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- The Alberta Teachers’ Association has filed a labour relations complaint and 61 grievances, accusing the Province’s bargaining agent of negotiating in bad faith over its promise to hire 3,000 new teachers. The union says the government failed to clearly disclose its true position during bargaining, particularly whether those teachers would be additional to positions already funded in the 2025 budget. According to the ATA, the government later suggested the hires were not truly “net new,” which the union argues undermines what was agreed to at the bargaining table. ATA President Jason Schilling said the union is seeking clarity and accountability for commitments made to end the teachers’ strike. The government says Bill 2 was intended to get students back in class and that it will respond to the complaint through the legal process. The dispute now centres on whether the promised teachers must be funded and hired on top of existing budgeted staffing plans.
- Canada and Alberta have agreed to a one-year extension of their child-care agreements, keeping average fees at about $15 per day until March 2027. Ottawa will transfer more than $1.17 billion to Alberta in 2026-27 to maintain affordability grants and support licensed operators while longer-term negotiations continue. While parents and providers welcomed the short-term relief, many warned the brief extension creates ongoing uncertainty about future fees, space creation, and workforce participation. Parents say the lack of clarity has heightened stress, especially given rising wait lists and the risk of fees increasing sharply without federal support. Child-care operators echoed those concerns, calling the extension a temporary fix that does not address structural issues, including caps on for-profit spaces and late-stage licensing decisions. Both governments say the extension buys time to negotiate a more durable framework, but families and providers are urging a multi-year deal to restore stability.
- A Legislative Committee has approved an extra $6.7 million for Elections Alberta to manage a surge in recall petitions targeting MLAs, most of them directed at the governing United Conservative Party. The funding follows advice from the Chief Electoral Officer that verifying the 21 petitions issued since late October, along with staffing and mailing costs, far exceeded the agency’s existing budget. Committee members unanimously supported the increase. In a separate decision, the Committee granted Elections Alberta an additional $3 million to prepare for a likely provincial referendum next year. While the funding requests were largely approved, the Committee did not fully meet Elections Alberta’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year.
- The Alberta government amended Bill 14 after the Province’s Chief Electoral Officer warned it could undermine democratic independence and create the perception of partisan influence. Gordon McClure said the bill risked eroding the separation of powers by allowing the Justice Minister to direct the Chief Electoral Officer’s actions. In response, Justice Minister Mickey Amery introduced amendments removing provisions that would have required ministerial approval to block similar referendum questions and eliminating a clause allowing the Minister to refer petition questions to court. The government says the changes restore balance and prevent delays to citizen-led democracy. Opposition leaders argue the amendments fail to address the core concerns and instead weaken oversight by limiting the ability to challenge problematic referendum questions.
- Alberta’s Auditor General, Doug Wylie, has called on the UCP government to improve public performance reporting across the province’s health care system. His report found that Alberta Health Services’ reporting during its final years was inconsistent, low-quality, and often did not follow established guidelines, making it difficult to assess the impact of health system changes. Wylie highlighted delays in producing business plans, unclear performance measures, and a lack of authoritative policies to guide staff. He emphasized that transparent reporting is essential for Albertans to understand whether recent restructuring, including the division of the health portfolio into four departments, is achieving its goals. The report recommends creating a clear provincial reporting framework, updating outdated accountability documents, and ensuring all publicly funded health organizations follow consistent policies and procedures. Alberta Health Services and the Primary and Preventive Health Services Ministry have said they accept the recommendations and are working to address the concerns.