An email sent Friday to Calgary-Elbow UCP members confirms that a proposal from constituency associations (CA) to reduce expenses for those wanting to attend the special general meeting (SGM) was discarded..Knowing many Albertans are cash-strapped, several CAs offered to dig into their piggy banks and kick in money to offset registration fees and cover some costs of the April 9 event..No one, including UCP board President Cynthia Moore, responded to a letter outlining the offer to help grassroots members afford the event at the upscale Cambridge Red Deer Hotel and Conference Centre..A review of Premier Jason Kenney’s leadership will be held..The email stated the early bird price of $99 for adults and $49 for youth opposed by CAs stands. The adult full rate for registering after March 20 climbs to $149..“You will need to be a current member of the party before March 19, 2022, to be eligible to vote,” stated the email from Calgary-Elbow CA President Thomas Kent..Calgary-Elbow is represented by MLA Doug Schweitzer..A link to the SGM schedule and registration fees was included..“If you wish to have your voice heard, please attend and vote. You can come to the whole event or just to vote. This is a grass roots (sic) party and this is your opportunity to be heard,” wrote Kent..But grassroots CAs weren’t heard..“They just ignored me entirely, which is infuriating. If you’re going to be in a position on the board for the premier of the province, surely you should have the courtesy to respond in a timely fashion,” said Patrick Malkin, president of the Red Deer South CA, Friday..“I sent in my letter first. I know several of the presidents from various constituency associations had also sent in emails to the party board. Within the last three weeks, I suppose, none of them had received a response..“That’s the official decision. That’s what it sounds like. How very disappointing,” said Malkin who spearheaded the proposal..CAs believed party members “experiencing hardships through these challenging times” who have paid for memberships should be able to vote at the AGM free of charge or half-price, considering that many also face travel and lodging expenses..The plan suggested that the 87 CAs could kick in $3,000-$4,000 each, according to what each could afford. .“Many of our members were alarmed by, and are concerned about, the cost of our upcoming Special General Meeting (SGM) to conduct a leadership review vote,” wrote Malkin in his letter to the board..UCP is expecting at least 2,800 members to attend. The registration fee to vote is $100 a person, adding up to almost $280,000..Several CA members aren’t pleased that the party would spend “more than a quarter-million dollars on a hotel,” for a one-day event, said Malkin..They fear the high fees would be a deterrence to members..That might be the plan, opined one UCP member who asked to remain anonymous..“They don’t want ordinary angry Albertans to attend, which could happen if they lowered the price.”.Kenney appealed to mainstream conservatives to show up in Red Deer to save his job on February 14..He worried that a stampede of disgruntled “angry” Albertans “who perhaps never belonged to a party before” would overrun his leadership review..But the list of mainstream conservatives who have been ignored by the party and resent the ‘let them eat cake attitude’ keeps growing..“I just think it’s important that people understand there is a leadership review. I hope people don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak,” said Malkin..“There are a lot of great people in that organization. It’s unfortunate that some of them are not able to operate as part of the larger community.”.The Western Standard has reached out to Moore for comment on several concerns raised by CA members..To date, she has not replied..Slobodian is the Senior Manitoba Columnist for the Western Standard.lslobodian@westernstandardonline.com
An email sent Friday to Calgary-Elbow UCP members confirms that a proposal from constituency associations (CA) to reduce expenses for those wanting to attend the special general meeting (SGM) was discarded..Knowing many Albertans are cash-strapped, several CAs offered to dig into their piggy banks and kick in money to offset registration fees and cover some costs of the April 9 event..No one, including UCP board President Cynthia Moore, responded to a letter outlining the offer to help grassroots members afford the event at the upscale Cambridge Red Deer Hotel and Conference Centre..A review of Premier Jason Kenney’s leadership will be held..The email stated the early bird price of $99 for adults and $49 for youth opposed by CAs stands. The adult full rate for registering after March 20 climbs to $149..“You will need to be a current member of the party before March 19, 2022, to be eligible to vote,” stated the email from Calgary-Elbow CA President Thomas Kent..Calgary-Elbow is represented by MLA Doug Schweitzer..A link to the SGM schedule and registration fees was included..“If you wish to have your voice heard, please attend and vote. You can come to the whole event or just to vote. This is a grass roots (sic) party and this is your opportunity to be heard,” wrote Kent..But grassroots CAs weren’t heard..“They just ignored me entirely, which is infuriating. If you’re going to be in a position on the board for the premier of the province, surely you should have the courtesy to respond in a timely fashion,” said Patrick Malkin, president of the Red Deer South CA, Friday..“I sent in my letter first. I know several of the presidents from various constituency associations had also sent in emails to the party board. Within the last three weeks, I suppose, none of them had received a response..“That’s the official decision. That’s what it sounds like. How very disappointing,” said Malkin who spearheaded the proposal..CAs believed party members “experiencing hardships through these challenging times” who have paid for memberships should be able to vote at the AGM free of charge or half-price, considering that many also face travel and lodging expenses..The plan suggested that the 87 CAs could kick in $3,000-$4,000 each, according to what each could afford. .“Many of our members were alarmed by, and are concerned about, the cost of our upcoming Special General Meeting (SGM) to conduct a leadership review vote,” wrote Malkin in his letter to the board..UCP is expecting at least 2,800 members to attend. The registration fee to vote is $100 a person, adding up to almost $280,000..Several CA members aren’t pleased that the party would spend “more than a quarter-million dollars on a hotel,” for a one-day event, said Malkin..They fear the high fees would be a deterrence to members..That might be the plan, opined one UCP member who asked to remain anonymous..“They don’t want ordinary angry Albertans to attend, which could happen if they lowered the price.”.Kenney appealed to mainstream conservatives to show up in Red Deer to save his job on February 14..He worried that a stampede of disgruntled “angry” Albertans “who perhaps never belonged to a party before” would overrun his leadership review..But the list of mainstream conservatives who have been ignored by the party and resent the ‘let them eat cake attitude’ keeps growing..“I just think it’s important that people understand there is a leadership review. I hope people don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak,” said Malkin..“There are a lot of great people in that organization. It’s unfortunate that some of them are not able to operate as part of the larger community.”.The Western Standard has reached out to Moore for comment on several concerns raised by CA members..To date, she has not replied..Slobodian is the Senior Manitoba Columnist for the Western Standard.lslobodian@westernstandardonline.com
