They were over the moon happy.
His newfound friends were giving their new political soulmate Jeromy Farkas high-fives all over the city and beyond.
The self-styled progressives, also known as the Alberta NDP and their allies, were feeling oh-so-good over the latest play of Calgary’s mayor.
After all, on Friday, Farkas landed a good old-fashioned sucker punch at the UCP government led by Premier Danielle Smith.
Going after Smith. It doesn’t get sweeter than that for the self-styled progressive crowd.
To say they despise Smith is an understatement. To say they hate her is too mild a description.
The mere mention of Smith’s name causes more than a few of this crew to go right off the dial, experience intense feelings, often vein-popping anger triggering extreme discomfort and a mixture of fear and loathing for the premier.
Launching a tirade against Smith is like catnip to a cat for the progressive cool kids.
Then there’s Naheed Nenshi, the Alberta NDP leader and former Calgary mayor who is still a rock star, though a somewhat faded star, in the self-styled progressive universe.
Surely Nenshi must have had a smile on his face Friday.
His pal Farkas got some attention that day.
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Attacking Smith when there’s a dispute with Calgary city hall is one thing.
You know, slamming the premier over the property tax hike on the province’s part of the city tax bill.
Taking aim at the premier for the city not scoring enough photo radar cash.
Wanting more dough to fix the water pipe debacle, something the council where Nenshi and Farkas were members did not fix.
That’s politics.
That’s run-of-the-mill stuff.
But Farkas, he got himself noticed.
He took to social media on X and put Smith her in place.
And just after the start of Nenshi’s Friday rally, and just before the start of a press conference with the premier, Farkas gathered newshounds together and dropped his political bombs.
Smith’s referendum question was “B.S.”
She was showing “a ridiculous lack of leadership.”
This referendum was “a huge sideshow distraction.”
He went on about “storm clouds on the horizon.”
What would Farkas do if he was the premier?
Well, he couldn’t call for a clear Yes/No question on Alberta remaining in Canada or leaving Canada, as requested by a whole lot of petition signatures.
A lower court judge appointed by the federal government when it was led by prime minister Justin Trudeau said that Yes/No question was going nowhere because First Nations were not consulted and the Smith government is appealing.
Farkas doesn’t like the Smith question where it’s two choices for Albertans in October.
Vote for Alberta to remain in Canada or vote to have the Alberta government jump through all the legal hurdles to hold a vote on whether or not Alberta stays in Canada.
Smith warns the second choice could well take a few years.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks at a press conference at McDougall Centre in Calgary on the referendum question asking whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada on Friday, May 22, 2026.
Farkas says he wants certainty. It sure sounds like he wants no referendum question, a position he would share with his BFF Nenshi.
Let’s be clear. The Calgary mayor has the right to say what he thinks. Free speech and all that.
But a question, a big question.
What do Calgarians get out of this latest Farkas entry into the ring with Smith?
When he’s fighting for more money from the provincial government for Calgary, that’s a good reason to tangle with Smith.
When Calgary is being short-changed by the Smith government, go for it.
Farkas told us he’s for Canada. Good.
His blast on the referendum question? Smith has gotten blasted a lot on that one and from much bigger sorts.
Farkas adds nothing to the debate.
Is it to help out his political ally Nenshi who has his own political trials and tribulations these days?
Is the dropping of the gloves to get Farkas in better with the self-styled progressives, since most of them did not vote for Farkas even when he made his best efforts to tell them he was a changed man?
Yes, Farkas was elected last October largely by those who thought he was the old anti-establishment Farkas battling Nenshi and the city council majority.
He isn’t. I championed Farkas many times when he was a councillor. You’d think I’d know.
Former mayor Naheed Nenshi and with then-city councillor Jeremy Farkas at a press conference on June 20, 2018.
Is Farkas hoping if Nenshi falters and Smith wins the next election maybe Farkas could be the NDP leader? The NDP seem fine with leaders who are not NDPers.
And he hates Smith enough for the job.
Oh, Farkas threw some of you a bone with the repeal of blanket rezoning because he would have been crucified for doing otherwise.
He lowered the planned increase of the city property tax but only by moving money from other city hall stashes of cash.
He will throw a few more bones but make no mistake.
You should know who Farkas hangs with these days.
Just sayin’.