EDMONTON — Alberta independence supporters donated $150,000 to nationalist third-party advertising groups on Saturday, in conjunction with a telethon hosted by movement activists, as they rally to counter high-profile, well-funded federalist groups ahead of Alberta’s October referendum. "We realize that we're sort of the underdog here," said John Bolton, the telethon's primary organizer, in an interview with the Western Standard. "People step up when they're the underdog and root for the underdog, so I think that's why it was successful, and I think we'll be successful along the way." .The 12-hour YouTube telethon raised $150,000 by calling on viewers to donate money directly to one of the seven TPAs dedicated to convincing Albertans to vote for the Alberta government to pursue a binding independence referendum. "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 Lawrence Magee, Berta Proud Dad, one of the telethon’s hosts in an interview with the Western Standard prior to the event. "Let Alberta Decide," one of the TPAs supporting Alberta independence, received $70,000 on Saturday, in addition to the over $256,000 it has raised since registering with Elections Alberta on June 17. Individuals looking to contribute can donate directly to the TPAs, and the Alberta independence telethon website has links to their pages. .Bolton selected an "old school" telethon format because it was "kind of out of the box." "I talked to a few people who were skeptical about it, and they came up later and said, 'You know, it's amazing that the money that we did raise here,'" Bolton said. "But I think it was because it was an unusual thing to do, and it was a one-day event where we could raise a lot of money in about 12 hours." Saturday's event was broken into one-hour segments hosted by prominent independence advocates, along with guests, who talked about an independent Alberta, answered questions, and shared what drew them to the movement. "Nobody said, 'Well, I'll give you an answer later,'" Bolton said about the individuals who participated in the telethon. "They all said 'Yes,' immediately." .Bolton is already working towards another event in late August, but it will not be another telethon. "I started working on it on Sunday, the day after the telethon," Bolton said. "I think money is really important here. I think getting the message out and helping the TPAs is absolutely paramount when it comes to trying to get us over the line to win this thing in October."
