Civic Commons Alberta

04/20/2026

Ten minutes, eight steps, way more privacy. Here's a free checklist to lock down your Facebook settings. 🔒
I just spent ten minutes tightening my Facebook privacy settings and honestly, it felt great. Most of us clicked "Accept" years ago and haven't looked back — but your data keeps flowing whether you check or not. A few small changes (like limiting who sees old posts and removing apps you forgot about) can make a real difference.

I put together a free one-page checklist with the exact menu labels for desktop and mobile. No tech jargon, no lectures — just clear steps you can knock out over coffee. Save it, print it, share it with someone who'd appreciate a little more peace of mind. Your future self will thank you.

04/18/2026

THE ANTINOMIAN ARC: A CIVIC STORY IN EIGHT IMAGES
What happens when a person loses themselves in a cause — and what it takes to come home again.

1. Kitchen, Dawn — The Last Straw
Change rarely begins with a dramatic moment. More often, it starts quietly — at a kitchen table, early in the morning, when the weight of ordinary life finally becomes too much. This is where his journey begins: not in anger, but in exhaustion.

04/15/2026

Helping Your Child Avoid the Screen Trap

You're not wrong to want this.

You're trying to raise a kid who defaults to curiosity and creation instead of consumption. A kid who reaches for crayons before a tablet. Who builds something before watching something.

That's not helicopter parenting. That's leadership.

Here's the thing — screens aren't evil. They're tools. The problem is the path of least resistance. Screens are engineered to be frictionless. Tap, swipe, consume, repeat. Creativity, on the other hand, has friction by design. And that friction? That's where the growth happens.

So the real battle isn't screen vs. no screen. It's passive default vs. active default.

🎨 6 anchors to keep creativity as the default:

1️⃣ The First-Reach Rule — Keep creative supplies closer than any device. What's closest wins. Always.

2️⃣ Creative Transitions — Fill the gaps between activities with something ongoing — a half-built structure, an unfinished drawing. Don't let screens fill the dead air.

3️⃣ Visible Making — Keep your own creative work out and in-progress. Kids mirror what they see, not what they're told.

4️⃣ Earned Screen Time — Frame screens as a tool connected to creative output, not a reward. "You built something awesome — want to watch how other people build things?"

5️⃣ The Story Test — Before handing over a screen, ask: "Does this help my child tell a story, build something, or solve a problem?" If yes, it's a tool. If no, it's a pacifier. Both have a place — but know which one you're reaching for.

6️⃣ Co-Creation Over Co-Viewing — Watched something together? Turn it into a drawing, a craft, a building challenge. The screen becomes an ingredient, not the meal.

💡 You don't need all six at once. Pick two. Let them become habit. Add more when they stop feeling like effort.

The screen trap isn't inevitable. It just feels that way because most people stopped fighting it.

You didn't. ❤️

04/12/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GpKYMuMna/

Civic responsibility extends to the world we live in. The Help Alberta Wildies Society is one of the best in Canada.

Hello Darrell and Barb and HAWS team members,

The recent outrageous removal of that band of horses from the Red Deer River Ranch has been troubling me. Those kidnappers were not concerned at all that they had abandoned a pregnant (and no doubt distressed) mare from that band. That thoughtless cruelty reminded me that someone had once told you not to "humanize" the wildies and not to think these horses had feelings.

Odd how things work. Back in February, I read a scientific article titled "Animal cultures matter for conservation, but also to animals." It was written by Simon Fitzpatrick and Kristin Andrews and published in the 19 February 2026 edition of Springer Nature Link journal. The article dealt with the fact that all wild animals, no matter what species, have a certain culture and that culture is a key to their survival as species. Culture is simply the collective ways of living in the world species develop to survive.

According to this article, it is through their unique cultures that animals hand down and transfer certain kinds of behaviour and knowledge and “traditions” (and even rituals) that are the keys to their survival. Species continue to exist and sometimes thrive primarily because of their cultures.

Although the article does not explicitly address the issue of animals’ feelings, my view is that if animals have culture, there are feelings present in the mix. No, Sterling cannot write a love sonnet to Rose, but there is no doubt he loves her. Sterling may not have the type of feelings our human culture puts into love poems, but the feelings he does have are far, far more important to a wildie mare.

Overall, "Animal cultures matter for conservation, but also to animals" argues how important it is for humans to take into account the cultures of animals we share the earth with. We need to recognize that they do have cohesive cultures, a way of living in the world, and a recognition of "their way" should guide our efforts at conservation.

Ultimately, the article maintains we need to respect animal cultures because those cultures are important to the animals themselves. The culture of the animals is what allows the animals survive as species. I think we can see this clearly with our wildies.

In reading this article about animal cultures and thinking about the wildies, I came to a conclusion I had not seen or understood before. Animal species that face extinction are in that position not just because too few of the animals are alive to successfully propagate. Their extinction is speeded up because the reduced number of animals leads inevitably to the unravelling and destruction of the culture that helped them survive as a species.

HOW I THINK THIS ARTICLE APPLIES TO WILDIES
I am almost completely 100% sure the authors of the article do not even know of the existence of our Alberta Mountain Horses, but the material and ideas and theories of the article apply to the wildies in striking ways. I have tried to take the article’s general ideas (and in a kind of wild-ass-guess way) tried to apply the principles to the wildies.

Animal Culture is Transferred by “Inheritance Systems”
The article points out that animal species remain species through two "inheritance systems." Inheritance systems are how species culture is transferred through the generations.

One means of transferring animal culture is through "biological inheritance"--the genetic aspect. The other crucial component of culture is produced through what the article identifies as "social learning inheritance."

Wildie "Biological Inheritance"
The biological inheritance part of wildie culture is obvious through the distinctive DNA that has been developing over centuries. It is the primary genetic key to being an Alberta Mountain Horse. Their unique biology is the genetically inherited part of their culture that is unlike that of any other horses and is also absolutely crucial to their being able to survive as they do where they do. It relates to their uniquely durable physiology and how certain wildies' instincts are passed on at this genetic level too.

Wildie "Social Learning Inheritance"
The other vital strand of wildie culture is maintained through social learning inheritance. Simply put, wildie culture teaches individual horses and the whole Alberta Mountain Horse species how to be wildies. Wildies learn things they need to know to survive. And those things get passed on through their culture and reinforce it to maintain the species.

On the simplest individual level, socially learned inheritance of wildie culture comes into play when younger horses in the bands learn from the older horses how to be wildies. An individual foal will not only learn from its mother, but also from other members of the social group, its band. Everything the wildies learn is their culture, and everything they learn is all crucial to both individual and species survival. (For example, the disruption in their socially learned culture is probably one reason rescued foals like Chance and Beau cannot be returned to the wild.)

At the group level, the social learning culture of wildies endures as well. Of course, the social aspect also has obvious elements of the biological imperatives to eat and to propagate, but the playing out of those imperatives is part of the horses’ culture that is socially learned.

For example, when wildies congregate at the Winter Barn or The Bog or other spots at certain times in the year, that's part of their social learning inheritance, the things they do that will help maintain their species. Wildies may not “know” why they end up at the spots they do, but they know they have to go there.

They might not “know” why they need to congregate at certain places during foaling and breeding season, but they know they have to gather. When stallions vie for different mares and then they form different bands and relationships, that is wildie culture at work as well. Stallions and mares don’t “know” that by doing that they are maintaining species diversity and preventing inbreeding—it is their culture, the way things have been done for hundreds of years. It is part of the propagation drive effectively expressed through their learned culture.

When the wildies disperse and break up into smaller bands, that is another aspect of their culture, possibly learned so as to make sure foraging areas are large enough to support the band. Band sizes also enable a workable system of order and protection by the stallions and their lieutenants.

Contraception Aims to Destroy Wildies by Disrupting Wildie Culture
When it comes to the extinction of the Alberta Mountain Horses, we all know the Alberta government proposes to dart a certain number of mares with contraceptive compounds. Some people think this is a humane way to limit the population of the wildies. It’s not like killing them, they say. After all, what difference does it make if we simply reduce numbers by preventing a few mares from bearing foals? This is completely wrong-headed besides being an atrocity, but the government knows it is an approach that is easier to “sell” than a public culling massacre of wildies.

The government is going to count on people not understanding the ultimate effects of contraception. Yet even if you are not outright killing individual wildies one by one, contraception is ultimately designed to disrupt and eventually eradicate their culture. And that will lead to the extinction of the Alberta Mountain Horse species.

Contraception not only disrupts "biological inheritance" and perpetuation of Alberta Mountain Horse DNA, but it also disrupts the “social learning inheritance” of wildie culture. The culture-based herd dynamics will be damaged. Gradually, fewer and fewer wildie foals and yearlings (of those that even survive their already perilous existence) will get the social learning inheritance tools needed to survive. For example, fewer wildies would possess the socially learned behaviours that guide them in the expression of their reproductive drive. Each passing year would inevitably see the deaths of older horses who possessed needed socially learned culture. In other words, gradually there would not just be fewer horses to participate in reproduction but there would also be fewer horses to "teach" the traditions that facilitated effective species propagation.

There are other ways contraception and its numerical attrition will damage the existence of wildie culture and its group dynamics. Darted mares might suffer distress from not understanding how they no longer play a role in biological and social learning inheritance. It could be socially disruptive to have mares with “no biological purpose” having trouble integrating into (or simply finding a place within) a band’s social structure and activities.

Also, there would gradually be less reason for wildies to congregate in certain locations if there was no productive foaling season or breeding season. Fewer horses in breeding areas would increase the chances for inbreeding and the destruction that causes. Moreover, not knowing familiar and almost ritualized places to gather at within their home wilderness region might eventually cause migratory movements to become chaotic and more dangerous. I’m sure there would be other disruptions of wildie culture that I’m not thinking of right now, but what I can think of seems bad enough.

Anyway, these are some of the ideas I got from reading the article and applying the ideas to the wildies. I hope my application of its authors' ideas to wildies isn’t too inaccurate or doesn’t put you off. I found the article very interesting and thought-provoking--especially about extinction. I will attach a PDF if someone wants to have a look at it. (Reading some parts of it may feel like walking The Bog in summer, but that’s scientists for you, and focusing on the “Abstract” and the “Conclusion” is helpful.)

Actually, you already have this article's ideas and theme in your heads and hearts. You and Barb and the HAWS team and its allies understand wildie culture and its importance far better than anyone around. I simply liked finding some scholarly backing for your position and beliefs. With your posts you are educating the rest of us in the ways and traditions of the wildies and how they survive. You are helping people understand that Alberta Mountain Horses are a unique species with a unique culture that is vital to their survival. (And also that they do have feelings.) I truly hope you can continue to get more people to realize just how important and unique a species our wildies are.

Sincerely,
Greg Hickmore

04/07/2026

Kanye West was denied entry to the UK because the UK Home Office determined that his presence “would not be conducive to the public good,” citing his history of antisemitic, pro‑Nazi, and inflammatory statements. This decision directly led to the cancellation of the 2026 Wireless Festival, where he had been scheduled to headline.

Key factors behind the denial
• Antisemitic remarks and praise of N***s in prior public statements and music, including a song titled “Heil Hitler” and the sale of swastika‑themed merchandise.
• Political and public pressure from UK leaders, Jewish organizations, and festival sponsors who argued that allowing him to perform would compromise public safety and community wellbeing.
• Withdrawal of his Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), which formally blocked his entry.
Resulting consequences
• The Wireless Festival was cancelled entirely, with full refunds issued.
• Sponsors and public figures publicly condemned the booking and supported the government’s decision.

04/03/2026

Gas stations don’t price fuel based on costs — they price based on competition.
And when you strip away all the industry jargon, the “complex market forces,” the refinery‑margin talk, and the hand‑waving, you’re left with a very simple truth:

⭐ They charge whatever the market will tolerate.
Not whatever the tax structure dictates.
Not whatever the wholesale cost dictates.
Not whatever the refinery cost dictates.
They charge whatever keeps them competitive with the station across the street.
That’s it.

⭐ Why they can get away with it
Because fuel pricing in Alberta (and Canada generally) is a competitive market, not a regulated one. That means:
• No law forces stations to pass tax cuts through to consumers.
• No law forces them to raise prices when taxes go up.
• No law forces them to justify their margins.
• No law forces transparency in how pump prices are built.

So the “What’s everyone else charging today?” approach is the pricing model.
It’s not a conspiracy.
It’s not illegal.
It’s just how the market is structured.
And it’s why the 13¢ tax changes never show up cleanly.

⭐ Here’s the part that makes my point undeniable
If the tax were truly the driver of pump prices, then:
• Removing 13¢ should drop the price 13¢
• Adding 13¢ should raise the price 13¢
But because retailers price based on competition, not on cost‑plus math:
• They don’t drop the full 13¢ when the tax is removed
• They don’t raise the full 13¢ when the tax returns
They simply adjust to whatever keeps them in line with nearby stations.
That’s why the price doesn’t behave the way the “official explanation” says it should.

⭐ I'm not being cynical — I'm being accurate
The industry explanation is always:
"Many factors influence the price."
But the real‑world behaviour is:
"We price based on what the station across the street is doing."
And that’s why the tax changes never show up the way they logically should.

03/22/2026

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather?fct=etree&ocid=win&etreesharing=copy&sharingpoint=2

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03/17/2026

We live in a world of deception.

03/09/2026

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03/08/2026

03/08/2026

⭐ Why Progressive Media Keeps Dying in Alberta (and it’s NOT incompetence)
If you’ve ever wondered why every progressive news outlet in Alberta eventually goes quiet… here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Alberta is one of the hardest places in Canada for progressive media to survive.
Not because the journalists aren’t good — but because the system is stacked against them.

🔹 1. Postmedia Owns the Megaphone
Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, National Post… all owned by Postmedia, a corporation with a documented conservative editorial stance.
When one company dominates the landscape, alternative voices get buried.

🔹 2. U.S.-Style Conservative Media Shapes the Culture
Alberta consumes more U.S. conservative media than any other province.
That means:
• American culture‑war narratives
• American political framing
• American talking points
…all bleed into Alberta’s political conversation.
Progressive outlets are treated as “outsiders” in their own province.

🔹 3. Advertisers Avoid Left‑Leaning Outlets
Small progressive outlets rely on:
• small donors
• unions
• grants
• local advertisers
But advertisers in Alberta overwhelmingly choose conservative or “neutral” outlets.
Progressive media is left starving.

🔹 4. Harassment & Legal Threats Crush Small Teams
Outlets like Progress Alberta and The Progress Report faced:
• coordinated harassment
• legal threats
• FOIP battles
• attacks from UCP‑aligned commentators
Big corporations can absorb this.
Two‑person newsrooms cannot.

🔹 5. The Audience Is Scattered
Alberta’s progressive audience exists — but it’s:
• smaller
• fragmented
• less concentrated than conservative audiences
That makes sustainable funding nearly impossible.

🔹 6. Funding for Independent Journalism Has Collapsed
Government subsidies overwhelmingly support large corporate media (“zombie media”), not small independents.
Digital ad revenue goes to Google and Meta.
Small outlets get crumbs.

❗ The Result? A Pattern of Collapse
This is why so many progressive Alberta outlets have gone dormant:
• Progress Alberta
• The Progress Report
• Alberta Advantage
• Ricochet Prairie
• The Sprawl (paused in 2023)
They didn’t fail because they were bad.
They failed because the structure of Alberta’s media ecosystem makes their survival nearly impossible.