JEmphatically

@jemphatically

Freelance journalist, photographer, environmentalist, introvert. Former oil & gas and government PR, semi-retired, grandma to Finn, and according to research, not cool. She/her. Stop the genocide. Born: 319 ppm

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JEmphatically@jemphatically· Jul 3

The separatist reaction...

x post by Rise of Alberta: "Today's pipeline announcement proves the point. No binding deal. No cost structure. No ownership details. A carbon project requisite. A private proponent just to start approvals. This isn't proof Canada works. It's proof Canada is broken." Includes a likely AI generated image of the earth from above with an outline of Alberta and an Alberta flag with the words "The Republic of Alberta, the most free and prosperous nation on earth."

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Jun 25

This. Share widely. #WonderValley #Utah #Stratos #AIDataCenters

Post by Kevin O'Leary on June 25, 2026 with black background and white text that reads "Recently I appeared on various news programs and would like to clarify that I have no evidence that Alliance for a Better Utah, Elevate Strategies, Gabrielle Finlayson, Taylor Knuth or Josh Kanter are funded by China or the Chinese Communist Party.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· May 29

Protest in Calgary right now. Heading to McDougall Centre with a couple hundred people according to the cops. #yyc #ableg

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Mar 26

The Board Chair of Alberta’s Energy Regulator (AEC) has been personally involved in trying to arrange a meeting to discuss an ethics complaint against AEC board director David Yager, a special advisor to Premier Danielle Smith. It has not been going well. open.substack.com/pub/jodymacp...

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Jan 12

Continuing the story of Wonder Valley’s journey from a gleam in someone’s eye to a possible mirage, and the “boy band” assembling around the project in 2026.

Wonder Valley Watch: The US needs energy, CCS not a thing, and emissions 'happen'

jodymacpherson.substack.com

The Missive

Screen capture from the Wonder Valley promotional video showing an AI-generated data centre nestled in among the trees in fall colours of orange and gold. The words WONDER VALLEY are barely visible in the background, like a mirage.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Dec 21

Winter mood. #photography #Kananaskis #RockyMountains #Alberta #horse

Taken March 17, 2019 as the sun sets behind the mountains west of Calgary near Kananaskis. There is a yellow glow behind the Rockies, which are snow-covered and getting gray and dark as it is nearly dusk. In the foreground, is a barbed wire fence and grazing on the grass poking out of the snowy patches in a large flat field is a light coloured horse. In the distance, there are trees and a few homes, with smoke rising as if from a chimney.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Nov 21

Crowd gathered now in #yyc to protest. #abpoli #cdnpoli #transrightsarehumanrights

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Nov 17

And now there's an advent calendar! 🎄

A screen shot from Reddit, showing the “It’s a Recall Advent Calendar” by “Appropriate_Duty_930” with 80 comments.
Shows head shots of the 14 MLAs facing recall campaigns.
Gathering signatures:
DEMETRIOS NICHOLAIDES, ANGELA D. PITT
Initial paperwork submitted:
DALE NALLY, R.J. SIGURDSON, NOLAN B. DYCK, MUHAMMAD YASEEN, RIC MCIVER, RAJAN SAWHNEY, MYLES MCDOUGALL, JACQUELINE LOVELY, SEARLE TURTON, REBECCA SHCULZ, ADRIANA LAGRANGE, GLENN DIJKEN, JASON STEPHAN
Targeted:
MICKEY K. AMERY PETER SINGH, NATE GLUBISH, TANYA FIR, BRANDON G. LUNTY, NATHAN T. NEUDORF, JACKIE ARMSTRONG-HOMENIUK, DANIELLE SMITH, CHANTELLE DE JONGE

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Oct 28

The Forever Canadian petition gathered almost a half a million signatures in a time frame that was considered impossible to achieve. #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli #Alberta

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Oct 22

I’m changing my screensaver to this. #polkadotdress #resist #USpoli Another video from the same timeframe: www.instagram.com/reel/DQHD1Na...

A dark-haired woman in a polka dot dress and a dark blazer and red “comfortable” shoes and a handbag or purse slug around her shoulder (hair is messy bun) stands in the middle of a New York street, blocking a large armoured vehicle. The grill of the vehicle is so tall that it dwarfs the woman in height as the front of the vehicle juts out menacingly close to her. It is a still shot from a video and although the screen grab is a little difficult to see, she did give the tank driver the middle finger as she yelled at ICE and in later videos, got into a tussle with the agents. Along the top of the screen are the words, “ICE RAIDS IN NYC” with an ice cube and a red siren emoji. This was 1 of 8 posts in a series and had 306 likes at the time of the screen capture (although I’m sure the video has a lot more now)!

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Oct 21

The LiveWire Calgary election results tracker just lost Sharpe somehow.🤨

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Oct 20

Here's more about the event:

10:45 am - 12 pm Positioning the North: Building the World's Largest AI Infrastructure with Kyle Reiling, Greenview Industrial Gateway, Kevin O'Leary, O'Leary Ventures and Travis Toews, City of Grande Prairie - Northern Alberta is poised to become a global leader in AI infrastructure through a groundbreaking data centre development - the largest of its kind worldwide. In this session, Kyle Reiling, Executive Director of the Greenview Industrial Gateway, will provide an insider update on this transformational project and the regional collaboration that brought it to life. Following the project update, you’ll hear from renowned investor and entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary, who will share his perspective on what’s next for AI, business leadership, and the communities bold enough to lead transformation. This session highlights the power of partnership, vision, and bold investment in shaping Alberta’s future.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Oct 12

Drooling dog in front of me at an outdoor concert. #photography #Dogs #Sundayslobber

A very close photo of a German shepherd with a black snout and black nose in sharp focus, getting right in my face, with a GIANT pink tongue sticking out, teeth visible, wearing a green bandana. Focus is sharp on the nose, but gets fuzzy beyond that. Sir, I'm just trying to listen to this music. Watermarked with JLMacPherson Photography.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Oct 3

This is happening in #yyc on Sunday, Oct. 5. #ableg #abpoli #abeducation

Calgary Public Teachers Local 38, Rocky View ATA Local #35 and Calgary Catholic Teachers Local 55 poster:

Join us at the World Teachers' Day Rally in Support of Public Education
October 5, 2025, 3-4:30 pm at the McDougall Centre, 455 6 St SW in Calgary.

Image includes a number of different coloured hands reaching out from a blue circle with white.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Oct 3

The town hall has now wrapped up. I saw 150+ people in the meeting. Signing off from my live coverage with one last slide from the organizers of the town hall. All slides I posted to this thread were from the group presentation. Apologies for missing the alt text on some of the slides.

Slide in black with white and yellow text:
Drill & Dash
$150M in unpaid compensation to landowners
$250M+ in unpaid municipal property taxes
Offloading wells to insolvent companies

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Oct 3

This is the group's summary of the Mature Asset Strategy. There's also a new detailed post on the ABLawg blog about this problem: ablawg.ca/2025/09/30/t... #ableg #cdnpoli #orphanwells #polluterpays

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Oct 3

The panel is taking questions now.

Slide text reads:
Cleanup Costs - You make a mess, you clean it up
Here's the hard truth: it's going to cost $40-70 billion dollars to clean up the more than 300,000 unreclaimed oil and gas wells in Alberta, an amount our research shows is 2-3.5 times higher than estimates the regulator has shared publicly.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Oct 3

Susanne Calabrese, a lawyer representing Popowich is now talking about the conflict of interest complaint filed against David Yager. 1700 people have written to the Ethics Commissioner calling for action. #ableg #cdnpoli #orphanwells #polluterpays Background: www.theenergymix.com/ethics-compl...

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Oct 3

Talking about the health effects now. #ableg #cdnpoli #orphanwells #polluterpays

Health impacts of Leaking toxic pollutants
Toxins linked to increases in cancers, stroke, heart and lung diseases, birth defects.
Environmental hazards: Contributes to climate change and contamination of soil, air, water.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Oct 3

The scale of the problem in Alberta. #ableg #cdnpoli #orphanwells #polluterpays

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Sep 28

Who is the Western Canada Data Centre Alliance? Here's a screen capture from their website, which claims they are about "transparency" and "maximizing benefits to the region." Just not available to share any information from this Alberta roadmap conference with media.

About Us
We are an industry alliance for the existing and prospective data centre industry in Western Canada, providing a central forum for dialogue and information exchange, helping to create a cohesive path forward for growth. Providing transparency to the industry and maximizing economic benefit to the region. Western Canada Data Centre Alliance (WCDCA) bridges the gap.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Sep 21

This one really got me. #climate #ableg #cdnpoli #DrawtheLine #grandmothers

A protest parade leaving from Calgary Municipal Building visible in the background and a long line of people walking towards Stephen Avenue. At the front is an older person in a hat, sunglasses, wearing a red keffiyeh shawl, and holding a drum. Behind is a an older woman in a white hat with a bright orange-pink blouse and dark patterned pants holding a handmade sign with the words: “BOMBS, DEAD PEOPLE, DEAD PLANET, NO FUTURE 4 GRAND KIDS.” There are others holding signs in the background. Words: 7 Generations (with a rainbow), and WE ARE ALL ON/IN THIS TOGETHER (encircling a drawing of the earth). Photo is watermarked by JMacPherson Photography.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Sep 21

Another photo from the #DrawtheLine protest in Calgary today. #climate #ElbowsUp #ableg #cdnpoli

A white protest sign with pink letters outlined in black. The words are: “CLIMATE LEADERS DON'T BUILD PIPELINES.” There is a banner with small flags hanging in the background with various other messages, but the one that stands out is yellow with black and pink letters. The words are: “HEALING SOIL FOR ALL.” Photo is watermarked by JMacPherson Photography.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Sep 20

It was hot today at the #DrawtheLine protest in Calgary - 27 degrees C. A reminder of what our future could be like unless we take climate action. I know I was melting out there in that heat! 🥵 #climate #ableg #cdnpoli

A person with a black t-shirt and a beige hat holds a large handmade sign stretched between two poles attached to beige fabric. The words are written in black: “2050 is too late, We need action NOW, 2030 targets, CLIMATE CRISIS.” In the background are the reflective windows at Calgary’s Municipal Building with blue sky, a skyscraper and green trees reflected in a distorted view. Photo is watermarked by JMacPherson Photography.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Sep 15

Here's a wispy little flower struggling under the weight of a ladybug. Photographed at High River, Alberta yesterday. #photography #Mondaymood #flowers #nature #Alberta #ladybugs #focus

A delicate, orange Columbine-like flower, with four petals flared open, and orange stamen protruding from an inner cup-like petal. A lady bug is perched precariously on one of the petals as the long, gangly stem seems to be bending under its weight. Out of focus are bright red flowers in the foreground and lots of green movement in the background.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Sep 2

Alberta's "nanny state" meddling in people's lives at every turn is going so well...Danielle "Martha" Smith just paused the book ban mid-implementation. Chaos and confusion in the UCP cabinet? #ableg

Two people in black t-shirts and shorts carry a banner at the Calgary pride parade that has the words "Librarians against censorship" with a rainbow and a book on it, as well as hands giving gestures of love and support. The two people are followed by three others wearing black t-shirts that also have the same words. One is wearing a rainbow skirt and socks, and a child walks with them.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Sep 1

Happy Labour Day. By Art Young - The Masses ( Vol. 4, No. 10 ), New York: The Masses Publishing Co., 1913-07 Public Domain image. (details in the alt text)

Political cartoon of the Associated Press poisoning the well of the news with suppressed facts, lies, prejudice, slander, and hatred of labor organization. This political cartoon is in regards to the lack of the news coverage for fourteen months of the Paint Creek Strike of 1912 in which martial law courts were imposed in West Virginia against strikers.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Aug 31

My absolute favourite photo from the Pride parade in Calgary today. #calgarypride #yycpride #ableg #cdnpoli #2SLGBTQIA+ #yyc

Photo of a person wearing a red baseball cap backwards, sunglasses, blue shorts and a t-shirt with the words, “Protect Trans Kids” while holding up a sign showing Danielle Smith with a scowling face and the words, “Under HER eye.” Next to them is another person with a bright blue baseball cap, dark sunglasses and holding a banner with the words, “Rocky View ATA Local #35” and a rainbow, with a smile for the camera. Other signs held by many other people in the background have the words, “Blessed be the FRUIT,” “School counsellors protecting kids,” and “OMG! My teacher read me a book about llamas…Why am I not a llama, Learning about LGBTQ is understanding not becoming.” There are many rainbow flags and a trans flag.

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Aug 15

Coming September 20 - mass global protest. Organizers saying that this is not a one-time event, but the beginning of a series. drawtheline.world/canada

Red background with text that says "Sept 20 DRAW THE LINE FOR THE PEOPLE. FOR PEACE. FOR THE PLANET."

JEmphatically@jemphatically· Aug 11

I've got another story coming out on data centres. It's about the "power panic." It's never boring covering this beat. Meanwhile, here's a photo I took in downtown Calgary in late October, 2024. #AIdatacentres #DataCentres #electricity #energy #grids #photography #streetphotography #architecture