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Grace Thostenson got the call just after 7 p.m.

On the line was deputy labour minister Shawn McLeod, appointed to the role by the UCP government in April.

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He told Thostenson that, effective immediately, she is no longer chairwoman of the Workers’ Compensation Board.

Thostenson was “blindsided.”

Although a known NDP and union member, she had just helped hire a new CEO and shepherded the organization through a multitude of changes. As far as she knows there was no suggestion she had shirked her duties or was guiding the board in the wrong direction.

Thostenson was one of the casualties after the UCP government cleaned house at a host of Alberta’s arm’s-length agencies, boards and commissions late Thursday afternoon.

Through a ream of Friday morning news releases, the government announced it had turfed various board members and chairs, replacing many of them with conservative-aligned friends.