The LEA sent this message to the Alberta Mailing list.
Message follows, in it's entirety.
Hello League of Extraordinary Albertans (LEA) Members and beyond,
We know it was quite a shock to everyone when the January 8 Freezer Burn Blog Post went live. It was a very difficult decision to make, and we are now sharing more details on how the LEA board and senior community members came to this decision.
The Freezer Burn Production Committee planning begins in September, as do many theme camps. We are very thankful for the thousands of volunteer hours that go into planning every year, and we know how precious everyone's time is. The announcement was made to avoid further sunk costs within our community.
We know in the past the LEA has had issues with communication to our community, and we have been seeking to learn and do better. We’ve spent the last two months talking with our senior community members, Burning Man Project affiliates, lawyers and experts. Once we understood the magnitude of the changes that needed to take place, the feedback was that organizing Freezer Burn for 2026 on a compressed timeline would only burn the core people.
One phrase kept coming up in our meetings: Duty of Care.
As the Board of the LEA, we have a legal and moral "duty of care" to protect the long-term health of this organization and its members. We have identified gaps in Freezer Burn’s current legal and contractual systems, and we feel addressing those gaps is required to prioritize the care of our membership and the organization.
The LEA is a volunteer-run not-for-profit that handles the boring default world stuff that has to get done; like applying for government grants, insurance, financing, taxes, and more. LEA Initiatives like Freezer Burn and Decomp are projects that the LEA puts its name and organizational resources behind, being financially and legally liable for. In order to ensure our “scaffolding” is strong enough for future volunteers to run badass events and keep supporting artists, we will not be holding this year's Freezer Burn.
Here is the silver lining
The LEA’s financials are in decent shape. We can weather a break this year and still fund next year's event. This hiatus isn’t an end; it’s a brief arctic vortex to ensure Freezer Burn comes back better, stronger, and more sustainable.
The LEA is pursuing a thaw out event the weekend of June 20th. There will be a gathering, camps, hugs, and strange wonderful art. Now is your chance to channel some core principals, communal effort, civic responsibility, Participation and our favourite weird one, Immediacy. Cat herding begins meow. Click to send an email to AlbertaBurn2026@gmail.com and get involved.
We know people are sad and upset. We are too.
This decision was made with our hearts, our brains, and a deep love and respect for this community. And today more than ever, the community as a whole is foremost in our thoughts and in our hearts.
It was always better next year anyways.
Respectfully yours,
The League of Extraordinary Albertans
https://www.extraordinaryalbertans.ca/
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