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Jason Markusoff

@markusoff.bsky.social
15K followers 606 following 1.1K posts

I write and yak for CBC in Calgary. DMs open, Signal, WhatsApp, and such jason.markusoff@cbc.ca

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Reposted by Jason Markusoff
Sanho Tree @sanho.bsky.social · 11h
Google and Apple immediately update their maps.
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 3h
Alberta separatists who dream of separation are lately trying to persuade voters this referendum is merely about sending Ottawa a message. By me: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
ANALYSIS | Alberta independence campaigners go for soft sell, even if they want a hard exit | CBC News
Pro-separation organizers argue referendum vote is just about 'leverage' with Ottawa. Are voters convinced by that pitch?
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Reposted by Jason Markusoff
Aaron Wherry @aaronwherry.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Canada already has free trade deals with the United States and Europe. The deal with the U.S. was negotiated with the current president. The U.S. is currently violating that deal with tariffs. www.cnbc.com/2026/09/29/j...
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Les Perreaux @perreaux.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
For those who were wondering « why would someone go to that trouble » in the matter of my unidentified writer. www.turkiyetoday.com/world/exclus...
turkiyetoday.com
Exclusive—Fake AI columnist dupes Canadian press to target Moroccan dissidents, and a Turkish 'middleman' - Türkiye Today
The phantom writer communicated exclusively via email and rarely phoned Canadian publications, who were oblivious until Türkiye Today unraveled the matter
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Albertans with Canadian flags attached to their car in 2026 and Albertans with Canadian flags attached to their car in 2021 are completely non-overlapping groups.
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
In a nice saccharine gesture for fans, Georgie’s leading off today, for what's probably his last bow as a Jay. And another gift to those who are still tuning in to this accursed season: Vlad is benched.
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Anna Mehler Paperny @mehlerpaperny.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The share of Albertans surveyed who want to deny migrants the public services they pay for is dropping. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Half of Albertans undecided on 9 non-separation questions, immigration sentiment 'softening': poll | CBC News
Albertans are divided over immigration but attitudes are “softening,” while nearly half still don’t know which way they’ll vote on the nine non-separation questions in the Oct. 19 referendum, a new po...
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Elaine Anselmi @elaineanselmi.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
My new passion is Pinterest posts with really bad ideas for reusing old books.
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Reposted by Jason Markusoff
Alex Boyd @alexboyd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
One of my favourite interview anecdotes from the last couple of years was the government person that pointed out that reported rat sightings in Alberta are (uniquely?) unreliable because so few people in Alberta can accurately identify one. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Alberta’s self-image as world’s only rat-free region shattered by discovery of rat
Province’s rat patrol called in to investigate as town of Bowden announces discovery of dead vermin
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
To put 23% support for a Leave referendum in perspective… The separatist movement is now statistically closer to Zero than it is to a 50% popular majority. The referendum is 24 days from now. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
With time running out, new poll suggests Alberta separatism support is slipping | CBC News
With a little more than three weeks to go until the Oct. 19 referendum, a new poll done for CBC News suggests support for separation has softened since spring.
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
UCP support has plunged in Calgary and outside major cities www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... and the independence movement is now below 25% support. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... It’s Janet Brown/CBC poll time, folks!
cbc.ca
Danielle Smith’s popularity dips as her party now tied with NDP in support: poll | CBC News
The Janet Brown Opinion Research Poll for CBC News suggests 41 per cent of respondents would vote for the UCP if an election were held today, while 41 per cent would vote for the NDP.
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Never been a better time to be a snowbird except oh wait
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Reposted by Jason Markusoff
Chris Turner @theturner.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
In conclusion, Alberta is a land of contrasts
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Reposted by Jason Markusoff
Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
NEWS: My new investigation uncovers the horrific ChatGPT history of the Tumbler Ridge school shooter. OpenAI’s chatbot fueled the shooter's violent fantasies and plans up to the day of the massacre. Chats about guns, timing of attacks, becoming infamous, and more. www.motherjones.com/media/2026/0...
motherjones.com
ChatGPT helped the Tumbler Ridge school shooter focus on guns, tactics, and terror, our investigation reveals
OpenAI’s chatbot fed the shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the massacre.
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Reposted by Jason Markusoff
Charles Rusnell @charlesrusnell.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Via Ashleigh Stewart - Rath commingled trust money and lost $3.25M of alleged First Nations money in bullion trading. $11.5M from Sturgeon Lake trust helped fund Rath firm’s Tallcree payment: receiver | Globalnews.ca globalnews.ca/news/1207056...
globalnews.ca
Global News | Breaking, Latest News and Video for Canada
Globalnews.ca – Watch and read Canada’s Breaking news plus Business, Health, Politics and World News
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André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Will Alberta’s dual-practice model reduce surgery waits — or only for those who can pay? Some warn Alberta's dual-practice model could run the risk of repeating mistakes made in Quebec, by @alexandramaej.bsky.social www.cbc.ca/news/health/... via @cbcnews.ca
cbc.ca
Will Alberta’s dual-practice model reduce surgery waits — or only for those who can pay? | CBC News
As provinces grapple with how to decrease wait times for surgeries, Alberta is introducing a system in which doctors can simultaneously work in public hospitals and do private care on the side — a mod...
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Was it crystal clear I meant non-permanent immigrants here, or should I delete this? Sigh, yesterday was too damned busy.
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A special provincial health fee jist for non-provincial workers in Alberta, atop the taxes they pay. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Alberta premier floats charging temporary residents $1,900 to access public health care | CBC News
The figure comes as Albertans will vote in the Oct. 19 referendum on charging certain non-permanent residents a "reasonable fee or premium" for access to Alberta's health care and education systems.
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A special provincial health fee jist for non-provincial workers in Alberta, atop the taxes they pay. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Alberta premier floats charging temporary residents $1,900 to access public health care | CBC News
The figure comes as Albertans will vote in the Oct. 19 referendum on charging certain non-permanent residents a "reasonable fee or premium" for access to Alberta's health care and education systems.
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Reposted by Jason Markusoff
Glyn Bowerman @glynbowerman.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Everything I read about BC politics right now is like being cornered at a party while a guy on coke badly explains season 4 of a show you’ve never heard of.
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Alberta’s provincial fuel tax going away Oct 1. Premier Danielle Smith announced temporary suspension at Calgary Chamber speech today. Weeks ago, Finance Minister Nixon said cabinet preferred giving direct rebates. Change of heart, I guess.
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Reposted by Jason Markusoff
Helen Pike @helenipike.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
CBC did a transposition of votes to show the results of a Calgary-Shaw election under the Boundary commission’s new electoral maps (yes plural). We don’t know what the official map looks like just yet but this helps illustrate how a big boundary change can change thjngs youtu.be/i9tpD8VNQrs?...
youtu.be
How Alberta's new boundary maps could impact election outcomes
YouTube video by CBC News Alberta
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Reposted by Jason Markusoff
Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
When I first moved to Calgary in 2006, I would regularly tell people outside Alberta that things were weird but not as weird as they seemed from the outside. Now I tell people that they're weirder.
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Reposted by Jason Markusoff
Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Food inspection. Borrowing rates. Disaster bailouts. Joining the WTO. A new report breaks down the many smaller dilemmas for a breakaway Alberta that folks might want to think about before the referendum. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
ANALYSIS | The tangled what-ifs of Alberta separation — from trade and treaties to currency and disaster costs | CBC News
Here's some of what to expect when you're extracting the province from Canada.
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Reposted by Jason Markusoff
Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Jesus Christ, this article will enrage you like nothing else
kron4.com
Tesla driver charged with murdering 2 in San Jose shows no remorse, prosecutors say
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — When Ivana Balistreri and her baby were trapped inside a “fireball,” a Tesla driver who had just crashed into the victims’ car on Highway 87 in San…
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Reposted by Jason Markusoff
Aaron Wherry @aaronwherry.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I return to my contention that the real benefit of Canadian federalism is that at any given moment there's always one province whose political situation can provide entertainment for everyone else.
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Reposted by Jason Markusoff
Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 20/09/2026
That's a good point! But lol northwestern Manitoba and the eastern tip of Anticosti Island being on a single time zone is objectively nuts.
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Food inspection. Borrowing rates. Disaster bailouts. Joining the WTO. A new report breaks down the many smaller dilemmas for a breakaway Alberta that folks might want to think about before the referendum. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
ANALYSIS | The tangled what-ifs of Alberta separation — from trade and treaties to currency and disaster costs | CBC News
Here's some of what to expect when you're extracting the province from Canada.
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
More separatists are challenging Danielle Smith’s leadership — because she’s been taking any stances against their referendum campaign. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
UCP riding group demands leadership review as separatist leader criticizes Danielle Smith's unity stance | CBC News
To force a party vote on the premier's leadership, 22 riding associations would need to make same request.
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
NEW: One UCP riding association wants a leadership review for Danielle Smith. A similar move was the first domino that ultimately cut short Jason Kenney’s leadership in 2022. So watch if this becomes a trend. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
UCP riding group demands leadership review as separatist leader criticizes Danielle Smith's unity stance | CBC News
To force a party vote on the premier's leadership, 22 riding associations would need to make same request.
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Reposted by Jason Markusoff
Dael Norwood @dael.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
What We Do in the Shadows, consumer edition
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Half a million mail-in ballots already requested. That's about one-sixth of all potential voters, or equal to nearly 1/3 of the votes cast in the last provincial election. That's a massive, completely unprecedented number of people skipping the referendum lines. calgary.citynews.ca/2026/09/17/e...
calgary.citynews.ca
Elections Alberta says over 500K mail-in referendum ballots requested so far
Elections Alberta says it has now seen more than 500,000 requests for mail-in ballots for the Oct. 19 referendum. The agency is expecting a record voter turnout, and the number of mail-in ballot reque...
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Here's what I'm blinking in disbelief about today, locally at least. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Former Elections Alberta staff raise ‘mismanagement’ concerns about 'Water Not Coal' petition verification | CBC News
Five former Elections Alberta employees are raising “mismanagement” concerns about how Corb Lund's citizen initiative petition was validated, alleging procedures changed and that there was a lack of t...
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
🚨🤓🚨NEW JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIP LAUNCHES TODAY! CAJ announces the Geoffrey Stevens Fellowship for Political Reporting. Offers $3,500 for a story project about local, provincial or territorial governments. Deadline to apply Oct. 15. Find out more and get idea-ifying now: caj.ca/caj-announce...
caj.ca
CAJ announces new journalism fellowship: Geoffrey Stevens Fellowship for Political Reporting - Canadian Association of Journalists
The Canadian Association of Journalists is proud to announce a new journalism fellowship today for in-depth reporting on local, provincial or territorial issues.The Geoffrey Stevens Fellowship for Pol...
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Reposted by Jason Markusoff
Lisa Young 🇨🇦🇺🇦 @jlisayoung.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
At best, the Elections Alberta is an underfunded, over-employed shambles. At worst, it was responding to government pressure to ensure a desired outcome. If the latter, it’s a 5-alarm fire. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Former Elections Alberta staff raise ‘mismanagement’ concerns about 'Water Not Coal' petition verification | CBC News
Five former Elections Alberta employees are raising “mismanagement” concerns about how Corb Lund's citizen initiative petition was validated, alleging procedures changed and that there was a lack of t...
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
“While you were off getting high with the French”
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 17/09/2026
christ
bloomberg.com
Trump Made 29,000 Securities Trades, More Than All of Congress
Donald Trump made nearly 29,000 securities trades in 17 months — more than every member of Congress combined. The stock-purchasing ban he’s pushing would leave him exempt
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Chris Turner @theturner.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Imagine going back in time to 2003 and explaining to a roomful of progressives that in 2026 Karl Rove would break with the Republican Party on legit ethical principles
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
What’s the one thing Alberta federalists and separatists can agree on? Their distaste for Jason Kenney.
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Alex Boyd @alexboyd.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Everyone is (rightfully, probably) focused on Alberta's separation referendum question, but there are nine (!) other questions also being asked. This is an immensely helpful explainer on the first of the immigration questions. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
ANALYSIS | What you need to know before voting on Alberta’s pitch for more control over immigration | CBC News
Alberta's first of five immigration-related questions in the Oct. 19 referendum pitches more provincial control over immigration.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
#ableg trivia: Calgary-Shaw tonight was only the second time ever that the Alberta NDP picked up a seat in a by-election. The first was Pincher Creek-Crowsnest(!) in 1966.
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Adam MacVicar @adammacvicar.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
NDP leader Naheed Nenshi says result in Calgary-Shaw shows there aren’t any safe UCP seats in the city.
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
This by-election in Calgary’s deep suburbs, in a seat UCP won last time by 14%, had potential to become either a clear warning about Danielle Smith and referendum politics in urban Alberta, or about the NDP leadership of Naheed Nenshi. And well whaddya know. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Alberta NDP win in Calgary-Shaw byelection | CBC News
Unofficial results from Elections Alberta show NDP candidate Kyle Campbell has won Calgary-Shaw by a margin of 582 votes over the UCP's Mike Derry.
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
If every riding in Alberta swung away from UCP and toward NDP as much as they did on this by-election night, this would be an NDP-run province.
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Aaron Wherry @aaronwherry.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
No party getting to 30% would be wild. www.thewrit.ca/p/pq-lead-ho...
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Jeremy Klaszus @klaszus.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Harry Sanders was a true mensch who brought Calgary's history to life. I wrote in The Sprawl about what he meant to the city.
sprawlcalgary.com
Remembering the life and work of Harry Sanders | The Sprawl
He made Calgary history come alive.
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
.... the answer is yes, many of us call them provincial borders and Lloydminster is Border City and I was over-analyzing this because (waves arms kermitically) Deleted post.
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Trying to imagine if Alberta NDP proposed elbowing private companies out of way and 2 new gov't Crown Corps taking lead on natural gas pipeline planning & construction, effectively spiking power prices. @drewanderson.bsky.social's story on Smith gov proposal to do same: thenarwhal.ca/alberta-ai-d...
thenarwhal.ca
Leaked doc suggests Alberta has sprawling plans to pave the way for AI data centres, more oil production
Rewriting laws, creating Crown corporations that could rival TC Energy, building new natural gas pipelines and increasing prices for consumers: what a leaked document says about Alberta’s AI data centre and oil push
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Matthew Black @matthewblack.ca · 11/09/2026
Weekly referendum advertiser round-up: *Federalist advertiser tops weekly fundraising (Alberta's Voice) for 1st time *Separatists continue to lead overall (~$600K margin) *U of A faculty union registers as (federalist) advertiser More words and 📊s here: #ableg #abpoli
edmontonjournal.com
Alberta referendum: Here are the latest third-party advertiser figures ahead of Oct. 19 vote
Check this page on Fridays to see the latest figures and analysis on advertiser fundraising from each side of the Alberta separation vote.
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Positron Prescriber 🇨🇦 @boaconstrictor.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
An editor waits an entire career to write this headline
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