A recall petition has been formally issued against Minister of Education and Childcare and Calgary-Bow UCP MLA Demetrios Nicolaides, citing concerns about public education funding, classroom conditions and government priorities.
The petition was filed by Calgary resident Jennifer Yerimiy, who argues that schools are facing growing pressures while government policy is increasingly favouring charter and private school expansion. The petition notices state that public schools are facing “overcrowded classrooms, inappropriate curricula, inadequate resources and insufficient funding and staff” while charter/private-school funding is slated to rise from $42 million in 2022 to $561 million by 2027.
“I launched this petition because recall legislation is the only means to hold my representative accountable for not listening to the advice of his constituents,” said Yerimiy.
In his formal statement to Elections Alberta, Nicolaides spoke against the petition. He argues that the recall process should be reserved for cases of “breach of public trust, ethical violations or sustained dereliction of local duty” not “dissatisfaction with government policy.”
He went on to state that he was elected in 2023 to represent his constituents and his party platform, and warned that using recall to overturn election results based on policy disagreements “undermines stable governance and the electoral process.”
Under Alberta’s Recall Act, a recall petition must be signed by 60 per cent of eligible voters in the constituency. In Calgary-Bow, this represents 16,006 signatures, based on the 26,676 ballots cast in the 2023 provincial election.
Only eligible electors living in Calgary-Bow can sign the petition, which must be completed within 90 days. If the petition meets the required threshold, Calgary-Bow voters will vote on whether to recall Nicolaides.
Should more than 50 per cent of voters in the jurisdiction support the recall, a byelection will be triggered.
