A recall petition has been officially filed with Elections Alberta targeting Calgary-Bow MLA and Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides. The petition, submitted by Calgary resident Jennifer Yeremiy on October 14, is the first application approved under the Recall Act since its introduction in 2021.

Yeremiy cited Nicolaides’ record on public education as the reason for the petition. She alleged the minister has prioritized charter and private school funding while public schools face overcrowded classrooms, insufficient staff, outdated curricula, and inadequate resources. She also claimed that Nicolaides has downplayed Alberta’s role in promoting fossil fuel disinformation in schools nationwide.

The Recall Act allows citizens to initiate petitions to remove elected officials at the provincial, municipal, and school board levels. If the Chief Electoral Officer approves the petition, it triggers a process that could lead to an official recall vote. In this case, notice was also sent to United Conservative Party leader Danielle Smith and Ric McIver, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

Nicolaides responded to the petition, stating that it should not proceed based on policy disagreements. “A recall of an MLA should not proceed when the stated reason is dissatisfaction with government policy rather than a failure in the member’s core duties,” he wrote to Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure. He emphasized that recalls should be reserved for ethical violations, breaches of public trust, or neglect of duty.

Yeremiy has until January 21, 2026, to collect 16,006 signatures — 60 per cent of the 26,676 ballots cast in Calgary-Bow during the 2023 provincial election. Petitioners must be eligible voters who have lived in the riding for at least three months, and Yeremiy can recruit local canvassers who meet the same residency requirement. Once submitted, Elections Alberta will verify the petition within 21 days and announce the results publicly.

Yeremiy, a geophysicist with experience in oil and gas and a former Alberta Party candidate, has launched a website advocating for the recall. She argues that public education in Alberta is under strain, with teachers and staff being overextended while the government invests in private and charter schools.

The petition emerges amid a provincewide teacher strike, now in its third week, affecting 51,000 teachers and 750,000 students. The Alberta Teachers’ Association began the strike on October 6 over wages and classroom conditions. Negotiations with the provincial government are not formally scheduled. Premier Danielle Smith warned that back-to-work legislation may be introduced if no deal is reached before Monday, citing the severe impact on students and families.

The province has offered a 12-per cent wage increase over four years and plans to hire 3,000 additional teachers to address overcrowded classrooms. Teachers, however, argue that more concrete measures are required to handle class sizes and the needs of students with special requirements.