Recall petition against him “will fail,” predicts Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephan

The petition against him comes from a Red Deer woman named Nicole Green.

“Jason Stephan should be recalled for his failure to prioritize the interests of Red Deer-South. He is unresponsive to emails and phone calls. He closed his office during the teachers’ strike and then voted yes to use the notwithstanding clause to force teachers back to work,” Green says in her notice of recall form, as seen on Elections Alberta.

“He supports a separatist agenda, has disdain for French speakers, has failed to take his duties seriously by travelling against government advice and delaying his own swearing-in,” Green continues.

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“His focus on divisive, party-driven issues, instead of local priorities like affordability and health care, also shows he is an ineffective MLA.”

Elections Alberta has also provided statements from all MLAs facing recall.

As Stephan points out to start, he is permitted to make a 100-word statement with respect to the petition, as per the Recall Act.

Stephan says the following:

“This petition for recall will fail. I have been part of generational improvements for Red Deer, including the massive $1.8 billion investment in our Hospital, RDC transitioning to Red Deer Polytechnic, and removal of the NDP drug consumption site. My service as MLA has seen good things for Red Deer. Moreover, I have sought to boldly and respectfully, speak the truth as I best understand it, even if some do not like it, seeking freedom and prosperity for Albertans. I invite friends and neighbors, constituents of Red Deer South, to evaluate my service on the objective merits. Thank you.”

In a statement to media, Green responds to Stephan’s assertion that the petition “will fail,” by addressing his claimed accomplishments.

With respect to the hospital, Green says Stephan cannot claim primary credit for the project in any way, noting multiple governments delayed it, and that Red Deer has long been underfunded with respect to acute-care capacity.

She adds there is no evidence Stephan played a leading role in shaping, accelerating or defending the needs of students with respect to RDP’s transition into a polytechnic.

Green also points out higher overdose rates in the months since the overdose prevention site — or drug consumption site, as Stephan called it — closed, therefore contradicting his claim it’s been an “improvement” for Red Deer.

The OPS closed March 31, and was the subject of a court decision until August of this year.

According to the Government of Alberta’s Substance Use Surveillance System, EMS responses to opioid-related events were required 29 times in January through March 2025, in Red Deer. From April to June, there were 78. That includes 15 in the week of May 26, alone.

From January to March, there were four drug poisoning deaths in Red Deer. There were nine from April to June.

“This recall is not about partisanship; it is about accountability. Red Deer-South deserves an MLA who listens, responds, and prioritizes the needs of the riding, regardless of their political affiliation,” she says.

“Volunteers are needed now more than ever. This is a community-driven effort, and its success depends on the commitment of Red Deer-South citizens who want responsive, accountable, and locally focused representation.”

Green encourages constituents of Red Deer-South to contact her through the website recallreddeer.ca.

Other UCP MLAs facing recall include Demetrios Nicolaides, Angela Pitt, Nolan Dyck, Myles McDougall, Ric McIver, Muhammad Yaseen, Rajan Sawhney, RJ Sigurdson, Dale Nally, Glenn Van Dijken, Jackie Lovely, Nathan Neudorf and Searle Turton.

To be eligible to sign a petition, a person must be an eligible elector who has resided in the electoral division for at least three months prior to signing.

More information can be found here.

by Josh Hall | @Vancan19

Recall petition against him “will fail,” predicts Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephan

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