Tag: Janis Irwin

Rebecca Schulz resigns, UCP and NDP set nomination dates for Calgary-Shaw by-election

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date June 3, 2026

Rebecca Schulz speaking at the United Conservative Party Leaders Dinner in Calgary in 2025 (source: Rebecca Schulz / Facebook)

A by-election in Calgary-Shaw is imminent following the resignation of United Conservative Party MLA Rebecca Schulz, who stepped down last month after representing the riding since 2019. Schulz served as Minister of Environment and Protected Areas until her resignation from cabinet last December.

The UCP nomination contest is now set for June 24 but the race got one candidate smaller this week after Stewart Jeanes was told by the UCP that he will not be allowed to run after his application was deemed incomplete.

Jeanes’ candidacy in the Calgary-Shaw nomination contest was recently endorsed by Mitch Sylvestre, the Alberta separatist leader and UCP constituency president from Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul who led the Stay Free Alberta petition drive to leave Canada.

NDP MLA Janis Irwin running for re-election in Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date May 20, 2026

Alberta NDP MLA Janis Irwin accepts her party's nomination for re-election in Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood (source: Janis Irwin / Facebook)

Popular MLA Janis Irwin is running for re-election and was nominated as the Alberta NDP candidate in Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood on May 3. The second-term MLA is the NDP’s housing critic and is a crowd favourite among Daveberta readers who for six years in a row have voted her Alberta’s Best MLA.

Irwin was first elected in the central Edmonton NDP stronghold in 2019 and was re-elected in 2023 with 71.4 per cent of the vote. Parts of the Highlands-Norwood riding in its various configurations over the decades have been represented by NDP MLAs in all but four years since 1982.

Calgary-Shaw by-election race heats up as Rebecca Schulz expected to resign any day now

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date May 19, 2026

Calgary City Councillor Dan McLean announces his candidacy for the UCP nomination in Calgary-Shaw (source: Dan McLean / Facebook)

City Councillor Dan McLean, Mike Derry, and Stewart Jeanes running for UCP nomination

It was one of the worst kept secrets in Calgary political circles that City Councillor Dan McLean was planning to jump into provincial politics and he is now running for United Conservative Party nomination in Calgary-Shaw.

The southwest Calgary riding is expected to become vacant when UCP MLA Rebecca Schulz, who resigned from cabinet last December, steps down as an MLA. Schulz delivered a farewell statement in the Legislature last week and shared a video on social media thanking voters in the riding for choosing her to represent them for the past seven years.

NDP MLAs Sarah Hoffman and Samir Kayande first candidates nominated for 2027 election

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date March 6, 2026

MLA Sarah Hoffman (left) and MLA David Eggen at the Edmonton-Glenora NDP nomination meeting on March 3, 2026. Hoffman was acclaimed for the nomination. (source: Sarah Hoffman / Facebook)

Candidate nomination season kicks off in Alberta

It could be 18 months before Albertans line up to mark their ballots in the next provincial election but that isn’t stopping Alberta’s main opposition party from starting to nominate candidates ahead of the vote.

The Alberta NDP started nominating candidates this week, far ahead of the scheduled October 2027 vote. A much earlier election was rumoured but appears increasingly unlikely as we move further into 2026.

NDP MLA Sarah Hoffman became the first candidate nominated ahead of the next election when she was acclaimed in Edmonton-Glenora on March 3. Hoffman has represented the riding since 2015 and served as Deputy Premier and Minister of Health in the NDP government led by Premier Rachel Notley from 2015 to 2019.

Tags A Better Calgary Party, Alberta Budget 2026, Alberta Election Candidate Nominations, Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission, Alberta Federation of Labour, Alberta NDP, Alberta Politics Substack, Anthony Ascue, Avi Lewis, Banff-Kananaskis, Calgary-Confederation, Calgary-Edgemont, Calgary-Elbow, Calgary-Foothills, Calgary-Shaw, Calgary-Shaw by-election, Calgary-Varsity, Canada Election Substack, Canadian Strategy Group, Corey Hogan, Court Ellingson, Craig Chandler, Dan Arnold, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview, Edmonton-Glenora, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood, Edmonton-South, Edmonton-South West, Elan Harper, Federal NDP leadership race 2026, Gil McGowan, Green Party of Alberta, Heather McPherson, James Anderson, Janis Irwin, Jason Copping, Jeremy Nixon, Jeromy Farkas, Julia Hayter, Justin Brattinga, Kelly Hooper, Lizette Tejada, Mike Derry, Naheed Nenshi, Nate Horner, Nathan Ip, Peggy Wright, Rebecca Schulz, Rhiannon Hoyle, Rob Ashton, Samir Kayande, Sarah Elmeligi, Sarah Hoffman, Tanille Johnston, Tony McQuail, United Conservative Party

Alberta Politics

Janis Irwin voted the Best Alberta MLA and Best Constituency MLA of 2025

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date December 31, 2025

Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood MLA Janis Irwin (source: Janis Irwin / Facebook)

Always a crowd favourite, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood MLA Janis Irwin has been voted Best Alberta MLA for the sixth year in a row and this year took the new Best Constituency MLA category as well.

Irwin is one of the savviest communicators in Alberta politics with a huge following on social media and in-person across the province, and she is widely considered one of the hardest working constituency MLAs (as one of her constituents I can testify to this — if there is a community event happening in Highlands-Norwood she will be there to support it). As the NDP’s shadow minister for housing she is on the frontlines of one of the most important issues on the minds of Albertans today.

Irwin faced Strathcona-Sherwood Park MLA and Minister of Technology and Innovation Nate Glubish in both categories. Glubish placed a strong second in each category but it wasn’t enough to break Irwin’s winning streak.

Read all about it on the Daveberta Substack

Tags Alberta NDP, Alberta Politics Substack, Best of Alberta Politics 2025, Daveberta Substack, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood, Janis Irwin, Nate Glubish, Strathcona-Sherwood Park, United Conservative Party

Alberta Politics

Danielle Smith’s wild ride. What to make of Alberta politics in 2025?

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date December 20, 2025

Premier Danielle Smith speaks at the Canada Strong & Free Networking Conference (formerly known as the Manning Centre) (source: Danielle Smith / Instagram)

As 2025 comes to an end, it’s hard to describe the past twelve months in Alberta politics, but Edmonton-Whitemud NDP MLA Rakhi Pancholi summed it up well in the opposition’s year-end press conference by describing it a “wild ride.”

It has been a chaotic 12 months in Alberta politics. Even for someone who pays very close attention to provincial politics, the pace of the past year was so fast and frantic that it has been hard to keep track. The recently ended fall session of the Legislature might have been one of the most chaotic in recent memory.

It’s clear that Premier Danielle Smith’s governing United Conservative Party is using a “flood the zone” strategy but there were many times when it looked like the government was just flying by the seat of its pants and no one was really in control of the political agenda.

And if it’s hard for political watchers to keep track, that means it’s probably almost impossible for normal Albertans to figure out what’s going on — and that’s the point. The strategy keeps the opposition off balance and doesn’t give them time to respond before the next big announcement or political controversy steals the attention of shrinking newsrooms and a fast paced social media eco-system.

Anyone familiar with the chaos of American politics will recognize this strategy because it’s employed almost hourly by President Donald Trump.

Read the rest on the Daveberta Substack

Tags Adriana LaGrange, Airdrie-Cochrane, Alanna Smith, Alberta Coal Policy, Alberta Health Services, Alberta NDP, Alberta Party, Alberta Politics Substack, Alberta Prosperity Project, Alberta Separation Referendum, Alberta Separatism, Ben Shapiro, Best of Alberta Politics 2025, Cameron Davies, Canada Election Substack, Carrie Tait, Corb Lund, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, Donald Trump, Edmonton-Castle Downs, Edmonton-Ellerslie, Edmonton-Strathcona, Edmonton-Whitemud, Flood the Zone, Forever Canadian, Janis Irwin, Jeff Rath, Jeffrey Rath, Jordan Peterson, Matt Jones, Mickey Amery, Mitch Sylvestre, Naheed Nenshi, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, Peter Guthrie, Progressive Tory Party of Alberta, Rakhi Pancholi, Real Talk, Republican Party of Alberta, Ryan Jespersen, Thomas Lukaszuk, United Conservative Party

Alberta Politics

Janis Irwin, Peter Guthrie, and Rakhi Pancholi big winners in Best of Alberta Politics 2025 Survey

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date December 4, 2025

Marlin Schmidt voted MLA with Best Sense of Humour and Brooks Arcand-Paul is the MLA to watch in 2026

After a week of fierce campaigning, all the votes have been counted and the winners of the ninth annual Daveberta Best of Alberta Politics Survey have been chosen.

The annual survey is all about celebrating the best in Alberta politics and the winners were nominated and voted for by politically-savvy Daveberta subscribers.

Congratulations to this year’s winners.

Read all about this the Best of Alberta Politics 2025 Survey on the Daveberta Substack

Alberta Politics

Vote for the Best of Alberta Politics in 2025!

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date November 27, 2025

The Best of Alberta Politics 2025 Survey top nominees include MLAs Nate Glubish, Janis Irwin, Peter Guthrie, Danielle Smith, Naheed Nenshi, Sarah Hoffman, Brandon Lunty, Scott Sinclair, Rebecca Schulz, Brooks Arcand-Paul, Rakhi Pancholi, Rob Miyashiro, Chantelle de Jonge, and Marlin Schmidt. (source: Legislative Assembly of Alberta)

Voting is now open for this year’s best MLA, best cabinet minister, most effective opposition MLA, best public speaker, and more.

With hundreds of names submitted to the ninth annual Best of Alberta Politics Survey, your nominations have been sorted and the top choices have been identified in all nine categories.

Voting in the 2025 survey is now open to the nearly 8,000 Daveberta subscribers until Tuesday, December 2 at 8:00 p.m. The results will be announced on Thursday, December 4.

Alberta Politics

It’s your choice: Best of Alberta Politics 2025 Survey

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date November 20, 2025

24 of Alberta’s 87 MLAs (source: assembly.ab.ca)

Nominate your picks for this year’s best MLA, best cabinet minister, most effective opposition MLA, and more

It’s that time of year again. I am thrilled to launch the ninth annual Daveberta’s Best of Alberta Politics Survey. There is never a dull moment in Alberta politics so I am excited to hear from you about the big political players of 2025.

I have changed up the categories this year to recognize not just the best MLAs but the work they do in the Legislature and in their constituencies.

Tags Alberta NDP, Alberta Politics, Alberta Politics Substack, Best of Alberta Politics 2025, Canada Election Substack, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, Janis Irwin, Naheed Nenshi, United Conservative Party

Alberta Politics

Daveberta marks 20 years

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date August 16, 2025

Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood MLA Janis Irwin presents Dave Cournoyer with a celebratory scroll marking the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Daveberta.

Thank you to everyone who has shared kind words and notes of congratulations as I mark 20 years of writing about Alberta politics on Daveberta. This week I had the real honour meeting with my MLA, Janis Irwin, who presented me with a celebratory scroll marking the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Daveberta. Thank you, Janis!

Daveberta readers will also know Irwin as the 5-time winner in the Best Alberta MLA category in the annual Best of Alberta Politics Awards.

Tags Alberta Politics Substack, Canada Election Substack, Dave Cournoyer, Daveberta Substack, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood, Janis Irwin

Alberta Politics

Daveberta turns 20 years old

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date July 21, 2025

CBC The National reporter Ian Hanomansing interviews Dave Cournoyer on the day before Alberta’s 2023 provincial election (source: CBC)

I’ve been writing about Alberta politics since 2005 and it’s been a wild ride

It was 2005.

After a short stint on the dysfunctional Calgary Board of Education, former Fraser Institute intern Danielle Smith was in her fifth year as a columnist and editorial board member at the Calgary Herald. Smith joined the Herald a few years earlier while the journalists who worked for the paper were on strike.

Harvard-educated Naheed Nenshi was teaching non-profit management at Mount Royal College in Calgary. Nenshi was recovering from an unsuccessful first campaign for city council the year earlier and was about to build his profile as a civic affairs columnist in the same newspaper that employed Smith.

And somewhere on the University of Alberta campus in Edmonton, a young political science student named Dave plucked away at his laptop keyboard writing posts to publish on his new blog, Daveberta.

A lot has happened in the 20 years since. Time flies when you’re having fun.

I never expected or planned to still be writing about Alberta politics today but it turns out that it was something I enjoyed doing and people enjoyed reading, so I kept it up. And I’m glad I did.

Who’s going to win in Edmonton Griesbach?

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date April 21, 2025

Edmonton Griesbach NDP candidate Blake Desjarlais snaps a selfie with former Alberta premier Rachel Notley, and NDP MLAs Janis Irwin and Brooks Arcand-Paul (source: Blake Desjarlais / Instagram)

NDP MP Blake Desjarlais faces former Conservative MP Kerry Diotte and Mark Carney’s red wave

As Canada’s federal election enters its final week, I am taking a closer look at the race in the Edmonton Griesbach riding. It’s one of a surprisingly large handful of Alberta ridings that are considered competitive in this election and it also happens to be the riding I live and vote in.

The east central/north side Edmonton riding was where the NDP picked up their second seat in Alberta in the 2021 federal election when New Democrat Blake Desjarlais defeated two-term Conservative MP Kerry Diotte. This year’s election is a rematch between the two candidates but, despite traditionally being a blue-orange race, the Liberal Party’s surge could put that party’s candidate in the mix.

Janis Irwin voted Best Alberta MLA for fifth year in a row

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date December 3, 2024

Justice Minister Mickey Amery voted Best Cabinet Minister of 2024

With all the votes counted, the winners of the Best of Alberta Politics 2024 Survey have been chosen. The eighth annual survey is all about celebrating the best in Alberta politics. The winners were selected from a week-long vote for the top two choices in each category nominated by Daveberta subscribers.

Read all about the winners on the Daveberta Substack.

Alberta Politics

Vote for the Best of Alberta Politics in 2024!

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date November 26, 2024

The 2024 Best of Alberta Politics finalists. Janis Irwin, Searle Turton, Rakhi Pancholi, Mickey Amery, Todd Loewen, Kathleen Ganley, Jennifer Johnson, Kyle Kasawski (left to right)

Vote for this year’s best MLA, cabinet minister, MLA to watch, municipal leader and more

With hundreds of names submitted to the 2024 Best of Alberta Politics Survey, your nominations have been sorted and the top two choices have been identified in all seven categories.

Voting in the eighth annual survey is now open to the nearly 4,600 Daveberta subscribers (free and paid) until Sunday, December 1 at 8:00 p.m. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, December 3.

Vote in the 2024 Best of Alberta Politics Survey

Tags 2024 Alberta NDP Leadership Race, Alberta NDP, Alberta Politics Substack, Best of Alberta Politics, Best of Alberta Politics 2024, Daveberta Substack, Janis Irwin, Jennifer Johnson, Kathleen Ganley, Kyle Kasawski, Mickey Amery, Naheed Nenshi, Rakhi Pancholi, Richard Ireland, Searle Turton, Terry Jessiman, The Strategists Podcast, Todd Loewen, United Conservative Party

Alberta Politics

Jennifer Johnson in, Marshall Smith out, Rob Anderson still in

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date October 10, 2024

UCP cabinet minister Jason Nixon and Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Jennifer Johnson in August 2024 (source: Jennifer Johnson / Facebook)

Jennifer Johnson welcomed into the UCP Caucus, Rob Anderson to replace Marshall Smith as Premier’s Chief of Staff

The leaves are changing, the nights are getting cooler, and the days are getting shorter. It’s fall in Alberta. And while many Albertans are enjoying a fairly pleasant change of seasons as we reluctantly brace ourselves for the inevitable shock of the first snowfall, politics in our province is just starting to heat up.

Government and opposition MLAs will return to the Legislature at the end of this month for what is expected to be a painfully contentious and controversial session. And a rowdy crowd of more than 5,400 partisans are expected to converge on Red Deer for the United Conservative Party’s annual general meeting and leadership review during the first two days of November.