A lawyer challenging a new Alberta law affecting transgender youth says he is dismayed by Premier Danielle Smith's intention to use the notwithstanding clause if required. The new law bans doctors from providing gender-affirming treatment such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy for those under 16, and prohibits gender-affirming ``top'' surgeries for minors. For months Smith has dismissed the notwithstanding clause question as moot given she believes the new restrictions would withstand a legal challenge. But on her Saturday radio show Smith confirmed she would invoke the notwithstanding

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says using the notwithstanding clause to shield her government's transgender health restrictions is on the table as a ``last resort.'' A provincial law will ban doctors from providing gender-affirming treatment such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy for those under 16 and halt gender-affirming ``top'' surgeries for minors. On her radio call-in show this weekend, Smith says she's willing to invoke the notwithstanding clause, a measure that allows governments to override certain Charter rights for up to five years. Smith says she doesn't want to take the ste

Former Alberta premier and NDP Leader Rachel Notley is leaving the legislature. Notley announced on social media that, as of Dec. 30, she is resigning as the legislature representative for Edmonton-Strathcona. In the statement, Notley thanks her supporters and constituents, but does not discuss what she plans to do in her post-political life. Notley served as Alberta’s 17thpremier after she and the NDP won a majority government in 2015. They served for four years before losing to Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party in 2019 and again in 2023 to the UCP under Danielle Smith. Notley

Family of an Indigenous man whose braids were cut and thrown away while he was staying in an Edmonton hospital want answers. Eve Adams says this past spring she went to visit her husband Dexter at Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital only to find the 84-year-old's braids, his eagle feather and some medicine had been put in the garbage can. Dexter's niece Kathleen Crowe says in the months that have followed the family has never received an explanation or an apology from hospital staff. Crowe says the braids held a deep cultural meaning, and to have them cut off without her uncle's

L-G-B-T-Q advocate organizations say they're working as quickly as possible to ask a court to stop the government from bringing into force an Alberta law they say will cause immediate harm. The law will ban doctors from providing gender-affirming treatment such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy for those under 16. Bennett Jensen of Egale (EE'-gal) Canada, says along with Skipping Stone and five Alberta families, they will call for an injunction to protect young people's access to health care while the courts decide whether the law is constitutional. In documents filed with the Court of

The Alberta government has pulled the plug on a foreign worker recruitment mission in the United Arab Emirates scheduled for early next year. Documents show the mission was part of the province's Alberta Advantage Immigration Program, which works to fast-track the permanent residency process for workers in sought after sectors. An itinerary says government resources were to be used to facilitate interviews with workers and Alberta-based employers who signed up for the trip. Provincial Immigration Minister Muhammad Yaseen says he decided to cancel the trip after reviewing its purpos

A spokesman for the family of a security guard who police say was murdered while patrolling an Edmonton apartment building last week says the man had only been on the job for three days. Gagandeep Singh Ghuman says Harshandeep Singh was from Haryana state in northern India. He came to Canada a year and a half ago on a student visa and was enrolled at NorQuest College in the city. Ghuman, who is not related to the family, says Singh's aunt and uncle live in Winnipeg, but have travelled to Edmonton because of the tragedy and are dealing with ``an unimaginable loss,'' while his parents both li

A trio of bills affecting transgender people in Alberta have passed the final stage of debate in the legislature and are set to become law. LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have already promised to challenge thelegislation in court, calling it discriminatory. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the bills are necessary to protect children and female athletes, but the Opposition NDP says they will put already vulnerable people at further risk. The changes include requiring children under 16 to have parental consent if they want to change their names or pronouns at school. One bill will prohi

Alberta's transportation minister says as of April 1 the province is ending photo radar ticketing on all numbered provincial highways. Devin Dreeshen says far too often, photo radar penalizes drivers without improving safety. The government also promises to review all the so-called ``fishing holes,'' with an aim to remove 70 per cent of the province's existing 2,200 photo radar sites. Photo radar will continue to be allowed in school zones, playground zones, and construction sites, but beyond these areas, local governments will have to submit their case. At intersections equipped with cameras