Residents of a small town in Alberta , Canada , were shocked to learn that Second Sons Canada, one of the country’s most active white supremacist groups, secretly held its second annual national rally at a volunteer-run community centre. Footage from the event showed dozens of masked members participating in militarized drills. “My first reaction was fear,” said Lou Kuijak, a resident of the Millarville area. “I never imagined something like this would happen in our backyard, in such a small town.” The rally was held in early July in a location about 70 kilometres southwest of Calgary, near the small village of Millarville.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s (CBC) visual investigation team located the rally site using visual cues from videos released by the organization itself. The videos and images showed over 60 members practicing crawling and weighted marches. Founder Jeremy MacKenzie, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, led the chanting of militarized slogans related to the fight against the Taliban, as well as the organization’s motto, “Our people, our home, our future.” Some members wore T-shirts printed with the words “Oldblood Law Enforcers,” featuring crossed swords and an old-fashioned hockey goalie mask.
Evan Balgord, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, explained that “Oldblood” refers to white people and those of European descent, while the self-identification as “law enforcers” is related to their belief that cultural, political, and violent means must be used to carry out racist mass expulsions of non-“Oldblood” Canadians.
Founded in 2024, Second Son has branches across the country and calls itself a “male nationalist club,” but its operating model is closer to that of “active clubs” favoured by the global white supremacist movement. The organization’s leaders have welcomed neo-Nazis, called for the mass expulsion of non-whites “at gunpoint,” and stated that American politicians should be executed as traitors. When its members release videos of their drills, they often wear masks or digitally blur the images, never revealing the exact location; in this instance, they only stated afterward that the rally was held in the “Alberta foothills.
“CBC used a video as a starting point, discovering members holding up a banner that read “Tribe and Training” on an overpass on Highway 2 near Okotoks, Alberta. Following this lead, the investigation team narrowed down the meeting place to Square Butte Hall, located about 43 kilometres from Okotoks in Miraville. The hall’s distinctive welcoming archway and interior details matched the video. The hall, run by volunteers, regularly hosts community events such as dance performances, recipe sharing sessions, and fire safety training. Board Chair Shana Dunn stated in an email that the person who made the reservation “completely failed to identify themselves,” and that the association is committed to providing inclusive community spaces. Dunn revealed that a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer has contacted the hall requesting information about the gathering.
In a statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said it neither confirmed nor denied whether an investigation was underway, but was “aware of the organization ‘Second Son’”. The RCMP emphasized that it does not investigate “movements or ideologies” but focuses on the criminal activities of individuals or groups, and is “actively monitoring the rising trend of hate-motivated crimes and incidents nationwide.” Local residents were deeply shocked and disturbed by the incident near their homes.
Coffee shop manager Leanna Bridgeman said she was “completely stunned; it’s extremely disturbing.” Grocery store owner Tim Babby expressed “great surprise,” believing the locals to be quite tolerant, but still bewildered by such an event. Foothills County Executive Rob Siwait responded that the county had only recently become aware of the alleged activity on private property and had not yet received any formal complaints. This use of community halls is not an isolated case.
Last September, CBC tracked down a similar gathering held by the group at a Lions Club in Southern Ontario, which afterwards stated it would never have approved it if it had known the true purpose. Bargod pointed out that white supremacist movements often book community venues under false pretences because most venues simply wouldn’t agree to host such events. Second Son did not respond to requests for comment.