UCP continues to show pattern of disrespect
By Lethbridge Herald on October 25, 2025.
Rob Miyashiro
Lethbridge West MLA
This week, the Alberta Legislature opened its fall session with a Speech from the Throne. But instead of offering solutions to the pressing issues facing Albertans, the UCP government chose confrontation over collaboration, particularly in its handling of the teachers’ strike and its treatment of municipalities.
The speech made clear that the government’s priority is not resolving the concerns of tens of thousands of teachers, nor the hundreds of thousands of students and parents affected by the strike and lockout. Rather than negotiating a fair deal, the Premier and her Cabinet changed the rules of debate and plan to ram through back-to-work legislation, without addressing the root causes of the dispute.
As Naheed Nenshi, leader of the Opposition and newly elected MLA for Edmonton- Strathcona, said:
“This is the biggest abuse of democratic rights in Alberta’s history…it is an attack on teachers, on public education, on all workers and their unions, and on democracy itself. We unequivocally condemn it. The UCP government has had multiple chances and many months to get this right and make a deal. Instead, they bargained in bad faith and never really wanted to settle this. They engineered this strike. Now, forcing teachers to go back to the same crowded classrooms and failing education system doesn’t solve any of the problems.”
We in the Alberta NDP urged the government to return to the bargaining table and work toward a settlement that strengthens public education. Instead, the UCP chose force over respect, undermining trust in our democratic institutions and failing Alberta’s students, parents, and educators.
This pattern of disrespect extends beyond education. The UCP’s approach to municipalities has been similarly heavy-handed, and the consequences were felt acutely during this week’s municipal elections. Earlier this week, I was also named Shadow Minister for Municipal Affairs for the Alberta NDP caucus, a position I am proud to take at this critical time.
First, I want to extend sincere thanks to everyone who put their name forward in this election. Your commitment to public service is commendable. To those elected to councils or school boards: congratulations on your win and I look forward to working with you to build a stronger Alberta.
Unfortunately, the election process itself was marred by confusion, delays, and frustration, directly tied to changes imposed by the UCP government in late 2024. My office received hundreds of calls, emails, and messages from Lethbridge residents who experienced long lines, slow results, and unnecessary red tape. Many would-be voters abandoned the process altogether.
The primary source of these issues was the UCP’s decision to ban electronic voting tabulators, technology that Lethbridge has used reliably since 1992. Tabulators have helped keep election costs low, reduced the need for overtime staffing, and ensured quick, accurate results. They’ve also allowed for more polling stations and fewer spoiled ballots, thanks to built-in voter feedback mechanisms.
Municipalities in Alberta have historically had the autonomy to conduct their elections. Smaller communities often continued with hand counting, while mid-sized cities like Lethbridge benefited from tabulators to manage complex at-large council elections in which voters place votes for multiple people from a long list of candidates. For over 30 years, this system worked well here.
But in November 2024, the UCP imposed sweeping changes, including the ban on tabulators, just weeks before year-end. Municipalities had to pass bylaws and budgets before the end of the year, so they were left scrambling. Many asked for additional time to plan and budget. Estimates of the additional costs from the imposed changes were in the millions of dollars but the UCP flatly refused to assist municipalities in covering these costs.
The result? Millions in added costs for municipalities across Alberta, with no support from the province. Taxpayers were handed the bill, and all they got in return was a slower, less efficient election process.
In Lethbridge, voter turnout fell below 20 percent, a dramatic drop from the 15-year average of 31.7 percent While turnout can fluctuate for many reasons, such a steep decline suggests that the new rules discouraged participation. Political scientists will no doubt study this election closely, but the early signs point to a system that failed voters.
The delays, the confusion, and the added costs were entirely avoidable. They stem from the UCP’s decision to override municipal autonomy and impose unnecessary restrictions. This is not how democracy should work and I can assure you that Alberta’s NDP would remove these troublesome pieces of legislation and respect municipalities.
As MLA and Alberta NDP’s Shadow Minister for Municipal Affairs, I will continue to raise your concerns in the Legislature. Whether it’s education, municipal governance, or any other topic, we must stand up for fairness, respect, and transparency. We must stand, together, for a better Alberta.
You can reach my office at lethbridge.west@assembly.ab.ca or 403-329-4644. I welcome your feedback, your stories, and your ideas.
18-17
Forcing seniors to bring lawn chairs to civic election lineups so their knees can survive the wait is indeed a low point in municipal politics. The introduction of increased errors in the counting process is the direct opposite of the UCP claims about voting tabulators, as the recent recount in a ward in Edmonton demonstrated. The recount flipped the vote from one candidate to another by a margin of 594 votes, which was attributed to ‘human error’.