One of Premier Danielle Smith’s closest advisers and a key figure in shaping Alberta’s addiction recovery model is leaving the provincial government. The premier confirmed that her chief of staff, Marshall Smith, will retire from public service at the end of October. Marshall Smith has played a central role in developing Alberta’s recovery-oriented approach to the drug crisis, which emphasizes treatment and rehabilitation over harm-reduction measures such as supervised consumption sites. The strategy has been both praised for expanding treatment capacity and criticized by public health e

Despite millions spent on recent renovations at Lethbridge Airport, the city’s only commercial carrier, WestJet, has reduced its service to just one daily flight, a move that has raised concerns for southern Alberta residents who rely on air links to Edmonton and Calgary for business, family travel, and medical appointments. WestJet had planned to scale back operations to a single flight starting October 3, but the change took effect slightly earlier. “We’ve got a schedule change that’s kind of started a little bit early, as of Oct. 1,” said Jared Mikoch-Gerke, WestJet’s director o

Tensions between the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) and the provincial government are escalating after another round of negotiations failed to produce a new collective agreement, raising the prospect of a province-wide strike that could impact hospitals across Alberta. David Harrigan, labour relations director for the UNA, said that while last month’s informal mediation meetings were “productive,” the gap between the two sides remains too wide to bridge. The union is demanding a 30 per cent wage increase over two years, citing inflation and the rising cost of living, while the Alberta go

Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says there's more work to be done before a new compensation contract for Alberta's doctors is finalized. LaGrange says she has to make sure the new deal, which was agreed to in part this past April, is sustainable. She says doctor compensation under the existing contract over the past few years has risen quicker than inflation and population growth and is currently over budget this year. The group representing Alberta's doctors have said the government is dragging its feet in implementing the new deal and putting patients' lives at risk in the pro

An Alberta doctors' group says even though a new pay deal with the province is ready to be implemented, the government isn't putting its money where its mouth is. Dr. Shelley Duggan, the Alberta Medical Association's new president, says doctors are worried the province's health-care system is on the verge of collapse, and the pay deal is still waiting on approval from the province's Treasury Board. Former association president Dr. Paul Parks says Premier Danielle Smith promised the deal by September and the delay is hurting the struggling health-care system. Parks says the government's work to

Calgary lifts water restrictions that lasted much of the summer following successful repairs to a major feeder main. Mayor Jyoti Gondek told in a news conference Sunday morning that the Bearspaw South feeder main is now open and back in service for the Calgary region. Since late August, there has been a ban on any outdoor water use with potable supplies, and Calgarians have been urged to take shorter showers, skip toilet flushes and hold off on laundry and dishes. It was the second round of water rationing since the feeder main in northwest Calgary burst in early June. Most restrictions had b

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says as classrooms get over whelmed with new grade school students, her government will fast-track new school builds with 8.6-billion dollars over the next three years. In a televised address, Smith says the province's existing education budget isn't enough to keep up with rapid population growth in kindergarten to Grade 12 schools. She says often the only thing holding back cash is school boards getting projects and sites ready for construction. The government is also changing the process of approving construction funding so school boards don't need to wait eve

The municipality of Jasper in Alberta's Rocky Mountains is taking the next step this weekend as it recovers from a July wildfire that destroyed a third of its buildings. Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland says the state of emergency will formally end on Sunday. Ireland says the move means Jasper is transitioning from a short-term recovery perspective to a long-term view. He also says removing the state of emergency order will help the tourist town's much needed visitor economy return. The wildfire destroyed more than 350 of the town's buildings, including 800 housing units. The town estimates 2,

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she's committed to Calgary's multibillion-dollar Green Line light-rail transit project, but as it was originally envisioned. Smith declined to say how much her government is now willing to fund, but says she is concerned the line is getting shorter while its budget has ballooned from the original price tag of $4.5 billion. Smith calls the Green Line ``the incredible shrinking project,'' and says it needs to be more cost-effective and have its route rethought. Smith was making her first public comments on the Green Line since her transportation minister ann