Take Back Alberta fined by Elections Alberta for several violations

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on February 5, 2025.

Take Back Alberta has been fined more than $100,000 by Elections Alberta.

The controversial third-party advertiser made headlines for its role in the party-vote ouster of former premier Jason Kenney.

Elections Alberta, the body that oversees provincial election spending and voting rules, has fined the group and founder David Parker for a range of violations.

The seven fines, totalling $112,500 against Take Back Alberta, include accepting contributions from outside Alberta and Canada, failure to deposit contributions into appropriate advertising accounts and circumventing election advertising spending limits.

Parker was fined a total of $7,500 for three different counts of knowingly making false statements on financial reports.

Jonathan Heidebrecht, listed by Elections Alberta as the chief financial officer of Take Back Alberta, has been fined $500 for knowingly making a false statement of quarterly financial reports.

Take Back Alberta identifies itself as a grassroots political movement and recently put its full support behind the United Conservative Party leadership bid of Premier Danielle Smith.

The Brooks-Medicine Hat MLA has rumoured ties to both Parker and TBA but has in the past publicly distanced herself from the group.