Alberta is hiring a CEO to lead a new agency responsible for handling complaints against municipal police officers, aiming to improve transparency and accountability in law enforcement. This new body, called the Alberta Police Review Commission, will take over disciplinary duties from police chiefs and include the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT). The Commission will investigate both criminal and non-criminal misconduct and is expected to begin operations by December 2025.
Alberta is progressing toward its goal of opening 60 mental health classrooms, with 17 now operational across the province. Nine additional CASA Mental Health Classrooms opened in various communities this fall, providing mental health support to students while they learn. Each classroom is staffed with a team of professionals, including teachers and mental health specialists, to assist students. The government has committed $70 million over three years to expand these services, which aim to fill the gap between home and hospital care for youth. By 2026, the Province expects to support 1,500 students annually through this initiative.
Premier Danielle Smith says she opposes a federal plan that could relocate asylum seekers to smaller provinces without financial support. Smith argues that Alberta cannot handle the additional burden due to the high costs associated with increasing immigration and the strain on public services. Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller says that the federal government is exploring fair ways to distribute asylum seekers. Smith highlighted Alberta's already significant role in supporting Ukrainian evacuees and criticized the federal government’s immigration policies as unsustainable.
