Insect ecologist and author of "Cow patty critters" (Google the title to download your free copy). Tweets are mine; not those of my employer.
Lethbridge, Alberta
Joined November 2012
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Kevin Floate retweeted
⚖️They rejected the independent majority map. The new one looks a lot like the minority report they preferred.⚖️
Alberta’s independent Electoral Boundaries Commission spent more than a year holding public hearings and reviewing submissions. Its majority report (chair Justice Dallas Miller + the two NDP-appointed members) recommended an 89-seat map that added seats where the population has grown — Calgary and Edmonton — and reduced two rural ridings. That is what effective representation under the Charter looks like when growth is concentrated in cities.
The two UCP-appointed commissioners filed a minority report that pushed for more hybrid urban-rural ridings. The majority explicitly rejected that approach as unreasonable and likely unconstitutional.
Instead of accepting the majority report, the government discarded the independent commission’s work, created a new process, and approved a 91-seat map that looks strikingly familiar to the minority vision: Lethbridge reduced to one urban seat and three massive hybrid ridings that stretch far into rural areas, rural communities blended into west Calgary seats, and changes in the Banff area. These are the kinds of lines that dilute urban votes.
CBC’s analysis of 2023 results transposed onto the maps shows the practical effect. The rejected majority map would have produced roughly UCP 47 – NDP 42. The new map produces roughly UCP 50 – NDP 41.
In the legislature, Premier Smith dismissed concerns as a “conspiracy theory” and claimed that if the maps were gerrymandered to benefit the UCP, “they failed miserably,” pointing to seat totals relative to the last election. That comparison ignores the independent majority map the government threw out. That is the relevant baseline.
Independent commissions exist so politicians do not draw the maps that elect them. Rejecting the majority report of a properly constituted, publicly engaged commission and substituting a second process that delivered maps closer to the minority hybrid approach is not a neutral procedural tweak. Facts are facts.
Voters should choose their representatives — not the other way around.
#GerrymanderingAB #FightForAllAlbertans
🤖 Made with AI
Kevin Floate retweeted
Boundary Commissions have kept Lethbridge as 2 self-contained urban ridings for 50+ years. Having UCP MLAs draw a map that carves Lethbridge into ridings that stretch for hundreds of miles in every direction is as brazen as gerrymandering gets.
Kevin Floate retweeted
R-Star was bad. It was rejected for being unpopular. Its replacement - called the “Mature Asset Strategy” (MSA) - is far worse!
Beware Alberta! MSA can take us down financially. It’s only good for oil bros.
factsmtr.substack.com/p/from…
Kevin Floate retweeted
⚠️ BREAKING ⚠️
@YourAlberta has removed provincial habitat protections for the endangered #GreaterSageGrouse without ANY consultation or announcement.
This puts one of #Alberta's iconic, #grasslands species at IMMINENT risk of extirpation 💔
#AbLeg #AbPoli #Wildlife
Kevin Floate retweeted
Absolute unit of a hercules beetle larva
Hercules beetle larvae can grow remarkably large as they spend years underground feeding on decaying wood and organic matter before eventually pupating into the horned adults
Kevin Floate retweeted
As divisive separation vote nears, UCP suddenly changes voter list rules, hampering scrutineers. albertapolitics.ca/2026/09/a… #ableg #abpoli
Kevin Floate retweeted
Again: Agency that can't count straight will soon face millions of referendum votes. Column calgaryherald.com/opinion/co… #ableg #waternotcoal #yyc #yeg #abpoli #cdnpoli #abreferendum
Kevin Floate retweeted
Full video of the Press Conference we held on Tuesday as to seeking judicial review of the Alberta Energy Regulator's latest orphan fund levy decision.
Landowners launch legal challenge of the Alberta Energy Regulator’s “unl... youtu.be/cBTclJ5_xig?si=YBcH… via @YouTube
Kevin Floate retweeted
It’s possible to responsibly develop oil and gas without harming other landowners and stakeholders.
When they are actually harmed, the oil company must compensate.
Simple concepts increasingly ignored in lawless Alberta.
#AERReform
youtu.be/e8VFqQXxvwE?si=sAcv… via @YouTube
Kevin Floate retweeted
An important new resource produced by some of Alberta’s most influential thought leaders.
With so much misinformation and disinformation circulating, this is an honest and trustworthy source of credible information.
Know before you vote!
beforevoting.ca/
Kevin Floate retweeted
This beetle looks like it's wearing a glass shell
The golden tortoise beetle has transparent edges that make its metallic body look as if it's sealed beneath clear glass
Kevin Floate retweeted
The energy sector needs to fulfill its obligations by fully funding the Orphan Fund. Without that commitment how can any level of government advocate for the doubling of production in Alberta?
Fears grow in Alberta as orphan well crisis could leave taxpayers on hook for cleanup ctvnews.ca/canada/article/fe…
@ABDanielleSmith @Alberta_UCP @politicalham @RealTalkRJ #abpoli @MarkJCarney
Kevin Floate retweeted
The UCP's plans to cheat on electoral boundaries is the top story of all of the five major daily newspapers in Alberta this morning.
Kevin Floate retweeted
Each time Alberta has established an Electoral Boundaries Commission to redraw election maps the government has accepted the commission’s majority report, so I was surprised and disappointed to learn that a committee of MLAs has instead been tasked with creating a new map. /1
Kevin Floate retweeted
"Great turnout on a rainy Sunday in support of your local integrated Fire and EMS system. We had over 200 people attend our BBQ and free CPR course.
Contact your councillors and let them know how important this is. Community lives should not be for sale to the lowest bidder”
Kevin Floate retweeted
Meanwhile in Lethbridge…
Looks like the UCP are setting up to rip apart a Fire/EMS system that has worked for decades.
#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli
Tony Deys shouldn’t be here today. But he is, because of Lethbridge's integrated Fire & EMS.
In 2020, Tony suffered a heart attack while playing hockey. He’s alive because help got there quickly and because of the experience of Lethbridge’s firefighter-paramedics. #ableg
Kevin Floate retweeted
"...Mr. Mraiche’s connections to the Premier, some cabinet ministers and procurement officials go far deeper – and have existed for longer – than previously known." archive.today/3h6pw
Kevin Floate retweeted
Elephant in the room indeed. I have had to remind countless colleagues on author credits. Some decide they are the corresponding author on papers where the concept was developed way b4 they were involved & manuscript largely mapped out, but claim Uni policy for assuming CA
The elephant in the room: Authorship practices
Authorship is one of the most important forms of recognition in academia.
It shapes careers, influences promotion, and signals contribution.
But it is also one of the least openly discussed aspects of research.
________________________________________
What authorship is supposed to represent
In principle, authorship reflects meaningful intellectual contribution.
⚫️ Developing the idea
⚫️ Designing the study
⚫️ Conducting the analysis
⚫️ Writing and revising the paper
Most guidelines are clear on this.
But practice does not always follow principle.
________________________________________
What many researchers quietly observe
Across disciplines, a range of authorship practices are widely recognised:
⚫️ Individuals listed as authors despite limited involvement
⚫️ Senior figures included by default
⚫️ Contributors omitted despite significant input
⚫️ Disagreements over author order
⚫️ Authorship influenced by hierarchy rather than contribution
These situations are not rare.
They are often understood, sometimes accepted, and occasionally challenged.
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Why this matters
Authorship is not just symbolic.
It affects:
⚫️ Career progression
⚫️ Research funding opportunities
⚫️ Academic reputation
⚫️ Trust in the research record
When authorship does not accurately reflect contribution, the system becomes distorted.
________________________________________
Why the issue persists
Part of the challenge is structural.
⚫️ Incentive systems reward publication counts
⚫️ Power dynamics can make it difficult to question decisions
⚫️ Norms vary across disciplines and institutions
⚫️ Clear policies do not always translate into consistent practice
As a result, many researchers navigate authorship informally rather than transparently.
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A question worth asking
If authorship is meant to reflect contribution…
how closely does it match reality in practice?
________________________________________
This is one of the quieter challenges in scholarly publishing.
But perhaps it deserves a more open conversation?
