Sheila Gunn Reid and Keean Bexte critique Edmonton’s NDP mayor Don Iveson for extending a COVID-19 emergency without council approval, despite just 53 cases in May 2020. Gunn Reid calls it a power grab, comparing it to Alberta’s economic reopening under Premier Kenney by June 19, while Bexte exposes Calgary reporter Tom Ross’s communist admissions on an obscure Antifa podcast (~26 views), questioning media bias and credibility. Both highlight inconsistencies in enforcement—like Toronto’s $880 fines for breaking white social distancing circles ($12 each) while ignoring camping laws—and the broader erosion of public trust in government overreach and partisan journalism. [Automatically generated summary]
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Welcome to Rebel Roundup, ladies and gentlemen, and the rest of you, in which we look back at some of the very best commentaries of the week by your favorite Rebels.
I'm your host, David Menzies.
State of Emergency Controversy00:15:28
Is Edmonton's mayor channeling his inner borg?
You know, resistance is futile, self-determination is irrelevant.
Sheila Gunread will drop by to tell us all about his honors power grab at the expense of individual rights.
First, Kian Bexti exposed NDP candidate Anne McGrath as a card-carrying commie.
Now he's found another Calgary communist working out of a news department.
Just wait till you hear this story, folks.
And finally, letters, we get your letters.
We get your letters every minute of every day.
And I'll share some of your responses regarding Toronto's solution to overcrowding in Trinity Bellwoods Park.
Namely, the city has painted some 400 social distancing circles in the park.
And due to the Wuhan virus, parkgoers must now stay in their circles.
To ensure compliance, police and bylaw officers will circle the circles on their bicycles looking for offenders to zap with those $880 fines.
I swear I'm not making this up.
Those are your rebels now.
Let's round them up.
So you think Alberta is a conservative stronghold, land of freedom.
I'd like to think so too.
But the capital city's NDP mayor, Don Iveson, has another opinion.
You see, Iveson is extending the municipal state of emergency in Edmonton.
Now, this is the declaration here.
These local states of emergency act as creatures of the provincial government.
They're local declarations operating under the umbrella of the Provincial Emergency Management Act.
Now, this is what Iveson tweeted out to justify the extension of the local state of emergency through the entire summer.
Edmonton City Council has once again agreed to renew the local state of emergency.
As you all know, we're still in the midst of a public health emergency.
And while we've seen some great compliance behavior modeled by Edmontonians, compliance is not at 100%.
You see, this here, friends, is a rare glimpse of honesty.
It's uncommon in our politicians.
Iveson is telling us what this is all about.
It's not about health.
It's about 100% compliance with the government.
You know how I know this isn't about health?
Let me show you the facts.
Let me show you the reality of the coronavirus outbreak in Edmonton at 11:15 a.m., May 29, 2020, the day after Iveson extended the state of emergency.
53 active cases, six in hospital, one in intensive care, out of a population of over 1 million people.
And he wants the entire city to remain in a state of emergency because of this?
Of course he does.
Yeah, so let's just shut down a city of more than a million people for the entire summer because there's been, what, a handful of cases of the Wuhan virus?
Gee, I hope Mayor Iveson doesn't learn how many traffic-related deaths occur annually in Edmonton.
His warship might just have to shut down Alberta's capital for the entire decade.
And with more on yet another so-called leader who obviously subscribes to the motto of don't let a good crisis go to waste is Sheila Gunreed.
Welcome to Rebel Roundup, my friend.
Hey, David, thanks for having me on the show.
Always a pleasure.
So Sheila, I found that tweet by Mayor Iveson that you referenced to be a bit chilling, you know, where he notes compliance is not at 100%.
I kind of picked up a Star Trekian Borg vibe there along the lines of, you know, resistance is futile, self-determination is irrelevant.
And really, that's what this is all about, isn't it?
A power grab.
Yeah, because it's clearly not about health and it's clearly not about what's actually going on in Edmonton with the coronavirus.
So the mayor declared his intentions to extend the state of emergency under a law that gives him the ability to extend that state of emergency with a single declaration to 90 days based on six current cases the day he made that declaration in six hospitalizations in a city that is greater than one million.
And the health region actually encompasses all the bedroom.
communities.
So at the time only six people were in hospital and there were, I think, just one person in intensive care.
That it that remains the same, that there is still just one person in intensive care in Edmonton with the disease a week later.
And, Mayor Iveson, I believe since I did my story they've had some extreme pushback because I've seen some whinings from some of the more far left.
I mean, with the exception of, I think, one or two people, the entire Edmonton CITY Council is far left shout out to Mike Nicoll here as probably the lone really blue Tory on Edmonton CITY Council but they've experienced a lot of pushback since that story saying, well, we evaluate these things every seven days.
It doesn't matter that Mayor Iveson is assessing these Decisions every seven days.
He made a declaration to extend the local state of emergency under a law that gives him the power of expropriation, conscription, and searchless warrant for up to 90 days without having to come back to the table and reassess.
It's an absolute power grab and completely unnecessary when at the time only six Albertans were in hospital.
And as you rightly point out, it is absolutely not about the health of Edmontonians.
It's about controlling the behaviors of Edmontonians because they basically threatened to extend the state of emergency until such time as they saw full compliance.
The beatings will continue until morale improves.
You know, so there's two things in what you said, Sheila.
There were six cases of the Wuhan virus in the Edmonton area when this, I guess, extension of state of emergency was put into effect.
I would, first of all, say, what emergency?
That seems to be a success story, especially given that I believe Premier Kenny is extending the reopening of the Alberta economy, but that doesn't seem to be the case in Edmonton.
And secondly, you can do what you can to curb a virus, but you can't do it by curbing our rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
I mean, this idea of expropriation, warrantless searches, this is crazy and it's disturbing, Sheila.
The thing is, Calgary was hit much harder than Edmonton.
I think that has to do with the fact that Calgary is more of an international flight hub than Edmonton.
But Premier Kenney is considering very seriously moving up the stage two relaunch of Alberta's economy from, I believe it was the end of June, 1st of July now to June 19th.
That's how well the province is doing in managing this disease right now.
Across the entire province of over 4 million people, we only have 344 people with the coronavirus who are not even sick with the coronavirus, but have tested positive for the coronavirus.
And that's because we've actually opened up testing to basically everybody who wants a test now.
Before it was sort of people who had been exposed to the disease or who were at risk, people who had been exposed to people who had recently come back.
Now it's just everybody.
So we're going to see those testing numbers, or we should be seeing those testing numbers go up, those positive test results.
However, we're just not seeing that.
We're just really good at washing our hands and covering our mouths when we cough.
And, you know, there's no reason to continue to keep Edmonton under such lockdown.
Edmontonians have flattened the curve.
Let them free.
You know, and here's the other thing, Sheila.
If we are talking about a state of emergency, I'll tell you where the state of emergency is based on my interviews with doctors and nurses in Ontario, and I doubt it's any different in Alberta.
It's the fact that so much of elective surgery has been canceled, and you literally have people dying because they're not being brought into the hospital.
Now, if you believe the mainstream media narrative, the hospitals are basically war zones, they can't keep up, and that's not true.
They're at least 50% empty.
This, to me, is the state of emergency, not what your mayor is talking about.
That really is the case.
I'll tell you an anecdotal story, and I don't know how scientific anecdotal stories is, but one of my very closest friends, her daughter, is a surgical nurse.
And she was basically laid off, like everybody else, I guess, during the duration of the coronavirus pandemic because elective surgeries were canceled and because they didn't need her on the coronavirus front lines in Alberta because there really wasn't a coronavirus front line unless you were in a nursing home where the majority of our outbreaks occurred and the majority of our deaths occurred.
And so you have to wonder how many people's conditions became far worse because we were fighting a disease that never came.
Now, Sheila, excellent question.
Are Edmontonians, especially as the warmer weather comes in and they've been cooped up for months like we all have, are they going to abide by these regulations of your mayor?
Or do you see some civil disobedience happening in terms of mass gatherings and people getting together and maybe even some rebellious restaurants opening up?
I don't know.
Are they going to accept what this mayor is trying to dish out to them?
Edmonton is a very strange place because federally, they by and large vote conservative, especially in the bedroom communities, more affluent communities, the people who don't want a long drive but work in the city.
They want to get away from the socialist policies of the city, but they still want to live close to work.
They vote overwhelmingly conservative federally.
However, with such a large number of government workers, because Edmonton is the government hub, they're all union and provincially, they tend to support the NDP.
So who even knows?
Who even knows how this city that can vote conservative in federal elections can abide by a mayor who is NDP on some days and green on the next day, how they can abide these crazy regulations?
I think the longer this goes on for them, and we'll see this week if things change for them as the mayor promises to continue to reassess these things.
The longer it goes, the more rebellion we'll see.
And hopefully a few of those NDP Iveson voter types have a come to Jesus moment and come around to the freedom side of the argument.
Wow.
Well, Sheila, I'm struggling to find the silver lining in this story.
And maybe it says, unlike, well, wait a minute.
Unlike Toronto, unlike what Mayor Torrey has dictated, at least Edmonton isn't painting little white circles in the park where you're mandated to sit and like kindergart children.
At least the Edmonton mayor hasn't gone that far.
So anyways, great commentary.
Lots of interest in it, Sheila.
And thank you so much for weighing in.
Thanks, David.
Have a great weekend.
You too, my friend.
And that is Sheila Gunread in northern Alberta, where she has considerably more freedom, it would seem, than those stuck in Edmonton.
Keep it here.
More rebel roundup to come right after this.
An Alberta-based legislative reporter with 660 News in Calgary has been verified as a literal communist.
Tom Ross has admitted on a podcast, one that has close ties to those in the Antifa movement, that he is in fact a communist.
Dick, you know, he's sort of implying I'm kind of an evil communist by asking this.
And I'm kind of a communist anyways, but, you know, he thinks that it's interesting.
Now, that podcast has about 20-something views, so I'm guessing he didn't expect you to hear this.
Tom Ross later goes on to call people who grew up in Calgary and Alberta brainwashed.
For those that don't ask the questions, they grew up or are living in Calgary or other Protestant Alberta for most of their life.
So they're sort of, you know, kind of a tough thing to say, but I think they're sort of brainwashed in some ways.
Now you might know Tom Ross from his spiteful coverage of Jason Kenney and Alberta.
And now it all makes so much sense.
He hates Alberta because it isn't a communist hellhole like Toronto.
He is spiteful that we elect conservative governments.
And that is why he was in the pockets of the NDP throughout their entire term in government.
Tom Ross has been hounding Jason Kenney for a Green New Deal at all of his press conferences.
And a video of the Premier verbally slapping this 20-something yuppie went viral just a few weeks ago.
With the oil and gas market taking such a hit, when do you start thinking about a full-on transition away from traditional fossil fuels?
And when you're talking to American representatives, for example, are you talking to anybody who advocates for a Green New Deal?
So as Minister Nixon has said, Alberta has our technology innovation and emissions reduction program, which invests in technology to reduce the environmental impact and carbon intensity of our energy production.
When you talk about the Green New Deal, listen, our focus is on getting people back to work in Alberta, not pie-in-the-sky ideological schemes.
We are actually not trying to amplify, but to fight back against the political agenda of the Green Left that has been trying to landlock Alberta energy.
So we're not going to cooperate with the folks that are trying to shut down our large, Canada's single largest sub-sector.
You're talking here.
I mean, that kind of question in the middle of an economic crisis from a Calgary-based media outlet really, frankly, throws me for a loop.
Sounds like you're reporting for the Tai E or something.
Holy Ann McGrath, just how many commies are there in Calgary these days anyway?
Because it's not just that aforementioned NDP candidate who adores a totalitarian ideology responsible for some 100 million deaths.
Comrade Ross Revelations00:06:06
But now it turns out that a supposedly objective radio news reporter is part of the hammer and sickle crew too.
How weird is that?
And with more on the outing of Comrade Ross is Calgary commie hunter himself and unapologetic capitalist Kian Bexte.
Welcome to the Rebel Roundup, my friend.
Hey, David.
Great to have you.
Ken, I found Ross's quote in that interview perversely amusing.
First, he described himself as, quote, not an evil communist, end quote.
And I would argue there is no other varietal when it comes to communism.
Then secondly, he says, quote, I'm kind of a communist, end quote, which is surely akin to saying that one is a little bit pregnant.
Just what gives with this guy anyways, Kian.
I'm not sure.
I was very surprised to hear on this podcast that I sometimes listen to because it's always good to hear what the enemy is thinking.
It's an Antifa-linked podcast, and he just plain as day admitted that he was a communist.
I was quite surprised to hear it because it's not just anyone, Tom Ross.
He's a pretty mainstream reporter that a lot of Calgarians listen to on 660 News.
And I think that if Calgarians knew who he was, who the person was behind the voice, they probably don't even know what he looks like.
If they knew that the person that they listened to quite frequently was a communist, my guess is they would be changing the channel pretty quickly.
And Ken, you made mention that this particular podcast, it has, I guess, ties to Antifa or it reaches out to an Antifa-based audience.
I mean, I think that's another strike against this guy's credibility as well.
Yeah, I mean, we're slowly seeing exactly how much of a grip Antifa has on both the mainstream media and political movements in Canada.
This podcast is frequently listened to, and not by many people, granted, but the audience that they cater to is the same audience that you'll see marching alongside Antifa throughout Calgary and Edmonton because it's an Alberta Alberta podcast.
I don't want to really name it because I don't want to give them more views.
So they think they're actually doing something useful and people actually care about what they're doing.
Because actually, when I checked this video, it was published about a week ago.
It had 26 views.
So I hope it was worth it, Tom Ross, to admit that you were a communist on a podcast that really nobody cared to listen to.
You just damaged your own career, is what you did.
Geez, you could probably get a thousand times more views by going to some Calgary street corner on an Apple box and just ranting.
But the other thing I wasn't quite clear about, Kian, you referenced it in the commentary.
You said that Ross has said before that Calgarians or those who grew up in Alberta, they are brainwashed.
I'd like to know what Albertans are brainwashed into believing.
And what made my jaw drop is that you talked about an ideology that dines out on brainwashing, i.e., re-education camps.
It's communism.
What the dickens is he talking about with the brainwashing comment?
Yeah, I mean, it's hard to pick apart what this guy is saying, right?
It doesn't make a lot of sense because I don't think there's a lot up there.
When you've been brainwashed yourself into becoming a communist by the public education system here in Alberta or across Canada, wherever you got educated, if it was a public school, you're much more likely to be a communist and you're much more likely to be brain dead like this kid is.
He's a pretty young guy, and maybe he means well.
Maybe he doesn't really understand.
Maybe he was never really educated how many people died throughout the Cultural Revolution in China, throughout the Hall of D'Amur in the USSR.
Maybe he means well and doesn't really understand exactly how dangerous of an ideology he subscribes to.
Indeed, I would suggest to re-educate him, he should sit down for a coffee with people who have actually lived under communism, not studied it from some textbook.
Tell me, Kian, he personally, I believe, lashed out at you with, I guess, language I would consider slanderous.
What did he say about you after you had this commentary go up?
Yeah, he effectively called me a Nazi, and my lawyer responded quite quickly to him.
So he's currently sitting on a demand letter asking him to apologize for that statement.
I don't really tolerate people calling me a Nazi.
I'm not a Nazi.
It's pretty obvious.
It's just uneducated leftist losers who would think that.
Maybe they don't even think that.
Maybe they don't mean it.
They just think that it's a joke to call someone that.
It's certainly not a joke.
It's very offensive, and it is defamatory.
So my lawyer reached out, and we're waiting for a response from him for an apology.
We'll see if that actually comes or if we'll have to go to court over this because it's just something where I draw the line at, and I'm sure you have a similar line.
If you let people get away with calling you that, eventually people think that it's fine.
You can't, once people are calling you Nazis and you let that happen, then it's easy to convince for the opposition.
It's easy to convince random people that it is in fact true because we haven't fought back.
So it's important that we do.
But I see on my phone right now that I'm at 1%.
So I'm actually, I can't even see the screen because it's dying.
I'm right here on location actually at a pipeline site in Oyan, Alberta right now, covering a story for the Keystone XL.
That's where the pipeline's being built.
So I might have to leave you here because my phone is literally about to die.
Well, we have to wrap it up anyways, Kian.
I had no idea you are a member of the 1%.
Six Foot Radius Riddle00:04:26
But in any event, thank you so much for taking some time out while you're covering this important assignment.
And you have a good weekend, my friend.
Take care, David.
Thank you.
And that was Kian Bexte, somewhere where they're building a pipeline in Alberta.
Keep it here.
More of a Rebel Roundup to come right after this.
David Menzies for Rebel News here in Toronto.
Well, folks, I've returned to the scene of the crime.
That would be the Wuhan virus social etiquette protocols that were so cruelly violated last Saturday.
As you may recall, earlier this week, the city of Toronto imported an idea from San Francisco.
So, you know, it's got to be good.
And that was to paint the circles on the park lawn.
There's white circles, some 400 of them at 12 bucks a circle.
I'll let you do the math on that.
And just in case you don't get the message to stay within your circle, there is bylaw and law enforcement pedaling their bicycles around, ready to give violators $880 tickets and presumably educate them.
You know, I really am high on education because we tried to get education with our first visit to the park a few days ago.
Of course, it was raining then and there was hardly any people in the park.
And do you recall this little encounter with bylaw?
So the circles are for six feet radius.
You're supposed to be inside the six foot radius.
Now, if like is it NFL rules or CFL rules for a fair catch?
Have I put one foot out?
Is that considered a violation or do I have to keep both inside the circle?
Well, I think you're supposed to be using some common sense and I would really appreciate that not being so close to my face, please.
Well, we're six feet away.
I understand that and you're holding it less than six feet away from your mouth, which can contaminate me.
So I would like that further away from my face, please, sir.
You're not going to give me one of those $880 tickets, are you?
Well, if you don't comply with what I ask you to do, then that may be a possibility right now, right?
I'm not confining you.
You can keep walking away.
No, I can't, sir, because my job is to answer your questions and educate the public.
Okay, well, that's what I came here for, to get educated.
So I'm wondering if I put one foot out or like a pinky toe out, would I get an $880 ticket?
Well, I don't know the answer to that question right at the moment.
And how can you educate me if you don't know the answers?
That's a very good question.
Yeah, I've got questions, lots of questions, as a matter of fact, but apparently bylaw does not have the answers when it comes to circle etiquette in Hogtown in this day and age of the Wuhan virus.
In any event, here's what some of you had to say.
Jason Roy writes, wow, they are paying cops to ride around the park and enforce an unlawful law.
Oh, indeed they are, Jason.
And get this, a few squatters have erected tents in Trinity Bellwoods Park.
Not only are the tents not within circles, but camping overnight in a park is, of course, illegal.
But that law is in being enforced these days.
So I guess apparently there's one law for the makers and there's one law for the takers.
Dylan C. writes, but if you have five people in the circle, how can you socially distance?
You are correct, Dylan, as the video evidence clearly shows.
Gee, do you think that maybe when the city staff were painting those circles, they confused diameter with circumference or they forgot to carry the one or something?
I always made those kind of mistakes in grade 11 math, which is why I failed grade 11 math.
So maybe the circles need to be much bigger, which would mean fewer circles, and that would mean fewer people would be allowed in the park.
Oh gracious, it's just so confusing, isn't it?
Mark Griffith writes, this video made me laugh so hard, LOL.
When you interviewed those two security guards, it was like speaking to dumb and dumber LOL.
Oh, Mark, how dare you insult Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels that way.
Grumpy Old Men's Club writes, let a group of sheep into the park to graze.
You will not see any difference.
Grumpy Old Debaters00:01:10
Bah.
Hey, got to tell you, Grumpy, we observed almost 100% compliance at the park that day.
In fact, I bet if we hung around long enough, we'd see people actually raising their hands to get permission from bylaw to leave their little circles so they could go pee.
I bet even Kim Jong-un is blushing.
Chantel writes, Mr. Menzies should be awarded Reporter of the Year, not just for his charismatic personality, but for the simple fact that he faces the highest levels of insanity with courage.
Wow, that is so nice of you, Chantel.
I'm feeling so good after reading your email.
I hope I don't get some Debbie Downer comment to bring me right back down again.
Oh, and on that note, BK writes, Dave Menzies is what happens when you get old and find out you don't have friends.
Now, just a second here, BK.
I'll let you know, I didn't have friends when I was young too, so take that.
I don't know if that came out right.
Well, that wraps up another edition of Rebel Roundup.
Thanks so much for joining us.
See you next week.
And hey, folks, never forget, without risk, there could be no glory.