Neudorf’s column raises questions
By Lethbridge Herald on December 19, 2025.
Editor,
MLA Nathan Neudorf’s “At the Legislature” column (Lethbridge Herald, Dec. 12, 2025) purports to be a Christmas greeting, but it raises a number of questions for me. Ironically, the column sandwiched between an editorial cartoon depicting Danielle Smith riding roughshod over democracy and a Lorne Fitch letter listing UCP actions that are the opposite of what most Albertans want.
First, Mr. Neudorf reminds us of “the strength and resilience of the Lethbridge community” and “the importance of coming together in generosity and kindness.”
These are rich comments from someone who is proposing to gerrymander urban Lethbridge into four rural voting districts.
Second: he pats himself on the back for his work as Minister of Affordability and Utilities, specifically for scrapping the Clean Energy Regulations. It may be a win for oil and gas companies, most of which are not Canadian owned, but it’s a slap in the face to anyone who is concerned about the environment, particularly when you consider the UCPs support for the Grassy Lake coal mine and the resulting harm to agriculture and Lethbridge’s water supply. And it is yet to be demonstrated how it might affect electricity prices
Third, sometimes, when a door closes a window opens, but we don’t notice it because we are still staring at the door. In terms of fossil fuels, staring at the rapidly-closing door is exactly what the UCP (including Mr. Neudorf) is doing. Notably, he does not mention the UCP moratorium on renewable energy, which cost Alberta billions of dollars in investment.
Yes, we have a lot of oil and gas, but we also have a lot of sun and wind, just waiting to be harvested. He would rather embrace nuclear power as the preferred option.
Fourth, he refers to his goal of “ensuring that all Albertans have access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable utilities now and for generations to come.” When will this happen, I wonder? At present, Alberta residents pay more for their utilities than residents of any other province.
Finally, he sends heartfelt Christmas greetings to “every resident of Lethbridge-East,” rather than to everyone in our city —as well he might, since they are the ones who voted for him.
If it is proven that “dirty tricks” are afoot in terms of the Nathan Neudorf recall process, they may wish to reconsider.
Ian Hepher
Lethbridge
13-12
well shared!
i suppose neudorf is compromised: a salary and perks in the 200k a year range sure makes it hard to represent one’s riding when the party’s central power authority tells one otherwise.
An Alberta Cabinet Minister earns the base MLA salary (around $123,838/year as of late 2025) plus significant additional allowances, such as roughly $61,919 annually for a Minister with a portfolio, bringing their total to about $185,757, with benefits including housing, car, and living expenses, plus RRSP contributions, as they don’t have traditional pensions.
You would have no problem with Miyashiro getting this. Speaking of him what’s he doing to earn his base of 123k plus benefits. You probably don’t care
well, if you read my entries…i know, i ramble as i mostly enter here quite off the cuff…i am on record over many entries over numerous years, consistently, as utterly opposed to the sham that is now what so many still would call democracy. i know you have at times agreed. where you and i will disagree is that you, somehow, despite recognising the sham we have, will still get behind a party – even one as rogue and despicable and cynical as the ucp – whereas i will not.
as such, you will accept fascist plays by the likes of the ucp, their squashing of rights and freedoms, their graft, sleaze, ineptitude, nepotism, bullying, their hate mongering and inflammatory divisiveness, intolerance…and it can only be because you appreciate that kind of stuff, and/or blindly support anything that uses conservative in its name.
i believe i have asked you and the likes of you before something to this effect: what type of person is willing to accept bad actors and bad actions by a group because one likes the name, but would vehemently oppose the same by another group whose name one does not like.
and, for the sake of good, you and the like need to get past using your dislike of the likes of the ndp and liberals as somehow providing basis for justifying one’s support of so much that is wrong.