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- Alberta is now projecting a $2-billion surplus for 2026-27 instead of the $9.4-billion deficit forecast in February's budget, according to the provincial government's first-quarter fiscal update released last Thursday. The $11.4-billion turnaround is driven largely by oil prices, with non-renewable resource revenue now expected to come in more than $9.7 billion higher than budgeted. Budget 2026 assumed a benchmark oil price of $60.50 US per barrel, but prices have averaged about $88 US since the US-Iran conflict squeezed tanker access to the Strait of Hormuz, and the new forecast assumes prices will fall back to average $73.50 US over the fiscal year. If prices stay near current levels instead, the surplus could grow by several billion dollars more. The update also puts the Heritage Fund on track to reach $32.1 billion by year-end and forecasts real GDP growth of 2.3% this year, 0.5% higher than expected at budget time. Finance Minister Jason Nixon cautioned that the government "cannot mistake a temporary windfall for a permanent trend".
- Former Premiers Jason Kenney and Rachel Notley are joining forces to co-chair a Canadian Chamber of Commerce campaign, called Canada and Alberta: Stronger Together, that will urge Albertans to vote to remain in Canada in the October 19th referendum. Chamber president Candace Laing said prolonged uncertainty around separation brings real risks for investor confidence, economic growth, and Canada's competitiveness. The campaign launched amid mounting calls to cancel the vote altogether, with Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi and Forever Canadian founder Thomas Lukaszuk both arguing that a referendum on Alberta's place in Canada weakens the country during the escalating trade war with the US. Premier Danielle Smith rejected those calls last Wednesday, saying the vote will go ahead because hundreds of thousands of Albertans signed the citizen petitions that prompted it, and urging Albertans to "vote with me" to remain in Canada. Albertans will face 10 questions on the October ballot, including whether the province should begin the process toward a future binding referendum on secession.
- Meanwhile, Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish was met with jeers, boos, and profanity at the provincial government's first two town halls on artificial intelligence data centres, held in Lacombe and Redwater. Residents demanded specifics on safeguards for water, land, and electricity, with some saying they no longer trust the government to regulate projects like Meta's planned $13-billion data centre north of Edmonton, which would be fed by a $4.6-billion natural gas-fired power plant. Glubish defended the project, saying the site has been zoned for that use for over 30 years and that the 300 jobs it represents are worth taking. Premier Danielle Smith joined Glubish for a virtual town hall last Thursday, the third of four sessions, saying the events are meant to find "blind spots" in the province's rules. Smith says the government is already considering guidance on limiting water use and rules on how close data centres can be built to homes. A final in-person town hall is planned for Grande Prairie in September.
- Elections Alberta has received more than 175,000 requests for special ballots ahead of the October 19th referendum, nearly triple the 59,589 requested for the 2023 provincial election. The agency attributes part of the surge to the end of the province's "Vote Anywhere" system - under recent changes to the Elections Act, voters must now cast their ballot in their own electoral division, while special ballots no longer require a reason to apply. Mount Royal University political scientist Lori Williams says voters may also want extra time with a ballot that contains 10 questions totalling more than 400 words. Elections Alberta will begin mailing ballot packages on September 1st, applications remain open until October 9th, and completed ballots must be received back by 5:00 pm on October 16th. Advance voting runs from October 13th to October 17th.
- Recovery Alberta is permanently closing the addiction treatment program at Edmonton's Henwood Treatment Centre, the largest provincially run voluntary addiction treatment centre in the region, according to reporting by the Investigative Journalism Foundation. The 62-bed facility has been closed since late June because of flooding, and staff were told on August 20th that the program will not reopen. Almost 600 people were on Henwood's waiting list when it stopped accepting applications, and they were told their referrals were being closed. Staff members say they believe the province is using the flood damage to cut the program, pointing to a confidential 2025 planning document that had earmarked Henwood as an interim site for secure beds under the province's involuntary treatment legislation. The Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction says the centre is closed "for the foreseeable future" and that clients have been moved to other local providers, citing a $30-million investment it says will add more than 400 treatment, housing, and stabilization beds in the Edmonton area.