Saw this yesterday and thought it deserved it's own thread.
I don't like it. A anonymous group actively campaigning in the upcoming election, targeting specific candidates. Unwilling to commit to releasing the names of contributors to their campaign now or in the future. They claim not to be contributing to any candidates campaigns - again at this time - but I don't see that as being a big leap.
Seems completely undemocratic to me and not entirely different from the way groups and individuals, such as the Koch brothers, try to anonymously influence elections. I hate this type of US style electioneering.
Why operate in the dark? What they hiding from?
My guess (not an accusation) is that either the Manning Centre or Cal Wenzel's group are behind it. Perhaps both.
Who is Save Calgary, why are they soliciting donations and for what?
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Who is Save Calgary, why are they soliciting donations and for what?
It's simple: ads against incumbent councillors they want to see out on their keesters.
As the civic election nears, focus on the political players is narrowing and an emerging force is getting louder. But it's not clear who is behind the website Save Calgary.com and social media accounts that have taken a stance against Couns. Diane Colley-Urquhart, Evan Woolley, Druh Farrell, Gian-Carlo Carra and current mayor Naheed Nenshi.
Lori Williams, associate professor of political science at Mount Royal University, said there's a twofold issue with the group.
First, she points out that by opposing a number of candidates, they are endorsing the rest of council, and those running, by omission.
"There are more questions about this organization and what it's trying to do and who and what it represents," said Williams. "Anyone who reads carefully, the criticism focus on spending, they're fiscal conservatives ... but that's not saying very much and it doesn't say what they stand for."
She said federally and provincially there are rules about third-party groups who aim to sway elections. They have to register just like candidates, with spending limits. In this case, she said it could be democratically unfair if this group can outspend a candidate they dislike.
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CBC is also covering this.
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A group called Save Calgary has been soliciting donations and running advertisements on downtown billboards in a bid to unseat five members of Calgary city council — but figuring out who's behind the campaign isn't easy.
Under Alberta's current laws, third-party groups like this one aren't subject to donation limits or required to disclose their donors.
They don't even have to disclose their own identities, if they don't want to, as Save Calgary has been reluctant to do.
It wasn't until after this story was initially published that CBC News was given contact information for a spokesperson and a name.
Hadyn Place said the group is under no obligation to say who's involved in the group and he sees no reason for releasing that information.
"I couldn't give you an exact figure, but there's certainly under a dozen," he said when asked to at least indicate how many people were in involved with the group.
Place is involved in Alberta Can't Wait, one of the groups that was pushing for the province's conservative parties to merge. The group now says its mission is to hold both the NDP government and the leadership of the United Conservative Party to account.
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