Why a ‘Sky Palace’ photo of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has hit a nerve

But in a province where public health restrictions have been particularly polarizing, it’s the photo’s location that has hit a particular nerve.

The senior politicians are seated on the patio of what’s known locally as the Sky Palace, seven years after the renovation of the tall white stone building, and the whiff of government entitlement that came with it, became the most enduring symbol of unpopular former premier Alison Redford.

Spokespeople for Kenney are adamant that no rules were broken in the outdoor scene captured by an unknown photographer. With case numbers dropping, the province moved to Stage 1 of its reopening plan Tuesday, which permits small outdoor gatherings as well as patios.

“The premier, with a few ministers and staff members, held a working dinner last night,” press secretary Jerrica Goodwin wrote in an email.

“You’ll note the gathering was outdoors. I suggest you review the Stage 1 guidelines, which began yesterday.”

The guidelines, however, say people are allowed on patios only if they’re from the same household or with their close contacts. Outdoor gatherings of as many as 10 people are allowed, though a maximum of two cohorts is “encouraged,” and physical distancing is still required. People are not then allowed to go in and out of an indoor space, as the people at the Sky Palace gathering seem to be doing.

Goodwin did not respond to a request for clarification.

To explain the kerfuffle over the photo, one must delve into some not-so-distant Alberta political history.

Alison Redford was the first female premier in the province, taking office in 2011. She would face criticism and public backlash for her spending. Taxpayers paid for her $45,000 trip to Nelson Mandela’s funeral and it was revealed she’d taken her daughter and a friend on the government plane for other trips.

But it was her plan to build a private penthouse in a building near the legislature that was dubbed the “Sky Palace” — a name still used by many Albertans as a shorthand for government overreach.

“The Sky Palace is synonymous with Alison Redford’s entitlement and her subsequent unpopularity and resignation,” says Duane Bratt, a political science professor at Calgary’s Mount Royal University.

“And some of the people that really piled on for Redford’s excess were sitting around that table last night.”

The pictures show Kenney sitting with Health Minister Tyler Shandro and Parks Minister and House Leader Jason Nixon. Across the white tablecloth is Finance Minister Travis Toews, seated next to an unindentifed man. Other photos show an unidentified woman and two younger men going back into the building.

The table is littered with several bottles of San Pellegrino, two bottles of wine and a large bottle of whisky.

“Quite frankly, I can understand why they’re having a celebration. It’s been a good week for the premier,” Bratt said.

Alberta has recently announced an ambitious reopening plan, made second vaccine doses available to more people, and Kenney has repeated his pledge that there will be a Calgary Stampede this year.

Kenney has, in fact, been working out of the Sky Palace — also known as, an office in the Federal Building — for months while the Alberta legislature is renovated.

But Bratt said using the patio for a nice dinner goes too far, especially when it breaks the rules.

There’s been significant pushback on public health rules from within Kenney’s United Conservative Party, and Bratt said that while he thinks Kenney does believe in regulations needed to curb the pandemic, this was an “error in judgment.”

Bratt said he’s not sure how the photos will affect Kenney’s popularity, if only because his approval rating has already taken a pandemic beating.

But they come five months after multiple MLAs and high-ranking political staffers were revealed to have travelled over the holidays, including several to the beach, in defiance of recommendations made by multiple levels of government, including their own.

“I think this could be worse than Aloha-gate. They didn’t travel. It’s one evening. It’s one dinner. Restrictions are gradually ending,” he says. “But it’s still the premier and the health minister.”