Demetrios Nicolaides speaks at the October 17, 2025 media conference during teachers' strike
EDMONTON— Alberta’s Chief Electoral Officer has approved the province’s first recall petition under the Recall Act, targeting Calgary-Bow MLA and Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides as the province’s teachers’ strike enters its third week.
Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure said the application from Calgary resident Jennifer Yeremiy met the legal requirements. Written notices were issued Oct. 14 to Nicolaides, Premier Danielle Smith, Speaker Ric McIver and the applicant.
The 90-day signature period began Thursday and runs until Jan. 21, 2026. To force a recall vote, the petition needs 16,006 valid signatures, representing 60 per cent of the 26,676 ballots cast in the 2023 provincial election in Calgary-Bow. Elections Alberta will verify the petition within three weeks of its submission and publish the results soon after.
Nicolaides, 42, was first elected in 2019 and served as minister of advanced education until 2022. He was re-elected in 2023 and appointed minister of education and childcare in May 2025. Before entering politics, he earned a PhD in political science from the University of Calgary and worked as a consultant.
The recall effort comes as Nicolaides faces mounting political pressure over the provincewide teachers’ strike that began Oct. 6. About 51,000 teachers have walked off the job, affecting 750,000 students. The Smith government is preparing legislation to end the strike after the Alberta Teachers’ Association rejected a four-year, 12 per cent wage offer and the hiring of 3,000 new teachers.
The applicant’s and member’s statements are posted on Elections Alberta’s website under Current Recall Petitions.
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