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

Alberta is taking Ottawa to court, saying the federal government has failed to follow through on necessary changes to a law governing resource development. The federal Impact Assessment Act determines whether major resource projects should be approved based on the environmental, economic or social impact each project might have. Premier Danielle Smith says the province will ask the Alberta Court of Appeal to rule on the constitutionality of the act, which was amended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government earlier this year. Ottawa amended the act after the Supreme Court rul

An Alberta woman charged in the drowning death of a five-year-old girl has been denied bail while she awaits trial. Justice Rosanna Saccomani said there is a concern the accused, Mary Quinn, poses a significant risk to public safety. Saccomani issued the decision in provincial court in Stony Plain. Quinn, who is 35, was charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life after the girl drowned Oct. 13 at Wabamun Lake, west of Edmonton. The girl cannot be identified under a court-ordered publication ban.

Call it the Sovereignty Act edition of the “Scrap the Cap” campaign.Alberta’s UCP government is bringing a motion to the legislature that argues Ottawa proposed cap on oil and gas emissions is unconstitutional. “We’re fighting back with every weapon in our arsenal,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Tuesday. “The Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act was designed to protect our province from unconstitutional interference, and now we’re going to use it again.” Smith says the federal cap would cripple Alberta’s oil and gas economy and the province has a constituti

A commercial food processing company is facing 26 charges after an Edmonton worker became trapped in a smokehouse and died. Ontario-based Sofina Foods Inc. is charged with offences under Alberta health and safety laws. The province says the facility supervisor had gone to check the temperature of the smokehouse in March 2023 and was trapped inside. The employee was found by a co-worker and later died due to heat exposure. Smokehouses are used to process and preserve meat. It's alleged the company failed to ensure the smokehouse was well maintained and not a risk for staff.

Alberta Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi says a decision not to mail out voter registration cards due to the Canada Post strike could hurt turnout in a provincial byelection that's been called for a week before Christmas. Nenshi, who leads the province's NDP, says in a letter to Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure that the cards are ``one of the few remaining supports provided by Elections Alberta to promote access to democracy.'' Premier Danielle Smith announced last week that a byelection for Lethbridge-West will be held Dec. 18, to fill the vacancy that opened up when former ND

The Alberta government is forecasting a $4.6-billion surplus this fiscal year, but Finance Minister Nate Horner says Alberta's in for a ``challenging'' future. The government's second-quarter fiscal update says just $2.9 billion of that surplus is expected to be cash, which would be split between paying down debt and the Heritage Savings Trust Fund. It says the surplus is largely the result of higher-than-expected income tax revenue thanks to Alberta's sharp population growth and oil and gas royalties. But the fiscal update also says ``global economic conditions''are presenting ri

Alberta’s government has appointed former prime minister Stephen Harper as chairman of the board of the $169-billion public-sector pension fund manager Alberta Investment Management Corp., and added deputy minister of the province’s finance ministry as a permanent director. Mr. Harper is taking the role unpaid after Alberta’s government dismissed AIMCo's entire 10-member board of director and four senior leader, including its chief executive officer, on November 7. The province also named four other members of the board on Wednesday. Three of them are returning less than two weeks after