in determining if the NDP has a shot at winning the election. Party stalwart Shannon Phillips is the NDP candidate in Lethbridge-West, a riding she first won in 2015.

The UCP had selected Torry Tanner as its standard bearer but she stepped down prior to the election call. That decision followed a video she posted in the past surfaced, in which she blamed teachers for exposing students to pornography and helping them change their gender identity.

Cheryl Seaborn, a former UCP constituency president, has replaced her.

Nate Neudorf/Facebook

In Lethbridge-East, UCP cabinet minister and deputy premier Nathan Neudorf is facing off against Rob Miyashiro for the NDP.

Miyashiro is a former two-term member of Lethbridge city council. With this riding's history of sending a progressive to Edmonton, the NDP is hoping to add this one to their tally.

Alberta NDP

Banff-Kananaskis

This sprawling riding includes the mountain communities of Banff and Canmore as well as the Stoney Nakoda and Tsuut'ina first nations. It went NDP in 2015 but the UCP won in 2019 with Miranda Rosin.

She pledged to fight plans to build the Springbank off-stream reservoir, a project seen as key to preventing a repeat of the 2013 flood in Calgary.

Sarah Elmeligi/Facebook

The UCP government, under then premier Jason Kenney, went ahead with the project but new UCP Leader Danielle Smith mused a few months ago about revisiting the plan. There's no sign of any changes.

Given environmental concerns in communities like Banff and Canmore, the NDP is hoping this riding is a possible flip. Potential coal mining along the eastern slopes of the Rockies and the UCP's decision to charge people to access Kananaskis Country are also local concerns.

Rosin is seeking another term. NDP candidate Sarah Elmeligi, a conservation biologist, won a contested nomination for the NDP. Regan Boychuk is the candidate for the Green Party of Alberta.

Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press

Edmonton and northern Alberta

Edmonton-South West

In 2019, the NDP swept every Edmonton riding except Edmonton-South West. Edmonton UCP candidate Kaycee Madu won over his closest competitor by 715 votes.

Then-premier Kenney made the Edmonton lawyer and political rookie a member of his cabinet. Madu served in three different cabinet portfolios and is one of Smith's two deputy premiers.

His time in office was marked by controversy. A retired Court of Queen's Bench justice found Madu, then the justice minister, tried to interfere with the administration of justice when he called Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee about a traffic ticket in March 2021.

Nathan Ip/Facebook

Madu faces a high-profile NDP candidate his time around: Nathan Ip, vice-chair of the Edmonton Public School Board. The NDP believes they will win Edmonton-South West in a sweep of all 20 city ridings. A UCP campaign source says Madu and his volunteers are working hard to win a second term.

Edmonton-South West is a riding to watch because it may act as a referendum on what the UCP, and Madu as its only representative on cabinet, has done for the capital city.

Morinville-St. Albert

Morinville-St. Albert, which includes the northeast part of the city of St. Albert and rural areas north of Edmonton city limits, was a new riding in the 2019 election.

UCP candidate Dale Nally easily won over his closest competitor in 2019 with 50 per cent of the vote. Nally, who served as Service Alberta and red tape reduction minister under Smith, is seeking a second term.

Ty Ferguson/CBC

The NDP thinks its candidate Karen Shaw has a good chance at unseating him. Shaw was a Sturgeon County councillor for four terms and operates a family farm in the area.

The NDP has a difficult time winning seats in rural areas as voters usually choose conservative candidates, but the party believes it is competitive in this riding.

Edmonton-Sherwood Park and Sherwood Park

The two ridings east of Edmonton are ones to watch. In 2015, both went to NDP candidates who defeated Progressive Conservative candidates. The UCP won both seats easily four years later.

It's possible the seats could flip back to the NDP in 2023.

David Bajer/CBC

UCP incumbent Jordan Walker is in for a fight against NDP candidate Kyle Kasawski in Sherwood Park, the more urban of the two ridings. Alberta Party stalwart Sue Timanson is running again in Sherwood Park.

Nate Glubish, who served in cabinet under both Kenney and Smith, is seeking a second term in Strathcona-Sherwood Park. He is facing a well-known NDP candidate in Strathcona County councillor Bill Tonita.

Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville

The NDP has found it hard to break through in rural ridings but the party thinks they have a great chance in Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville.

Taneen Rudyk, a councillor in the town of Vegreville and president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, is carrying the party's banner in 2023.

Although the area usually votes conservative, Rudyk's father Derek Fox served two terms as the NDP MLA for the former riding of Vegreville.

Town of Vegreville

Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk is seeking a second term for the UCP. Armstrong-Homeniuk was the government's point person on settling refugees who have fled the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

With a significant number of the riding's voters descendants of Ukrainian immigrants who settled the area in the early part of the 20th Century, is one one of the reasons why the party is confident she'll win on May 29.

Lesser Slave Lake

The NDP is hoping for good things in Lesser Slave Lake, although the seat is a long shot for the party.

Former NDP cabinet minister Danielle Larivee is hoping to return to the legislature after being defeated by UCP candidate Pat Rehn in 2019.

The NDP hope voters will embrace Larivee after Rehn's controversial time in office.

Kenney removed Rehn from the UCP caucus for six months after municipal leaders complained the MLA was never in the constituency.

Danielle Larivee/Google Meet

However, the riding was a conservative stronghold prior to 2015. Former Progressive Conservative MLA Pearl Calahasen represented the area for 26 years before Larivee was elected.

With Rehn not running again, Scott Sinclair became the candidate for the UCP after winning a close nomination race against three others.

When Alberta wildfires shut down roads, truckers wait ... and wait

CBC
Sun, May 7, 2023 

Long-haul trucker Calvin Delucry has been stuck in Hinton, Alta. for days because of the Alberta wildfires. (Konnor Killoran/CBC - image credit)

More than 100 wildfires continue to burn in Alberta and thousands are still displaced. As thousands of evacuees flee their homes, truckers on the road are feeling the pressure of being stuck.

Several highways west of Edmonton are closed because of the fires, including a part of Highway 16. Multiple fires in the area are making it difficult to get around the closures as well.

CN Rail told CBC in a statement that it is monitoring the situation.

"We are making real-time adjustments to operations based on the latest information available on both the winds and wildfires in the area. We are in contact with our customers regarding any impacts to their shipments," CN spokesperson Julianne Threlfall said Saturday.

Long-haul trucker Calvin Delucry has been stuck in Hinton, Alta., for two days. He's hauling barley to Camrose, Alta., but said the dairy farms waiting for him to arrive may be running out of barley for feed.

"Nobody's getting through. It's not just me. We can take solace in the fact that everybody's in the same boat, but it's a sinking boat," he said in an interview Sunday.

"We just want to go down the trail and do our jobs so we can get stuff in the stores, stuff to the critters. Everything's on wheels."

Delucry said his heart goes out to evacuees.

Submitted by Vickie Havlin

Perry Burge is coming from Burns Lake, B.C., and was headed to Nisku, Alta., with a load of pipeline equipment. He said he got delayed in Hinton on Saturday night.

His company is providing a hotel room and meals, which he said has been a relief.

"They're worried about us, so they're talking to us every few hours [to] see how we're making out," Burge said.

Among the other truckers, Burge said there is frustration, but there's not much they can do about their situation.

"It's part of the game. The fire guys have to do their job," he said.

Konnor Killoran/CBC

Lonny McColman was driving from Vancouver to Mildred Lake in the Alberta oilsands, hauling tires. He said he's been waiting to move on from Hinton for three days.

"[I] can't spend another $800 on fuel going up and around so they're trying to figure out what they can do," he said.

McColman, who is based in Edson, Alta., said it's frustrating, not knowing how long the delay will last.

"What's the plan? They can't just cancel everything and make us sit here forever," he said.

For now, stuck truckers have to play the waiting game; Delucry said he's getting tired of it.

"If you love your job it's not hard to go to, but this makes it hard to love your job," he said.

Konnor Killoran/CBC

As Alberta’s oilsands continue leaking toxic wastewater, aquatic wildlife face new risks


Diane Orihel, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology & School of Environmental Studies, Queen's University, Ontario, 

Chloe Robinson, Junior Research Associate, Experimental Ecology 

and Ecotoxicology Research Team, Queen's University, Ontario, 

Chris K. Elvidge, Postdoctoral Researcher in Freshwater Ecology, Carleton University

TE CONVERSATION

Sun, May 7, 2023

Three months ago, 5.3 million litres of industrial wastewater was reported to have overflowed from an Imperial Oil storage pond into a muskeg and forested area. This industrial wastewater could have filled more than two Olympic-sized swimming pools, and is now one of the largest known spills of its kind in Alberta’s history.

Then came news of a separate incident where an unknown amount of industrial wastewater has been leaking from an Imperial Oil tailings pond for the last 12 months. The leakage flows underground and then resurfaces to contaminate surface waters outside the Kearl Oil Sands Processing Plant and Mine.

These waters flow into the Athabasca River, which is part of an important waterway that supports communities in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. In addition to its significance to the Indigenous communities here, this waterway also provides crucial habitats for endangered wildlife species.

While Imperial Oil and Alberta’s energy regulator have reported no impacts on wildlife or waterways yet, the federal government believes the leaking waste is harmful to aquatic life, and has ordered Imperial Oil to take immediate action in preventing any further seepage of toxic water.

Scientists, including our group at Queen’s University, have been studying the chemicals in oilsand tailings ponds for decades to better understand their dangers and to protect wildlife from their effects.
Fish struggle to survive in contaminated waters

The mining and extraction of bitumen — a heavy crude oil with the consistency of cold molasses — produces industrial wastewater with high concentrations of several dangerous components, including salts, dissolved organic compounds and heavy metals like cadmium and lead.

Wastewater chemicals are toxic to fathead minnows, an important prey species in the oilsands region. (NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory), CC BY-SA

Research and real-world incidents have found that oilsands wastewater is toxic to wildlife including mammals, fish, frogs and birds.

A group of organic compounds, referred to as naphthenic acids, are responsible for most of the toxicity of wastewater. These compounds exist naturally in the region, but accumulate to harmful, unnatural levels in wastewater during the mining process. Despite this, environmental guidelines for “safe” naphthenic acid concentrations do not exist.

The concentrations of these acids in wastewater are studied to determine the extent of the threats to wildlife, and in particular to aquatic species, as their habitats are extremely susceptible to accumulating harmful pollutants.

Studies have found that fathead minnow, walleye and yellow perch experience increased mortality, physical deformities and reduced growth when exposed to naphthenic acids. These are all species commonly found in the oilsands region.

A researcher samples tanks as a part of a field experiment testing the effects of oilsands wastewater on aquatic animals. (Chloe Robinson), Author provided

In one investigation, these chemicals altered hormone levels and reduced spawning success in fish. This effect could have population-level consequences in the wild. Meanwhile, in another study, the fish showed reduced survival and abnormal swimming behaviours, even after being held in clean lake water for one month following a week-long exposure to sublethal levels of naphthenic acids.

The science clearly suggests that fish are negatively impacted by wastewater contaminants and even short-term contact can have lasting effects on animals in the affected area.

Canada’s declining amphibians face new threats

Amphibians are one of the most rapidly disappearing groups of animals in Canada, as their wetland habitats often face the threat of pollution, among other stressors. Research on wood frogs and Northern leopard frogs has raised numerous concerns.

Like with fish, studies have found that exposure to wastewater and naphthenic acids can interfere with sexual development and impair breeding in adult frogs. Tadpoles exposed to these chemicals are more likely to die, behave abnormally when escaping predators and are less likely to develop into frogs.

One of our studies found that exposure to these chemicals can also cause developing frogs to develop striking malformations, including kinked spines and missing toes.

Tadpoles exposed to wastewater chemicals (right) show malformations not present in tadpoles raised in clean water (left) like shorter limbs, swollen bodies, and missing toes. (Chloe Robinson), Author provided

Science suggests that if pollutants reach dangerous levels due to spills, it could impair the survival and health of aquatic wildlife in affected areas. Over time, these impacts could cause wildlife population declines and even local species extinctions. Long-term monitoring will be crucial to determine the full impact of these spills.
A need for transparent oilsands waste management

In addition to wildlife, industrial activities in the oilsands region have affected the Indigenous communities over the years as well.

Indigenous Nations located downstream of recent oil spills in Alberta — including the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and Mikisew Cree First Nation — voiced their concern over this pollution and its impact on the plants and animals they harvest for food.

While these communities rely on the lands and waters near the spill, they were only notified of the contamination when the provincial regulator issued an environmental protection order in February.

The lack of transparency and delayed responses surrounding these current spills raises questions about how many undocumented incidents could be taking place every year.

In April, while Alberta continued to deal with the aftermath of these incidents, another 6 million litres of water spilled from a Suncor settling pond into the Athabasca River. The current method of managing wastewater is neither safe nor sustainable.

Change is needed to ensure that economic activities do not jeopardize the environment further. As government, industry and Indigenous partners begin the process of building new management and monitoring plans, which will likely include guidelines for treating and releasing oilsands wastewater back into waterways, it is important that the science is not forgotten.

Evidence-informed policies, built on what we know about the toxic extent of wastewater, have the potential to make accidental spills, and the environmental and social injustices they perpetuate, a thing of the past.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. 

It was written by: Diane Orihel, Queen's University, Ontario; Chloe Robinson, Queen's University, Ontario, and Chris K. Elvidge, Carleton University.

Read more:

New technology makes wastewater from the oilsands industry safer for fish

How plants can help clean up oilsands tailing ponds

Diane Orihel received funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada for her lab's research on the effects of oilsands contaminants on aquatic biota.

Chloe Robinson received funding from Queen's University (Craigie Fellowship), and the Government of Ontario (Ontario Graduate Scholarship).

Chris K. Elvidge is affiliated with the Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory at Carleton University.

NHL NOT THE NBA

The Weeknd is the latest A-list celebrity bidding to buy the Ottawa Senators

The Canadian recording artist, rapper Snoop Dogg and Vancouver-born actor Ryan Reynolds are all part of serious, competing bids for the NHL franchise




Thomas Hall
·Contributing Writer
Sun, May 7, 2023 

The Weeknd — arguably the biggest artist in the world right now — has jumped head first into the Ottawa Senators sweepstakes. (Getty)

The sale of the Ottawa Senators remains the most interesting reality TV show in sports as yet another celebrity has tossed their hat in the ring for the NHL franchise.

According to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, star Canadian recording artist Abel Tesfaye — better known as The Weeknd — has partnered with the Harlo Capital Group, led by Toronto billionaires Jeffrey and Michael Kimel, to bid on the Senators.

Tesfaye, born in Toronto, Ont., reportedly plans to be financially involved with the Kimels’ pitch to acquire the franchise previously owned by the late Eugene Melnyk, who passed away in March 2022. The Kimels were part owners of the Pittsburgh Penguins before Fenway Sports Group bought the team in 2021.

Garrioch also reports The Weeknd has joined the bid because he has ties to Ottawa through his managers and desires to turn his passion for hockey into something great for the community.

“He’s going to be a great partner for Ottawa and the NHL,” a source close to The Weeknd told Garrioch. “The team he works with grew up in Ottawa, so they know the market really well, but he’s the largest musician (on the) planet right now. He has the most views, the most streams and he’s a hockey guy.

“He doesn’t like to be in the media very often so this really says something that he wants to be part of a bid. He wants to get this deal done, he wants to build something that will be great in Ottawa and he’ll be a good fit. He’s got a lot of connections of worldwide.”

The Weeknd, whose initial interest in purchasing the Senators was reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, now finds himself competing against a pair of A-listers for the franchise, including a fellow Canadian icon in Ryan Reynolds and rapper Snoop Dogg.

The latter confirmed he joined Neko Sparks’s group earlier this week, which includes 12 other investors. Reynolds and the Remington Group, meanwhile are reportedly preparing a $1-billion offer to buy the Sens and the Canadian Tire Centre — the team's home arena.

“Ryan Reynolds brought some attention to the team,” the source told Garrioch. “I think when people like The Weeknd, who are Canadian and have local ties to the area, look at sports franchises today, celebrities are trying to get their hands on them whether it’s hockey or any other league.”

Garrioch previously reported the deadline to submit non-binding offers is May 15, which will be the second and final bidding round.

Seven groups — including the three featuring The Weeknd, Snoop Dogg and Ryan Reynolds — remain in the bidding for the Senators.

'Racism in Canada': Viral TikTok sparks outrage after mom threatened off Flair Airlines flight

Busayo Alle was shocked after staff wouldn't remove the person sitting in her seat next to her baby, but instead threatened to take her off the aircraft.

Leticia Gaba

·Writer, Yahoo News Canada

Wed, May 3, 2023

Adeola Alle is voicing his concern about how his wife and family were "discriminated against” on a recent Flair Airlines flight.

A TikTok taken on a Flair Airlines flight has sparked racism and discrimination allegations, after airline staff threatened to remove a Black mother from a recent flight.

Busayo Alle, a Nigerian-Canadian, was flying with her 12-week-old baby and her mother-in-law, on what was supposed to be an easy 1-hour and 25-minute flight from Vancouver to Calgary. Upon boarding the aircraft, she was surprised to find another woman, who is white, sitting in the seat. When requesting help from the airline, Busayo was further discouraged when staff asked her to move instead.

“If you flip the script, what would have happened?” asks Busayo’s husband, Adeola Alle, in his viral TikTok video titled “Racism in Canada.”

“If a Black person was sitting on that seat, they would not have hesitated to kick them off the flight.”

It's a situation in which he says "my wife and family were discriminated against,” and also resulted in a threat from the airline staff after Busayo pleaded for her seat.

“If you [don’t] calm down, we need to get you out of this aircraft,” said a Flair Airlines flight attendant to Busayo.

The story is sparking conversation on TikTok about racism in Canada, and its prevalence in our communities.

“There’s so much racism in Canada but it’s covered and never talked about like other countries,” commented @cruel_gina.

"I'm sorry you had to go through this, racism is real in Canada," commented another user, @yeyewandeeo. "I'm so over it."

The trio initially boarded Flair Airlines flight F8804 on April 14, and were expecting to sit together in their already purchased seats. At first, the mother thought this was an honest mistake. She asked the person to move, as seat 2A was her assigned seat on the boarding pass. She was surprised to hear the person simply say “no” and refuse to move.

At this point, the family decided to turn to the flight attendants for assistance, but were surprised by the reaction.

“My wife kept her cool, but to our dismay — she was asked to move,” noted Adeola.

“They sounded very condescending. We just needed you to do the right thing — this is the seat she paid for.”

The video shows Busayo wondering what the problem was — all she wanted was to sit next to her young daughter and mother-in-law in the seat she paid for. As the interaction prolongs, the flight attendants can be heard asking her to “calm down,” to which Busayo responds, “I can’t be calm after what you just did.”

In addition, Adeola recounts that the other passenger involved also gave his wife the middle finger.

In the end, the Alle family were able to sit together, after other passengers offered their seats. However, the interaction left a sour taste for Busayo as there was absolutely no explanation as to why she was asked to move, and then even threatened to be kicked off the flight after voicing her frustration.

“We paid for this flight and you didn’t help me,” said Busayo to the flight staff.

Yahoo Canada reached out to Flair Airlines regarding the situation, and they noted that they are still investigating the circumstances of the incident — including each passenger's actions and their staff’s response.

“Flair Airlines staff did ask the passenger in 2A to move to her assigned seat, but she refused multiple times. Unfortunately, this caused the situation to escalate,” said a Flair Airlines spokesperson to Yahoo Canada.

The airline notes that their flight attendants did offer a solution and attempted to deescalate the situation.

“The resolution taken for the flight was to seat the passenger in the window seat on the other side of the aircraft — the same row and seat, just on the other side of the plane,” said the spokesperson for Flair.

Although the airline did not address any of the discrimination allegations, they did note that the safety and comfort of their passengers is the airline’s highest priority.

“We spoke directly to the passenger first to listen to her experience and concerns first hand, to offer our sincerest apologies for any distress, and to discuss ways the airline can remedy her concerns,” said the spokesperson.

Outrage over 'Racism in Canada'

The Alle family moved to Canada about a year ago from Nigeria. They were shocked that matters would be handled like this in this day and age, and believe it’s important to talk about these matters publicly to ensure that they do not happen again.

“This is 2023 and this is Canada. I did not expect that this would be happening,” said Adeola. “It’s unfortunate. How Flair Airlines handled this was very unprofessional.”

They believe this is a cause of racism as there is simply no other explanation as to why Alle’s family was not supported by the airline in this difficult situation.

The viral video also caused a lot of conversation amongst TikTok users in the comments, who are shining light on racism in Canada and accusing Flair Airlines of discrimination.

“I live in Canada and the racism here is insane! nobody acknowledges it!!” commented @winniedahbarbie.

Others are standing up for the woman, empathizing with her pain and embarrassment as seen in the video.

“The way those flight attendants are talking to this woman is infuriating,” commented @nessasstp.

“You can literally feel the pain in her voice. So sorry that this happened to your family” commented @stillnessjay.

"Their tactic is to keep asking to calm down to get you agitated to justify calling the police and get you thrown out of the plane," commented @libyancanadian.

Although the Alle family had reached out to Flair Airlines for an apology before, they said that they did not hear back from the airline until after the video went viral. A follow up video posted by the husband explains how Flair Airlines only contacted his wife back after they were reached out to by a media station.

The airline tried to mend the situation by offering a full refund to all the Alles.

“A representative of the airline apologized to the aggrieved passenger on the phone. A full refund has been issued to the passengers' credit card for the cost of the flight and any extras purchased for both seats," said a Flair Airlines spokesperson.

For the Alle family, this isn’t about money. They are asking for a formal and public apology and fair treatment of all passengers moving forward. They hope their children do not have to face a situation like this again.

“Injustice happened, and they should have acted better. I want a formal apology,” said Adeola.

Yahoo Canada has reached out to the Alle family to see how this event continues to unfold, and will update this article accordingly. For now, the Alle family is asking that the airline simply apologize and understand “how to treat everybody equally and fairly.”

Deconstructing Karen helps white women realize how they uphold white supremacy: 'Denial, denial, denial'

In the documentary, white women are invited to attend a dinner party and experience radically honest conversations on racism and their role in upholding it


Abhya Adlakha
·Editor, Yahoo News Canada
Tue, May 2, 2023


"What is the number one thing that white women feel the desperate need to be, over and above everything else? Nice," says American political activist and author Saira Rao in her critically acclaimed documentary Deconstructing Karen.

"White women feel the desperate need to be nice — and it’s white women’s “niceness” that is killing us all. It means smiling, it means being polite, it means not calling out oppression when it happens."

Saira Rao and Regina Jackson are founders of Race2Dinner, an organization facilitating conversations between white women about racism and white supremacy.

"Race2Dinner allows us to have radically honest conversations," Jackson said in the documentary. "The market we have identified is white women who call themselves liberal or progressive or Democrats. The foot of white supremacy and patriarchy is firmly on their necks just like it's on ours."

Rao says that she used to be a white feminist — "a white woman trapped in a brown body."

"I woke up, and then I started doing anti-racism work more. And then I first started talking about racism, I was totally unprepared for when you talk about white people and then say the words 'white people' and then those white people want to come and kill you," Rao said.

As part of their anti-racism work, Jackson and Rao recently released the popular, provocative documentary, Deconstructing Karen, where white women are invited to attend a dinner party and experience radically honest conversations on racism and their role in upholding it, their conditioning to ignore it and the essential part they can play in tearing down the systems that are killing Black and Brown people every single day.

The market we have identified is white women who call themselves liberal or progressive or Democrats. The foot of white supremacy and patriarchy is firmly on their necks just like it's on ours.

According to Rao, they picked the term "Karen" as a pejorative term used to describe entitled white women— the worst of the Karens use their societal privilege to oppress people of colour. It can be as common as asking for a manager at store, or as bad as calling the cops for even little inconveniences.

"One of the things we know is that you cannot change what you do not acknowledge, so we're here to help you acknowledge some things and to try and work on changing some things," Jackson said.

"Change requires pain, and people will not change 'til they have what I call a significant emotional event."

The documentary is refreshingly honest and uncomfortable at times. At one point in the documentary, a white woman claims she is not a racist because her husband is a person of colour. Rao turns to her and says, "You, frankly, cannot f*** your way out of racism."

Regina and Sara founded Race2Dinner in 2019 to help white women learn how they uphold white supremacy.

Addressing white supremacy in Canada

"Saira and Regina, the way they address it to your face is next level, it's very American, like in your face," On Canada Project founder Sam Krishnapillai told Yahoo Canada. "That's what we need in Canada. If you don't talk racism, then you can keep being racist and we can't continue living in a racist country."

The On Canada Project was initially a passion project and media organization founded in June 2020 to fill the gap in communications about COVID-19 that did not speak to young Canadians and marginalized populations.

"But then we realized that in Canada we don’t have something that contextualizes the news. We’re not the news — that’s not our expertise. But we explain what the news is talking about. On top of that, a lot of our education in Canada was incomplete — we weren’t taught about racism, about white supremacy, and now we’re only starting to call it white supremacy in society," Krishnapillai added.

The On Canada Project is made up of a group of active citizens, change agents, and friendly neighbourhood nerds who are here to dismantle the status quo and champion change in our lives. The organization has amassed more than 182,000 followers on Instagram.

After the success of their documentary Deconstructing Karen and their New York Times bestseller White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better, Jackson and Rao are collaborating with Krishnapillai to host an event in Vancouver.

Featuring the screening of the documentary and an interactive discussion with Krishnapillai, the event hopes to address challenging conversations about racism in Canada.

"We have to change the culture in Canada... our country has not had critical dialogues about race. We haven't done education campaigns for kids. We haven't done any campaigns for adults around why we need to challenge white supremacy," Krishnapillai said. "A lot of people think that they're on the right side of the conversation. I think they're being racist... they don't understand that the behaviour is actually racist."

While recent surveys have claimed that public opinion in Canada is in favour of immigration, recent events have suggested otherwise. There have been cases of heightened surveillance of immigrant populations in Canada, incidences of hate crimes against members of immigrant groups — especially since COVID-19 — and cases of discrimination against migrant workers.

A recent KPMG Canada report found that 72 per cent of Black employees still experience some form of racism at work. Out of the 72 per cent, 20 per cent experienced the same amount of racism compared to the year before, while 19 per cent claimed they experienced more racism.

We have to change the culture in Canada... our country has not had critical dialogues about race.

Krishnapillai believes there are two types of white supremacy — one is outright racism that we can see and feel.

"And then there's a roomful of people that I'm guessing won't know that they're racist but are upholding the white supremacy by not saying anything about changing their behaviour," she said.

"These people think they're on the right side of history because they don't outwardly hate Black people. But what they don't understand is, they're still holding unconscious beliefs about being better, and we don't know what we're supposed to do to change that because no one's talked to us about it. And I think what Regina and Saira are bringing to Vancouver is an opportunity to start talking about it for anyone who feels racism is bad," Krishnapillai added.

Krishnapillai strongly believes that all white people have a responsibility to show up for Black, Indigenous, and all people of colour who live in Canada — even if it feels uncomfortable.

"What's that Spider-Man quote? With great power comes great responsibility," she said.

"And I think that's what this event really is about. Join us and feel a little uncomfortable. And let's talk about what the future looks like and how you can do your part to change that."

CRTC will hear from public about banning Fox News from Canadian cable packages

Egale Canada, a 2SLGBTQI advocacy group, has raised the alarm after concerning comments made by "infamously incendiary" former host Tucker Carlson.

Bryan Meler
·Editor, Yahoo Canada
Fri, May 5, 2023 

Canadians have started to particapte in the public consultation, voicing an array of viewpoints about the controverisal U.S. TV network, Fox News. (Credit: Getty Images).

Fox News may soon be banned from Canadian cable packages, with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) opening a public consultation process to help come to a decision.

The federal agency is in charge of regulating Canada’s broadcasting and television services, and has put Fox News under the microscope after an open letter by Egale Canada, a 2SLGBTQI advocacy group. Canadians have until June 2 to submit their thoughts as part of the public hearing.

The open letter, submitted on April 4, calls on the CTRC to remove Fox News from Canadian cable packages, after especially highlighting comments made by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who the group says made “false and horrifying claims about 2STNBGN [Two Spirit, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming] people, painting them as violent and dangerous.”

Even though Carlson parted ways with Fox in late-April, Egale is highlighting that this is part of a larger problem.

"Egale Canada is pleased to see the CRTC open Part 1 into the removal of Fox News from Canadian distribution," said Jennifer Boyce, Egale's director of communications and marketing, to Yahoo Canada.

"We remain committed to the call in our open letter. The issue of Fox News inciting hate, violence, and discrimination in its programming extends beyond one individual."

The comments made by Carlson particularly caught people’s attention, as Egale in its letter claims that the TV host “made the inflammatory and false claim that trans people are ‘targeting’ Christians.”

“To position trans people in existential opposition to Christianity is an incitement of violence against trans people that is plain to any viewer.”

Carlson's comments came after a transgender man killed six in a mass shooting in Nashville, at a private Christian elementary school. They also came amid a rise in bills in the U.S. that seek to limit transgender rights.

As part of the segment, Carlson claimed that 2STNBGN people are given preferential treatment in employment among other opportunities. Egale Canada believes this is “clearly an attempt to stoke resentment against 2STNBGN people. ”

Egale was also featured in the segment by Carlson, where he cited another open letter by the group, which brought attention the rise in anti-2SLGBTQI hate, which the controversial TV host claimed was “a lie.”

The legalities of removing Fox News

The CRTC doesn’t issue licences to non-Canadian broadcasters, like Fox News, but the federal agency has established that they must be held to the same standard as Canadian channels. Recently, the CRTC banned Russian state-controlled TV channels, and RT France from Canadian airways.

Under the Broadcasting Regulations, Canadian broadcasters aren’t allowed to broadcast “any abusive comment or abusive pictorial representation that, when taken in context, tends to or is likely to expose an individual or group or class of individuals to hatred or contempt on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or mental or physical disability.”

The CRTC is not legally required to hold a public hearing, but it may if “it would be in the public interest to do so,” according to Canada’s Broadcasting Act.

Recently, the network settled a defamation suit for $US787 million with Dominion Voting Systems, after they accused Fox News of promoting lies about the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

The public starts to have its say

Since opening the public hearing process, over 50 comments have been published.

“I support a full ban of Fox entertainment from Canada’s cable packages,” writes Donna Gillis of Halifax. “It’s entertainment, disinformation and a whole lot of conspiracy. It is not news. It has destroyed the USA. We don’t need Fox in Canada."

While some are in support of the ban, maybe believe it’s a form of censorship.

“I am in opposition to this proposal because it is censorious in nature and is certain to cause more harm than good,” writes Robert Moloney of St. John’s.

“Yes it is extreme in some of its views but it is a channel viewed by many in the USA, for that reason alone we should be able to access this channel and see what our neighbours are saying. Viewing Fox News is optional,” writes Richard Linnett of Picton, Ont.

“I oppose the removal of Fox News from the List of non-Canadian services authorized for distribution. Tucker Carlson is no longer employed by Fox News,” writes David Payne of Toronto.

Carlson and Fox News did not respond in time for publication to Yahoo Canada.

'Jackie the Wolf': A son's intimate look at his mothers death, right-to-die laws

"I was hoping I would not have not do it, because I was hoping my mom would not die," filmmaker Tuki Jencquel said

Elisabetta Bianchini
Sat, May 6, 2023 

Jacqueline "Jackie" Jencquel was a notable activist for assisted death, making international headlines for her stance on right-to-die issues and often accompanied people to Switzerland, where assisted dying is legal.

In the film Jackie the Wolf (part of Toronto's Hot Docs festival), her son Tuki Jencquel documents and shares unconventional conversations with his mom, leading up to her final words.

Jencquel had actually been filming his mother for many years, but the intention initially was never to make a documentary.

“I was filming casual moments, like the way you film anyone in your family just to have your own personal memory,” Jencquel told Yahoo Canada. “It wasn't always with the idea that I would make a film.”

“She started being approached and sort of flirting with other filmmakers when I sort of realized, if someone's going to make this film about her, I want it to be me. I sort of then took it more seriously to actually not make it so casual, but actually think of it as a film. ... It became more a film about the two of us and also our relationship. ... She was very involved, it was more like we were making the film together.”

Jackie is absolutely compelling in Jackie the Wolf. She's very much an open book, no topic is too taboo for her, from death to sex. But as the film progresses, you can't help but feel attached to her spirit.

“Since I was little, there were no taboos,” Jencquel said. “I remember growing up and my mom would speak to me like an adult about very important subjects, or about things that were taboo for my friends and their parents.”

“She just believed that you should be able to talk about everything and that's how we grew up, me and my brothers. When we were teenagers my friends loved ... talking to my mom. They could talk about everything with her."

Jackie died in March 2022. While her son didn't capture her final moments, Jackie the Wolf concludes with images of her empty apartment in France. It’s a moving, visual indication of the end her life.

“The night before when she did it, she had ordered a bottle of vodka and foie gras,” Jencquel revealed. “When they found her there was an envelope with a note, and there was the invoice for the vodka and foie gras, and 50 euros for me or someone to go and pay it.”

“So what I did is, I had all her friends over in her place. … We played her music and I gave everyone vodka and foie gras who came in, so it was sort of a way to remember her in a more cheerful way.”

Jackie the Wolf
'I was hoping my mom would not die'

While Jackie's conversations in the film largely point to the activist certainly moving towards assisted death, her son still hoped that he wouldn't have to think about how to include her death in the documentary.

“I was hoping I would not have not do it, because I was hoping my mom would not die,” Jencquel said. “Actually, when I started editing, it looked more like the film was going to have a different ending.”

“On a cognitive level I was like, she's probably going to do it sometime and this is going to be real. She's serious about it. On an emotional level, I was sort of more like, this is my mom, she's never going to die. … She's my mom. She's going to be there.”

Still to this day, the filmmaker questions his decision to chronicle this particular journey his mother was on.

“I think, in a way, what helped me … was the fact that my mom wanted to be a part of this,” Jencquel said. “She was very active with the filmmaking and if I hadn't done it, someone else would have done it."

"So in a way, that's what makes me feel OK. Also, because we had this very open relationship where there were no taboos, I feel like, OK this … justifies that I can share this with other people.”

For anyone who does watch Jackie the Wolf, Jencquel hopes that people "feel like it's OK to speak about uncomfortable issues with people you love."

“I've seen a lot of people that approached my mom and who wanted to go, … who didn't have anyone in their family they could speak to about it,” he said. “These people, they would still go, but it would be very lonely for them."

"So I do hope that this is something people take away. Not so much whether people think it’s OK, it’s right or it’s wrong. People will look at it through their own moral lens and judge it either way, and the film isn’t meant to to make people change their opinion on assisted suicide. It was more like, it’s OK to speak about it.”

The Hot Docs festival in Toronto runs from April 27 to May 7. The next in-person screening of Jackie the Wolf is on May 7. The film is also available for Canadians to stream through the Hot Docs platform.

'Coven' documentary: An exploration of witchcraft and women finding their power

"I want to give voices to people who normally don't have voices. That's kind of my mission to myself," filmmaker Rama Rau said

Elisabetta Bianchini
Sun, May 7, 2023

While witchcraft has been scrutinized and criticized for centuries, Rama Rau's documentary Coven (part of Toronto's Hot Docs festival) explores the lives of three women who identify as witches, evolving in their spirit and feeling more empowered.

“I grew up in India and for us, in India, the supernatural has never been something different, it was always part of our everyday lives,” Rau told Yahoo Canada. “In fact, even when we were young girls, we were always told that there's a strong female spirit protecting us, or we would go to temples and there would be shamanistic rituals that we would observe.”

“So I was thinking of what kind of film I would like to make next and it was really about, what do young women feel these days? I know that with the patriarchy and monotheistic religions, we're all looking for, I think, the power we lost in some way as women. I thought, wouldn't it be interesting to see if there are modern-day witches and see how I could follow them.”

Coven documentary from director Rama Rau

Laura Hokstad refers to herself as a "baby witch" and a solitary witch in the film, meaning she had been doing her practice by herself, but in this film we see her explore the coven experience. The documentary also follows her to Scotland, as Hokstad discovers that two of her ancestors were accused of witchcraft.

Ayo Leilani, known as Witch Prophet, is a Canadian singer who staring exploring the occult as a teen. In Coven, she tells a story about how she was accused her of being an Obeah woman, meaning "a Caribbean sorceress." The film follows Leilani to New Orleans, where she seeks advice and mentorship, and learns about the history of the Black Witches movement.

Coven also follows Andra Maria Zlatescu to Romania, the country she left with her parents when she was just a child. Zlatescu expands her knowledge of the witches of Romania and explores a famously haunted forest to reconnect and empower herself.

Rau explained that most people included in the documentary were "very open" to being filmed, but there were some restrictions with the covens.

“Sometimes the actual covens would say, ‘No you can't film this. No, this is a very secret ritual,'" Rau said.

“That's OK because this film has never been about hidden camera. I don't make films like that. I always like to respect people who might film and they have to understand, as much as I do, what the story is about, what the filming is about.”

The director revealed that in Romania, there was a different situation where Rau refused to film a particular moment.

“There was animal cruelty, I absolutely put my foot down," Rau said. "I said, ‘No, you will not sacrifice any animal for my film.’"

"I was very certain about that and they were a little taken aback because I don't think anyone's told them that."

Coven documentary from director Rama Rau
'I really honestly think that magic exists, we just have to look for it'

When it comes to Rau's approach to Coven, the film never really strives to convince the audience that witchcraft should be believed without question. It's more about the personal exploration of empowerment for these women and how our society has an extensive history of not wanting women to have power, even wanting to take that away.

“For me, every documentary I make is like a PhD because of the amount of research you put in,” Rau said. “It teaches me about storytelling. It teaches me about human beings. It teaches me about psychology, so many things.”

“I think documentaries are such a tough but satisfying genre to work in because you absolutely must be prepared. You absolutely must know where you want your story to go. … I want to give voices to people who normally don't have voices. That's kind of my mission to myself.”

When it comes to what Rau wants people to take away from this documentary, the filmmaker is hoping people "don't continue to think in terms of binaries."

“I think Christianity, to a lot, has helped in that. Good, evil. Black, white. Male, female," Rau said. "I don't think the world is so set in its ways at all.”

“I think there's a spectrum for everything and I think this film especially hopes to explore some of those spectrums of reality and supernatural and magic. I really honestly think that magic exists, we just have to look for it. We can find magic in anything we do. ... It's all part of who we are and part of the rhythm of the universe. If I can open people's minds just a little bit, … that would make me very happy.”

Coven is available for Canadians to stream through the Hot Docs online platform until May 9.

'Soviet Barbara, the Story of Ragnar Kjartansson in Moscow': Art, censorship and Russia's war on Ukraine

Artist Ragnar Kjartansson had the opportunity to open

 a retrospective at the GES-2 House of Culture in Moscow,

based on the soap opera "Santa Barbara"

Elisabetta Bianchini Sun, May 7, 2023 

Soviet Barbara, the Story of Ragnar Kjartansson in Moscow

Gaukur Úlfarsson's documentary Soviet Barbara, the Story of Ragnar Kjartansson in Moscow (part of Toronto's Hot Docs festival), raises questions about art, politics in censorship as it chronicles the creation of artist Ragnar Kjartansson retrospective in a Moscow museum.

Back in 2021, Kjartansson was given the opportunity to open a massive retrospective at the GES-2 House of Culture in Moscow, a renovated power plant owned by a Russian oligarch.

The retrospective included recreations of episodes of the U.S. soap opera Santa Barbara, which had been a massive hit in Russia.

“We've known of each other for a long time and we have a group of friends that are the same group of friends,” filmmaker Úlfarsson told Yahoo Canada about creating a documentary around Kjartansson's work. “A very good friend of mine … told me about what Ragnar was going to do in Moscow.”

“I didn't really understand the scope of what he was going to be doing and later, maybe a week later, I spoke to him on the phone. ... Then he started talking to me about [Santa Barbara], and what he was going to be doing in Russia. Even then, after a long conversation on the phone, I didn't really understand, he just told me that he was going to recreate 99 episodes of Santa Barbara.”

While it ended up being the basis of his film, Úlfarsson had an interesting initial response to this retrospective.

“My first reaction was, this is completely ridiculous,” Úlfarsson said. “But this is also completely brilliant.”

“I didn't understand the politics about it firsthand. … He kind of gave me many of the layers and … I asked him if we could come and do a documentary on this. He was very willing to let us do it.”

Soviet Barbara, the Story of Ragnar Kjartansson in Moscow

Soviet Barbara, the Story of Ragnar Kjartansson in Moscow shows individuals, and Kjartansson himself, questioning the ethics around showing this work in a Russian museum. Even equating the move to people going to consume art in museums funded by the Sackler family.

“My parents were also socialists so I completely identify with being passionate about Russia,” Úlfarsson said. “As a young man reading a lot of Russian literature, I always wanted to go and going there, I was completely amazed by how amazing Moscow is, and the people there are also beautiful people.”

“He really wanted to go there. This was a part of him as an artist. … The music and the literature from Russia is, I think there's no country that compares. So that's part of it I really understand.”

But Úlfarsson identifies that the "heartbreaking" thing is how beautiful the city was, but had so much political turmoil.

“When I started with this, I had a hunch that because of where he was going, things could happen,” Úlfarsson said. “After the invasion, obviously just completely took a U-turn, in a sense.”

Kjartansson quickly had to face the reality that Putin's power will impact his art, including a visit from Putin himself. When Putin invaded Ukraine, that's when the reality sets in that Kjartansson art can't exist in what he calls a "full-blown fascist state."

For Úlfarsson, he hopes that Soviet Barbara, the Story of Ragnar Kjartansson in Moscow, provides an opportunity for people to think more about the threat of censorship.

“I was reading in the Canadian newspapers yesterday about this Canadian poet, [Rupi Kaur who wrote 'Milk and Honey,'’]” Úlfarsson recalled. “She's been banned [in the] United States. There are so many levels of censorship.”