Don Iveson didn't get the funding for light rail transit (LRT) he hoped for in Alberta's provincial budget, and that made the Edmonton mayor very sad indeed. The hashtag "#saddoniveson" was born after digital marketer Dana DiTomaso posted a photo of Iveson's forlorn expression at a post-budget news conference on Thursday.

Iveson was hoping that the province would announce funding to help Edmonton build a southeast-to-west LRT line, The Edmonton Sun reported. Instead, the province pledged $667 million in Green Trip funding, money that Iveson said had been announced previously. And soon a meme exploded on Twitter.

The originator of the hashtag eventually riffed on the Sad Keanu meme:

And that spawned even more hilarious imitations:

The mayor even joined in on the fun himself:

Iveson was, however, in much better spirits on Friday:

Humbled & thrilled to meet Wayne Gretzky this AM! Thanks, @EdmontonOilers! You're always welcome here, sir! #yegccpic.twitter.com/sa1hacq15A — Don Iveson (@doniveson) March 7, 2014