'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
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.