Nicole Frey, centre, accuses the City of Medicine Hat of not being transparent. Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News

By Olivia Thorington

DEVELOPING

‘I am Nicole Frey’: Residents turn out to support transparency advocate at Medicine Hat city council

Nov 18, 2024 | 6:47 PM

Several Medicine Hat residents attended Monday’s council meeting in support of self-proclaimed transparency advocate Nicole Frey, a contentious figure the city recently hired a lawyer to communicate with.

At least two dozen people in the public gallery held signs reading “I am Nicole Frey” in support of the resident, who once tried to recall Mayor Linnsie Clark through a petition and has filed over a dozen information requests.

Frey’s supporters back her efforts and agree with her criticism of councillors and administration. Her critics say she goes too far, while the city says she doesn’t communicate respectfully and with good intent.

Resident Cindy Parker organized the turnout on Monday evening to rally people behind Frey, who some feel have been treated unfairly by the city.

“No face to face discussion, no attempted mediation to resolve conflicts or improve relationships with Ms. Frey or the community,” Parker wrote in a message to CHAT News.

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Frey has maintained her preferred method of communication is by email. It is unclear if there was any attempts by the city to meet with her.

“This council and its administration just brings down a hammer. I see the classic example of people in power using their authority to bully and attempt to silence someone with absolutely no power but that of their voice,” Parker wrote.

“Medicine Hat voted for transparency and good government. We don’t see it. The City appears to believe they can scapegoat a citizen into being the bad guy. Smear and defame her publicly. They have done a very good job thus far and it’s simply not fair.”

Gwendolyn J. Stewart‑Palmer, lawyer at Shores Jardine LLP, told Frey last week she was retained by the city “to assist them in relation to your correspondence”, in an email seen by CHAT News.

“In future, should you have further matters or communications in relation to the City of Medicine Hat, can you kindly send them to me as I will be the point of contact for future communications between you and the city,” she wrote.

Stewart-Palmer did not give any other details and attempts to reach her office last week were unsuccessful.

The city in November 2023 decided to “temporarily limit communication” with Frey to protect the mental health of its employees, saying in a letter her interactions with city hall have been “accusatory and unconstructive.”

Medicine Hat’s chief administrator Ann Mitchell said Frey was “not communicating in good faith.” Mitchell in an exclusive interview with CHAT News in September that respectful dialogue is important.

Despite the communications protocol, city staff and council have continued to respond to some of Frey’s emails. In many of the messages, Frey is asking for policies and information related to how council’s made decisions, such as covering the city manager’s legal fees.

Frey has also filed several requests under Alberta’s Freedom of Information and Protection and Privacy Act.

The provincial privacy commissioner denied the city’s application to ignore her information requests, forcing the city clerk’s office to follow through on Frey’s ask, contributing to the workload of an already-drained department, according to officials.

A former city clerk, Larry Randle, left the job, in part, because he was overwhelmed with emails from Frey, according to a source who spoke to CHAT News on the condition of anonymity.

Frey, who launched the Animal Food Bank charity, first got involved in local politics during widespread backlash to the city’s high electricity rates in the summer of 2023.

She played a role in pressuring council to reign in the rates, along with other concerned residents, finding success when council spent millions on utility relief.

In the fall of 2023, Frey launched a pair of petitions that appeared to receive some widespread support but ultimately failed to reach a high bar set by Alberta’s Municipal Government Act.

Her petition to recall the mayor received 7,843 signatures, falling short of the 25,000 required by provincial law to be successful. Another petition requesting a municipal inspection also fell short.

After those attempts, Frey started to file dozens of FOIP requests in an attempt to get information from the city about salaries and policies. She has also sent several emails a week to staff and council.

She has also raised concerns about Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright’s exclusive contracts to operate his food truck business at city-owned concessions. Wright has denied any conflict of interest.

Frey said the city shouldn’t complain about her repeated messages.

“The emails are symptomatic of the problem. The problem is a lack of transparency and trust,” Frey said in a recent interview with CHAT News.