• There will be afternoon sittings of the Legislature Monday through Thursday, in addition to Committee meetings. Today, the Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund will meet at 9:00 am to discuss the logistics of the annual public meeting as well as the draft 2023-24 Annual Report of the Committee. On Tuesday, at 8:00 am, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts will meet to discuss the 2022-23 Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services Annual Report. Finally, the Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship will meet on Thursday at 9:00 am to review the Personal Information Protection Act.
• Alberta's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis, is expressing concern about the significant vacancy rates in the RCMP that affect rural Alberta. In Alberta, there is a 21.6% vacancy rate, which translates to 413 unfilled positions. This issue has led to inadequate police coverage in some areas. Despite a $21 million increase in RCMP funding in the 2024 budget, totaling $377.8 million, recruitment challenges persist.
• The Province is gearing up for an active wildfire season by hiring and training staff early, acquiring equipment for nighttime firefighting, and providing weekly updates to the public. Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen highlighted the hiring of 297 wildland firefighters, 280 Firetack contracted firefighters, and 182 seasonal support staff as part of their proactive strategy.

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• There will be afternoon sittings of the Legislature Monday through Thursday. Up for Second Reading are Bill 11 (Public Safety Statutes Amendment Act), Bill 12 (Consumer Protection (Life Leases) Amendment Act), Bill 13 (Real Property Governance Act), Bill 18 (Provincial Priorities Act), Bill 17 (Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence Act), and Bill 16 (Red Tape Reduction Statutes Amendment Act). There are three committee meetings this week. The Standing Committee on Families and Communities will meet today at 9:00 am. Tomorrow at 8:00 am, there is a meeting of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. The Select Special Ethics Commissioner and Chief Electoral Officer Search Committee will convene on Wednesday at 8:00 am.
• Alberta will be allowed to accept more international students at its post-secondary institutions despite new federal regulations designed to cut back. The province's allotment of student permits will increase by 10%, while Ontario and British Columbia are having their numbers reduced by 18% and 41%, respectively. With the increase, almost 12% of Alberta’s student population will be made up of international students.
• Alberta has yet to receive funding from the National Trade Corridors Fund for nine proposals aimed at improving highways across the province. The Fund has favoured other regions over Alberta. Despite the federal program’s objectives to enhance transportation systems, Alberta's submissions, totalling $685 million, have remained unanswered since 2022. It seems that when Steven Guilbeault said he wouldn’t be investing in any more roads, that only applied to Alberta.

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• There are afternoon sittings of the Legislature Monday through Thursday. Bill 10 (Financial Statutes Amendment Act), Bill 11 (Public Safety Statutes Amendment Act), Bill 12 (Consumer Protection (Life Leases) Amendment Act), and Bill 13 (Real Property Governance Act) will receive Second Reading. The Standing Committee on Public Accounts will meet on Tuesday at 8:00 am.
• Premier Danielle Smith is urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to convene a meeting with the Premiers to discuss the impact of the federal carbon tax program and explore alternative emissions reduction strategies. In a letter to Trudeau, Smith highlighted the economic challenges faced by Canadians due to inflation and high interest rates, criticizing the recent carbon tax increase as further burdening citizens.
• There is a new bus service in the province. FlixBus plans to run daily trips between Edmonton and Calgary, as well as additional services to Lethbridge, Red Deer, Claresholm, and Fort Macleod. Initial fares will start at 50 cents as a promotion. The bus service is aiming to bridge the gap left by Greyhound Canada's exit in 2018.

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• This week marks the final event on our Can't Stop Alberta Tour. After 23 amazing events, we’re headed to Edmonton on Wednesday. We’ll be discussing the Alberta Pension Plan, K-12 education, Alberta’s relationship with Ottawa, municipal politics, and more. Attendance is free, but if you’re so inclined, you can make a donation to help cover our venue hire costs and our travel expenses. Thanks to each and every one of you who came out to one of our stops. We were fortunate enough to meet people from Lethbridge to Fort McMurray, Lloydminster to Grande Prairie, and everywhere in between. If we didn’t come to your city, don't worry, we’re planning another tour soon!
• The Legislature will resume this afternoon with the Throne Speech at 3:00 pm. It can be watched live online. There will be afternoon sittings of the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
• Alberta is collaborating with software company AltaML to develop artificial intelligence (AI) technology aimed at predicting wildfire locations. This AI-based prediction tool utilizes decades of fire data and weather forecasting to help allocate resources for firefighting efforts more accurately. The goal is to provide pinpoint locations of potential fires, optimize resource placement, and potentially save $2 million to $5 million annually.

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• Our Can't Stop Alberta Tour continues. We’re headed to Airdrie on Tuesday, and Calgary on Wednesday. We’ll be discussing K-12 education, Alberta’s relationship with Ottawa, energy policy, and more. Attendance is free, but if you’re so inclined, you can make a donation to help cover our venue hire costs and our travel expenses. We hope to see you at one or more of the events.
• The Province will continue to hold a number of geographically targeted telephone town halls to gauge Albertans’ interest in a provincial pension plan. This next town hall will take place tomorrow from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm and is intended for residents of Southern Alberta. You can either preregister or visit the website to listen live.
• The federal and provincial governments are providing $165 million in aid to Alberta livestock producers affected by a season-long drought. The funding, part of the AgriRecovery initiative, aims to help farmers and ranchers address extraordinary costs due to the drought and excessive heat. The program offers up to $150 per head for breeding animals, including cattle, bison, and horses. Drought conditions have persisted for several years in southern Alberta, leading to higher feed costs and increased challenges for livestock producers.

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• Our Can't Stop Alberta Tour continues. We’re headed to Red Deer on Tuesday, and Vulcan on Wednesday. We’ll be discussing K-12 education, Alberta’s relationship with Ottawa, energy policy, and more. Attendance is free, but if you’re so inclined, you can make a donation to help cover our venue hire costs and our travel expenses. We hope to see you at one or more of the events, and if you're not in the cities listed above, don't worry - just check the list online for an event near you.
• The Province will be holding a number of geographically targeted telephone town halls to gauge Albertans’ interest in a provincial pension plan. The first one takes place this evening and is intended for people living in Northern Alberta. The others will take place on October 24th (Southern Alberta), November 9th (Calgary and surrounding area), November 16th (Edmonton and surrounding area), and November 22nd (Central Alberta). All of the events run from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. You can either preregister or visit the website to listen live. The NDP is also having a consultation event online, on October 19th at 6:30pm.
• Alberta Health Services (AHS) is enforcing stricter masking rules within hospitals to manage COVID-19 outbreaks, but regions and hospitals have the freedom to disregard these directives. The decision to enhance masking for staff, patients, and visitors, along with its extent, depends on various factors such as outbreak numbers and hospitalization rates.

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THIS WEEK IN ALBERTA                             

•  Our Can't Stop Alberta Tour continues in Southern Alberta. We’re headed to Taber on Wednesday, Cardston on Thursday, and Lethbridge on Friday. We’ll be discussing K-12 education, Alberta’s relationship with Ottawa, energy policy, and more. Attendance is free, but if you’re so inclined, you can make a donation to help cover venue hire costs and other expenses. We hope to see you at one or more of the events, and if you're not in the cities listed above, don't worry - we have a few more dates scheduled. Click here to check the list online for an event near you.
• The most complete and well-preserved triceratops skull ever found in Canada is now on display at The Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller as part of the "Fossils in Focus" exhibit. Discovered in 2014, the skull is nearly two metres long by spent over 6,500 hours preparing the fossil, which weighs almost 500 kilograms.
• Provincial politicians are set to travel to Germany to gain insights into the country's energy transition plans. The trip, scheduled from October 8th to 14th, will involve Shane Getson, MLA for Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland, and Garth Rowswell, MLA for Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright, along with Canadian and U.S. lawmakers. They aim to learn from Germany's experiences as it navigates an energy crisis triggered by factors such as the war in Ukraine and a shift away from nuclear power, while planning to transition to renewables by 2050.

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• Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange will present her proposal for decentralizing Alberta Health Services (AHS) to Premier Danielle Smith and Cabinet on Wednesday, with potential implementation beginning in the fall to align with the new budget cycle in February. Smith has tasked LaGrange with making AHS more responsive to regional needs.
• As we enter the cold and flu season, the Province will be leaving mask-wearing in healthcare settings up to individuals. Some Canadian jurisdictions have recently reinstated mask mandates for hospitals and other healthcare settings, but the Ministry of Health says the Province will not issue such a mandate.
• Alberta is leading the country in population growth, with people flocking to the province both from other countries and the rest of Canada. Statistics Canada says that this year’s numbers mark not only the highest annual net interprovincial gains for Alberta, but the highest annual net interprovincial gains ever recorded for a province since comparable data has been available.

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• Our Can't Stop Alberta Tour continues this week. Today, we’re headed to Rocky Mountain House, followed by stops in Drumheller, Stettler and Innisfail.  We’ll be discussing K-12 education, Alberta’s relationship with Ottawa, energy policy, and more. Attendance is free, but if you’re so inclined, you can make a donation to help cover our venue hire costs and our travel expenses. We hope to see you at one or more of the events, and if you're not in the cities listed above, don't worry - just check the list online for an event near you.
• Nominations are open for the first Board of Directors of the newly formed Alberta Grains - the organization that resulted from the merger of Alberta Barley and the Alberta Wheat Commission. There are 12 spots on the board, two per region, and farmers are being encouraged to apply. The nomination deadline is October 31st and forms are available online. The Alberta Canola Producers Commission is also seeking nominations for its Board of Directors elections - more information and requirements are also available online.
• E. coli cases are trending in the right direction after an outbreak believed to be linked to a central kitchen at a Calgary daycare chain resulted in hundreds of sick children. The Province is now conducting an investigation, including testing food samples and interviewing daycare and kitchen staff. There is also an investigation underway to see how many shared kitchens serving daycares exist in the province.

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• Our Can't Stop Alberta Tour continues this week. This week, we’re headed to Edson, Grande Prairie, Barrhead, and Sherwood Park. We’ll be discussing K-12 education, Alberta’s relationship with Ottawa, energy policy, and more. Attendance is free, but if you’re so inclined, you can make a donation to help cover our venue hire costs and our travel expenses. We hope to see you at one or more of the events, and if you're not in the cities listed above, don't worry - just check the list online for an event near you.
• Alberta's Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, RJ Sigurdson, is on a trade mission to South Korea and Japan. The mission aims to promote Alberta's agriculture industry and its agri-food products. During the visit, Minister Sigurdson will engage with agri-businesses, government officials, and media to explore investment and trade opportunities for the province's agricultural sector. Japan is Alberta's third-largest agri-food export market, with key products including wheat, canola seed, and beef, while South Korea ranks as the fifth-largest agri-food export market, with exports including beef, canola oil, pork, wheat, and hay.
• Premier Danielle Smith's approval rating is at its highest point since she took office. Smith stands out as the Canadian Premier with the highest number of respondents "strongly approving" of her leadership. Alberta’s credit rating is also on the upswing, having just received a bump to AA on account of real GDP growth and a stable debt-to-GDP ratio. 

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• Our Can't Stop Alberta Tour continues this week. This evening, we’re headed to Oyen, followed by stops in Medicine Hat, Brooks and Strathmore. The events will be casual and fun, with plenty of opportunities for networking and participation. Attendance is free, but if you’re so inclined, you can make a donation to help cover our venue hire costs and our travel expenses. We hope to see you at one or more of the events, and if you're not in the cities listed above, don't worry - just check the list online for an event near you.
• The Court of King’s Bench will consider arguments and make a decision about the meaning of the word “engineer”. The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) is seeking to stop tech companies Jobber and iStock from posting job ads recruiting software engineers, arguing that to become a professional engineer, one must meet certain ethical, professional, and technical requirements. Jobber and iStock are arguing that the term software engineer is understood as being distinct from the civil, technical, chemical, and other engineering professions that fall under APEGA’s regulatory system. Jobber’s lawyer says APEGA is engaging in “regulatory overreach”.
• Over the span of four years, Alberta's universities are set to receive $27.3 million to support innovative technology research through the Province’s Major Innovation Fund. The goal is to assist post-secondary institutions in expediting advancements in medical devices, electronic and mobile health, clean energy, and space and defense technologies. 

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