The Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police says it believes, based on research it commissioned, that it would be "incredibly premature" to think about decriminalizing drugs.Instead, it says there must be a systemic and ordered approach in place that prioritizes community safety before such a strategy can be considered.A paper, commissioned by the association and released at a recovery conference in Calgary, says problematic use of substances is a complex social issue that needs more than one solution.The research, led by the Community Safety Knowledge Alliance, says the idea of decriminalizin

New research using advanced technology suggests heavy oil facilities in Alberta and Saskatchewan are releasing almost four times the amount of a powerful greenhouse gas than they report to government.The research, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, pioneers new methods of measuring methane emissions that question current industry practice, said author Matthew Johnson, an engineering professor at Carleton University in Ottawa."A lot of these (reports) are done on estimates," said Johnson. "Clearly, they're not very accurate."Methane is a gas emitted as a byproduct of

Premier Danielle Smith will turn to a panel of five oilpatch veterans to advise her government on the future of Alberta's energy industry.The panel will be chaired by David Yager, a longtime writer on the oilpatch.Yager was also a former political candidate for the Wildrose Party, one of the groups that came together to form the United Conservative Party that Smith now leads.The other members of the panel include Hal Kvisle, who sits on the board of Cenovus Energy and has run several other energy companies.Bob Curran is a former director of the Alberta Energy Regulator.Carey Arnett is presiden

Alberta’s health minister says there will be $158 million in the upcoming budget to attract more physicians and other health-care professionals to fill gaps in care.Jason Copping says the workforce is stretched and that demands will only increase as the population ages.The budget is to be delivered on February 28, and Copping says that half of the $158 million will be used for programs to recruit physicians to rural areas, which are feeling the brunt of the doctor shortage.There will also be funds to help underserviced and remote communities, and money to bring in internationally trained nur

The Alberta government is moving ahead with a plan that would give oil and gas companies a tax break for meeting their legal obligations to clean up old well sites, inviting a select group of landowner organizations to a meeting to discuss a pilot project.On Thursday, Alberta Energy Minister Peter Guthrie is scheduled to host those groups to discuss "a concept for a royalty credit program to incent accelerated oil and gas site closure," indicates a government document that outlines the proposed pilot program, obtained by The Canadian Press.That pilot program, previously known as RStar and now

The Law Society of Alberta has voted in favour of keeping a requirement for its members to complete a course on Indigenous history and culture. Almost 3,500 lawyers voted on the motion, which would have struck down the society's right to require such courses. Last week, 51 lawyers signed a petition calling that right into question, with some of the signatories calling the required course political indoctrination. In the end, their petition was defeated by a roughly three-to-one margin. That means lawyers will continue to have to take the course as a condition of practising law in Alberta. Brit

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has won a seat in the legislature by defeating four opponents in the Brooks-Medicine Hat byelection. The unofficial results show N-D-P candidate Gwendoline Dirk was second while Barry Morishita of the Alberta Party was third. Smith is back in the legislature after winning a seat more than seven years after she left. Smith called the byelection shortly after she won the race to replace Jason Kenney as United Conservative Party leader and premier on October 6th.

The Alberta government says people in the province 12 years of age and older can soon get the latest COVID-19 vaccine booster. Health Minister Jason Copping says starting on October 24th, the bivalent (bye-VAY'-lent) Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which includes some protection for the Omicron B-A-4 and B-A-5 subvariants, will be available This is in addition to the currently available bivalent Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which includes the B-A-1 subvariant. Copping says many Albertans are looking to receive their COVID-19 booster dose and the B-A-4 and B-A-5 are the prevalent strains in the provin

Alberta is reporting a growing number of people in hospital with COVID-19. As of Monday, there were 1,014 people being treated for the illness, including 31 in intensive care. Dr. Dan Gregson, an infectious diseases physician, says a new wave of COVID coupled with a big wave of seasonal flu would really stress the health system. The latest data shows 4,951 people in Alberta have died from COVID-19.