While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Jack Farrell.
EDMONTON -- Alberta's government is now giving a 119-year-old historical society some transitional funding after the group had been left out of the province's latest budget.
EDMONTON -- A judge has reserved her decision on whether to set aside a ruling that quashed an Alberta separatist group's referendum petition saying she has concerns with parts of the decision.
EDMONTON -- An Alberta Court of Appeal hearing is underway for a separatist group's attempt to have a ruling that quashed its referendum petition set aside.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says a group of Indigenous chiefs need to "check themselves," after they accused her of potential treasonous activity for calling a separation vote.
EDMONTON -- The Alberta government says it has picked the University of Calgary to study potential costs of the province leaving Canada.
Alberta's government has filed its appeal of a judge's decision to throw out a petition looking to force a vote on the province quitting Canada. Premier Danielle Smith criticized the ruling last month, calling it "anti-democratic," and promised to appeal. Court of King's Bench Justice Shaina Leonard found the referendum petition shouldn't have been issued under provincial law and that...
EDMONTON -- Alberta's government has filed its appeal of a judge's decision to quash a petition looking to force a vote on the province quitting Canada.
EDMONTON -- Alberta's minister of hospitals says she has put an end to a contentious rebranding of the province's paramedic service provider.
EDMONTON -- For the first time since October there are no active recall petitions looking to oust Alberta politicians from their seats in the legislature.
EDMONTON -- An Alberta legislature committee is exploring whether to put taxpayers on the hook for work-related electric scooter and bike rides taken by politicians.
Alberta's government is eyeing train connections between airports and the downtown cores of its two biggest cities as the first key projects in its new passenger rail plan.
EDMONTON -- Mayors of Canada's big cities say fixing homelessness should also be considered a nation-building project by Ottawa.
Elections Alberta says a massive hiring effort for the fall referendum on the province's place in Canada will get underway early next month. The agency says 60,000 or more elections officers will be needed to hand count the votes, which provincial law dictates must be done within 48 hours after polling stations close. It says all positions are paid and...
EDMONTON -- Elections Alberta says a massive hiring effort for the fall referendum on the province's place in Canada will get underway early next month.
Alberta's upcoming referendum question on separation was made official Thursday, and it mirrors what Premier Danielle Smith announced last week. Smith and her cabinet issued an order in council confirming the date and format of the Oct. 19 referendum, along with the question. It will ask voters to pick one of two options. Option one reads: "Alberta should remain a...
A standoff between Premier Danielle Smith and her own United Conservative Party on the issue of separation is over -- and the premier has won. Premier Smith and party president Rob Smith had been at odds over where they stand on Alberta staying in Canada ahead of a fall referendum on the matter. The premier says she wants Alberta to...
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's office says her parliamentary adviser on constitutional affairs has resigned.
Premiers from Western Canada and the northern territories are set to gather in Alberta to discuss business, trade and their neighbouring relationships, all while the host province stews over a monumental question of quitting Confederation. The annual western premiers conference runs Monday and Tuesday in Kananaskis, west of Calgary. Sam Blackett, a spokesperson for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's office, says...
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says separatists who are upset that a binding vote on quitting Canada has been put off should focus on the province's fall referendum — rather than campaigning to force a review of her job.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says separatists who are upset that a binding vote on quitting Canada has been put off should focus on the province's fall referendum -- rather than campaigning to force a review of her job.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says separatists who are upset that a binding vote on quitting Canada has been put off should focus on the province's fall referendum -- rather than campaigning to force a review of her job.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says separatists who are upset that a binding vote on quitting Canada has been put off should focus on the province's fall referendum — rather than campaigning to force a review of her job. Smith announced in a televised address Thursday that a question on the Oct. 19 referendum will ask Albertans if they want to...
EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA -- Alberta’s journey toward holding a fall referendum on separation took a bizarre turn Wednesday — straight into another roadblock.
EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA -- Alberta’s journey toward holding a fall referendum on separation took a bizarre turn Wednesday — straight into another roadblock.
Alberta’s journey toward holding a fall referendum on separation took a bizarre turn Wednesday — straight into another roadblock. It occurred when the governing United Conservative members on a bipartisan legislature committee introduced a motion to formally ask Premier Danielle Smith and her cabinet to initiate a provincewide vote on Alberta's status in Confederation this October. The motion was expected...
EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA -- Alberta's journey toward holding a fall referendum vote on separation took a bizarre turn Wednesday straight into a roadblock.
Two of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's longtime cabinet ministers are stepping down. In letters posted on social media Wednesday, Finance Minister Nate Horner and Hospitals Minister Matt Jones both said they are leaving their posts after deciding not to seek re-election in the October 2027 general election. "When the premier offered me this cabinet role, I told her it was...
EDMONTON -- Two of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's longtime cabinet ministers are stepping down.
EDMONTON -- Alberta is ditching another reference to its provincial flower in favour of its official motto.
The best place for Alberta to be is in Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday after a judge's decision to throw out a separatist petition in the province.
EDMONTON -- A judge threw out an Alberta separatist petition Wednesday, ruling the province had a duty to consult with First Nations -- a decision quickly declared "anti-democratic" by Premier Danielle Smith.
EDMONTON -- A judge threw out an Alberta separatist petition Wednesday, ruling the province had a duty to consult with First Nations — a decision quickly declared "anti-democratic" by Premier Danielle Smith.
A judge threw out an Alberta separatist petition Wednesday, ruling the province had a duty to consult with First Nations — a decision quickly declared "anti-democratic" by Premier Danielle Smith. Justice Shaina Leonard also said Alberta's chief electoral officer should never have issued the referendum petition. The premier promised an appeal. "This is a decision by one judge," said Smith...
Elections Alberta says the separatist group at the centre of a massive voter information breach may not have shared the full list of individuals who accessed its public database. The group, called the Centurion Project, created an app containing the names and addresses of nearly three million Albertans, which Elections Alberta traced back to an official voter list the group...
The man at the centre of a massive public data leak isn't co-operating with an investigation by Elections Alberta, says the agency. Chief electoral officer Gordon McClure said in a statement that David Parker, leader of the Centurion Project, has so far refused to comply with a cease-and-desist letter sent last week. The letter says Parker is required to sign...
EDMONTON -- The man at the centre of a massive public data leak isn't co-operating with an investigation by Elections Alberta, says the agency.
EDMONTON -- Elections Alberta says the man at the centre of a massive public data leak isn't co-operating with their investigation.
EDMONTON -- Alberta's chief electoral officer says he's swamped with so much extra work -- petitions, referendums, preparing for an election -- that he deserves a raise.
EDMONTON -- The Alberta government has shot down a request for a raise from the province's top elections official.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's office says she has been granted security clearance to receive briefings from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Smith's office is providing few details but says the clearance allows her to be briefed on national security issues.
Alberta's elections agency said Thursday it believes 568 people accessed a voter list at the heart of a massive privacy breach involving a separatist group. The group, called the Centurion Project, had made a publicly accessible database featuring the names and addresses of nearly three million Alberta voters. The website was shut down last week after Elections Alberta secured a...
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's office says she has been granted security clearance to receive briefings from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is criticizing the Opposition for not telling her about a massive privacy breach at a meeting attended by one of her caucus staffers. Smith says the United Conservative Party caucus staffer didn't realize a database shown at the virtual meeting three weeks ago involved a privacy breach with the personal information of three million Alberta voters.
Alberta's United Conservative Party caucus says staff attended a meeting to discuss how to access a website that's now the focus of investigations into a massive breach of personal data. The caucus says in a statement that staff regularly attend meetings of political interest and, in this case, organizers told them the database was obtained legally. The database contained the...
Alberta separatists handed in a massive petition Monday to try to trigger a referendum on the province leaving Canada, touting a final tally of nearly 302,000 signatures after months of campaigning. Waving Alberta flags and sporting matching blue hoodies, more than 300 supporters gathered at the Elections Alberta office in Edmonton as a convoy of trucks delivered the paperwork. Mitch...
EDMONTON -- Premier Danielle Smith says her government will look at new legislation depending on what comes out of investigations into claims a separatist group breached the personal information of nearly three million Albertans.
EDMONTON -- Alberta's privacy watchdog is calling for law changes in light of claims that a separatist group obtained and illegally used the province's official voter list.
EDMONTON -- A judge has granted an injunction ordering an Alberta separatist group to remove from its website a database of private information - including names and addresses -- of close to three million provincial voters.
EDMONTON -- An Edmonton judge has granted an injunction ordering a separatist group to remove from its website a database of private information - including names and addresses -- of close to three million Alberta voters.
EDMONTON -- Elections Alberta says it's investigating the possibility that a provincial party or a party official illegally used or shared an official voter list.
Elections Alberta says it's investigating the possibility that a provincial party or a party official illegally used or shared an official voter list. Such lists contain the personal information of Albertans, including names, addresses and phone numbers. Under provincial law only political parties, members of the legislature, prospective candidates and constituency associations are given access to the list to solicit...
An Edmonton lawyer is calling on Elections Alberta to close a loophole allowing Premier Danielle Smith's government to advertise in favour of her fall referendum on sweeping immigration reform. Provincial law prohibits the government from advertising or publishing certain information related to a referendum if the vote is taking place alongside a general or municipal election. Legislation passed last year...
EDMONTON -- An Edmonton lawyer is calling on Elections Alberta to close a loophole allowing Premier Danielle Smith's government to advertise in favour of her fall referendum on sweeping immigration reform.
EDMONTON -- Alberta is formally moving to boost its number of legislature seats.
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government introduced on Thursday proposed legislation that would see the province abandon clock changes and remain on daylight time year-round.
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government has introduced legislation that would see the province abandon clock changes and remain on daylight time year-round.
EDMONTON -- Alberta's Opposition NDP say they will participate in a new review of provincial riding maps even though they believe Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservatives are using the review to rig the next election.
EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says only time will tell whether ditching twice-a-year clock changes is the right call.