Latest news with #TaraSawyer
Calgary Herald
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Braid: Separatism crashes on byelection night; Nenshi tops Notley vote in big Edmonton win
Separatism did a spectacular belly-flop in the Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills byelection Monday night. Article content Humiliating, in fact. Article content Article content In Alberta's most conservative riding — the only one that has ever elected a separatist — the Republican Party of Alberta got roundly thumped. Article content By the NDP. Article content The UCP won the seat handily, of course. Nobody expected the government to lose this riding. Candidate Tara Sawyer captured 9,363 votes. Article content Article content As one close observer of the riding told me last week, 'If separatists can't win Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, they sure can't win Alberta.' Article content He thought the separatists would take at least 20 per cent of the vote. There was a lot of noisy enthusiasm at Republican events. Article content Even in bedrock Alberta people aren't much interested in a party with the same name as Donald Trump's. Article content And yet, 17 per cent separatist support, province-wide, could still split the UCP vote and bring the NDP back to power in the 2027 election. Article content Article content That's Premier Danielle Smith's nightmare. It was not eased by a pair of easy NDP victories in other byelections. Article content Article content Former leader Rachel Notley, the Queen of Strathcona, took the riding with nearly 80 per cent in 2023. Article content It seemed certain that Nenshi would win but with a somewhat lower percentage than Notley.
ABC News
24-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
The maternity care that took Tara's BMI out of the equation
Early in her pregnancy, Tara Sawyer was told the local hospital would not be able to accommodate her. "Because of my higher BMI, you automatically have to go to Box Hill rather than Angliss Hospital," says the 29-year-old from Emerald/land of the Bunurong and Wurundjeri peoples in Victoria. "Initially I was quite upset about that because I'm a teacher, I work full-time, and it meant all my appointments had to be an hour away, so I had to take a whole day off work to have an appointment. "It led to stress in my job, which was not ideal." Tara says she also felt ashamed to tell people why she had to travel to a different hospital. "My husband and I talk about weight all the time, but even just to tell him I can't go to this hospital because I'm overweight, was quite embarrassing." Recent research from Monash University has found reducing women's experiences of weight stigma should lead to better care and better pregnancy outcomes for larger-bodied women. It shows larger-bodied women are sometimes automatically treated as high-risk, which the authors write is "problematic because it focuses on body size rather than health". BMI is a method used to sort patients by weight into four categories from underweight to obese. Its appropriateness as a measure of healthy weight for individuals has long been contested. For Tara, the redirection to a hospital further away ended up being a "blessing in disguise", thanks to a program dedicated to maternity care for women with a high BMI. "It meant that I could opt to not be weighed at each appointment, not be told about my weight, or be told only if I wanted," Tara says. We spoke to Tara about her pregnancy journey, and how, for the first time, her weight meant she received more care, rather than less. These are her words. I had been on a health journey for about 10 years prior to being pregnant, with what I assumed was an autoimmune disease. I really struggled to get care early on. The default response from most doctors about my symptoms was to exercise more and lose weight. I was aware of my weight, but struggled to lose any, and suspected whatever else condition I had was contributing to that. I also have anxiety, and at one point I was having some internal bleeding investigated. When they didn't find a cause, I had a specialist gastroenterologist tell me what it was probably just anxiety causing those symptoms. After about three years of fighting to have my voice heard, I was finally referred to a rheumatologist who has taken my condition seriously. I also found a fantastic GP who has listened to my fear of being dismissed because of my weight, and made sure unless my bloods indicated it was a problem, or I came in concerned about my weight, it would not be factored into my care and treatment. I actually fall into the catchment of Angliss Hospital, but due to having a suspected autoimmune condition, borderline high hypertension, and a high BMI, I was told I had to present to Box Hill and receive care there. I was quite frustrated and embarrassed I had to do that. But it did work out for the best. I was told about the PEARL (Pregnancy Elevated BMI Antenatal Risk reduction and Lifestyle) program. It's run by this beautiful midwife Maddy (Madeline Hawke). She was concerned about weight stigma with pregnancy and how many women deal with a lot of weight conversations in pregnancy that are not necessarily important to that pregnancy. I saw Maddy and the same obstetrician throughout my pregnancy. We didn't really discuss weight. At one point I raised concerns about how much I was putting on, but I was assured it was in the normal range for women with my BMI. There was also an honest conversation about why it's sometimes recommended women with high BMI be induced, but it was presented to me as research and fact, rather than pressure or opinion to sway me one way or the other. I kind of got the "royal treatment". I met another woman in the program and she said to me, "It's like the first time that being overweight has been a positive in my life". I felt the same way. Despite the great care, I had such an awful pregnancy with pain and pre-natal depression. It was a really hard time. But I would give birth every day of the week. I loved it. It was such a positive experience. The midwives and team were amazing. I put that down to all the research I did. Familiarising myself with hospital policies on what I could and couldn't push back on. Having a thorough birth plan. I learnt that I was always entitled to ask for a second opinion, and ask for a second doctor if I wasn't happy with my care. It's your right to ask for that. And I know it's really hard; as women we are seen as being rude and up-front when advocating for ourselves. But pregnancy is one of the most vulnerable times in your life, you want to make sure the people in the room have your best interests at heart, and don't look down on you because of your weight.
CTV News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Premier Smith visits rural Alberta to lend voice to local byelection candidate
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith seen in Calgary on Friday, May 16, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh) Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is winning applause but also facing pointed questions from party members ahead of three byelections. Smith, in her role as United Conservative leader, appeared at a town hall meeting attended by about 300 in Three Hills Monday. She came with Tara Sawyer, who is running under the party banner in the June 23 byelection in the area. Smith was applauded for policies including a demanding a better deal from the federal government, her government's income tax cut, her vow to protect unvaccinated Albertans from discrimination, and new rules including a ban on transgender athletes in women's sport. 'Ten years of (federal) Liberal policies have gotten us nowhere,' Smith told the crowd. 'Alberta will move forward with confidence and clarity. We will develop our economy. We will exercise our constitutional rights, we will forge the future that Alberta deserves.' Sawyer is running in Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills against Bev Toews of the NDP, Cameron Davies of the Republican Party of Alberta, and Bill Tufts of the Wildrose Loyalty Coalition. Davies has criticized the UCP for failing to agree to a byelection debate while the UCP said it wasn't possible due to a scheduling conflict. Davies said the UCP was dodging accountability and democracy and avoiding the elephant in the room: talk of Alberta independence. Sawyer disagreed, telling the crowd, 'Some forces are trying to divide us and split the vote. We cannot let that happen.' Not everyone was on side. Jon Sedore, a longtime UCP member who lives in the nearby town of Trochu, said that argument doesn't hold water. 'We're in the most conservative riding of Alberta and of Canada, so I'm not concerned about the NDP here,' he said in an interview. He said he doesn't think Sawyer and the UCP have been clear about where they stand on separation, and he doesn't like Smith appointing Sawyer rather than holding a candidate race. 'I don't like the top-down approach,' he said, while also expressing strong support for Smith and her efforts to exercise more constitutional rights for the province. Sedore said questions about Alberta's independence should be answered by all candidates so voters know where they each stand. Smith has long held that she wants to see Alberta remain in Canada, but recently passed legislation to lower the threshold for citizens to spark a referendum on leaving Confederation. She's also noted that her party wanted to move quickly to have a candidate in Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills in place in order to save taxpayers' money by holding the vote in conjunction with byelections in Edmonton Strathcona and Edmonton Ellerslie. NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi is running in Edmonton Strathcona to gain a seat in the legislature about a year after winning the party's top job. The Edmonton-Ellerslie byelection is to replace NDP member Rod Loyola. He stepped down earlier this year to run in the federal election. Sawyer, speaking with The Canadian Press, echoed Smith's stance, saying she's fighting for a strong, sovereign Alberta within Canada, but it's up to the people to decide whether a referendum is held. 'I understand we're in a pressure cooker situation. I think it's important for (Albertans) to know that they are being heard,' she said. Sawyer, a farmer and former chair of the Grain Growers of Canada, said Davies' suggestion that she is the UCP's hand-picked 'Ottawa-first' candidate is 'hogwash.' 'I have raised my family here. I grew up here, and my entire life has been to be a voice to improve my community,' she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025. Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press
