A union representing more than 30,000 nurses in Alberta has reached a four-year tentative agreement with the province after six weeks of formal mediation. United Nurses of Alberta says the agreement will significantly improve wages, including an immediate hike of about 15 per cent for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses. Formal mediation began in January after workers voted in October 2024 to reject recommendations that had been reached through informal mediation. The union says the tentative agreement also covers issues like staffing shortages, rural health care and job sec

A lawyer for the former head of Alberta Health Services says his client is happy R-C-M-P have launched an investigation amid allegations of corruption related to health contracts. Former A-H-S head Athana Mentzelopoulos (ment-zeh-LOH'-poh-luss) is suing the province for wrongful dismissal, alleging high-level arm twisting, possible conflicts of interest, political interference and corruption in multimillion-dollar deals. None of her allegations have been tested in court. R-C-M-P say they received a complaint a month ago relating to A-H-S and have decided to begin an investigation, but w

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is scheduled to speak today about her province's response to U.S. tariffs. U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday slapped sweeping 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports and a 10 per cent levy on energy products. Smith has been tight-lipped for weeks about what measures her government might take, although she has repeatedly said counter-tariffs on the province's energy are off the table. The premier is also set to give an update on Alberta's security efforts at the Canada-U.S. border, a long-standing irritant for Trump. Other provinces have announc

The Alberta government has announced who it has hired to investigate allegations of improper behaviour and spending irregularities in health contracts. Raymond Wyant is the former chief judge of the provincial court of Manitoba, has also worked as a defence lawyer and a Crown prosecutor, and has taught law at the University of Manitoba. Wyant is to review multimillion-dollar contracts for children's medication and for surgeries done by for-profit providers. The government says Wyant's work is to begin immediately with an interim report to be completed by the end of May.

Critics say the government's new budget misses the mark on education and health-care funding, leaving issues like emergency room wait times and overcrowded classrooms to go from bad to worse. Alberta Teachers' Association president Jason Schilling says the nearly 10-billion dollars set aside for the K-to-12 school system doesn't keep up with population growth and inflation. Schilling says he understands that oil revenues are expected to drop and potential tariffs from the United States are putting the province in limbo, but education should be a priority. Public Interest Alberta e

A new infrastructure minister has been named in Alberta after the resignation of the previous one earlier this week. Martin Long was appointed to the cabinet post on Thursday. The move comes after Peter Guthrie resigned as infrastructure minister over concerns about government purchasing practices. Guthrie remains in the United Conservative caucus but now sits as a backbencher with no cabinet responsibilities.

Alberta’s finances, tied for generations to the steep peaks and sharp valleys of oil and gas prices, are once again plunging deep into deficit, with no immediate relief in sight. Finance Minister Nate Horner has introduced a budget that projects a $5.2-billion deficit this fiscal year on total spending of $79 billion. That represents an $11-billion swing from the current budget, which is on track to register a surplus close to $6 billion. It’s the first deficit under Premier Danielle Smith and the first since the COVID-19-era budget of 2020, and the province expects the deficits will remai

Police forces say they are gearing up to find a way to keep more than 3,400 people safe alongside the Rocky Mountains during this summer's G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alta. A report to the Calgary Police Commission says police expect about 70 official guests, 2,000 delegates and 1,400 journalists will be in the area between Calgary and Kananaskis for the summit. Police forces from across Canada will support security efforts, including authorities from Edmonton, Winnipeg and Vancouver. The RCMP says teams will be on the alert for modern security threats such as drones along with the f

The looming threat of U.S. tariffs along with a potential tax cut are expected to dominate Alberta's budget today. Finance Minister Nate Horner says addressing affordability is a prime concern, but the uncertainty surrounding tariffs makes the budget more challenging. By legislation, the province can't run a budget deficit unless revenue drops by $1 billion or more _ something Horner warns could happen in the case of tariffs. He says the United Conservative Party government is planning for a set of scenarios assuming tariffs in some way are coming soon from U.S. President Donald T