EDMONTON—Alberta’s elections commissioner is mulling a $5,500 fine for Rebel Media, accusing the far-right outlet of breaking the rules with a billboard slamming Education Minister David Eggen.

In a letter addressed to Rebel founder Ezra Levant and Alberta-based reporter Keean Bexte — though the letter spells it Keenan Beexte — the commissioner said a billboard the organization put up near Innisfail back in November counted as a political ad, and Rebel did not register as a third-party advertiser.

“In my initial assessment of this matter, I am considering an administrative penalty of $5,500,” the commissioner wrote.

The letter was posted to the Rebel’s website. When StarMetro reached out to an investigations manager for comment, a statement was sent back saying they couldn’t comment on any potential investigations.

In a response letter, also posted to the Rebel’s site, the outlet says it will file an appeal to the fine in court within 30 days.

Fred Kozak, a lawyer representing Rebel Media, confirmed they received the commissioner’s letter and said they wanted to see the information used to arrive at the decision.

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“We think the legislation was intended to give us an opportunity to express our perspective and we didn’t really have that opportunity,” Kozak told StarMetro during an interview.

The investigation stemmed from a complaint made by Elections Alberta, according to the commissioner’s letter.

“Specifically, Rebel Media posted a political advertisement in the form of a billboard on Highway 2 near Innisfail, Alberta, with the message “40% of Grade 9 students failed provincial exams — Alberta can do better than David Eggen (Alberta’s minister of education) www.FireEggen.ca,” the letter said.

The billboard was up prior to December, the commissioner said, from Nov. 23 to Nov. 30. That violated rules that govern when political advertising can take place, the commissioner said.

Posting the billboard is classified as political advertising since it was directed at a member of the Legislative Assembly, the letter states. Sponsoring the advertisement cost Rebel Media $2,730, according to findings in the investigation.

The commissioner alleges Rebel Media violated section 9.1(1) of the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, which says a third party has to register if it spends more than $1,000 on election or political advertising.

The Rebel bills itself as a “fearless” news source and platform for activism but has consistently faced criticism for aligning itself with extreme views and far-right stances on political issues.

Levant did not respond to a request for comment, but in a post on the Rebel’s website titled: “HELP: Rachel Notley is coming to kill The Rebel!” the organization said the government was “prosecuting us for what we have said about them.”

The outlet is asking people for donations to fund its defence. The post goes on to say that Rebel Media has been Premier Notley’s “most effective critics” and that her government “will do anything to silence us.”

The commissioner’s letter states that individuals who violate the law could be fined $10,000 but an organization, like a union or corporation, could be fined upwards of $100,000.

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Rebel Media appeared alarmed at this, suggesting that they might be fined the full $100,000 if they keep publishing, even though the commissioner said he was only considering a $5,500 fine.

“Of course, we’re not going to stop our journalism. And the penalties for companies can be $100,000 a pop. $5,500 is just their first sucker-punch,” the post says.

Rebel Media suggests in the post that Notley and the NDP are trying to put them out of business. However, Alberta’s election commissioner operates independently from the government.

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