AlbertaInstitute
- An incident that took place at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday has resulted in four confirmed deaths and dozens more injuries, as of the time of writing. It appears that an accident during a live-fire training exercise triggered a fire and that the accident and fire have both caused significant casualties, though full details are not yet available. The soldiers training at the base at the time were from one of Canada's main front-line infantry regiments, whose members are based in Edmonton and at CFB Shilo in Manitoba. Premier Danielle Smith convened her Emergency Management Cabinet Coordination Committee, said she was heading to Edmonton to meet with her ministers and federal officials, and said flags at provincial government buildings would be lowered to half-mast.
- Alberta's referendum, featuring 10 questions, is today. Polls are open from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm and we have information on how to vote below. Over the weekend, both sides held rallies across Alberta. The Alberta Federation of Labour organized 15 rallies across the province but cancelled its Okotoks event at the last minute because of the wind. In Calgary, hundreds gathered outside City Hall to campaign for Canadian unity and protest the United Conservative Party and Premier Danielle Smith, and NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi told the crowd the job now was to get every supporter out to vote for Option 1 and against the other nine questions. In Edmonton, an independence rally organized by Let Alberta Decide outside the Alberta Legislature Building started an hour late because of the weather. Speakers included campaign co-chair Keith Wilson and Pathway to Independence founder Cory Morgan, who said he would continue to advocate for an independent Alberta after the vote. Elections Alberta figures show 703,824 people voted over the first four days of advance polls, and 516,000 special ballots had been processed as of Saturday morning.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney says Alberta does not need a referendum to secure greater cooperation from Ottawa on immigration. Carney said he expects closer federal-provincial cooperation on immigration regardless of how Albertans vote today, because the province is closer to the needs of its industries. Five of the referendum's questions deal with immigration, including whether the Alberta government should take more control over immigration to reduce it to more sustainable levels, prioritize economic migrants, and give Albertans first priority for new jobs. Premier Danielle Smith has advocated for an arrangement similar to Quebec's, which gives that province greater authority over selecting economic immigrants. Carney claimed his government has cut asylum seekers by 70%, temporary foreign workers by 60%, and foreign students by 80% over roughly the past 18 months. He also recently told the New York Times that a "controlled increase" in Canada's population could begin again.
- Premier Danielle Smith and Justice Minister Mickey Amery are hailing two federal judicial appointments as a sign of new collaboration with Ottawa. Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser named Malcolm Lavoie to the Court of King's Bench and Thomas Rothwell to the Court of Appeal. Lavoie was Alberta's Deputy Minister of Justice and personally argued the province's position on the notwithstanding clause before the Supreme Court earlier this year. Amery claimed the appointments marked a concrete change in the selection process with real input from Alberta, but a spokesperson for Fraser said the established federal process was followed for both. Question 6 asks whether Alberta should join other provinces in seeking a constitutional amendment transferring Superior Court and Court of Appeal appointments from the federal government to the provinces. Will van Engen, an Edmonton defence lawyer with Alberta Lawyers for Judicial Independence, said both judges were recommended through the non-partisan Judicial Advisory Committee, which has always given the provincial government a seat at the table. He noted that just 5% of court cases in Alberta are handled by federally appointed judges, and argued the push for more appointment powers undermines judicial independence.
- Most Albertans expect to vote on separation again in the future, according to a new Abacus Data survey released ahead of today's referendum. The poll found 61% of respondents expect another vote on Alberta separation at some point, while just 14% believe the debate will be settled for a generation or longer even if most Albertans vote to remain in Canada. At the same time, 67% want the provincial government to focus more on everyday issues like health care, affordability, and jobs, while 22% want the province to keep pressing for greater autonomy. Only 32% expect Albertans who disagree on separation to move past their differences after the vote, and only four in 10 believe the final result will be respected by both sides, although 68% trust Elections Alberta to count the ballots fairly. Premier Danielle Smith has said there will be no other question on separation while she is in office if Albertans vote to remain.
- Premier Danielle Smith announced that the Government of Alberta is ordering Edmonton to roll back its infill rules, and plans new province-wide limits on infill development. Within three months, Edmonton must revert its rules on housing types, density, and height to those in place before its 2024 zoning changes, and restore the minimum on-site parking requirements it had before 2020. The City will also have 18 months to review its land use bylaws, while Calgary was directed to finish its own ongoing bylaw review next year. Smith cited concerns from residents about utilities, traffic, parking, and property values, and Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams said the changes will be made through a cabinet order in council and described them as a "pause" or "reset". Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi accused Smith of overriding the democratic will of Edmontonians, saying infill is a municipal responsibility. Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack, who defeated several challengers who backed tougher infill rules in last October's election, warned that the Premier is underestimating the consequences and that the move could cause tremendous chaos.
- Federal Defence Minister David McGuinty visited Canadian Forces Base Edmonton, alongside Premier Danielle Smith, to highlight $8 billion in ongoing federal military spending in Alberta. The spending includes $550 million to establish the western operating base for the Royal Canadian Air Force's CC-330 Husky fleet, nearly $4 billion to support fighter capabilities at the Cold Lake base, and over $580 million over three years for maintenance and repairs across Alberta's military bases. McGuinty described Confederation as "a bargain of reciprocity" and said Alberta will help lead the way in leaving Canada stronger. Smith said the Province and Ottawa have been working together to use existing military assets in Alberta to help meet the federal target of spending 5% of gross domestic product on defence by 2035. She said she hopes announcements like this one will give people more confidence to vote to remain in Canada.
- The Government of Alberta is walking back some of the changes it made over the summer to benefits for people with disabilities, citing community feedback. Eligible couples where both people receive Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) or the Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP) will again receive full benefit amounts. Assisted Living and Social Services Minister Nathan Neudorf said couples were considering divorce to get back to full payment, which he called not the intended outcome. ADAP launched in July, and the Province says about 45,000 Albertans were moved onto it from AISH, while about 35,000 remain on AISH. The Province says ADAP clients can earn up to $45,240 a year before losing benefits, and that those moved from AISH will receive a transition benefit covering the difference in monthly benefits until December 31st. It has also shortened the non-medical application process for moving to ADAP by 75% and now lets nurse practitioners sign off on medical reports.
- The Alberta Court of Appeal has ruled that the federal Impact Assessment Act, which sets out how the environmental, economic, health, and social effects of projects like ports, mines, and pipelines are reviewed, is still unconstitutional. In a 4-1 decision, the court found that although Ottawa modified the law after the Supreme Court struck down much of it in 2023, the new version still infringes on provincial jurisdiction. Among other things, the court said the act still lets Ottawa stop a project in provincial jurisdiction if it has even the smallest impact on federal jurisdiction. It was the Province's second challenge to the Act, and Ontario and Saskatchewan both backed Alberta in the case. The ruling comes as Ottawa tries, through the newly tabled Bill C-39, to move the assessment of pipeline and energy transmission projects from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada to the Canada Energy Regulator. Ottawa has said the Regulator will still be bound by the Impact Assessment Act when it carries out those reviews. The office of federal Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin said the government is reviewing the decision and considering next steps.
- Premier Danielle Smith is brushing off the Opposition NDP's court challenge to her government's new voter list rules, and says legislation is coming this fall to add safeguards on voter information. The rules, published in September, allow Elections Alberta to give political parties only the number of voters in each voting area and municipality, instead of lists with full names, addresses, and phone numbers. Smith says elections officials called for the restrictions after a major data breach earlier this year, and that the NDP asked for the restrictions too, which the Opposition denies. At a court hearing, the NDP argued that the Government is acting beyond its power and undermining the democratic purpose of a voter list. Smith says she hopes to win the NDP's support for the coming legislation.
- Premier Danielle Smith announced on Tuesday that the Province will suspend its 13-cent-per-litre fuel tax on gasoline and diesel from October 1st until the end of the year. Under Alberta's Fuel Tax Relief Program, the tax is fully removed when West Texas Intermediate crude averages more than $90 a barrel, and it averaged $90.54 during the latest review period. The Province estimates the change will bring the average price of gas from about 175.5 cents to about 162.5 cents per litre, and it warns that businesses caught price gouging face fines of up to $300,000 or up to two years in jail. The move reverses the government's decision in June to keep the tax and instead offer a one-time $100 rebate to households earning $225,000 a year or less, which Albertans can still apply for until September 30th. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation welcomed the suspension, while NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the government is now implementing a policy it spent months arguing against, only after losing the Calgary-Shaw by-election to his party. The next review period, running from November 17th to December 15th, will set the quarterly rate for January 1st, 2027.
- Premier Danielle Smith is floating a $1,900-per-person fee for temporary residents to access public health care, ahead of the October 19th referendum question on charging certain non-permanent residents a fee or premium for health care and education. Smith pointed to the United Kingdom, where adult visa applicants pay about $1,950 a year for health care, and argued that people who are in Alberta temporarily should pay their own way. She claims Alberta's 246,000 temporary residents cost more than $1 billion a year in health care and education while contributing $150 million in provincial tax revenue, though those estimates have faced scrutiny over how the revenue figure was calculated. Calgary Chamber of Commerce president Deborah Yedlin warned that the fee would add to business costs, with employers likely to cover it for lower-wage workers in thin-margin sectors like hospitality. NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi called Smith "out of touch" and noted that temporary workers already pay taxes. Finance Minister Jason Nixon said the government would consult before deciding whether current temporary residents would be exempt, and that any legislation would likely not take effect until after the 2027 provincial election.
- Premier Danielle Smith also says her government is considering changes to the Municipal Government Act that could let councils in larger municipalities operate more like the provincial cabinet, holding private briefings and then debating issues in public. Speaking at the Alberta Municipalities convention in Edmonton on Wednesday, Smith said constituents have raised concerns about municipal governance and that councils should conduct their business in public, as the Province has to. The issue gained attention after a Calgary Councillor leaked a confidential document from a closed-door meeting that showed a potential 20% property tax increase to cover $510 million in funding requests. Alberta Municipalities president Dylan Bressey pushed back, saying councils use in-camera time judiciously and that he does not think the province has a transparency issue. Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack also said he would prefer not to have private meetings before public discussions. Bressey instead asked the Province for 10% of its $2-billion surplus, about $200 million, for municipal infrastructure, noting that provincial infrastructure funding for municipalities has fallen by 50% over 10 years.
- Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced on Tuesday that two new mandatory Grade 10 courses are ready for field testing: a revised Career and Life Management course and a new physical education and wellness course. The revised course puts more emphasis on career planning and financial literacy, and it would replace the existing Career and Life Management 20 course, which was last updated in 2002. Under the proposed changes, sexual health education would move out of Career and Life Management and into the physical education and wellness course. A new junior high science curriculum is also being prepared, adding lessons on artificial intelligence, coding, and machine learning, along with more content on green energy sources, fossil fuel extraction, carbon capture, and critical minerals. Teachers can apply to field test the new drafts starting in October, with updated drafts expected in spring 2027, optional pilots in fall 2027, and the new material becoming mandatory in fall 2028. Alberta Teachers' Association president Jason Schilling warned that the changes add to the workload of teachers already piloting new junior high curricula in four other subjects, and said physical education teachers are concerned that health lessons are cutting into students' active time.
- The Province is working on a potential framework that would let municipalities allow and enforce the use of privately owned e-scooters and other micromobility devices. Privately owned e-scooters are currently not allowed on municipal property in Alberta, while companies like Lime and Bird operate in the bigger cities through a provincial exemption for approved vendors. A spokesperson for the transportation ministry said the framework could be one of several changes to modernize the Traffic Safety Act, but gave no timeline. Premier Danielle Smith said on September 12th that the Province could set limits on speed, where the devices can go, rider age, and protective gear, and invited Albertans to send feedback to the transportation ministry. Alberta Municipalities, which has advocated for a provincial framework for years, hopes to see a change this fall that would take effect by spring. Its president, Dylan Bressey, wants municipalities to decide where e-scooters can be used, though he says he could support provincewide limits on things like speed or weight.
- The Alberta government is considering new legislation and two new Crown corporations to expand natural gas pipeline capacity, according to a 46-page cabinet report leaked to CTV News by a government adviser and first reported by The Narwhal. The report, prepared by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, warns that the province's gas transmission network is constrained, suppressing gas prices, limiting provincial royalties, and driving investment away, particularly from AI data centres. It says the main line, NOVA Gas Transmission, owned and operated by TC Energy, will be full by 2029 with no expansion planned as of 2030, and that TC Energy's future expansion plans are "misaligned" with the province's projected demand growth. The Province is also exploring roughly $6 billion of new capacity at taxpayer expense, funding a pipeline carrying 1 billion cubic feet per day, which the ministry estimates would generate an additional $100 million in royalties by 2034. Premier Danielle Smith, who said on her weekly radio show that the issue is the monopoly TC Energy holds, argued there is enough private sector interest that Alberta would not have to follow the approach used in other provinces. TC Energy counters that it has spent $15 billion on expansion over the past decade with another $1 billion planned, and the report flags potential court challenges from TC Energy and ATCO Gas and Pipelines as legal considerations. Energy and Minerals Minister Brian Jean's office says internal materials do not represent government decisions.
- Premier Danielle Smith said on Wednesday that her government will announce a revised oil and gas royalty framework in November, which Bloomberg reports will resemble the preferential royalty terms Alberta has used in the past. Smith argued the change is needed because the industry spent the past decade being told it would be winding down production rather than ramping it up. The announcement follows Prime Minister Mark Carney's "productivity mega deduction", unveiled at the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, a measure that would cut taxes on capital investment and extend to the oil industry. Ottawa says the deduction will lower Canada's marginal effective tax rate on new business investment from about 13% to 6.4%, and presents it as central to Carney's plan to attract $1 trillion in investment over five years. Alberta's current royalty framework is covered by a government commitment not to change the rules during the 10-year period that began in 2019, and Smith did not say whether the new framework would take effect before that commitment expires or how much revenue the Province could forgo. Energy and Minerals Minister Brian Jean says Alberta, Ottawa, and the five Oil Sands Alliance producers are working toward final agreements by mid-November.
- Alberta NDP candidate Kyle Campbell won the by-election in Calgary-Shaw, taking 7,461 of the 16,002 votes counted, about 47%, and finishing 582 votes ahead of UCP candidate Mike Derry. It is the first time the NDP has held the riding since the party's 2015 sweep into government, with the UCP winning the seat in both 2019 and 2023. The seat had been vacant since UCP MLA and former cabinet minister Rebecca Schulz resigned earlier this year, and one political scientist described the vote as a test of the government's popularity just over a month before the October 19th referendum. Kyle Joseph of the Progressive Tory Party of Alberta finished third with 978 votes, Alberta Liberal Party Leader John Roggeveen received 602, and Independent candidate Rolly Ashdown took 82. Official results will be confirmed on September 24th.
- The Government of Alberta has temporarily changed the rules governing the province's official voter list, so that copies given to political parties will now show only the number of voters in each voting area and municipality. The list previously carried each registered voter's first and last name, home address and postal code, phone number, and a unique identifier, and Elections Alberta distributes it to parties, legislators, candidates, and constituency associations for campaigning and fundraising. The policy was published on Thursday, expires at the end of the year, and follows the publication in the spring of a database by a separatist group called the Centurion Project that elections officials say contained the private information of nearly three million Albertans. Investigators traced that database to a copy of the list given to the pro-independence Republican Party of Alberta, which has denied any wrongdoing, and a judge ordered the website taken down in April. Justice Minister Mickey Amery's office says the policy is meant to protect Albertans' private information and that permanent changes will be introduced in legislation in the fall. Elections Alberta says it will still use the full list to administer the referendum to ensure the vote's security.
- The Treasury Board and Finance Ministry spent the summer meeting personal injury lawyers about restoring some right to sue under Alberta's new care-first auto insurance model, which takes effect in January 2027. Under the model as it stands, Albertans hurt in collisions can sue an at-fault driver for pain and suffering only where that driver is convicted of a Criminal Code offence or one of a handful of major offences under the Traffic Safety Act, or for costs beyond the maximum benefits they receive. Mark McCourt, one of the personal injury lawyers who met officials, says the discussions covered extending the right to sue to people who suffer life-changing injuries caused by reckless drivers, and that doing so would be an improvement on what is currently proposed. Ministry press secretary Juliana Rodriguez says the Province has heard from Albertans about the importance of court access in life-changing injury cases, but that no decision has been made. The Alberta Auto Insurance Rate Board estimates drivers will save an average of $297 per vehicle under the new model. Aaron Sutherland, vice-president of the Insurance Bureau of Canada, warns that what the lawyers are proposing would substantially erode those savings and could push rates up for drivers.
- Alberta will ban solar panels from provincial landfills and charge a $14 recycling fee on every new panel supplied in the province beginning October 1st. Environment and Protected Areas Minister Grant Hunter says the program, which the provincial government calls the first of its kind in Canada, will recover valuable materials and build a recycling industry before dead panels start piling up. The fee applies only to panels supplied on or after October 1st, with no charge on panels already installed, and the government estimates it adds $280 to a typical 20-panel residential installation, or less than 1.5% of the cost. By 2045, more than 95% of the solar panels currently installed in Alberta are expected to reach the end of their lives, generating as much as 72,700 tonnes of material. The Business Renewables Centre-Canada, whose members develop and buy renewable power, says it supports a recycling program but describes the fee itself as a "punitive tax", with director Jorden Dye arguing it is more than double the charge in any other jurisdiction the group examined and ignores the salvage value of recovered materials. Dye says the next-highest fee anywhere is Germany's at $5 per panel, and the group estimates the Alberta charge will add about $1 million in upfront costs to an average 38-megawatt solar project.
- The Alberta branch of the Canadian Bar Association has published an analysis warning that many of the proposals Albertans will vote on in the October 19th referendum would face steep constitutional obstacles if a government tried to act on them. The lawyers' group, which takes no position on how people should vote, examined all 10 questions after its members began fielding queries about them. On the separation question, it notes that a province cannot unilaterally leave Canada, though a clear majority on a clear question would oblige the federal government to enter discussions about secession and its possible terms. The four constitutional questions - a provincial role in appointing superior court judges, abolishing the Senate, opting out of certain federal programs, and giving provincial law priority over federal law - would each require constitutional amendments, with Senate abolition needing resolutions from the Senate, the House of Commons, and every province and territory. On the five immigration questions, the analysis says a unilateral provincial cap could run into federal paramountcy problems, charging non-permanent residents for provincially funded supports could conflict with the Canada Health Act, and a new proof-of-citizenship requirement to vote could draw a Charter challenge on equality grounds. The office of Justice Minister Mickey Amery did not address the specific points but said the government has a duty to uphold its citizen-initiated referendum laws and give citizens a voice.
- Saddle Lake Cree Nation says Alberta's restrictions on gender-affirming care violate its Treaty rights, and it plans to write its own health law regulating health care on its lands. Chief Dale Steinhauer says the Nation's responsibility as a rights holder under Treaty No. 6 is to protect the health, dignity, and life of everyone who comes to its territory, and the Nation grounds the new law in the treaty's commitment to keep a medicine chest for the use and benefit of its people. Under the plan, the First Nation would bring in Canadian-trained clinicians to provide gender-affirming care, primary care, and specialist care to members and visitors, and would exempt those clinicians from any sanctions by professional bodies for providing care the Province has banned. Two-Spirit family doctor James Makokis argues that anti-trans laws fail to uphold the spirit and intent of the medicine chest clause. The provincial government maintains that its policies, which include banning puberty blockers for those under 16, are meant to protect children from making life-changing decisions, and it used the Charter's notwithstanding clause in November to shield the legislation after a Court of King's Bench judge granted a temporary injunction on the grounds that the ban was likely to cause irreparable harm. The federal Ministry of Crown-Indigenous Relations said it is committed to the treaty relationship, while Indigenous Relations Minister Rajan Sawhney did not respond to a request for comment.
- Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally says registries will now accept passports that have been expired for less than a year as proof of citizenship for a driver's licence renewal, along with any citizenship certificate recognized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada rather than the short list accepted before. The change follows weeks of complaints about the province's new integrated licences and identification cards, which carry a citizenship marker and a health-care number and have drawn criticism from the Opposition NDP. Nally, however, says demand has been far higher than expected, with renewals up 33% and only about 1% of applicants needing a 60-day interim licence because they could not produce the right documents.
- Alberta has launched an online portal for businesses to tell the provincial government how US tariffs and Canadian counter-tariffs are affecting their operations, jobs, and growth. The province says the information will be used to identify sector-specific effects, including changes to costs, investment decisions, market access, competitiveness, employment, and supply chains, and to shape its response across affected industries. A cabinet committee has been set up to coordinate that response across several ministries, and Premier Danielle Smith and Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Minister Joseph Schow recently hosted a meeting of the Alberta Trade Advisory Council to hear directly from industry and business leaders. The announcement quotes business groups saying retaliatory measures fall hardest on small and medium-sized enterprises, with 60% of them importing goods against 20% exporting. The province says it will keep pressing for free and fair trade with the United States and wants the dispute settled through negotiation.
- The provincial government has committed $320 million to expand cardiac care at Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge. The funding, announced Wednesday, will redevelop the hospital's cardiac catheterization lab and expand its intensive care and cardiac care units, raising the facility's total number of beds to 54. Infrastructure Minister Martin Long said design work will begin this month and construction next month, with the project expected to be finished by the end of 2031. Long said the hospital plays a vital role in delivering health care across southern Alberta, while Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange said Albertans deserve timely access to care close to home.
- Also on the health-care file, Alberta's new dual-practice health system took effect on September 1st, allowing doctors to offer privately paid services while continuing to work in the public system, beginning with elective procedures such as hip and knee replacements. The provincial government says close to 400 specialist physicians have expressed interest in taking part, though a formal application process must still be completed before any privately funded surgeries occur, which the province expects later this fall. Premier Danielle Smith says the change does not violate the Canada Health Act and that she expects Ottawa to respect the province's jurisdiction over health care, arguing that Albertans who choose to pay for eligible elective surgery should be able to do so at home rather than travelling out of province. The provincial and national doctors associations and the Opposition NDP have criticized the model as two-tier care that benefits those who can afford to pay while draining the public system. Opponents rallied at seven locations across the province, with the group Friends of Medicare urging Ottawa to enforce the Act by withholding health transfers, and federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel's office said she is in advanced discussions with her Alberta counterpart.
- On another file, Alberta's Opposition NDP is calling on Premier Danielle Smith to fire Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally over problems with the province's new integrated identification cards, which since July 2nd have combined a resident's driver's licence with their health number and a citizenship marker. Gurinder Brar, the NDP's critic for the department, said constituency offices have been swamped with complaints from residents confused and frustrated by the changes, and cited a Grande Prairie woman who was turned away four times while trying to renew her identification despite presenting several documents. Brar said the party would make a single combined card optional, offer a standalone health card, and remove the citizenship markers, which he called discriminatory, noting that the privacy commissioner has warned that requiring a health number and citizenship on a licence puts privacy at risk. Nally defended the cards, saying driver's licence and identification transactions rose 33% in July compared with a year earlier and that a citizenship marker makes it easier for Albertans to prove eligibility for provincial benefits. He said the change brings Alberta in line with every province except Manitoba in requiring health coverage to be renewed, and that residents needing more time can receive a 60-day grace period.
- The provincial government will remove Water Act approval and wetland replacement requirements this fall for routine farming on private cropland, allowing producers to drain, ditch, and fill certain temporary and seasonal wetlands without first obtaining provincial permission. The exemptions will cover activities such as cultivating, direct seeding, spraying, surface-water drainage, and infilling. Under the current system, a farmer whose work affects a temporary wetland can be required to hire a qualified wetland professional, complete an assessment, wait for a government review, and pay wetland replacement costs. Environment and Protected Areas Minister Grant Hunter said the change restores private property rights and gets government out of the way where it is not needed, saving farmers time and money. Water managed under the exemptions must remain on the farmer's property and cannot adversely affect neighbouring land. The Government also plans to replace the approval process for tile drainage with a code of practice, which it expects to complete in early 2027.
- Alberta drivers paid an average of $1,903 for auto insurance last year as premiums rose 8.7%, according to a new report from the Automobile Insurance Rate Board, the independent agency that approves auto insurance rates in the province. The report found that third-party liability costs, largely legal and litigation expenses, made up 58.2% of the premiums drivers paid, and that insurers still lost about nine cents for every dollar of coverage sold in 2025. The Insurance Bureau of Canada said the figures show the current system is broken and strengthen the case for the province's planned Care-First model, which would shift the emphasis from lawsuits to medical treatment and recovery benefits for people injured in collisions. Aaron Sutherland, the bureau's vice-president for Western and Pacific Canada, said legal costs remain the largest pressure on premiums and that the planned changes cannot arrive soon enough. The report also found the cost of repairing vehicles has risen roughly 27% in recent years.
- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is urging Ottawa and Washington to return to the negotiating table after trade talks collapsed and the US imposed new 50% tariffs on a range of Canadian exports. Smith said the terms proposed by American negotiators were too costly for Canada to accept, but warned that an escalating tariff war would also hurt businesses and consumers on both sides of the border. She expressed concern about Canada’s planned retaliatory tariffs, particularly their potential impact on farmers, manufacturers and small businesses that rely on American imports. While Alberta’s oil and natural gas exports are expected to be less affected, industries such as furniture manufacturing and honey production could face significant challenges. Smith said Alberta’s cabinet will meet Tuesday to review the new trade measures, federal relief plans and the province’s next steps.
- Premier Danielle Smith has called a by-election in the southern Calgary riding of Calgary-Shaw for September 14th. The seat has been vacant since May, when former cabinet minister Rebecca Schulz resigned and later became an executive with oil and gas producer Whitecap Resources. Four candidates have so far said they intend to run: Mike Derry for the UCP, Kyle Campbell for the NDP, Alberta Liberal Party Leader John Roggeveen, and Kyle Joseph, who is seeking the nomination for the new Progressive Tory Party founded by former UCP cabinet minister Peter Guthrie. Nominations close on Thursday. The riding has historically voted conservative, with the NDP winning it only once, in 2015, but some political observers see the vote as a bellwether for next year's provincial election, coming just five weeks before October's referendum.
- The provincial government is delaying new rules restricting which flags schools can fly, a requirement to play the Canadian national anthem weekly, and a change that would give Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides the power to name or rename public schools. The changes, part of an omnibus education bill the Legislature approved in the spring, were to take effect on September 1st to coincide with the start of the school year. The incoming law permits only Canadian and Alberta flags on school grounds, though Nicolaides has said schools will also be allowed to fly the Franco-Albertan flag. Alberta Teachers' Association president Jason Schilling said teachers' biggest questions were about whether Pride, Metis, and francophone flags could still be displayed in classrooms. The ministry says it remains committed to implementing the changes and is taking a thoughtful and measured approach, while other parts of the bill, including a new student code of conduct and digital provincial exams, are still set to take effect September 1st.
- Premier Danielle Smith says a binding referendum on Alberta independence would need to be held in spring 2027 if Albertans vote in October for her government to pursue one. Speaking to UCP members at a town hall in Lethbridge last Tuesday, Smith said the question would have to be settled before the next election. October's referendum will ask Albertans whether they want to remain in Canada or have the government begin pursuing the legal path toward a binding vote. Smith said fulfilling the government's duty to consult First Nations would take at least two and a half months, after which the federal government would need to approve the referendum question and ensure it complies with the Clarity Act. In May, a court quashed Stay Free Alberta's petition for a binding referendum, ruling that the province and Elections Alberta had failed to consult First Nations and other groups, and both the group and the government are appealing. Smith's timeline would put a binding vote in March or April.
- The Alberta Utilities Commission has denied an application from Synapse Real Estate Corp. to build a natural gas power plant that would have powered a massive data centre complex in the town of Olds. The company proposed a 10-building campus with 1.4 gigawatts of power generation, plus 1.8 gigawatts of emergency and backup diesel generation. In a decision published last Monday, the commission said the project was too close to the surrounding community, noting that Synapse itself reported more than 700 residences within 800 meters of the site. The proceeding drew applications from about 1,500 parties wanting to participate in hearings, with standing granted to more than 900, compared to a few hundred in typical cases. The office of Affordability and Utilities Minister RJ Sigurdson said decisions like this prove that the province's framework is working and that its regulatory bodies are protecting the interests of Albertans and their communities.
- Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen says the provincial government will introduce bike lane legislation when MLAs return to the Legislature in late October, after more than 13,000 people used a provincial website launched last month to identify problem bike lanes. Under the plan, a city wanting to build a new bike lane would have to show evidence that it is needed and will not have negative impacts on the community, and would have to make a case to the Province to keep lanes already in place. Dreeshen says the legislation would give the provincial government authority to demand detailed data on any bike lane, including usage, effects on traffic and neighbouring roads, and impacts on local businesses, and to remove existing lanes that do not meet the threshold. He says neither Calgary nor Edmonton has handed over those numbers, and argues that either councils lacked the data when they made the decisions or the data is weaker than they have let on. Dreeshen acknowledges the plan will draw opposition, saying there will be "loud special interest groups" but that the government is not afraid of making the right decisions.
- On another file, Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen says Alberta has eliminated 20 unsafe carriers from its roads and issued 443 administrative penalties since October as part of a continuing crackdown on commercial trucking. Of those, 13 were what the Province calls chameleon carriers, companies that change names, create new entities or relocate operations across jurisdictions to evade regulatory oversight. One of them, Conquer Transportation, was shut down in June after an investigation into a fatal collision in Brandon, Manitoba, found wilful and sustained non-compliance. The carrier was fined $16,500 and had its safety fitness rating downgraded to unsatisfactory, which halted its operations immediately, and Manitoba says the same company had lost its safety certificate there in 2021 before re-registering in Alberta under a slightly different name. Dreeshen also says 5 fraudulent Class 1 trucking schools have been shut down, and that a three-day check stop in May found 20% of the 81 commercial drivers stopped were suspected of being misclassified as independent contractors. Alberta is working with other provinces and the federal government on a national database intended to close the interprovincial data-sharing gap that chameleon carriers exploit.
- Albertans will face 10 questions when they vote in the October 19th referendum. Four of them are related to constitutional issues, asking whether Alberta should work with other willing provinces to name its own Court of King's Bench judges, opt out of federal programs with no loss of funding, establish the supremacy of provincial laws over federal law, and abolish the Senate. Justice Minister Mickey Amery argues that provinces lack a meaningful voice in the appointment of superior court judges, a federal power dating to 1867, and Premier Danielle Smith has said provincial control would help ensure judges reflect Alberta's "distinct legal traditions". The Canadian Bar Association counters that the language implicitly impugns sitting judges, and a retired Court of King's Bench justice said she is at a loss to identify what a distinct Alberta legal tradition would be.
- Alberta has likely accumulated a surplus of $3.8 billion so far this fiscal year, according to University of Calgary economics professor Trevor Tombe, a sharp reversal from the $9.4-billion deficit the provincial government tabled in February. Tombe estimates that every US$1 per barrel change in the price of oil is worth about $680 million to the province's bottom line, and West Texas Intermediate crude sat at US$83.09 on Tuesday afternoon against US$60.50 when the budget was tabled. He calculates that Alberta needs oil at US$66 per barrel to balance the budget, and that at current futures prices the year could instead close with a surplus of roughly $6 billion. Tombe cautions that high prices do not fix what he considers the province's underlying problem, a deepening reliance on a volatile revenue source that will eventually fall again. A press secretary to the minister of jobs, economy, trade and immigration said the Province will publish an update on the impact of oil prices on the deficit later this month, and that the long-term effects remain uncertain. Sustained high prices cut the other way for households, and Tombe earlier estimated that oil holding near US$90 a barrel would cost the average family about $1,000 more a year.
- The Alberta government is delaying some of the changes included in its new education legislation. The postponed measures include restrictions on which flags schools can display, a requirement to play the national anthem weekly, and giving the education minister authority to name or rename public schools. The government says it remains committed to the changes but wants more time to ensure schools and education partners are prepared. Critics, including teachers and the Opposition, have raised concerns about the impact of the flag rules on schools’ ability to recognize different communities and cultures. Other parts of the legislation, including changes to student conduct, provincial exams and school board responsibilities, are still expected to take effect September 1st.
- Premier Danielle Smith and Alberta's public safety minister have criticized the Edmonton Police Service over a social media post that urged residents to report hate incidents. Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said officers should concentrate on violent crime, theft, illegal drugs, and vandalism rather than policing opinions or hurt feelings, and said the Government would press police agencies to make those crimes the priority. Smith backed him, describing free speech as a foundational Alberta value and warning against a "slippery slope" of policing controversial or religious statements. Critics, including a former member of the Edmonton police commission, called the ministers' intervention an overreach and argued the issue belonged to the police commission, not the Government. Others warned the response could discourage people from reporting hate and undermine public trust in the police. The police service declined to comment.
- A week into Alberta's new self-referral system for medical imaging, clinics and technologists are questioning whether it will work. Under the change, patients can book and pay up front for tests such as MRIs, X-rays and ultrasounds without a doctor's referral, and the Government will reimburse the cost only if a scan uncovers a previously undiagnosed cancer. Some clinics are turning away self-referrals while they work out how the policy operates. Gina McRae of the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists said the province does not have enough technologists to meet current demand, pointing to a shortage her organization estimated at about 202 full-time positions and expected to double by 2028. She warned that patients with no history of cancer could book scans and lengthen waits for higher-risk patients in the public system. Critics also argue nothing in the rules guarantees that publicly referred patients keep priority, raising questions about whether the move edges Alberta toward two-tier care, though the Government says physician-referred tests will still come first.
- The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is urging the Alberta government to scrap its provincial fuel tax as oil prices climb. At a Calgary news conference, the federation's Alberta director, Kris Sims, said drivers pay roughly 27 cents per litre in tax at the pump, including a provincial fuel tax of 13 cents per litre that she argued the Government should remove immediately. Sims said many Albertans had been counting on fuel-tax relief and noted that the province's $100 rebate must be claimed through an online form, which she said is harder for seniors to access. She also called on Ottawa not to restore its 10-cent-per-litre excise tax, which the federal government has suspended. The appeal came with oil trading around $75 a barrel.
- A new report from the Fraser Institute estimates the average Canadian family will pay between $6,464 and $21,115 for public health care in 2026, arguing that most people underestimate the true cost because the system is free at the point of use. The think tank found that a family earning about $88,572 will contribute roughly $8,644 toward health care through taxes, while the top 10% of earners, those making $454,221 or more, will pay about $66,350. Households in the lowest income bracket, earning $17,654 or less, will pay around $637. Comparing insurance costs from 1997 to 2026, the study found the price of public health care has climbed 2.3 times as fast as the cost of food and 1.5 times as fast as the cost of shelter. The authors argue that because Canadians pay for health care indirectly through taxes, they cannot easily judge what they are contributing or what they receive in return.
- Alberta's new integrated driver's licences have led to long delays at registries for some applicants. Rolled out on July 2nd, the cards now embed a person's citizenship status and health care number, and applicants must show proof they are legally in Canada along with photo identification and their health card, where previously a current licence and a piece of secondary identification were enough. Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally acknowledged the added steps are lengthening wait times and said he regrets the stress the process is causing. Some long-time residents have been turned away repeatedly, including a Grande Prairie woman who immigrated in 1975 and made four visits totalling more than four hours at the registry without obtaining a card. Alberta's privacy commissioner has separately raised concerns that putting health numbers on the cards increases the risk of fraud, and the Government is offering an interim 60-day card to those still gathering documents.
- Albertans can now pay out of pocket for MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds and X-rays without a doctor's referral, under a new self-referral system that took effect last Friday. Patients pay before receiving the test, either directly or through private insurance, and results go straight to the patient and into their electronic health record. If a test leads to a new cancer diagnosis, the patient can claim reimbursement at publicly funded rates for up to a year from the date of diagnosis. Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Justin Wright says participating private clinics must maintain the same access to physician-referred, publicly funded services they provided before the change. The provincial government says Alberta is the first province to let patients self-refer, pay, and be reimbursed this way, while Alberta Medical Association President Dr. Brian Wirzba warns the change could add to public-system backlogs through false positives and incidental findings. The president of Canada Diagnostic Centres estimates private diagnostic testing could quadruple to 50,000 or 60,000 tests a year, still a small share of the 7 million exams the system handles annually.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith announced a new Canada-Alberta housing infrastructure agreement in Red Deer last Wednesday. The deal lets Alberta municipalities access more than $510 million in federal funding over eight years through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund for water and wastewater projects that enable new housing, with the Province contributing at least one third of eligible project costs. Carney claims the agreement will support 750 skilled trades jobs every year. [Editor's Note: Why can't Albertans just pay less to Ottawa in the first place, rather than sending extra money to the federal government and then having to negotiate to get some of it back?]
- Speaking at the same Red Deer announcement, Premier Danielle Smith also pitched changes to Canada's equalization program. Smith says the provincial government's calculations show "have-not" provinces have been overcompensated by $7 billion over the last 5 years, and she wants the escalator that grows the program with the size of the economy removed, with the excess distributed back to provinces on an equal per capita basis. The current formula is largely based on recommendations from a 2006 report, and the federal and provincial governments are due to consult on renewing equalization before March 31st, 2029. Carney said Canadians across the country should have reasonably comparable services and resources, but acknowledged that how provincial resources are calculated will be looked at as the review approaches. University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe notes the formula can discourage receiving provinces from maximizing their own resource revenues, since higher revenues mean lower equalization payments, and suggests any review should also look at other federal transfers such as health funding. While reform of the formula would be an improvement over the status quo, it's a far cry from the complete abolition of the program that 62% of Albertans voted in favour of in 2021.
- Musician Corb Lund's Water Not Coal campaign has filed for judicial review of Elections Alberta's decision to reject its petition calling for a ban on new coal mining in the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains. The petition was submitted last month with more than 196,000 signatures, above the 177,732 required for a citizen initiative, but Elections Alberta's random statistical sampling verified only 172,088. The application, filed in the Court of King's Bench last Wednesday, argues the rejection was unreasonable and procedurally unfair, with Lund saying signatures were disqualified over mismatched middle names and addresses and that verification agents did not prompt electors for missing details. Lund wants a judge to either declare the petition successful or send it back to Elections Alberta. The group is not alone in raising concerns, as organizers of the pro-separation Stay Free Alberta petition, which passed verification earlier in July, are asking for a legislative review of the same process. Elections Alberta says its sampling method is set out in the Citizens Initiative Act and uses the same formula as other North American jurisdictions with similar petition processes.
- The Alberta NDP continues its campaign against new AI data centres this week, announcing additional consultation events in St. Albert and Red Deer to gather feedback on proposed projects. The party says its primary concerns are the potential impacts on electricity demand, water use, and noise in nearby communities. The provincial government says these concerns are unfounded, as any data centre built in Alberta are required to provide their own electricity generation, use closed-loop cooling systems that minimize water consumption, and be built in existing industrial areas away from residential neighbourhoods. The NDP's campaign mirrors many of the arguments used in past anti-development campaigns against Alberta's oil and gas industry, while also reflecting the messaging of far-left environmental activist groups in the United States that have also organized against new data centres on environmental grounds. Supporters of the projects argue that Alberta's competitive electricity market, industrial land base, and abundant natural gas make the province an attractive destination for billions of dollars in private investment, jobs, and tax revenue.
- Construction is set to begin on a new $2.9-billion natural gas pipeline in central Alberta after the provincial power regulator approved the Yellowhead project proposed by Canadian Utilities Ltd. The 235-kilometer transmission line would run from the Peers area in west-central Alberta to the Fort Saskatchewan region northeast of Edmonton, and is expected to carry more than 1.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas, which the company says is equivalent to what Alberta's entire electricity system delivers on a peak day. Jason Sharpe, Chief Operating Officer at ATCO Ltd., the parent company of Canadian Utilities, said the project will help meet Alberta's growing energy needs while supporting economic growth across the province. All major pipeline and compressor contracts have been awarded, and the company expects the work to create about 2,000 direct construction jobs. ATCO has billed the Yellowhead pipeline as its largest-ever energy infrastructure project.
- Alberta's budget picture has improved sharply since the government tabled Budget 2026 in February, with higher oil prices putting the province on track to erase a projected $9.4-billion deficit and possibly finish the year with a surplus. The budget assumed West Texas Intermediate crude would average $60.50 US a barrel, but prices have spent much of the spring and summer above $70 US and at times topped $100 US amid tensions between the United States and Iran. University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe estimates the province is now on track for a modest surplus of about $5 billion if a $70 price holds, a swing of roughly $14 billion in just a few months. Provincial revenues move by about $680 million for every $1 change in the price of oil. Finance Minister Jason Nixon's office said the Government anticipates improvement on the deficit but cautioned that a full-year projection cannot rest on recently elevated prices, with an update due in the next quarterly report at the end of August. Tombe warned that if oil averages below about $68 US for the rest of the year, Alberta would end back in deficit.
- The provincial government has given Alberta's public libraries until January 1st to adopt policies restricting young people's access to materials containing sexually explicit images. Under changes to the Libraries Act passed in May, libraries must ensure that anyone 15 years old or younger cannot use or borrow materials showing a visual depiction of a sexual act without a parent or guardian's authorization, a restriction that covers books, periodicals, comics and graphic novels, films, television programs and video games. Library boards face the same deadline to decide which materials to restrict, how to verify a patron's age, how to handle library cards and computer access for younger users, and how to apply the rules to e-books. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs said that no content will be removed and the aim is to keep libraries family-friendly without affecting adults' access, adding that the changes also expand the power of provincially appointed inspectors to examine any aspect of a library's operations. Rob Miyashiro, the NDP's Shadow Minister for Municipal Affairs, claimed the rules were unnecessary because most libraries already had similar policies, and warned they will raise costs and strain staff, especially at small libraries. Miyashiro said local decision-making would be minimized in favour of a centralized approach.
- Premier Danielle Smith says she trusts Prime Minister Mark Carney to reach a deal with the US that avoids President Donald Trump's threatened new tariffs on Canada, calling the Prime Minister "wise" to hold off on retaliation for now. Smith made the comments in an interview with Global News after meeting Carney and the other premiers in Charlottetown, following the US administration's announcement that some Canadian products will face 50% tariffs, set to take effect on August 19th. Carney says he spoke with Trump and the two agreed to intensify trade negotiations, and while everything remains on the table for potential retaliation, he argues it would be counterproductive to respond in advance. Smith believes pressure from Americans themselves could also play a role, saying the tariffs are raising the cost of homes, food, and everyday products for US consumers. She also welcomed other premiers' support for energy projects Alberta has been championing, including oil pipelines to British Columbia and Ontario, along with new agreements to lift interprovincial barriers on alcohol sales. Smith suggested those deals, and the premiers' vocal support for Alberta remaining in Canada, could influence the upcoming referendum on whether the province should pursue a path to separation.
- Speaking of trade, Premiers from nine provinces have signed an agreement to allow direct-to-consumer alcohol sales, letting Canadians order alcohol for personal consumption directly from producers in participating provinces. The agreement, signed last Tuesday, applies only to sales from producers, not retailers or resale, and follows a July 2025 memorandum of understanding that committed provinces to opening cross-border shipping by May 2026. Until now, interprovincial alcohol sales have largely been funnelled through provincial liquor boards, with listing processes that many small producers have struggled to navigate. David Farran, President and founder of Eau Claire Distillery, said accessing other provinces has been very difficult because government liquor stores decide which products to carry, describing the red tape involved in securing listings as "almost impossible to overcome". The Alberta Chambers of Commerce called the deal a step in the right direction but argued governments should keep the rules simple and minimize compliance costs, while the Alberta Small Brewers Association cautioned that higher shipping costs and beer's shorter shelf life mean the change may not immediately transform business for small breweries. Alberta remains one of only two provinces, alongside Saskatchewan, that allow the sale and import of American liquor.
- The provincial government, Ottawa and five oilsands producers have reached an agreement to advance the Pathways Project, a carbon capture and storage network that would move carbon dioxide from oilsands sites in northern Alberta to an underground storage hub near Cold Lake. Announced last Monday but signed on July 2nd, the deal ties the project to a proposed new West Coast oil pipeline, with both governments committing to fiscal and regulatory policies meant to spur oilsands production growth. Ottawa will extend investment tax credits of 50% on eligible carbon capture equipment and 37.5% on related transport and storage, now valid until 2035, and introduce new credits for enhanced oil recovery. Premier Danielle Smith called it a nation-building partnership, while federal Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said the producers would ultimately pay for Pathways through taxation incentives and carbon pricing. The project, initially estimated at $16.5 billion, could now cost between $20 billion and $30 billion, with infrastructure targeted to be in service by January 1st, 2032.
- The provincial government has opened a new online form for Albertans to submit concerns about bike lanes in their communities, such as whether a lane is underused or has taken away parking spaces. The Province says the feedback it gathers will inform future policy decisions. Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen says he wants to hear from residents if bike lanes are creating traffic congestion, hurting businesses or prolonging emergency response times. Dreeshen has said legislation is coming in the fall but has provided few details on what it may include. He has argued that transportation networks need to put people first.
- Premier Danielle Smith says close to 800,000 people have applied for the provincial government's new $100 energy rebate, with the first payments expected to reach bank accounts within days. Applications opened on July 2nd for Albertans in households earning under $225,000, and the government estimates 3.4 million people are eligible before the portal closes at the end of September. Smith said the Province is looking at ways to streamline the process after residents reported trouble with an identity-verification requirement that, for some without online banking, meant submitting a photo of their driver's licence and of themselves. She said the validation steps were added as fraud protection, and that about 35,000 applications were flagged in the first week as potentially fraudulent. Smith suggested a simpler fix could involve cross-referencing a line from an applicant's income tax return with Canada Revenue Agency data, with any changes rolled out in the coming weeks. She also said it is too soon to say whether the affordability payments will continue or whether the government will revert to cutting gas taxes at the pump.
- The provincial government is creating seven regional primary care corporations as part of its continuing health-care restructuring, saying the new bodies will cut administrative work for front-line providers and improve access to family doctors, particularly in rural areas. Justin Wright, the Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services, announced last Thursday that the new corporations will operate under Primary Care Alberta and handle regional planning, funding coordination, reporting and oversight. The government says the model responds to recommendations from its earlier review of primary care, during which providers called for a stronger regional approach. Each corporation will align with one of Alberta's seven existing health corridors, covering Calgary, Edmonton, and the central, northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest regions. The regulation creating the corporations takes effect on September 1st, with the organizations expected to begin operating in the spring of 2027.
- Alberta's regulated online gambling market went live last Monday, opening the province to private sports betting companies and online casinos and making Alberta the second province after Ontario to license private operators. Nearly 50 companies paid $200,000 in registration and permit fees ahead of the launch, though Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally said he expects closer to 20 to be ready for customers. The system stems from legislation passed last year, and the Province will collect 20% of each operator's revenue, which the government forecasts will add $76 million to provincial coffers in the first year. Nally says the aim is to protect bettors who previously used the government-owned platform or unregulated offshore sites, with 1% of gross revenue set aside for problem gambling programs and 2% earmarked for First Nations. Critics note the risks, pointing to a University of Toronto study that found calls to Ontario's gambling helpline from men under 24 rose more than 300% since that province opened its market in 2022.