EDMONTON — Alberta independence advocate John Bolton and other prominent supporters are holding a telethon on Saturday to raise money for pro-independence referendum third-party advertisers. The telethon, organized by Bolton, is intended to help support TPAs and help fund their fight to convince Albertans to vote for the government of Alberta to pursue a binding independence referendum on Oct.19. According to Lawrence Magee, Berta Proud Dad, one of the over 15 individuals hosting a segment of the 12-hour stream, independence advocates are gathering together because the campaign is stacked against the nationalists. "We're up against the other side with Thomas Lukaszuk and his group, who you know are able to raise as much funds as they want, and Elections Alberta is siding with them, and we just are trying to level the playing field a little bit and get these TPAs promoted," said Magee. Individuals looking to donate can do so on the TPAs’ websites, and links to those websites are available on the telethon's website."I've brought $100 in my pocket," Magee said. "That is going to go to Jason Lavigne's TPA, and that is the 'Danny Bucks' that I got from Danielle Smith.".The telethon will feature one-hour segments hosted by prominent independence supporters such as Bolton, Magee, Martin Belanger, and Chris Scott, with appearances by figures including Stay Free Alberta organizer Mitch Sylvestre, Keith Wilson and Tamara Lich. Individuals on the telethon will talk about Alberta independence, share stories about what attracted them to the movement, and some segments will also field viewer questions. Magee's is hosting the noon block, and he will be joined by Dennis Kalma, who has been working with Wilson to develop a white paper on an independent Alberta. The telethon is being streamed on YouTube and will run until 11 p.m.
