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Hanson says rhetoric ... and rocks ... were cause of smashed windows

"Ninety-nine point nine-nine percent of my interactions have been quite positive," Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills MLA Dave Hanson told the POST last week.
Dave Hanson broke window

"Ninety-nine point nine-nine percent of my interactions have been quite positive," Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills MLA Dave Hanson told the POST last week.

Unfortunately, that other point-one percent recently threw a brick through his constituency offfice's front window.

"This is the first time that I've ever had somebody that angry — not so much with me, as it turns out, but with the politics," said the United Conservative Party MLA, just days after the January 15 incident that saw two front windows of his downtown St. Paul office smashed by large rocks.

A 31-year-old man was quickly charged by St. Paul RCMP — due in large part to an email sent to Hanson's office the same day by a man claiming responsibility. St. Paul RCMP have not released the man's name, but say he will be in St. Paul Provincial Court on Feb 21 facing a count of mischief.

The UCP MLA who has represented the region for the last four years, said it was fortunate no one was injured as the office was closed for the night when the vandalism occurred. The good fortune ends there, however, as Hanson is quick to level a finger of blame beyond the suspect to a larger target.

"I hope they get the message that they have to be more careful about the rhetoric they are spreading," said Hanson, identifying the NDP as the 'they' and misleading and untrue twitter postings as the 'rhetoric' he thinks lead the suspect to take out his frustrations.

One twitter posting in particular from the account of NDP Minister of Community and Social Services Irfan Sabir stated that the UCP's plans would jeopardize the lives of tens of thousands of Albertan's relying on Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) funding. Sabir's post said a UCP plan  "to give a $700 million tax break to the richest 1%" would mean a cut to "almost all of AISH which supports 60,000 people. Our Government will not let this happen."

In the email sent to Hanson's office from the suspected brick-thrower, said he was an AISH recipient and after reading the Tweet About 700 Million Tax Break and AISH cuts,  it "kinda made me really sick reading it...."

He went on to say it made him feel "threatened" of the next UCP government. He also apologized for smashing the window.

"I'm really Sorry for throwing rocks," he said in the email that contained his home email account and his name.

Hanson said AISH cuts are not on the UCP radar.

"In fact, we voted for an increase to AISH in November."

Hanson says it's unfortunate that rhetoric and political tongue-wagging has lead to a crime being committed and a local man facing criminal charges.

"He came and did this, sent the email and then turned himself into the RCMP, so now he will have a criminal charge for mischief ... Have we gained anything?"

Hanson calls it desperate politics by his opponents, and says the incident really shows who can be affected by unsubstantiated rumours.

"The threat of losing his one source of income probably sent him into a state of panic. It infuriates me that this was done," the MLA said, adding that as the campaigning will officially start in the weeks ahead for the next provincial election, he hopes the dirty games don't continue — from any party. "Let's run a clean campaign. I do. Let's win on our own merit and not on made up stories."

Great West Newspapers Ltd. staff did attempt to contact the minister's office. An email response from the Premier's deputy director of communications Shannon Greer on Wednesday said, “We condemn all forms of violence and vandalism.”

Hanson has said he would like a formal response from Sabir on the issue.



Rob McKinley

About the Author: Rob McKinley

Rob has been in the media, marketing and promotion business for 30 years, working in the public sector, as well as media outlets in major metropolitan markets, smaller rural communities and Indigenous-focused settings.
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