Earlier this week, the Alberta government announced that they were spending $1.25 million a year on a 12-week youth recovery programme at the Calgary-based Hull Services.
Founded in 1962, Hull Services provides services for youth with behavioural and emotional challenges.
This new funding will allow the organization to operate a new 6-bed programme to offer recovery-based addiction and mental health treatment for youth. The 12-week programme, which took in its first intake this past September, will be able to accommodate up to 50 spaces a year.
Hull Services also operates a teen detox programme, which the government claims will be further supported by this funding.
I discovered some interesting information while researching the Hull Services’ board of governors.
For example, did you know that one of the member of the board is Jeff Sterzuk is a professional lobbyist? In fact, his company, Prairie Sky Strategy, has 106 entries in the Alberta Lobbyist Registry going back as far as 2016.
Not only that, but Strerzuk has donated over $11,000 to the UCP or its predecessors since 2004.
In 2004, he donated $500 to the Calgary–West PC constituency association. In 2014, he and he spouse Jody each donated $500 to the PC party. In 2015, he donated $260 to Mike Ellis’ election campaign as the PC candidate in the Calgary–West riding. In 2016, he donated $425 to the PC’s Calgary–West constituency association. In 2018, he donated $543.75 to the UCP, as well as $600 combined to the UCP constituency associations in Calgary–Beddington, Calgary–Currie, Calgary–Edgemont, and Calgary–West. During the 2019 provincial election, he donated $400 to the UCP and a combined $1,543.59 to the election campaigns for Demetrios Nicolaides, Ellis, Tom Olsen, Prasad Panda, Sonya Savage, and Tyler Shandro. In 2020, he donated $1,575 to the UCP, as well as a combined $2,354.75 to the UCP constituencies in Calgary–Edgemont, Calgary–Elbow, Calgary–Glenmore, Calgary–North West, Calgary–Shaw, Calgary–West, and Innisfail–Sylvan Lake. Finally, in 2021 so far to date, he has donated $2,062.50 to the UCP, as well as $916.25 to the UCP constituency associations in Calgary–North West and Calgary–West.
Sterzuk isn’t the only one either. Geri Greenall, another board member and the CFO of the energy company Spartan Delta Corp, donated $2,300 to the UCP in 2018.
John Sparks, another board member and the strategic council at National Public Relations, has donated nearly $13,000 to the UCP and its predecessors.
In 2007, Sparks donated $1,700 to the PC party and $375 to the Calgary–West PC constituency association. In 2008, he donated a combined $1,675 to the PC constituency associations in Calgary–Currie, Drayton Valley–Calmar, and Fort Saskatchewan–Vegreville. In 2009, he donated $900 to the PCs. In 2010, he donated $400 to the Calgary–Elbow PC constituency association. In 2011, he donated $1,100 to the PC party, $600 to the Calgary–Currie PC constituency association, and $450 to the Calgary–Elbow PC constituency association. In 2012, he donated $1,900 to the PC party and $400 to the Calgary–Lougheed PC constituency association. In 2013, he donated $1,312.50 to the PC party, as well as $300 to the Calgary–West PC constituency association. In 2014, he donated $281.25 to the Edmonton–Rutherford PC constituency association and $500 to Mike Ellis’ 2014 byelection campaign. In 2019, he donated $500 to Tanis Fiss’ UCP nomination campaign in Calgary–North. Last year, he donated $112.50 to the UCP party, $300 to the Calgary–Bow UCP constituency association, and $36.63 to the Calgary–West UCP constituency association. This year, he donated $50 to the Calgary–Acadia UCP constituency association and $280 to the Calgary–Bow UCP constituency association.
I remind readers that at least two board members donated to Mike Ellis’ election campaigns, as well as to the constituency association for Ellis’ riding.
Ellis is the associate minister of mental health and addictions.
