Business owners in the fire-ravaged Rocky Mountain resort town of Jasper are getting some financial help getting back on their feet. The federal government says it will provide close to $4 million in grants and aid to rebuild the local economy and bring back tourists. Federal Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault says $3.5 million in grants will be made available for small business owners. The money goes to businesses with 50 or fewer employees licensed in either the Jasper townsite or Jasper National Park, and does not have to be repaid. There will be half a million dollars

Canada's top court has declined to hear the appeal of one of two men found guilty in the fatal shooting of two Métis hunters in eastern Alberta. As is usual, the Supreme Court did not give reasons for its dismissal of Anthony Bilodeau's leave to appeal. Court heard that in March 2020, Bilodeau and his father had been concerned about a truck parked at the end of their rural property, so they chased down the vehicle and there was a confrontation. Bilodeau was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Maurice Cardinal and of manslaughter in the death of Cardinal's nephew Jacob Sansom. He

Alberta's finance minister has sacked the board of directors of AIMCo, the body that manages more than $160 billion in pension, endowment and government funds for the province. Horner, in a statement, says the reason is poor performance, with rising staffing and management fees coupled with a consistent failure to meet mandated benchmark returns. Horner says the decision takes effect immediately and he will be sole director and chair for AIMCo until a new chair is appointed within 30 days, with a new board established after that. Horner says it's time to reset the investment corpora

The Alberta government is asking rural municipalities to send letters naming oil and gas companies that aren't paying their property taxes, but one rural leader says there's no hope for enforcement. Rural Municipalities of Alberta estimates oil and gas companies owe more than $250 million in overdue property taxes to rural communities across the province. Energy Minister Brian Jean sent letters to rural municipalities in September asking officials to name companies that haven't paid up. Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver says once the government gets those names, action can b

The judge leading a fatality inquiry into the knockout death of a boxer is recommending changes to how the sport is regulated and how head injuries are monitored. Timothy Hague, who was 34, competed in a boxing match licensed by the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission in June 2017 when his opponent, Adam Braidwood, knocked him unconscious. Hague came to and was able to walk to the dressing room, where he vomited, and was then taken to hospital where he underwent surgery for a large brain bleed. His condition did not improve, care was withdrawn and Hague died two days after the fi

Alberta's surging population has the provincial government planning to add more seats to the legislature. Justice Minister Mickey Amery has introduced a bill that calls for the creation of two additional electoral districts to bring the new total to 89 ahead of the 2027 general election. Amery says the decision is driven by Alberta's recent population growth, which is now at almost five million. Government figures show that nine of Alberta's current 87 constituencies are overpopulated, and Amery says having two additional representatives in the legislative assembly will improve voter

Alberta premier Danielle Smith is not holding back in response to the federal government’s planned oil and gas emissions cap. Ottawa unveiled details Monday on how it plans to cut emissions from the oil and gas sector fulfilling a 2021 election promise from the Liberals to force the oil and gas industry to do its share in battling climate change. The new regulations will require producers in Canada to cut greenhouse gas emissions by about one-third over the next eight years. In a news conference in response to the plan, a clearly angry Smith called the plan a “production cap” that will

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith received 91.5 per cent support from her United Conservative Party members in a leadership review vote at its annual convention. While there is no mandated minimum level of level needed in such a vote, Smith's predecessor Jason Kenney received 51 per cent support in 2022 and resigned as a result. Smith had said she was hoping to gain more than the 54 per cent support she received when she won the party leadership election in 2022. Past conservative Alberta premiers Ed Stelmach and Alison Redford received 77 per cent in their leadership votes before b

The federal government says Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's application for a judicial review of Ottawa's carbon levy is nothing more than political posturing. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Justice Minister Arif Virani say it's disappointing, but not surprising, that Smith is engaging in a ``political stunt'' ahead of her United Conservative Party leadership review this weekend. They say the temporary exemption for home heating oil is meant to give time to switch to cheaper forms of home heating and that the Supreme Court has signed off on the legality of the levy.