Martin Z. Olszynski
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molszyns.bsky.social
Martin Z. Olszynski
@molszyns.bsky.social
8.3K followers 1.7K following 590 posts
Associate Professor & Chair in Energy, Resources & Sustainability @ U of Calgary Faculty of Law. Co-editor @ablawg.bsky.social. Thinking about land-use planning, trade-offs, and muddling through.

Calgary, AB/Treaty 7 🇨🇦
Posts Replies Media Videos
molszyns.bsky.social
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Some voters alarmed by self-declaration requirement on mail-in ballots for Alberta referendum | CBC News
Some Albertans who received their mail-in ballots for the province's fall referendum say they were surprised and concerned by a self-declaration requirement on the front page of their voting package a...
www.cbc.ca
September 5, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
facetsjournal.bsky.social
Can a shared global commitment to #ScientificIntegrity help counter misinformation, polarization and the politicization of science?

Dr. Mona Nemer / Dre Mona Nemer and C. Scott Findlay make the case for a global scientific integrity covenant ▶️ https://ow.ly/p0Ne50ZzQvq

#AI
Cover of FACETS 10th Anniversary Collection featuring 'Scientific Integrity for a Changing World' with photos of Dr. Mona Nemer and Dr. C. Scott Findlay.
August 20, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
watershedlab.bsky.social
🚨Funding for 2yr postdoc w/me & @geocron.bsky.social on landslide-tsunami-jökulhlaup, but (this is the ridiculous part) I need to select someone NOW or I lose the $. If you're NOT in Canada (can be any nationality) & interested email CV & transcripts by midnight MT, June 12. 🧪⚒️ @igs-egg.bsky.social
icebergs in a glacial lake
June 12, 2026 at 3:25 AM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
watershedlab.bsky.social
🚨New paper about the second largest tsunami ever recorded, just published in @science.org A short 🧪⚒️🌊 thread #EGU26 @ucalgary.bsky.social @ucalgaryscience.bsky.social doi.org/10.1126/scie...
A 481-meter-high landslide-tsunami in a cruise ship–frequented Alaska fjord
Early in the morning of 10 August 2025, a >64 × 106 m3 landslide struck Tracy Arm fjord in Alaska. The landslide was preconditioned by glacial retreat caused by climate change. The resulting 481 m run...
doi.org
May 6, 2026 at 12:21 PM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
blakeshaffer.bsky.social
annual reminder: Alberta's deficit is a choice.
February 27, 2026 at 12:59 AM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
marcelias.bsky.social
NEW: A federal judge in Oregon issued a sweeping rebuke of the Justice Department’s nationwide push to seize state voter rolls, ruling that the department can no longer be presumed to be acting in good faith and warning that its conduct threatens voters and states’ rights.
Federal judge rules DOJ can ‘no longer’ be trusted in voter roll crusade
The judge pointed to a letter from Bondi to Minnesota that tied federal immigration enforcement to demands for voter data as the smoking gun.
www.democracydocket.com
February 6, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
ablawg.bsky.social
New Post: What Are the Implications of the International Court’s Climate Change Advisory Opinion for Provinces?

ablawg.ca/2026/01/26...…on-for-provinces/

What Are the Implications of the International Court’s Climate Change Advisory Opinion for Provinces?
By: Nigel Bankes Case Commented On: Obligations of States In Respect of Climate Change, Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, July 23, 2025 PDF Version: What Are the Implications …
ablawg.ca
January 26, 2026 at 5:01 PM
molszyns.bsky.social
From someone who clamours a lot about governments staying in their own lane, this is equivalent to jumping the middle meridian on the highway: www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alber... #ableg #cdnpoli
Smith demands more say in Alberta judicial appointments
Premier threatens to withhold funding, says the appointment process needs reform
www.theglobeandmail.com
February 3, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
maxfawcett.bsky.social
My latest: Mark Carney just delivered the most important speech in recent Canadian history. Now, we wait for the fallout. #cdnpoli
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/20/o...
Mark Carney just shook up the world
His speech in Davos might be the most important one ever delivered by a Canadian prime minister. Its consequences will determine his place in history — and ours.
www.nationalobserver.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
atrupar.com
Carney: "American hegemony in particular helped provide public goods, a stable financial system... this bargain no longer works. Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition... recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as a weapon. Tariffs as leverage ... "
January 20, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
ctheriault.bsky.social
Alberta separatist lawyer threatened 'war crimes,' 'murder' charges over COVID vaccine, law society claims

edmontonjournal.com/news/politic...
Alberta separatist lawyer threatened 'war crimes,' 'murder' charges over COVID vaccine, law society claims
Separatist lawyer Jeffrey Rath is challenging claims he breached professional conduct rules by writing to government officials during the COVID-19 pandemic — but admits he used "overly aggressive" lan...
edmontonjournal.com
January 14, 2026 at 12:43 AM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
journodale.bsky.social
#SCC Justice Sheilah Martin will retire early on May 30th.
This will be Carney’s first SCC appointment.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Honourable Sheilah L. Martin announces her retirement from the Supreme Court of Canada OTTAWA, January 13, 2026 – The Right Honourable Richard Wagner, Chief Justice of Canada, announces that Justice Sheilah L. Martin has notified the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Mark Carney, of her retirement from the Supreme Court of Canada effective May 30, 2026. “Justice Martin is widely respected for the depth of her legal scholarship, her commitment to fairness, and her principled approach to justice,” said Chief Justice Wagner. “She has made remarkable contributions to Canadian jurisprudence and her commitment to education has carried over into her career on the bench. She is the first Supreme Court judge that I swore in as Chief Justice of Canada and I have always appreciated her enthusiasm in supporting initiatives that promote openness, transparency and meaningful engagement with Canadians. Her colleagues and I wish her a very happy retirement.” Born and raised in Montréal, Justice Martin was trained in both common law and civil law before moving to Alberta where her career spanned legal academia, private practice, and the judiciary, including serving as Dean of the University of Calgary Faculty of Law. Appointed to the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta (now the Court of King’s Bench) in 2005 and later to the Courts of Appeal of Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, she was elevated to Canada’s highest court on December 18, 2017. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have served Canadians on our nation’s apex court. It has been an honour and a highlight of my professional life,” said Justice Martin. “I am forever thankful for the precious opportunity it provided to better understand the richness and diversity of the people in our country and the laws and institutions that allow us to live together with respect, dignity and equality. I have taken seriously the need for a strong and independent judiciary to address issues of national importance, safeguard the Constitution and promote the rule of law. Over the years, I was always happy to take part in the Court’s many outreach initiatives and to participate in a broad array of educational endeavours.” Under the Judges Act, a judge of the Supreme Court of Canada may continue to participate in judgments, with respect to cases they heard, for up to six months after their date of retirement. “Canada’s judicial selection process respects the independence of the judiciary and is anchored in the fundamental values of openness, transparency, and integrity,” added Chief Justice Wagner. “As always, I am confident that these principles will guide the careful and timely appointment of a new justice to the Supreme Court of Canada.”
January 13, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
carlquintanilla.bsky.social
GERMAN PRESIDENT STEINMEIER:

“.. the United States has broken with the values that it helped to establish ..

“.. we have now moved beyond the stage where we can lament the lack of respect for international law or the erosion of the international order; we are far beyond that, I believe.”
January 9, 2026 at 9:15 AM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
carrietait.bsky.social
Alberta Health Services' former CEO alleges she has been subject to an intimidation campaign since suing the govt.

Athana Mentzelopoulos speaks about it publically for the first time -->
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alber... By @mattscace.bsky.social
Former head of AHS says she faced campaign of intimidation since lawsuit against Alberta government
Athana Mentzelopoulos says she was targeted by the same individuals who were accused of harassing a potential witness in the case
www.theglobeandmail.com
January 8, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
mikehixenbaugh.com
Forensic analysis of objective video evidence. This is how you serve readers searching for clarity.
January 8, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
carrietait.bsky.social
NEW: A podcaster accused of harassing a former AHS director said he was hired by an Edmonton lawyer, court docs show. That lawyer has ties to Sam Mraiche, who owns companies at the centre of Alberta's procurement controversy.

www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... By @tuthanhha.bsky.social
Podcaster accused of harassing former AHS board member says he was hired by Edmonton lawyer, court records show
Legal documents identify Bryan Ward, who has acted for Sam Mraiche on multiple occasions, as the lawyer
www.theglobeandmail.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:24 PM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
carrietait.bsky.social
Former AHS director alleges he was under surveillance, harassed because he pushed back against Premier Danielle Smith govt and its decision to fire the health agency's CEO
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... By @tuthanhha.bsky.social
Former AHS board member alleges he was harassed for pushing back against Smith government
Affidavit from Sandy Edmonstone details surveillance, threats and reputational attacks
www.theglobeandmail.com
January 6, 2026 at 4:05 PM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
astrokatie.com
I found this discussion really interesting (and validating of some of the thoughts I’ve been having about certain aspects of politics for a while).
January 6, 2026 at 3:45 AM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
jeromyyyc.bsky.social
Calgary, our water system is in the RED ZONE. We need your help to conserve water! Ways that you can assist:

-Keep showers short, three minutes or less.
-Flush toilets only when necessary.
-Run dishwashers/laundry only when full

Thank-you, Calgary! These small actions make a big difference.
January 2, 2026 at 5:14 AM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
ctvnewskitchener.bsky.social
Edmonton looking to reinstate photo radar at several problem intersections - With Edmonton seeing the most traffic fatalities in nearly a decade, the city is looking to reinstate speed enforcement after the province banned photo radar in April.
Edmonton looking to reinstate photo radar at several problem intersections
With Edmonton seeing the most traffic fatalities in nearly a decade, the city is looking to reinstate speed enforcement after the province banned photo radar in April.
bit.ly
December 15, 2025 at 3:05 AM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
robsonfletcher.com
Alberta country music star Corb Lund says the citizens petition initiative he had filed against coal mining in the Rocky Mountains has been retroactively killed by Alberta’s new legislation:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Corb Lund’s Coal Petition Now Cancelled Retroactively By Newly Introduced Bill 14 LETHBRIDGE, AB - DECEMBER 12, 2025 – Corb Lund announced today that Elections Alberta has notified him that his previously approved citizen petition initiative against coal mining in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains has been cancelled. “This morning, we were informed that our approved application for our petition to prohibit any new coal mining in the Rockies has been retroactively cancelled. We will now need to reapply under new, more stringent regulations,” says Lund.
December 12, 2025 at 11:55 PM
molszyns.bsky.social
“It allows companies to use the value of Crown resources as security against a future liability to the Crown. That’s completely backwards,” Prof. Leach said. #ableg #cdnpoli
December 12, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
theglobeandmail.com
Albertans at risk of paying oil sands reclamation costs, Auditor-General says
Funds set aside as security for mine reclamation vastly lower than estimated cleanup costs, report finds
www.theglobeandmail.com
December 12, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
nigelb.bsky.social
New auditor general report on AB's Mine Financial Security Program
"We assess this recommendation as not implemented because the risk of overstatement remains high, and the department stated it will not make any further substantive changes to the calculation method."
#abpoli @molszyns.bsky.social
Mine Financial Security Program Assessment of Implementation - Office of the Auditor General, Alberta
We completed our assessment of implementation of the recommendation from our July 2015 audit related to the systems to ensure sufficient financial security to cover land disturbances from mining. The ...
www.oag.ab.ca
December 11, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by Martin Z. Olszynski
jack-farrell.bsky.social
Alberta government amends bill after chief electoral officer warns it harms trust, independence

It’s a pretty scathing letter from the elections head, and my math says gov amended bill no less than 6 hours after every MLA received it.

From me today:
www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/politics/alb...
Alberta government amends bill after chief electoral officer warns it harms trust
EDMONTON - Alberta's government has made last-minute changes to a bill after the province's chief electoral officer warned it would impede the independence of his office.
www.thecanadianpressnews.ca
December 11, 2025 at 12:00 AM