Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has expressed concern over the lengthy wait times for surgeries in the province, announcing plans to introduce a new funding model aimed at addressing the issue. Smith made the remarks during a phone-in segment on the show Your Province, Your Premier. She noted that some patients are forced to travel long distances within Alberta to receive treatment, and in some cases, even seek medical care abroad. To address these challenges, Smith said her government is working to implement activity-based funding. The premier emphasized that the current strain on the health c

A fatality inquiry is to take place in June for the three people killed five years ago when a tour bus tumbled down an embankment on the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park. Three people died and 14 suffered life-threatening injuries after the bus lost control and landed on its roof in the popular tourist destination south of Jasper in July 2020. Alberta's government says the inquiry is to take place June 10 at the Jasper Court of Justice. RCMP did not lay criminal charges, but bus operator Brewster Inc. was charged in May 2022 under Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety

Alberta's government is looking to give the green light to hydrogen as a home and commercial heating fuel in a move it says will boost demand and reduce emissions. If passed, legislation tabled by Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf will allow utility companies to blend hydrogen into their supply of natural gas _ provided customers sign off on receiving the blended heat source. Neudorf says safety is top of mind and the province will work with regulators to set an acceptable blending rate, as hydrogen is easily ignitable and more explosive than methane. Neudorf's bill also sets th

Two people have been killed after being trapped under a house on a small island off British Columbia's coast. RCMP in Powell River say they received a call on April 6 about two people trapped under the house on Savary Island, just off the coast of the small city, about 150 kilometres northwest of Vancouver. Police say when the island's volunteer fire department and emergency health services personnel arrived they determined the house was under renovation and was being lowered onto a new foundation when it collapsed. Two men under the house were found dead, while a third man was t

As Alberta heads into the heart of wildfire season, the province is committing almost $1 million to upgrade its early-warning systems. Forestry Minister Todd Loewen says $900,000 is being allocated to upgrade and expand its network of 150 weather stations. These stations monitor environmental conditions, like temperature, humidity, wind and moisture, in real time to help fire crews know where they will be needed when the weather gets hot and dry. The monitors will also be able to monitor snowpack levels, which are strong indicators of Alberta's fire risk early in the season.

Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi says the government's proposal to wipe out municipal councils' codes of conduct could create a free-for-all of delinquency and grift. It comes a day after Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver proposed a new bill, saying codes of conduct have been weaponized to silence dissent on municipal councils. McIver says the changes won't offer free rein to misbehave, and the aim is to create a better system of standards that can't be misused. But Nenshi, the former Calgary mayor, says the proposed bill is part of a naked attempt to slant elections in Alberta'

Alberta is looking to reduce the self-policing powers of elected public school boards and municipal councils. The changes are included in two bills put forward by Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservative government. In one bill, Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver proposes pulling local council's codes of conduct and also ending any related ongoing complaints or sanctions that aren't before the courts. McIver says in some cases, codes of conduct have been weaponized to silence dissent on municipal councils. In the second bill, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides propo

An American man who abducted an Edmonton teen, took her over the U.S. border and subjected her to ``horrific sexual abuse'' has been given a 50-year prison sentence by a U.S. judge. The decision against Noah Madrano was meted in Portland, Ore., almost three years after the teen was located and Madrano was arrested by FBI agents at a hotel in the U.S. state. Earlier this year, the 43-year-old pleaded guilty to sexual abuse and kidnapping charges. The manhunt began in the summer of 2022 after the girl, then 13, failed to show up for class at her junior high school in Edmonton.

Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says Alberta's measles outbreak isn't dire enough for the province's top doctor for public health to address the public, despite mounting calls for the government to do more to stop the spread. Alberta has reported 43 cases of the highly infectious disease over the past month.The Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association says the spread is a result of government inaction, especially around Alberta's low vaccination rates. The association is calling on the province to improve how it updates the public on the outbreak and develop a vaccination plan.