Alberta’s chief electoral officer has greenlit a petition to recall Demetrios Nicolaides, the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Calgary-Bow and Minister of Education and Childcare. The petition application, submitted by Jennifer Yeremiy of Calgary, received approval last week, with the petition officially issued on Oct. 23. Yeremiy has a 90-day window, as per provincial regulations, to gather 16,006 signatures within the electoral division for the petition to be successful.
This marks the first approved recall petition application under the Recall Act, which was passed by the United Conservative Party government in 2021 and subsequently amended in July to lower the recall threshold. Yeremiy’s grounds for the recall are centered on Nicolaides’ alleged lack of support for public education, citing disparities between charter-private school investments and the challenges faced by public education, such as overcrowded classrooms, inadequate resources, and staffing issues.
Approximately 51,000 public, separate, and francophone school teachers in Alberta have been on strike since Oct. 6, prompting Premier Danielle Smith to announce plans for back-to-work legislation. In response, Nicolaides’ office released a statement emphasizing that the recall targets the UCP government’s policies rather than his individual MLA role, cautioning against using the recall process for political differences rather than breaches of public trust.
Yeremiy, a former Alberta Party candidate from Calgary-North West, initiated the petition as a member of AB Resistance, aiming to trigger early elections by submitting multiple recalls. Nicolaides narrowly secured his MLA position for Calgary-Bow in 2023, winning against NDP candidate Druh Farrell. The potential impact of the petition on the UCP and public sentiment remains uncertain, with political science professor Marc Froese suggesting varying outcomes depending on the resolution of the teachers’ strike and public reactions.
Regarding the recall process, Yeremiy’s petition must garner the support of 60% of voters in Calgary-Bow who participated in the last general election, necessitating the collection of 16,006 signatures by Jan. 21, 2026. The duration to secure signatures has been extended to 90 days following legislative amendments. A successful petition will trigger a referendum within Calgary-Bow to decide on Nicolaides’ recall and a subsequent byelection. Nicolaides’ response statement, required under the new legislation, mirrors the one provided to CBC News.