The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy

In this episode, I am pleased to host Meidas Canada’s Charlie Angus, a former Northern Ontario Canadian MP. I have been working as an Alberta correspondent for him on Meidas since he came to Alberta in January of this year to support the Remove Nicolaides recall campaign of Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta’s Anti-Public Education and anti-Certified Childcare Minister.
Charlie recounts for me his accidental entry into politics, beginning when he dropped out of high school to play in a punk band, then worked with the homeless in Toronto before moving to Northern Ontario. There, he became a carpenter and started a magazine with his wife, which led him to cover the Adams Mine garbage proposal—a scheme to dump Toronto’s trash into abandoned mine pits at a geological tipping point where water flows both north to the Arctic and south toward the St. Lawrence. This fight transformed him into an activist, where he discovered his talent for confrontation and organizing, eventually leading to a 21-year career in Parliament starting in 2004.
The discussion highlights Angus’s philosophy of trusting ordinary people over political elites and hired consultants. He emphasizes how farmers and miners understood groundwater science better than degreed experts working for developers, and how organized citizens successfully fought technical battles against large corporations and government spin. After retiring from Parliament, Angus launched Meidas Canada following Trump’s election, recognizing the threat of extremism and feeling that mainstream media wasn’t adequately addressing it.
Angus draws alarming parallels between Alberta’s current situation and Brexit, noting similar patterns of Russian interference through the Internet Research Agency, Cambridge Analytica-style disinformation, and manipulation of online platforms. He criticizes the lack of political leadership in addressing these threats, while praising Canadians’ grassroots response—including a 30% drop in purchases of American-built vehicles through boycotts. He concludes by urging citizens to take direct action, attend rallies, create music for the movement, and trust that their neighbors will do their part—arguing that empowered citizens genuinely frighten the political establishment.
“I know people are afraid. I know people get worried. Don’t doom scroll. Take the fight to them because it really freaks them out. So that’s what we got to do.”
—Charlie Angus
You heard that right, PICK A FUN FIGHT with Charlie and me.
Check out Charlie’s IRAN LEGO NEWS video.


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In this episode, I am joined Trisha McOrmond, a Metis sociologist, indigenous systems thinking educator and punk based in Edmonton, whose diverse background includes Metis heritage, Irish immigrant grandparents, and a Chilean political refugee stepfather. Trisha draws on these experiences to inform her understanding of resistance and community-centered living, and she now works both as an indigenous systems thinking educator and in emergency management helping communities rebuild after disasters. We discuss Alberta’s upcoming referendum, with Trisha arguing that the questions are deliberately written at a first-year college reading level rather than the government’s own standard of sixth to seventh grade, in order to induce fear, suppress critical thinking, and discourage people from questioning authority. I add that the Parkland Institute has reported referendum questions will not actually solve the problems they claim to address, and that Premier Smith herself admitted the Senate question would achieve nothing.
The conversation then shifts to the broader economic and social conditions driving apathy and disengagement. Trisha argues that society over-invests in pension accumulation and fossil fuel extraction at the expense of youth, citing a report showing roughly 30% of Canada’s GDP is spent on programs for people 45 and older compared to only around 7% for those under 40. She also highlights the disappearance of entry-level “sidewalk jobs” due to automation and AI, which strips people of purpose and meaning and leads to substance use and community breakdown in places where labour markets have collapsed. This sense of purposelessness is compounded by the hollowness of high-salary work that harms communities, with Gallup reporting that 80% of employees are disengaged at work.
We reflect personally on the cost of prioritizing financial accumulation over meaningful work. Trisha describes leaving a government career where she was writing policy that undermined people like herself as a single mother, and later withdrawing her pension to build a company aligned with her values, finding her life richer despite having less money. I similarly recount realizing that myopic expertise in the oil and gas industry was being used to help industry actors close loopholes rather than address harm. We agree that true fulfilment comes not from financial accumulation but from community-oriented work, and a punk rock spirit of resistance, calling on peers in our generation to redirect their energy toward building a better future.
The conversation closes with Trisha describing her five-week indigenous systems thinking and design course, running Thursdays from November 5th to December 3rd, which is designed to offer participants an alternative worldview centered on building community and hope rather than extraction. The course is rooted in the indigenous principle that the individual creates community, community creates culture, and culture creates the individual, forming a cycle that cannot exist without each part. Trisha emphasizes that even beginning to consider an alternative is a hopeful step, and that change does not need to happen overnight, encouraging listeners to explore what it means to live in the world differently. A 20% discount code “JENNY20” is available for those wishing to register here:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/indigenous-systems-thinking-crash-course-morning-edition-tickets-2002223486346.


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Erin Collins of the CBC National reached out for an interview regarding the newly announced AI data centre permit ban in Texas. I explained I am a geophysicist who spent 22 years in the oil and gas industry before being pushed out while advocating for environmental goals aligned with Justin Trudeau’s land back through industrial site cleanup and restoration and that I host The Gravity Well podcast, to focus on social and environmental issues for the public. The conversation centers on my concerns about AI data centres—which I explain is as an extension of the oil and gas industry. Before it was: methane gas as a bridge fuel, bitumen beyond combustion, carbon capture and utilization (not storage), pipelines to the west coast, “blue” hydrogen or nuclear—and surveillance systems backed by nefarious actors, like Meta who monetize misinformers, funneling money to politicians, the police and military. I also argue that what is marketed as artificial intelligence is actually machine learning that lacks genuine intelligence and can be manipulated, citing websites allegedly designed to mislead Albertans toward a separatist referendum as an example.
Erin raises serious concerns about the resource demands of data centres, particularly regarding water and energy. I note that Alberta’s oil sands already consumed 260 billion liters of fresh water in a single year, and that adding AI data centre power demands could increase water usage by 12 times. I draw a parallel to Corpus Christi, Texas, which is facing water bankruptcy due to AI data centres, LNG facilities, and petrochemical plants. I also warn that data centres (correction) require diesel backup storage for natural gas turbines at a time when refined fuel supplies are under strain globally.
I go further than what the Texas Governor has done—halting all new AI data centre permits—by calling for a complete halt to AI data centre construction and operation across North America, framing it as a choice between essential resources like food, water, and healthcare versus information systems she sees as providing no societal value. I reference a CNN report about an AI hallucination that allegedly nearly caused a major international military incident with China as evidence of AI’s dangers. I urge political leaders to consult the oil and gas industry to understand what is at stake, arguing that informed decisions must be made urgently.
The interview closes with my expressing appreciation for the Texas Governor’s decision to pause data centre permits, acknowledging it as an example of political courage needed from leaders facing these limits. I emphasize that the most urgent priority should be centering the economy on water restoration and halting all hyperscale AI data centre construction and activities, immediately.
Thank you for your time, Erin.
Check out my latest conversation with Charlie Angus / The Resistance on Meidas Canada regarding diesel shortages



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Two Alberta teachers and education advocates, Tania and Lindsay, who run the pages “Remove Nicolaides” and “Let’s Talk Alberta Education” respectively, join me to discuss the realities of Alberta Public Education: its mismanagement at the hands of our Education & Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides, and his predecessor: Adriana LaGrange. Tania is a kindergarten French immersion teacher in Calgary-Bow who became involved in advocacy after simply trying to sign Nicolaides’ recall petition, while Lindsay describes herself as a “reluctant influencer” with nearly 20 years of teaching experience who started her online presence the same summer the first screeners were introduced. Both discuss how the UCP government’s decisions since 2019 have systematically eroded public education in Alberta, beginning with dramatic cuts to Program Unit Funding (PUF), which had previously provided holistic early childhood assessments and in-school therapeutic supports such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists working weekly with students. Removing these supports after COVID, when students arguably needed them most, has caused unaddressed developmental gaps to snowball as children progress through the school system.
In place of the earlier holistic screener system, the government introduced mandatory literacy and numeracy screeners that both teachers argue are developmentally inappropriate, anxiety-inducing, and produce no meaningful data or corresponding support. Lindsay describes the current screeners as something no teacher asked for, and notes that even the expert credited with designing them bases his university courses on “screening and intervention,” not screening alone. Weber Academy, a high-tuition private school, publicly stated the government screeners were “far too basic” and provided “no meaningful or valuable feedback,” and that administering them would come at the school’s own expense. Administering the screeners requires one-on-one time, substitute teacher coverage, and additional planning burdens that fall entirely on already overstretched teachers, with any resulting intervention also placed on teachers’ shoulders rather than dedicated support staff.
The conversation also explores the political and ideological influences shaping these education policies. Tania identifies a Christian think tank called Cardus that has sent policy memos directly to Minister Nicolaides, with at least three policy directions being implemented by the government in near-verbatim alignment with those memos. One such memo, sent before the teacher strike, outlined strategies for the government to manage a prolonged strike, including paying parents directly from savings on teacher salaries and encouraging movement into charter, independent, or homeschool settings. Both teachers emphasize that the government locked teachers out three days after the strike began rather than using the notwithstanding clause immediately, which they argue was a deliberate strategy to deplete the Alberta Teachers Association’s financial resources and weaken its ability to advocate for teachers.
In closing, both advocates urge parents and Albertans to stay informed, attend school council meetings, and continue supporting public education. Lindsay warns that schools are already in crisis before October, with insufficient resources, growing class complexity, and a widening gap between government rhetoric and classroom reality. Tania notes that Nicolaides has now expanded the screeners into grades four and five, even while schools lack enough hired teachers to manage their existing workloads. Both teachers stress that the future of Alberta depends on properly funded and supported public classrooms, and that the “more is more” framing used by the minister is empty without meaningful, evidence-based action.
Want to take action?
Email your Education Minister at: education.minister@gov.ab.ca. Request that he RETURN Program Unit Funding (PUF) to public school kindergarten students and CANCEL the meaningless and harmful—void of adequate intervention—pre-screening practices.


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This episode features a discussion with Kayla Piccinin, Carol Edwards, and Jasona Rondeau -- who are promoting a province-wide town hall event called “Ground Zero,” organized by the Alberta Transparency Project. The event is centered on the issue of AI data centre development in Alberta, particularly following the Synapse project, which the group successfully opposed in Olds. Carol Edwards, a retired professor and project analyst, became involved after the project was proposed near her home, while Jasona has spent four years helping landowners navigate regulatory processes when projects arrive in their communities.
The guests emphasize that the event is relevant to anyone concerned about environmental impacts, health, property values, water, and agricultural land. Jasona stresses the importance of learning the facts and understanding how to act at the municipal level, noting that project approvals involve four separate regulatory streams. Carol urges people of all skill sets to get involved and participate on the front lines, while Kayla highlights the importance of everyday conversations and sharing information to raise awareness.
The October 1st event will be held at the local legion hall in Olds, Alberta, doors open at 5 pm, with plenty of parking! Jasona notes that people from around the world are already anticipating the live stream! The event is volunteer-run and funded, with a donation option planned for attendees. I express hope that the model developed in Olds to fight data centres can be replicated elsewhere across the province.
Want to learn more?
BIG TECH, BIGGER QUESTIONS IN ALBERTA
CJSW radio in Edmonton covered the St. Alberta data centre town hall hosted by Give Voice: a grassroots organization of mostly retired women. Keepers of the Water Director, Jesse Cardinal, Olds Resident and retired Simon Fraser University Professor, Carol Edwards, and I spoke.
DATA CENTRES: Who benefits? Who pays?
Plans for new data centres in Alberta threaten water resources and energy prices, I sat down with The Climate Lens’ Steve Bentley to discuss.


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