Stalled recall?
By Lethbridge Herald on December 6, 2025.
Alexandra Noad
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A lot of local residents are expressing frustration over not being able to get involved in the recall campaign for Lethbridge East MLA Nathan Neudorf.
A recall petition for Neudorf, submitted by someone identifying themself as Ryan Tanner, has been approved by Elections Alberta, but there is very little information available on how to become part of it. A number of social media posts have been making the rounds on the topic on Facebook, Instagram and Reddit.
It’s doubly frustrating for Lethbridge East resident Jeff Milner, who is part of a group of concerned citizens who were trying to create their own recall campaign before Tanner’s petition was approved.
Milner says the group had appointed a chief financial officer and opened a bank account before filing their request for a recall with Elections Alberta. But Tanner beat them to the punch.
Undeterred, Milner and others in the group decided to reach out to Tanner’s campaign to offer their help. On Nov. 26, the day after Milner found out his petition wasn’t approved, he called Elections Alberta and expressed concern as there was no phone number attached to Tanner’s Notice of Recall Petition, and he didn’t receive any replies to the email he sent to the address listed, recallneudorf@gmail.com.
Only one of Milner’s colleagues was able to reach Tanner via text message and, after confirming he was the correct person, she offered to help with a campaign website and a list of volunteers. A person replied via text that a manager was already in place and that he would check to see what they needed.
Following that conversation, Milner says Tanner stopped responding to his colleagues text messages, even though she could see he read them. Shortly after that, she stopped receiving read receipts for her texts.
Finally, on Nov. 29, four days after Tanner’s petition was announced, Milner finally received a reply to the email he sent on Nov. 25. The reply read:
Hi Jeff,
Thanks so much for reaching out, and apologies for the delayed response — we’ve had an overwhelming number of people contacting us, and we’re working hard to get caught up.
Some of our canvassers have already begun collecting signatures, and we’re continuing to onboard additional volunteers as we organize routes and schedules. To help us coordinate, could you please include your postal code when replying? This will ensure we can connect you with the right canvasser in your area.
To ensure we only collect legitimate signatures, please confirm that you meet the following requirements:
• a resident of Lethbridge-East,
• 18 years or older,
• a Canadian citizen, and
• have lived within the riding for at least three months.
Public signing options will also be available shortly, and we’ll be posting the details online once they are ready.
Thank you again for your patience and for your willingness to participate — we truly appreciate it.
Cheers,
Ryan
Milner says he knows of others who received the same word-for-word response. The Herald has also spoken with several people who got the same email, as did many others who posted on social media.
Milner says says the timing of the email didn’t add up.
“(This email) to all of us seemed absurd on its face, to so soon claim ‘Some of our canvassers have already begun collecting signatures,’ when it was only approved two days earlier. There just wouldn’t have been time to get the paperwork sorted yet.”
The biggest concern of Milner and others the Herald spoke to is that the deadline to collect the 13,000 signatures needed for the recall is Feb. 28, and some 10 days have already been lost without any action being taken.
Milner’s account has been mirrored by dozens of other potential volunteers, according to a statement from Operation Total Recall, an advocacy group and media source monitoring all the recall efforts in the province. Each complainant has said they received the same form email from the recallneudorf@gmail.com address and have been unable to reach Tanner. More information on Operation Total Recall can be found on their website www.operationtotalrecall.ca
The Herald attempted to contact Tanner through the recall email, as well as by calling Aztec Steel Fabricators where a Ryan Tanner is listed as co-owner, but received no response.
The Herald also reached out to Elections Alberta in an attempt to connect with Tanner but did not receive a response before deadline.
Anyone who has experienced similar interactions with the recall campaign is encouraged to get in touch with the Herald at 403-328-4418 to share their story, as is anyone with information on how to contact Ryan Tanner directly.
30-29
A fake recall? Sad to see.
Elections Alberta must verify anyone submitting a petition is a real person as this Ryan Tanner seems to be avoiding being confirmed as a real person with full intentions of fulfilling his recall petition obligations. Maybe Nathan can shed some light on this!😂