Overview

• On July 24, Justice Peter Michalyshyn held ex-UCP candidate Ali Haymour and five donors in contempt for failing to attend interviews in an election financing probe.
• Launched in spring 2024, the investigation is examining donations made to the United Conservative Party that may have originated from sources other than the named contributors.
• Haymour and the donors cited recent spring 2025 changes to Alberta’s election financing rules as a basis for exemption, a claim the court dismissed as unfounded.
• The ruling makes clear that amendments limiting penalty timeframes do not curb the elections commissioner’s power to compel witness testimony.
• The decision does not specify whether those cited for contempt are formal subjects of the investigation or witnesses with relevant information.