Alberta Prosperity Project CEO Mitch Sylvestre says the group has reported an incident to police after a woman allegedly photographed petition signers and attempted to capture images of signatures at one of the group’s recent events near Brooks.Sylvestre said the incident occurred at a small community hall roughly 30 kilometres outside Brooks during a “Stay Free Alberta” petition event on Wednesday evening.According to Sylvestre, the woman was first observed taking photographs inside the hall and was asked by organizers to stop.He said she refused and later continued taking photos outside the venue, focusing on people entering the building.“We asked her to cease and desist from taking pictures of our people and she refused. Then she went outside and started taking pictures of the people coming into the hall,” Sylvestre told the Western Standard.Sylvestre alleged the woman also attempted to photograph petition sheets containing signatures.He added organizers recorded her name and reported the incident to police.The incident comes after it was brought to the APP’s attention that there were possible anti-Alberta independence agitators who would be intimidating the group and their supporters at town halls and signing events as they continue to go across the province to garner signatures for their Stay Free Alberta petition, which has seen massive lineups so far across Alberta..A Facebook account under the name Holling G. MacLachlan posted a message several days ago saying that the account was looking for photographers to “cover shifts at signing stations and meetings” related to the APP’s campaign.“Clear face shots (crowd ok) suitable for AI facial recognition. Also license plates and petition sheets. (Two in Sylvan Lake area),” the post read.“Extremism begets extremism – they blow up our country… we take action. Excellent work done in Red Deer, Eckville and Beiseker. Let’s keep it up!”Sylvestre characterized the activity as "intimidation" and potential interference.“This is totally against Elections Alberta rules,” he said.When asked whether the individual was acting alone or as part of a broader effort, Sylvestre suggested the APP believes the activity may be linked to left-wing activists.He also added that he has dealt with threats in the past, including a previous death threat he says was directed at him through a constituency assistant’s office in Bonnyville.Despite the reported incident, Sylvestre said turnout at recent events has been strong, with more than 350 signatures collected at the Brooks-area hall alone Wednesday evening.Sylvestre said the APP is using security personnel at events and expects staff to handle any future disruptions, particularly as the petition campaign moves into larger urban venues such as the Big Four Building on the Calgary Stampede grounds on Jan. 26.
