'Renew your domain name before it expires': Alta. cabinet minister locked out of own website
Alberta’s education minister is locked out of her own website after her domain expired earlier this week.
On Friday the website shifted from displaying content curated by LaGrange and her team to showing messages about how “out of touch” the draft K-6 United Conservative Party curriculum is.
“When referring to the use of technology in Alberta’s new curriculum, Ms. Adriana LaGrange has said that students can code with ‘paper and pen’, but it is obvious that Adriana LaGrange does not understand how technology works,” the homepage read.
“Otherwise, she would not have let her domain name expire. This includes failing to renew the domain during the 41-day grace period.”
The site encouraged Albertans to view the draft curriculum for themselves and participate in a government-run feedback survey about the curriculum.
Shortly after 3 p.m. on Friday, LaGrange’s Twitter account no longer featured a link to her previous website domain.
At the bottom of the site, a link asked the “previous owner” of the domain to donate $2,500 to the Science Alberta Foundation Mindfuel charity that helps equip K-12 classrooms with science, technology, engineering, and math learning tools.
The site asked “the previous owner of this domain” to email receipt of the donation after which the new owner of the site would work “to transition the domain back” to LaGrange.
CTV News Edmonton reached out to LaGrange for comment.
Concerned Albertan Todd Willsie, a cyber security consultant and president of Calgary’s Extra Life Guild videogamer group, bought the domain and created the new messages on the site.
“I saw Adriana LaGrange’s profile on Twitter, clicked the website link and saw the domain was available to buy. So I bought it,” he said.
“At that point I just took all the comments I was hearing from friends, family, and coworkers about this curriculum and I saw one specific tweet about how there doesn’t need to be any technology in the classroom.
“I thought that was really ironic and decided to make the site and express all of what my friends and peers have been saying,” he added. “Our curriculum needs to be a bit better.”
The domain costs $70 for a one-year renewal. Willsie said LaGrange has not contacted him about the website.
As someone who works with technology everyday, Willsie said technology “needs” to be in the classroom. He selected the Mindfuel charity because it helps provide technology to educators and students alike.
Willsie said he has only been receiving positive feedback about his website hijack.
“Some people have been saying I am a hero,” Willsie laughed. “I am not, I am just an Albertan.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.