The chief electoral officer of Alberta has given the green light to a petition seeking the recall of Demetrios Nicolaides, the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Calgary-Bow and serving as the Minister of Education and Childcare. The petition application, submitted by Calgary resident Jennifer Yeremiy, received written approval last week, with the petition officially issued on October 23. Per provincial regulations, Yeremiy has a 90-day window to gather 16,006 signatures within the electoral division to advance the recall petition successfully.
This marks the inaugural approval of a recall petition application under the Recall Act, enacted by the United Conservative Party government in 2021 and subsequently revised in July of the same year to reduce the threshold for recalls. Yeremiy’s petition cites Nicolaides’ alleged failure to support public education as the reason for the recall effort. The application highlights disparities between investment in charter-private schools versus challenges faced by public education, including overcrowded classrooms, inappropriate curricula, insufficient resources, and staff shortages.
Amidst ongoing strike action by approximately 51,000 teachers across public, separate, and francophone schools in the province since October 6, Premier Danielle Smith disclosed plans to introduce back-to-work legislation in the following week. In response to the recall initiative, a statement from Nicolaides’ office underlined that the recall targets the UCP government as a whole rather than Nicolaides’ individual role as an MLA. The statement emphasized that recalls should be reserved for breaches of public trust or ethical violations, not policy disagreements that could undermine stable governance.
Yeremiy, associated with a group called AB Resistance and a former Alberta Party candidate in Calgary-North West, initiated the petition with the objective of triggering multiple recalls to prompt an early election. Nicolaides secured his re-election as MLA for Calgary-Bow in 2023, narrowly defeating NDP candidate Druh Farrell by 623 votes. Political science professor Marc Froese suggested that the impact of the petition might be limited, especially if the teachers’ strike is resolved through arbitration.
The recall process necessitates Yeremiy’s petition to garner support from 60% of voters in the Calgary-Bow electoral district who participated in the last general election. Previously, a recall required 40% of eligible voters, but this threshold was adjusted following legislative changes. Yeremiy has until January 21, 2026, to collect the required 16,006 signatures, with the extended 90-day signature collection period provided by the amendment. A successful petition will trigger a referendum in Calgary-Bow to decide on Nicolaides’ recall and the subsequent byelection.
Under the revised legislation, Nicolaides was obligated to provide a response statement to the chief electoral officer, with the office’s statement mirroring the one submitted to CBC News.
