Documents suggest connection between Calgary mayor recall and Take Back Alberta

What started as a petition to recall Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek appears to be part of a larger conservative movement to influence municipal politics.

Evidence has surfaced on social media in recent days claiming a link between the Recall Mayor Gondek Campaign and Take Back Alberta (TBA).

HVAC business owner Landon Johnston began his petition in late January, calling for the mayor to be recalled from office.

On social media, he says volunteers have ramped up efforts to deliver more than 100,000 signatures by next month’s deadline.

Now, documents show the campaign is backed by a group called Project YYC, which includes major players within the United Conservative Party and the right-wing group.

Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, a picture of that document, before deleting it a day later.

He said Wednesday that after some reflection, he had decided to to delete the thread, not because he no longer believed the alleged connection between Recall Gondek and TBA, but because he didn’t independently verify all of the names on that document.

“I am not backing away from my theme about the coordination in the recall Gondek petition. That the original petitioner – Landon Johnston – has been co-opted by a larger group of conservatives more concerned with data mining for the eventuality of a Calgary Conservative Party,” Bratt wrote, in part.

Bratt and other experts have said previously that the petition won’t come close to reaching the target of over 510,000 signatures and so the goal has shifted.

This comes after Premier Danielle Smith recently said her government is considering new legislation which would allow candidates to list a party affiliation with their name on the ballot in municipal elections.

Gondek has previously said people should be mindful of what they’re signing, so their personal data isn’t compromised.

“If your personal data is now being shared with a group that’s trying to form a Conservative party for a municipal election and that’s not what you signed up for, I think your data may be compromised,” she said.

CityNews has reached out to Johnston for comment on the situation.