Alberta Prosperity Project

Alberta Prosperity Project (APP)

Background

The Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) describes itself as “a not-for-profit, non-partisan educational society, uniting all Albertans, businesses, and organizations to protect their prosperity, interests, freedoms, rights, and self-determination.1Alberta Prosperity Project homepage. Archived December 9, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/X1YGT

“Our vision is for the prosperity, individual freedoms and rights of all Albertans to be protected by a new ‘Constitution of Alberta’ that recognizes the Supremacy of God* as foundational to Civil Society and the Rule of Law […],” APP notes on its about page.2ABOUT US,” Alberta Prosperity Project. Archived December 9, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/wip/SW9q3

According to APP’s CEO Dennis Modry, speaking at an event hosted by Ezra Levant’s Rebel News, as of December 2022 the group had created 140 “educational chapters” throughout Alberta. He suggested the goal of APP was to “create the conditions for a citizens initiative to meet the threshold to force the government to hold a referendum on independence.” He concluded, “We have to do something because what’s happening to us with the WEF [World Economic Forum] U.N. agenda and the socialist Marxist vortex that we’re being sucked into has to be stopped.”3Rebel News LIVE! Calgary 2022: Dr. Dennis Modry’s speech,” Rumble video posed by “Rebel News,” December 18, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

“We can do two things. We can influence the outcome of the election, because we’re all aligned philosophically on what needs to happen. That’s number one. But number two, we have the clout now to force the Citizens Initiative Act, a referendum on Alberta independence. So that’s how the Alberta Prosperity Project can influence in the right direction the future for Alberta and maybe the rest of Canada,” Modry said in the Q&A.4Rebel News LIVE! Calgary 2022: Dr. Dennis Modry’s speech,” Rumble video posed by “Rebel News,” December 18, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Modry is a former cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon whose open letter to Jason Kenney on the provincial response to COVID-19 was deemed to contain several “false or unproven” statements by health experts, according to an AFP fact check, and invoked an official response from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA).5Canadian doctor’s open letter about Covid-19 contains false claims,” AFP Canada, December 22, 2020. Archived December 12, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/IHoQW (Press Release). “Clarification of information penned by formerly registered physician Dr. Modry,” CSPA, December 17, 2020. Archived December 12, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/qosZx

APP member and frequent webcast host Chris Scott is the owner of the Whistle Stop Cafe, which has been described as “a centrepiece for defiance against COVID-19 public health measures” in Alberta.6Whistle Stop owner is not anti-mask or a COVID-19 denier, lawyer argues on day 1 of trial,CTV News Edmonton, August 30, 2022. Archived December 20, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/iOYiB

The APP’s first organized meeting was reportedly in Nisku, Alberta, on May 23, 2021 and included Doug Eliznga, Bob Blayone, Rodger Hodgkinson, Dennis Modry, Chris Scott, among others.7As most of you know I am involved with the (APP),” Facebook post by user “Doug Elzinga,” March 9, 2022. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.

Support from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith attended a leadership debate hosted by the Alberta Prosperity Project and Ezra Levant’s Rebel News in August 2022. 

“So part of when I decided I wanted to run [for Alberta premier], I knew how important it was to make sure that we addressed the issues of autonomy,” Smith said at the event. “And I talked to Dr. Modry as one of my first steps. I said, ‘let’s try this together.’”8Danielle Smith: The Alberta Prosperity Project is the ‘or else’ to protect Alberta’s sovereignty,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” October 14, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

In the debate, Smith suggested its members would have the ability to pressure the federal government through the APP’s membership towards a goal such as Alberta’s separation from Canada.

“This is why I take your movement very, very seriously,” she said at the debate. “And why Justin Trudeau should take it very, very seriously, too.”

Dennis Modry said he had spoken to Danielle Smith “on multiple occasions.”9Rebel News LIVE! Calgary 2022: Dr. Dennis Modry’s speech,” Rumble video posed by “Rebel News,” December 18, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Stance on Climate Change

December 7, 2022

“There’s a series of conversations here. One of them is, is carbon dioxide a detriment to the planet or is it a benefit? That’s an entire conversation on its own. Then there’s this other conversation about what policies do we need to enact in order to deal with the answer to question number one? But question number one hasn’t even been answered yet,” APP member Chris Scott commented in a conversation with Robert Lyman, a regular contributor at Friends of Science.10What REALLY happened at COP27?” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” December 7, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

[…]

“These NGOs have come in and they have created this parade by doing protests, by misinformation, by using horribly flawed computer climate models. You name it. Ad campaigns, whatever. … They just pander to the wacko greenie environmentalists’ demands, no matter how outrageous they are,” Chris Scott added later in the interview.

“[…] Human flourishing should be the goal, not net zero. In my opinion.”

October 26, 2022

“Why is it that the conversation about Alberta oil is always a negative one and the conversation about the green scheme, or the green scam as I call it, that always is spun in a positive way? And what I’ve discovered is that if you look at who’s benefiting with either scenario. Alberta energy: Albertans benefit. We benefit greatly, and so does the rest of the country. With the green initiatives, the people that benefit are those who receive subsidies and grants, etc., from the government. Money from our pockets to shift into their pockets because they’re pushing a fairy tale ideology that can’t replace what they’re trying to vilify,” APP member Chris Scott suggested to Friends of Science’s Michelle Sterling during a webinar titled “My Tar Sands Tipping Point with CBC.”11‘My Tar Sands Tipping Point with CBC’ Guest: Michelle Stirling – APP Webinar,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” October 26, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

October 23, 2022

“All of us, at least a growing number of us, are starting to realize that this climate change agenda is a scam. It’s an absolute scam. It has no base in science. The science they used to perpetrate this on us is junk science,” APP member Chris Scott said in a conversation with APP CEO Dennis Modry.12Chris and Kerry will be LIVE with Dr. Dennis Modry,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” October 23, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Modry responded:

“Yeah, there’s something very important here to understand. The narrative changed from global warming when it was evident that there was insignificant global warming. It wasn’t occurring. They shifted the narrative to climate change. Well, the climate has been changing for millennia. So the fact that they’re using that terminology should twig you to realize the invalidity of the argument.”

Modry went on to promote Alex Epstein, who would later speak at an APP event, as “an important ally for us as we fight against this false narrative about climate change”:

“He [Epstein] explains in very, very clear language, in a very simplistic way, to understand that this whole climate narrative in relation to fossil fuels is a false flag entirely and that CO2 actually is good. Here’s something just put this in your brain. CO2 levels right now are running at about 420 parts per million, which is the lowest they’ve been running for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. And plant life, animal life, human life, millennia, many millennia ago was thriving when CO2 levels were ten times what they are now. So it really is false to think that the fossil fossil fuels are causing climate change and global warming.”

October 17, 2022

“The products that are made from oil and gas and basically coal that would fire electrical generators and all that kind of stuff, with that technology, we’d be able to conquer whatever climate change happened to be. If we rose by a couple of degrees or we lowered by a couple of degrees, we’d be able to do something with that,” APP member Kerry Lambert commented in a webinar with Alex Epstein.13APP Webinars – Who is Alex Epstein? With special guest Alex Epstein,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” October 17, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

September 29, 2022

“I was particularly alarmed by a statement by the World Economic Forum in a video in which the gentleman speaking, and I use the term gentleman loosely here, stated. ‘We need to eliminate billions of people. They will find peace in the grave.’ And so, again, I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but you’ve got to think about what’s coming. For example, let’s consider the COVID-19 mandates, and you’re aware of the problems that have occurred, the complications and the death rates that are occurring. Put this in the context of eliminating fossil fuel use, all in the name of climate change and what that’s going to do to the survivability of people in certain climates, whether it’s hot or cold. And think about what reducing and eliminating our use of fertilizer is going to do. Think about what’s coming with respect to the plan to eliminate or dramatically reduce the livestock industry. What does this sound like? Does it sound like a potential culling of the population? And I’m not saying it is. I’m just saying think about it and make your own decision about what is coming,” APP CEO Dennis Modry said at an event at Rocky Mountain House.14Dr. Dennis Modry – A movement to save Alberta – Alberta Prosperity Project – Rocky Mountain House,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” September 29, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

September 15, 2022

“This idea that that we have to sacrifice the quality of human life in order to save the climate is nonsense, right? That is cruel and that’s wrong and it’s also unnatural,” APP director Tanner Hnidey commented during a video titled “Exposing King Charles.”15Exposing King Charles,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” September 15, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

August 18, 2022

Dennis Modry claimed in a webinar that Canada was already “carbon negative”:

“This federal government wants to gut our industry when we are producing a negligible amount of CO2, that all of it is picked up by our boreal forest as our carbon sink, our boreal forest, our agricultural lands, and our muskeg. And therefore, you know, we could probably be producing 10 to 20 times the amount of CO2 that we’re producing and still be carbon negative in this country. But this is not being recognized by this ridiculous federal government.16WARNING: The World Economic Forum Wants To Control Your Live With Their Great Reset! #shorts,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” August 18, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Stance on the World Economic Forum (WEF) and “The Great Reset”

August 2022

“The Great Reset is a highly influential movement by the global elites of the World Economic Forum and the United Nations, who have signed a contract called Agenda 2030. And the purpose of that is to reset the global economy and to restructure the function of society, to control all of us, to control billions of people,” Dennis Modry said at an APP event.17WARNING: The World Economic Forum Wants To Control Your Live With Their Great Reset! #shorts,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” August 18, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

E&E News has described the Great Reset as “a conspiracy theory [that] holds that a global elite is planning to shut down society and restrict personal freedoms, such as eating meat and driving gas-powered cars in their zeal to address climate change.”18Scott Waldman. “Climate foes push Great Reset conspiracy theory,” E&E News, December 6, 2022. Archived January 23, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/213e6

“The Great Reset has been boosted by climate deniers, right-wing media and conservative think tanks that oppose regulations on fossil fuels,” E&E News‘s Scott Waldman added.

“It all began in June 2020 during the depths of COVID-19 lockdowns […] Before long it was turned into a rallying cry against COVID-19 lockdowns and, then, as a warning against climate action. Conservative activists used it to claim that environmental laws and regulations were an attack on their personal freedoms, said John Cook, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Climate Change Communication Research Hub at Monash University in Australia and an expert on climate disinformation.”

According to Waldman, Steve Milloy “was one of the first to push the Great Reset as a climate-related conspiracy theory” in the US.

July 27, 2022

“Many Albertans and people around the world are really very much concerned about the socialist Marxist agenda of the UN WEF contract agreement term Agenda 2030. And consequently, the APP cannot support any international institution that usurps or is planning to usurp a country’s sovereignty, or that will compromise energy and food security of any nations, or that will trample the inalienable freedoms and rights of individual citizens,” Dennis Modry said at an APP webinar discussing “UNDRIP and Alberta Independence.”19APP Live Webinar – UN-Answered: UNDRIP and Alberta Independence,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” July 27, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Stance on Renewables

October 26, 2022

“So why is it that the conversation about Alberta oil is always a negative one and the conversation about the green scheme or the green scam, as I call it, that always is spun in a positive way? And what I’ve discovered is that if you look at who’s benefiting with either scenario, Alberta energy: Albertans benefit. We benefit greatly, and so does the rest of the country. With the green initiatives, the people that benefit are those who receive subsidies and grants, etc., from the government. Money, from our pockets to shift into their pockets, because they’re pushing a fairy tale ideology that can’t replace what they’re trying to vilify,” Chris Scott commented in a webinar titled “My Tar Sands Tipping Point with CBC.” 20‘My Tar Sands Tipping Point with CBC’ Guest: Michelle Stirling – APP Webinar,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” October 26, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Alberta Prosperity Project’s Stance on UNDRIP

“APP absolutely does not support UNDRIP,” APP’s CEO Dennis Modry said during a webinar on July 27, 2022.21APP Live Webinar – UN-Answered: UNDRIP and Alberta Independence,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” July 27, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

“We don’t need a woke United Nations to ram down our throats their socialist, Marxist agenda,” Modry said during the webinar’s Q&A session, answering a question on concerns about “WEF Agenda 2030.”

What is UNDRIP?

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) is a comprehensive statement addressing the human rights of indigenous peoples. “The document emphasizes the rights of indigenous peoples to live in dignity, to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and traditions and to pursue their self-determined development, in keeping with their own needs and aspirations,” the United Nations wrote.22Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” (PDF), United Nations, June 24, 2008 (PDF document creation date).

Canada officially endorsed UNDRIP in 2016 and passed its federal version of UNDRIP, Bill C-15, in June 2021.23Sander Duncanson, Coleman Brinker, Maeve O’Neill Sanger, and Kelly Twa. “Federal UNDRIP Bill becomes law,” Osler, June 22, 2021. Archived December 14, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/iBROs

Funding

In a discussion on a Grey Matter podcast, Modry claimed “as the CEO, and the commitments that I’ve made to some of the benefactors, we will never become a party and we will never back any given party.”24Dennis Modry shares more on his infamous letter to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney,Grey Matter, May 19, 2022. Archived January 18, 2023. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/g5BOK

The group offers a donation page25DONATE TO HELP US PROTECT ALBERTA’S SOVEREIGNTY!Alberta Prosperity Project. Archived January 19. 2023. as well as memberships starting at $20.

Key Documents

Key People

As of 2022, the following people were listed on the Alberta Prosperity Project’s website:26ABOUT US,” Alberta Prosperity Project. Archived December 12, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/T07Ny

NameTitle
Dennis ModryChief Executive Officer (CEO)
Rejean LavoieChief Operations Officer (COO)
Walter Harris-DemeloVP Communications
Jeff RathVP General Counsel
Pam LehrProvincial Events Coordinator
Will StayerVP Internal Affairs

Dennis Modry — CEO

Dennis Modry, formerly a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, sued Alberta Health Services “alleging they conspired to restrict and eventually suspend his operating privileges,” according to Global News/The Canadian Press in 2015.27John Cotter. “Prominent heart surgeon sues Alberta Health Services,” Global News, January 29, 2015. Archived December 12, 2022. Archive URL:https://archive.vn/ruEWq

Modry’s profile at the Alberta Prosperity Project says that he retired on January 1, 2016, and that he worked on several provincial finance committees under Alberta Conservative Governments of Premiers Peter Lougheed, Don Getty, Ralph Klein, and Ed Stelmach.28DENNIS MODRY,” Alberta Prosperity Project. Archived December 12, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/BAMvU Modry has said he was the former vice president of policy and governance for the Wildrose Independence Party, and that Peter Downing, who started Wexit Alberta, was “a good friend of mine.”29Dennis Modry shares more on his infamous letter to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney,Grey Matter, May 19, 2022. Archived January 18, 2023. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/g5BOK

On March 31, 2021, the Western Standard published an open letter by Modry to Premier Jason Kenney on Kenney’s COVID-19 response.30Dave Naylor. “MODRY: An open letter to Kenney on his COVID-19 response to me,” Western Standard, March 31, 2021. Archived December 13, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/QVYBX AFP Fact Check found that the letter contained false claims, and that “medical experts say several claims in the letter are false or unproven, and Modry is not currently licensed to practice, according to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta.”31Canadian doctor’s open letter about Covid-19 contains false claims,” AFP Canada, December 22, 2020. Archived December 12, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/IHoQW

“The article suggested Dr. Modry is a currently practising physician; however, it’s important to note he is not licensed to practise medicine in Alberta. Dr. Modry’s specialization was in surgery, he does not have expertise in public health,” the CPSA wrote in a press release.32(Press Release). “Clarification of information penned by formerly registered physician Dr. Modry,” CPSA, December 17, 2020. Archived December 12, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/qosZx

In the article, Modry promoted the Great Barrington Declaration, a document sponsored by the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) that advocated for herd immunity as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization and other health experts have suggested a herd immunity strategy would be “unethical,” dangerous, and deadly. 33WHO chief says herd immunity approach to pandemic ‘unethical‘,” The Guardian. October 12, 2020. Archived October 21, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/VzXle

Modry graduated from the University of Alberta (U of A) school of medicine in 1973, and eventually returned to the U of A in 1980 to develop a heart-long transplant program. He performed the first heart transplant in Western Canada in July 1985.34Amy Samson. “Five summer student researchers that went on to do great things,” University of Alberta, November 3, 2017. Archived January 18, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zJcEx

He also set out to develop a luxury condominium project in downtown Edmonton, Alberta.35Gordon Kent. “Future unclear for luxury Whitemud Drive condominium project,” Edmonton Journal, December 5, 2017. Archived January 18, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/UqbBG He was formerly on the board of Imperial Equities Inc, a real estate development company based in Edmonton. 36(Press Release). “Imperial Equities Announces Changes to it’s Board of Directors,” Imperial Equities Inc, March 7, 2017. Archived January 18, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/I5ohG

Rejean Lavoie

Rejean Lavoie’s profile at the Alberta Prosperity Project says he “has had a varied and successful career in large petro-chemical facilities (Dow and Dow joint venture Sadara)” as well as three “small private technology start-up ventures.”37REJEAN LAVOIE,” Alberta Prosperity Project. Archived December 12, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/mZaOl


Walter Harris-Demelo
—VP Communications

“I’ve studied the globalists, their history and agenda, and know the threat they pose to our future and the future of our children,” Walter Harris-Demelo wrote in his profile at the Alberta Prosperity Project.38WALTER HARRIS-DEMELO,” Alberta Prosperity Project. Archived December 12, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/YcuFR

“Since the beginning of the Covid Wars, Albertans have been labeled as ‘Non Essential’, and our way of life has been mandated against and criminalized. We are being conditioned to bow down to men in white lab coats who promise to ‘save us’ with science – the priest class of our time who promise ‘to make it rain’ in exchange for our freedoms. We are being conditioned to believe that humans are bad for the environment and that population control is necessary to save the planet – this is a lie. The global elites are working very hard to implement systems that can track, trace and database us. This claim used to be called a ‘conspiracy theory’ but history has proven that it is a conspiracy fact,” he added.

“A long time ago, I decided to “burn my ships” and dedicate myself to resisting this anti-human agenda, that they now call ‘The Great Reset.’ The path I’ve chosen has led me to meet and speak with some of the most interesting and informative people on Earth. Inevitably, my journey led me to Dr. Dennis Modry and the Alberta Prosperity Project, where I found a community who cared about preserving freedom, prosperity, and independence as much as I did. I want to share this community with all Albertans.”

According to his LinkedIn profile, he was an educational technologist with the Maskwacis Education Schools Commission until December 2021, and joined the Alberta Prosperity Project in February 2022.39Walter Harris-DeMelo,” LinkedIn. Accessed December 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Jeff Rath

Listed as VP General Counsel to the Alberta Prosperity Project,40JEFF RATH,” Alberta Prosperity Project. Archived January 18, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/W6gF4 Jeffrey R. W. Rath is a barrister and solicitor with Rath & Company.41Jeffrey R. W. Rath,” Rath & Company. Archived January 18, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/awn1s According to his profile, “Jeff Rath has used his vast amount of knowledge and experience to effectively advocate for the rights and interests of First Nations in Canada at all levels of court in Canada for over 20 years.”

Rath & Company runs a COVID-19 litigation website where they claim to represent “a number of groups of citizens of Alberta and Canada who are fighting for Medical Professionals, Alberta Public Service Employees, Businesspeople, Frontline Responders, and others who are suffering as a result of abusive Federal and Provincial COVID-19 related mandates.” The group is launching a class action lawsuit for “individuals who feel that they have been harmed by the Governments Response to COVID-19.” 42Homepage, RathcoCovidLitigation.com. Archived January 18, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/8CIZB

In what appears to be the unedited version43Premier Smith Has the Solution to Notley’s Brand of Stalinism” (PDF), RathcoCovidLitigation.com, October 17, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. of an article by Rath later published in the Western Standard,44RATH: What Premier Danielle Smith should have said,” Western Standard, October 21, 2022. Archived January 18 2023. he describes Rachel Notley, leader of the Opposition of Alberta, as “a reactionary, big pharma supporting, fascist in skirts who hypocritically cries crocodile tears over Danielle Smith suggesting that the discrimination against the unvaccinated was the worst discrimination she has seen in her lifetime.”

“Peer-reviewed ‘SCIENCE’ confirms that the so-called vaccines do not keep the ‘vaccinated’ from
spreading COVID at lower rates than the unvaccinated,” Rath wrote in the original version. “A Royal Commission needs to be empaneled sooner rather than later to examine all of the conduct
of every member of the medical establishment within AHS and the CPSA that were complicit in
the deaths of thousands of Albertans through their misguided avoidance of every known medical
ethic and safeguard.”45Premier Smith Has the Solution to Notley’s Brand of Stalinism” (PDF), RathcoCovidLitigation.com, October 17, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Pam Lehr

The Alberta Prosperity Project lists Pam Lehr as its provincial events coordinator on its website. According to her bio, “One of my passions is living a healthy lifestyle the ‘natural’ way. It started in 2016 when I took a CrossFit and Paleo challenge and have continued with eating whole nutrient-dense foods. In 2021, I took my holistic nutritionist training and am an advocate for an alternate healthcare system.”46PAM LEHR,” Alberta Prosperity Project. Archived January 18, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Kpobj She describes herself as a “Professional Women’s Weight Loss Holistic Nutritionist” on LinkedIn.47Pam Lehr,” LinkedIn. Accessed January 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Will Stayer

AP lists Will Stayer as its VP of internal affairs on its website.48WILL STAYER,” Alberta Prosperity Project. Archived January 18, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/twNgo A Will Stayer residing in Red Deer lists himself as a regional sales manager of Morooka USA on LinkedIn.49Will Stayer,” LinkedIn. Accessed January 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Directors

APP’s registration documents listed the following directors:

Lawrence Courtoreille

Lawrence Courtoreille lists himself as president and owner of Courtoreille Resources Inc. on LinkedIn.50Lawrence Courtoreille,” LinkedIn. Accessed January 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Alberta corporate registries suggest the company was originally Cree Creek Ltd. and renamed on November 19, 1998. Courtoreille was previously listed on the APP website as their VP for Indigenous sovereignty, however he no longer appears on their website. His profile at APP describes him as a member and former elected Chief of Mikisew Cree First Nation as well as former elected Alberta Vice Chief for the Assembly of First Nations.”51LAWRENCE COURTOREILLE,” Alberta Prosperity Project. Archived August 12, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/QNuvf

Alain Gauthier

The Alberta Prosperity Project introduced Alain Gauthier as their VP of Technology on social media on June 30, 2022 and APP’s corporate registration documents have listed him as a director. His email address is also provided under the registered office.

The APP website offers the following bio for Gauthier:

“Alain Gauthier is the founder of a digital education business, a curriculum designer and a
facilitator.

“After decades as an Information Technology professional, Alain has facilitated learning for teens
and adults on Internet Safety, Information Security Systems, Insurance, and Personal Development. His passion, as always, is helping people make the most of their potential, including making the most of the technology available to them. Over the past year, Alain became involved with the Alberta Independence movement after concluding that the Canadian Federation is broken and that sovereignty is the best and only option for Albertans.”52Walter Harris-DeMelo.”Alain Gauthier” (PDF), Alberta Prosperity Project, February 15, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

That digital education business was ClickPlay2Learn, formerly netLEARNnow, and originally AlbertaInsuranceExam.com which he founded in 2009.53About us,” ClickPlay2Learn. Archived December 21, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/0PYz3

Walter Harric-Demelo
Walter Harric-Demelo lists himself as the VP of Communications for the Alberta Prosperity Project on his Linkedin account.54Walter Harris-DeMelo,” LinkedIn. Accessed January 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Harric-Demelo has described the COVID-19 vaccine as “fake” and a “conspiracy to hurt people via injections” and those who promote it as “Paid off shill doctors” on social media.55The COVID injection was not a vaccine and is hurt millions of people. The evidence of conspiracy to hurt people via injections is mounting. Real docs believe in informed consent. Paid off shill doctors continue to praise the fake vaccines,” Twitter post by user @WalterHDemelo, October 24, 2022. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.

Tanner Hnidey

Tanner Hnidey lists himself as a “B.A. in Economics from the University of Calgary. Interest in Austrian Economics and Industrial Organization. Author of ‘True Christianity.’ President of Tanner Hnidey INC.” on his LinkedIn account. Under his experience, he also lists himself as the Vice President of Economics for the Alberta Prosperity Project.56Tanner Hnidey,” LinkedIn. Accessed January 2023. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

On his personal website and blog, Hnidey describes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a “harbinger of sin.” Hnidey adds, “He’s always looking down upon us, which means he’s never looking up at Lord.” He also writes to warn of the World Economic Forum.57A Prayer Against The WEF,Tanner Hnidey, January 13, 2023. Archived January 17, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/B6H1F

“Mr. Trudeau is the incarnation of King Herod, and like King Herod, Trudeau also serves a Caesar. At the WEF, G7, G20, and other global meetings, Malthusian powers unite all other powers for a sinister purpose […]”

Hnidey has described the environmentalist movement as “evil,” and “uncivilized and anti-civilization.”58The More I Learn About Environmentalism, The More Evil I Think It Is | COP26,” Tanner Hnidey, November 6, 2021. Archived January 17, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/HzV2P

“[R]adical-environmentalists are not heroes; they are not benevolent. They are not gentle or kind (just listen to their speeches). They’re angry, vitriolic, unhinged, ideologues, and they exploit fossil fuels and pseudo-science to advance their agenda,” he wrote. “Make no mistake. Our war is not against climate change, but against the imposition of a Marxist state, and the zone of battle is becoming very hot.”

Rob Patterson

Robert Patterson, according to a profile on the Alberta Prosperity Project website, is a “Financial and Risk Management professional with over 30 years of experience in the Energy, Financial Services and Not for profit sectors.”59“Robert Patterson” (PDF), Alberta Prosperity Project. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. A Robert Patterson matching this description on LinkedIn, now a managing director with Venrisk Inc., previously worked in risk management with Talisman Energy, with energy industry clients with Price Waterhouse Coopers, and previously as a manager with Arthur Andersen & Co. where he offered “consulting services to oil & gas clients (e.g. Petro-Canada).” His earliest listed position was as a business analyst and later a “joint venture agreements advisor” to Imperial Oil starting in 1989.60Robert Patterson,” LinkedIn. Accessed January 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

David Steckenreiter

The Alberta Prosperity Project introduced David Steckenreiter as its VP of Education on Facebook.61Meet our VP of education, David Steckenreiter!” Facebook post by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” June 29, 2022. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.

According to his profile at the Alberta Prosperity Project website: “I have been a Registered Medical Laboratory Technologist, I have a Master’s degree in the arts. I have been involved with the education business, curriculum development, the hospitality and entertainment business (mainly in Banff and Lake Louise). In the 80’s I was involved with the Cosmopolitan Club (service) and presided one year as President.” He concluded: “I see no benefit in Confederation for Alberta. We, the people, are the Majority! Ottawa and Edmonton refuse to listen to our concerns. They continue to trapple [sic] our God given Freedoms so we are uniting to take back what is rightfully ours.”62“David Steckenreiter” (PDF), Alberta Prosperity Project. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Bob Blayone — Former director (ceased April 4, 2022)

According to Medicine-Hat based CHAT-TV, Bob Blayone ran as a member of the The Independence Party of Alberta in a in Brooks-Medicine Hat byelection. They describe him as the “former president and a co-founder of the Alberta Prosperity Project.63Chris Brown. “Independence Party of Alberta fielding candidate in Brooks-Medicine Hat byelection,” CHAT News Today, October 19. 2022. Archived January 19. 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/cgcBE

Blayone has opposed UNDRIP on social media, describing it as “treachery” on a January 17 2023 Facebook post. “We have been allowing crimes against humanity to unfold for far too long. And now, they’re coming for the rest of us,” he wrote, discussing a video by 64Adrien D Thomas. “Truth. Listen to this man.” Facebook post by user “Bob Blayone,” January 17, 2023. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.

“Truth. Listen to this man. He is speaking of UNDRIP and the UN Sustainable Development Agenda. Indian people know very well of this treachery.

We have been allowing crimes against humanity to unfold for far too long. And now, they’re coming for the rest of us.”

He has described the COVID-19 vaccine as “vile poison.”65A close friend recently held me accountable. It was regarding a difference of opinions, and my friend was right.“Facebook post by user “Bob Blayone,” January 15, 2023. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.

Blayone has also posted about “The Great Reset” describing it as “a vile agenda to change our free and democratic society to that of Global State control. It’s happening. Legislation is coming forward like a freight train. Western politicians and governments around the world participate in implementing The Great Reset – A Social Credit System where, ‘You’ll Own Nothing and You’ll be Happy…'””The Great Reset; Alberta UCP connection (Redone),” Facebook post by user “Bob Blayone,” March 7, 2022. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.

Marc Chayer — Former director (ceased Feb 8, 2022)

A Marc Chayer has been listed as the branch manager for Brogan Fire & Safety LTD. in Whitecourt, Alberta.66About BROGAN FIRE & SAFETY LTD,” Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/bIho8 Marc Chayer has also been the president of the Constituency Association for the West Yellowhead riding of the Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta.67Serena Lapointe. “A new political party with a familiar name wants to bring real change to Alberta,” Toronto Star, May 25, 2021. Archived January 18, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7OAXC

Doug Ford — Former director (ceased February 8, 2022)

Doug Ford is a resident of the village of Donnelly Alberta, and not to be confused with the Premier of Ontario. There is a Doug Ford that also serves as a member of the Smoky River region Chamber of Commerce. Donnelly, Alberta is within the Municipal District of Smoky River.68Chambers amalgamate,” Smoky River Express, April 14, 2022. Archived November 28, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SML0C

Doug Melvin Elzinga — listed as of January 31, 2022.

Doug Elzinga ran for mayor of Yellowhead County in 2021.69Candidates List,” Yellowhead County. Archived January 18, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/MVfIN He maintained a Facebook page for his candidacy with its most recent post in October of 2021.

When he announced his run, Elzinga commented: “I care about EVERY industry in the county; not just farming; but logging, mining, oil and gas, and all the spin off that follows. I am running because I see businesses all over the county hurting financially. You will NEVER see me vote for a tax increase. I am of a Libertarian bent, I hate excessive taxes and red tape. I don’t like government interference. Property rights are very important to me.”70It’s Official!! I’m running for Mayor for Yellowhead County!” Facebook post by profile “Doug Elzinga For Yellowhead County Mayor,” October 18, 2019. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.

Other APP Members

Chris Scott

Chris Scott, owner of the Whistle Stop Cafe, faced a total of 11 charges including nine related to the Public Health Act for keeping his business operating against public health guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.71Whistle Stop owner is not anti-mask or a COVID-19 denier, lawyer argues on day 1 of trial,CTV News Edmonton, August 30, 2022. Archived December 20, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/iOYiB

Scott said he joined the Alberta Prosperity Project after looking for solutions after he opened his restaurant against restrictions.

“I’ve been looking for solutions. Like a real solution, not just a temporary force-a-judge-to-throw-your-stuff-out-of-court solution, but a lasting solution that other people can apply to their lives and can literally make the world better for other people,” Scott said.

“[T]he minute we stand up as Albertans and we say, we’re not going to live like this, we’re not going to put up with cancel culture and wokeness and critical race theory and, and all of these ideologies that they twist the truth and celebrate lies. Albertans don’t want to do that.

“And that’s the reason why I speak and advocate for the Alberta Prosperity Project, because the solutions they’re offering, they’re plausible, they’re probable, they’re lawful, they’re peaceful, and nobody’s left behind. It’s not a left or a right thing. This is a freedom loving Albertans, or not.”72Why did Chris Scott join the Alberta Prosperity Project?” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” June 21, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Scott regularly hosts webinars and videos for the Alberta Prosperity Project, published on their YouTube channel and other social media platforms.

Scott has noted that he is on the board of WS Full Steam Ahead, a group he helped create “to advocate for people that have been affected by the [COVID-19] vaccine.”

“Vaccine death is probably a very… that’s strongly affected by the vaccine mandates. So what we did is we. We are not partnered, but we are cooperating and working with Leighton Gray, who has filed or is filing a class action lawsuit against Pfizer for vaccine injuries and vaccine deaths,” Scott said in a webinar with Dennis Modry.73Chris and Kerry will be LIVE with Dr. Dennis Modry,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” October 23, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Actions

December 18, 2022

APP CEO Dennis Modry appeared at Ezra Levant‘s Rebel News live event in Calgary, Alberta “to discuss the significance of self-determination in governance, Alberta’s future, and more.” The video was posted to the video platform Rumble.74Rebel News LIVE! Calgary 2022: Dr. Dennis Modry’s speech,” Rumble video posed by “Rebel News,” December 18, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

The New York Times described Rumble as “the right-wing’s go-to video site75Jeremy W. Peters. “Rumble, the Right’s Go-To Video Site, Has Much Bigger Ambition,” The New York Times, March 28, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/DIkOB and some have listed it among “alt-tech” social-media platforms.76Kaitlyn Tiffany. “What If Rumble Is the Future of the Social Web?The Atlantic, October 31, 2022. Archived December 31, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/BmH90

“We find ourself spiralling down into this vortex of progressive Marxism and socialism until eventually we will own nothing and we won’t be happy and we won’t have prosperity unless we come together and do something amazing. And that’s what the Alberta Prosperity Project is all about,” Modry said in his speech.

“If you can’t open and change the Constitution, what can you do? It’s all about leverage, folks. It’s the leverage that you can give the provincial government consequent to a successful referendum on Alberta independence.”

He added later:

“Did you think at one time that you owned your own body? You found out through COVID that you didn’t, right? This is the kind of federal government that we’re dealing with. […] We are facing the most profound elimination of the basic tenet of democracy: the loss of free speech, with Bill C-11.”

December 7, 2022

APP interviewed regular Friends of Science contributor Robert Lyman in a segment titled “What REALLY happened at COP27?77What REALLY happened at COP27?” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” December 7, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

“If we completely eliminate our emissions, it would make such small a difference to the global emissions level that you cannot measure it. Basically what I’m saying here is that these emissions reductions are not being done to change the climate or to change the temperature or to alter extreme weather events. This is pure virtue signaling, symbolic virtue signalling, and I mean, I hate to sort of put it in those stark terms, but that is exactly how I see it having studied this for a very long time,” Lyman claimed in the interview.

Chris Scott responded:

“I agree with you. And the prize that we get for this, this false virtue is catastrophic impacts to the lives and the prosperity of Canadians.”

He later added, “There’s a series of conversations here. One of them is, is carbon dioxide a detriment to the planet or is it a benefit? That’s an entire conversation on its own. Then there’s this other conversation about what policies do we need to enact in order to deal with the answer to question number one? But question number one hasn’t even been answered yet.”

According to Lyman, the oil and gas industry “been particularly targeted and victimized” in the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “The mainstream media in Canada does not present a balanced and objective view of the advantages and disadvantages of climate policy,” Lyman claimed.

“The climate change realists or the climate change skeptics, whatever you want to call them, are a tiny minority, and they’re very poorly funded. So it’s very difficult to tell the story that you’re offering me an opportunity to tell you here today,” he later added.

“These NGOs have come in and they have created this parade by doing protests, by misinformation, by using horribly flawed computer climate models. You name it. Ad campaigns, whatever. …They just pander to the wacko greenie environmentalists’ demands, no matter how outrageous they are,” Chris Scott responded.

November 16, 2022

Kerry Lambert and Chris Scott interviewed78APP Webinars – Michelle Stirling: Unmarked or Mass Graves?” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” November 16, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog. Friends of Science‘s Communication Director 79Michelle Sterling”Michelle Stirling,” LinkedIn. Accessed December 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. on mass graves found in Alberta. See some notable quotes below the video.

Michelle Sterling: [00:21:27] “I got into it because I’d done a number of historical documentaries and I met with a number of pioneers. I met with the last living RCMP officer, Northwest Mounted police officer, who first trekked west. So, you know, I just knew that it was wildly exaggerated. And and I guess the thing that is very important for us as Albertans and as Canadians is that this is really driving a wedge between groups within society. It’s creating hatred and resentment between groups. And some of that might still exist with the facts that I hope to show you tonight. But I don’t think it would be at the level of outrage. You know, there are many people who do have very real and painful, horrible experiences from residential schools. But the facts of the context of history also need to frame those experiences for all of us so that we understand what life was like back then. You know, it wasn’t a cakewalk.” [00:22:37]

Chris Scott: [00:24:52] “The narrative that’s been spun and presented en masse to Canada is that the people that were running the residential schools were so bad and they were so abusive to the people in these schools that they just would, you know, beat them to death and throw them outside and bury them and, you know, and not do anything about it. That’s that’s kind of the narrative that people are pushing. And because of it, all of the sudden, because I’m a white Christian of European descent, I’m responsible for a genocide of an entire people.” [00:25:28]

October 26, 2022

APP’s Chris Scott interviewed Michelle Sterling for a webinar titled “My Tar Sands Tipping Point with CBC.” Some notable quotes below.80‘My Tar Sands Tipping Point with CBC’ Guest: Michelle Stirling – APP Webinar,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Alberta Prosperity Project,” October 26, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Chris Scott: [00:04:05] “So we have conversations with people like Michelle who are very knowledgeable on these subjects, and hopefully this will give you an idea, maybe some tools to use in your conversations with with other Albertans, as to how we can change the conversation from ‘Alberta is the embarrassing cousin of Canada’ to ‘Alberta is a global leader in clean, ethical energy. And we should be we should be rejoicing for it.'” [00:04:36]

Chris Scott: [00:13:43] “Every now and then we have something happen in energy or agriculture or whatever, and animals die or there’s something bad that happens. But if you put it in the context of how many people, how many people’s lives are enriched or able to prosper, how many lives are saved as a result of that industry where we had this incident happened, all of a sudden, the scales of what would you call it, the scales of. …” [00:14:06]

Michelle Sterling: (Completing Chris Scott’s statement)[00:14:09] “The balance of the importance changes.” [00:14:13]

Chris Scott: [00:14:14] “Yeah, like the scales of public perception, of public justice, they weigh very, very heavily on like in favor of the energy industry. So that’s something I’m hoping that we see more of in the in the upcoming months is that the information getting out there, like from folks like you who are are breaking down this narrative that everything Alberta does that has anything to do with oil or gas is evil, and the reality is what we do enriches the lives of every person on the globe in one way or another.” [00:14:50]

Michelle Sterling: [00:14:59] “Yeah, that’s part of it. And also the bigger picture is that Alberta has really been the poster child for the push for renewables and cap and trade worldwide. What could make renewables, which are very unreliable, very expensive, and really useless except for generating renewable energy certificates, what could make them look like a good deal, unless you compare them to something that looks ghastly and you call it dirty?” [00:15:28]

And of course, the mining, the surface mining of the oilsands was the perfect image to contrast that with renewable energy and say this oil is dirty, coal is dirty, gas is dirty, but this wind is clean. It’s beautiful. This solar panel is beautiful. These are clean and they’re free. There’s nobody ever says, hey, wait a minute, these guys are made from those guys so how can this be clean and beautiful and free if it’s made from oil, gas, and coal? But it was a perfect marketing scheme. [00:16:05]

Michelle Sterling: [00:25:50] “In Alberta, we have the perfect example of what climate change is. Go to the Royal Tyrrell Museum, go down to Okotoks and stand by that big rock. That big rock came all the way from Jasper, 400 kilometers. So where did all that ice go? Calgary used to be under two miles of ice. Where did it go? There were no SUVs. So, you know, we have the evidence actually right here in the province to argue against the catastrophe narrative. And, of course, again, that doesn’t mean that humans don’t affect climate. We do, but not catastrophically so. And our impact in terms of the atmospheric concentration is nominal.” [00:26:34][43.9]

Chris Scott: [00:27:01] “So a question comes to mind: what are we willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of what may or may not be largely human impact, and you know in order to change the climate by a margin, that is mostly insignificant. I think this whole thing needs to be relooked at.” [00:27:25]

Contact & Address

APP listed the following address on its “donate” page:86DONATE TO HELP US PROTECT ALBERTA’S SOVEREIGNTY!Alberta Prosperity Project. Archived January 19. 2023.

ALBERTA PROSPERITY PROJECT
P.O. Box 47083 RPO Creekside
Calgary, Alberta
T3P 0B9

The Alberta Prosperity Project (Legal name Alberta Prosperity Society) listed what appears to be Alain Gauthier personal address as its registered office in its corporate registration.

As of January 2023, APP claimed to have chapters in the following Alberta cities, towns, and hamlets:

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