Kamikaze UCP candidate went from nearly broke to flush after getting envelopes with $60,000, documents allege

The United Conservative Party leadership contender who ran a "kamikaze" campaign on behalf of Jason Kenney — now Alberta premier — saw his campaign coffers soar from nearly broke to flush after he was handed envelopes stuffed with $60,000, according to documents that detail for the first time an alleged scheme to circumvent Alberta election laws.

The documents outlining the Alberta election commissioner's case against Jeff Callaway, obtained by CBC News, say all the money ultimately came from one corporate source.

Corporate donations are banned by Alberta's election laws.

Callaway ran his 2017 campaign in concert with Kenney's team for the purpose of attacking Kenney's chief rival for leadership of the UCP, Brian Jean, after the Alberta Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties merged.

At the start of the day on Sept. 11, 2017, Callaway's campaign had a mere $4,370.14 in its coffers, a number that would swell by almost $60,000 within the next 48 hours, according to newly revealed documents that outline the findings of Alberta's election commissioner.

The findings were filed this month at Court of Queen's Bench as part of Callaway's application for a judicial review of the commissioner's penalties.

So far, the commissioner has imposed $163,850 in fines against 13 people for irregular donations to the campaign, including $70,000 against Callaway himself.

"This scheme was designed to circumvent contribution limits established by law, furnish prohibited funds to a nomination contestant and deceive the Chief Electoral Officer and Elections Alberta," read the documents.

The commissioner's office says the offences are "severe" and required "a degree of planning and co-ordination."

. . .

Cam Davies speaks

Davies, in an exclusive interview with CBC News, confirmed his part in the scheme as outlined by the election commissioner.

He said that he didn't have anything to do with the campaign finances until he was contacted by Callaway prior to the UCP contribution deadline and that he takes responsibility for his actions outlined by the commissioner.

"I was put in the position, a last-minute request was made by someone that I had worked with before and trusted and respected," he said.

"And so there was a certain level of trust where there should have been quite a bit more questions and caution exercised when asked to do something that, you now, now realizing was not necessarily in line with the legislation of that time."

Davies said he was not aware of the source of the money — whether it was from Lore personally, a bundled contribution that the businessman had gathered or from a corporation.

He said his primary role was to communicate with the Kenney campaign and ensure that Callaway's campaign followed the roadmap set out for it, but that he is not aware of any co-ordination on the financial side of the campaigns.

Kenney and Callaway's campaigns worked closely together, with direction coming from Kenney's team on everything from talking points to when Callaway would drop out of the race to support Kenney.

Emails Show Monsanto Orchestrated GOP Effort to Intimidate Cancer Researchers

In 2015, the World Health Organization’s cancer research arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, classified glyphosate, an active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, as a “probable carcinogen,” setting off a global debate about the world’s most popular weedkiller.

Over the last four years, Republicans in Congress have excoriated and pushed to defund the IARC, casting their defense of the chemical as a quest on behalf of small American farmers. Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., has written that his outrage over the cancer research is on behalf of the “farmers and food manufacturers who rely on traditional farming methods to produce the food that fuels America — and the world.”

But according to a recent trove of documents, the ongoing political assault on the IARC has been scripted in part by Monsanto, the St. Louis-based chemical and seed conglomerate that produces Roundup and Roundup-resistant crops.

Roundup has been cash cow for the company since the 1970s, fueling billions of dollars in annual profits. Its use has skyrocketed in recent decades since the company developed genetically modified corn and other crops that are resistant to it; it is now the world’s leading herbicide.

A growing number of individuals say that Monsanto failed to warn consumers of the dangers of using Roundup and had marketed the chemical spray as harmless to humans, while internally recommending that its own employees use gloves and protective gear. Critics say that the Roundup formula used in the U.S. also contains a surfactant that makes the herbicide far more toxic than the variation of the spray sold in the European market.

Monsanto, which merged with German multinational pharmaceutical company Bayer AG last year, is facing as many as 11,000 cases relating to glyphosate. Last year, Dewayne Johnson, a former groundskeeper now dying of cancer, was the first to win his jury trial in San Francisco state court against Monsanto, alleging that years of using Roundup contributed to his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Johnson was awarded $289 million by a jury, though a judge later reduced the amount to $78 million. Two other plaintiffs in federal court, who also alleged that they spent decades spraying the glyphosate-based weedkiller with little to no protective gear and developed the same blood cancer, have won their lawsuits.

B.C. official investigated for licences issued to workers arrested at Hastings Racecourse

The arrest of multiple workers at Hastings Racecourse on Monday stemmed from an internal investigation into the B.C. official who issued them their credentials, immigration hearings for some of the workers heard Wednesday.

Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) arrested up to 25 people who work in the backstretch of the East Vancouver racetrack. About 15 were later released.

The CBSA said the early morning raid was related to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

On Wednesday, seven of the workers who remained in custody were given mandatory 48-hour review hearings.

Evidence presented revealed an internal investigation within the province’s gaming policy and enforcement branch (GPEB), which is responsible for issuing licences to racetrack workers.

The hearings heard GPEB was looking into one of its own investigators, who they believe facilitated racetrack licences without proper work authorization.

Representatives of the workers say they paid for those licences, believing it was the proper process to get both a licence to work at the racetrack and work authorization in Canada.

All seven workers who had hearings Wednesday, most of whom are from Mexico, agreed to voluntarily leave the country and pay for their own flights back home.

The workers were also given accommodations at the racetrack, so without a licence or a place to live, representatives said they had little choice but to leave.

Nope. They thought they were above board on everything. Their employers were cheating.

Reservist with alleged links to neo-Nazi group reported missing

CTVNews.ca Staff


with files from CTV's Michel Boyer

Published Aug. 28, 2019 1:39 p.m. ET

Updated 3 hours ago

The Canadian military reservist accused of having connections to a neo-Nazi group has gone missing after being relieved of his army duties.

The Department of National Defence said Tuesday that Master Cpl. Patrik Mathews, 26, will no longer participate in any military activities and will not return to work.

The military had been investigating him since the spring due to alleged links to a hate group called “The Base,” a sister organization to the neo-Nazi group “Atomwaffen.” Mathews joined the reserves in 2010 and had been a combat engineer with the 38 Canadian Brigade Group based in Winnipeg.

RCMP officers raided a home registered to Mathews last week, where they seized several firearms, but did not charge anyone with a crime.

Manitoba RCMP now says that Mathews' family has reported him missing. He has not been seen since Saturday.

"This is a missing person investigation, there is no warrant for arrest and there are no charges pending against the individual," the RCMP said in a news release.

Mathews was never issued any military weapons during his time as a reservist, as is standard policy, a DND spokesperson said in a statement. He had also returned all of his military equipment, including his rucksack, sleeping equipment and camouflage uniforms.

While the search for Mathews is being carried out by police, the Canadian Armed Forces will cooperate “in any way we can,” the spokesperson said, adding “we hope for the safe return of MCpl Mathews to his family.”

Mathews’ voluntary release from the forces will not be finalized for another few weeks.

He is believed to be driving a red 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT with Manitoba licence plate number HXJ 806.

Amazon reportedly kept a 'burn book' of all the mean things politicians said about it during the HQ2 fight with New York City

In a move that Regina George would appreciate, Amazon reportedly kept a "burn book" of all the negative things politicians, union leaders, and other prominent New York City political operatives said publicly amid negotiations for Amazon to build a second headquarters ("HQ2").

The Wall Street Journal reportedly saw the "burn book," which is kept in a Microsoft Word document file, and published an account on Wednesday of what it saw. The document is said to include politicians like Democratic Sen. Mike Gianaris and New York City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, and political operatives like Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union president Stuart Appelbaum.

All three were openly critical of Amazon's plan to bring its new headquarters to Queens neighborhood Long Island City.

Ilhan Omar reveals racist threat to shoot her at state fair

A US Democratic lawmaker has publicised a racist threat that she would be killed at the state fair by "a very capable person with a very big 'Gun'".

Ilhan Omar, a Muslim representative from Minnesota, said such anonymous messages are why she now has security guards.

She spoke as US Senate candidate Roy Moore tweeted: "President Trump was right, she should go back to Somalia".

Alabama Republicans have called for Ms Omar's expulsion from Congress.

"I hate that we live in a world where you have to be protected from fellow humans," Ms Omar, who came to the US as a Somali refugee aged 12, wrote on Wednesday.

"But until deranged people like this stop threatening my life and the lives of others, I have to accept the reality of having security."

A US Democratic lawmaker has publicised a racist threat that she would be killed at the state fair by "a very capable person with a very big 'Gun'".

Sounds like the Donald.

Far-right group accused of white nationalism closer to party status — and increased scrutiny




An anti-hate group says it plans to expose the identities of more than 250 Canadians who signed an Elections Canada application allowing a far-right group to move one step closer to getting on the ballot this fall.

The Canadian Nationalist Party (CNP) became eligible today to register as an official political party. Elections Canada is now compelled by law to release a document containing party members' names and addresses to anyone who asks.

A former police chief with 30 years experience told CBC News that if that document is used to name and shame members online, it could lead to violence.

The Canadian Anti-Hate Network said that while it condemns violence, it remains firm in its decision to publish CNP party members' names and hopes releasing the information online can address hateful attitudes through peaceful discussion.

"We feel people shouldn't be able to hide in the shadows," said Amira Elghawaby, a human rights advocate and board member with the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, which has been threatening to publish the identities of all the members of the CNP since earlier this summer.

"We should really know who in our neighbourhoods are supporting this in a bid to shame them, because hate has no place in our communities, it has no place in our society and we need to call it out wherever it is ... We should be trying to engage with these folks and ensuring that those types of hateful attitudes are addressed, of course, peacefully through dialogue ..."

The version of the story I first read had an image of the note. It read something like "we will try to get the Somali stink out of the fair by a very capable person with a big gun. You will not be [dying] by yourself".

I just wonder in all these stories about her, they say the Right thinks she's anti-semetic or anti-israel, but they never say why. What did she say or do to get that rep?