The Weekly Roundup- July 4, 2022
New numbers from Statistics Canada show that Canadians continue to feel the impacts of rising prices. In May, consumer inflation rose 7.7 per cent year over year, the largest yearly increase since 1983. Rising inflation and cost of living, while front of mind for many Albertans, with a new survey from the Angus Reid Institute showing that 59 per cent of Albertans surveyed saying they are struggling or uncomfortable and 71 per cent stating that the provincial government is doing a poor or very poor job on the cost of living/inflation. Those numbers suggest that should a UCP leadership candidate put forward a credible plan that it would certainly garner the attention of a wide swath of the UCP membership. In the meantime, Premier Kenney has suggested that additional plans for inflation support will be announced as early as this week.
The year end fiscal report was released last week and due to a growing economy and strong energy prices late in the fiscal year Alberta ended the 2021-22 fiscal year with a surplus of $3.9 billion. It’s the first surplus in seven years and more than half the recorded surplus, or $2 billion, is due to the partial reversal of the contract provision for the Sturgeon Refinery. You can read further details on the fiscal report and Alberta’s rosy economic position here.
Starting October 1, all consumers connected to the natural gas distribution system and paying a bill directly to a natural gas retailer with less than 2,500 gigajoules of annual natural gas consumption will be eligible for government-provided rebates, which will appear directly on bills. Continuous monthly relief will continue until March 2023.
Michelle Rempel Garner will not be running to become leader of the UCP, penning a lengthy post outlining why she ruled out a leadership bid, stating that there is a “significant level of hurt and uncertainty in the UCP caucus team”. While Rempel Garner has turned down the shot at a run, former PC Cabinet Minister and Liberal Leader Raj Sherman has announced he is running, despite being denied a waiver to exempt him from the leadership race stipulation of being a UCP member for 6 months.
Thank you to those who were able to join us at the Alberta Relaunch event held last week. There were a lot of interesting discussions on topics including the risk of a recession, decarbonization, a new poll released from Janet Brown showing more Albertans looking at voting UCP than NDP and a live taping of the West of Centre Podcast including New West’s own Matt Solberg.
Following several cabinet ministers resigning in order to run for the UCP leadership, permanent cabinet changes were made (or as permanent as changes can be before another shuffle with new leader happens come October). The changes are:
Jason Nixon, currently the Minister of Environment and Parks and Acting President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance becomes President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance.
Whitney Issik, currently the Associate Minister of Status of Women, becomes Minister of Environment and Parks.
Matt Jones, MLA for Calgary-South East, becomes Minister of Children’s Services.
Prasad Panda, currently the Minister of Infrastructure, becomes Minister of Transportation.
Nicholas Milliken, MLA for Calgary-Currie, becomes Minister of Infrastructure.
Jackie Armstrong Homeniuk, MLA for Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville, becomes the Associate Minister of Status of Women.
Brad Rutherford, MLA for Leduc-Beaumont and Deputy Government Whip, becomes Chief Government Whip and Minister without Portfolio.
Below, you’ll find a recap of the UCP leadership race, government announcements made and Orders in Council passed since our last edition.
UCP Leadership Race Tracker
We’ll be using this section to apprise you of any major platform announcements, endorsements or other items of note related to leadership contestants. You can click through to their websites using the hyperlinks below.
An unofficial debate was held in June hosted by the Free Alberta Strategy group where the topic of “sovereignty” was front and centre. You can read Jason Markusoff’s in depth look at Alberta sovereignty and the various positions of the leadership contestants here.
Two forums for leadership contestants have been announced, with a Northern Alberta forum to be held in Westlock on July 22, and a Lethbridge leadership candidate forum on August 6.
You can expect to see all candidates on the Stampede circuit over the next two weeks.
Leela Aheer: Aheer hosted campaign launch events in Edmonton and Calgary last week. She called for a pause to the implementation of the K-6 curriculum, and was the lone candidate to condemn the US Supreme Court’s decision regarding access to abortion.
Brian Jean: Jean pitched using energy surpluses to address high utility bills, royalty free fuel in Alberta and accused Danielle Smith of immediately going for the nuclear button.
Todd Loewen: No updates
Bill Rock: No updates
Rajan Sawhney: No updates
Danielle Smith: Smith continued to make headlines with her day one promise to introduce an Alberta Sovereignty Act.
Rebecca Schulz: Schulz stated in an interview with Postmedia that she would commit to more educational assistants in K-12 classrooms, and more mental health support programs for students in schools. She also pitched policy platforms of an Alberta Activity Grant, small business tax holiday and re-indexing income taxes.
Travis Toews: Toews held a launch event in Edmonton and touted the ever popular notion of getting “back to basics” in education. He also has quietly swapped out his campaign manager.
Government of Alberta Announcements
Indigenous community-owned businesses can apply for capital grants of up to $500,000 through the Aboriginal Business Investment Fund starting June 30.
The Alberta Jobs Now program closed its third and final application intake June 30.
Associate Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity Dale Nally issued a statement on the Alberta Electric System Operator’s Pathways to Net-Zero report
Premier Jason Kenney issued a statement on the Canadian Federation of Independent Business report, The State of Internal Trade: Canada’s Interprovincial Cooperation Report Card.
Minister of Service Alberta Nate Glubish will travel to Estonia and the United Kingdom from July 3-9 to advance digital innovation within government.
As part of Alberta at Work, organizations could receive up to $1.5 million through Workforce Strategies grants for projects that help Alberta workers develop the necessary skills to meet workforce needs. A total of $8 million in funding is available through the Workforce Strategies grants.
Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Mike Ellis issued a statement on the settlement reached with Purdue Pharma for their role in the opioid crisis.
President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance Jason Nixon issued a statement on negotiations between Alberta Health Services and the Health Sciences Association of Alberta and negotiations between AHS and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees-General Support Services.
New funding of $4 million will be delivered in partnership with KidSport Alberta and the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association to help make sport and recreation activities more accessible and affordable for Alberta children and youth.
A new online survey that is open until July 22 is asking Albertans about how to improve election processes and accountability for locally elected officials.
Seven Albertans will become members of the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2022.
Alberta has been granted full standing to participate in the public inquiry into the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act earlier this year.
Olivia was once again the most popular baby girl’s name in Alberta in 2021, tying the record for the longest any name has spent at No. 1, while Noah held onto the top spot for baby boys.
The Alberta Crown prosecutor’s manual has been updated to further protect victims and to crack down on hate crimes.
Health Minister Jason Copping will meet with health system leaders and experts in Copenhagen, Denmark, and London, England, from June 27 to July 8.
To help combat high utility costs, more than 1.9 million homes, farms and small businesses will receive monthly credits of $50 on their July, August and September electricity bills, for a total of $150 in rebates.
Albertans will continue to save the 13-cent provincial fuel tax on every litre of gasoline or diesel they purchase for at least another three months when the government will reevaluate the program in September.
A new bursary will provide $15 million over three years to help low-income Albertans prepare for careers in high-demand programs.
Eligible school authorities will receive more funding to address high fuel costs for student transportation.
Premier Jason Kenney, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Tyler Shandro, Labour and Immigration Minister Kaycee Madu and Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi to discuss the City of Edmonton’s public safety plan
The UCP government has approved transferring land flanking the Anthony Henday that holds a historic cemetery to the Enoch Cree Nation.
Orders in Council
OC 257/2022: Makes the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (Expiry Date Extension) Amendment Regulation extending the expiry to June 30, 2024.
OC 258/2022: Appoints Angela Aalbers as a member of the Environmental Appeals Board for a term to expire on June 21, 2024.
OC 259/2022: Appoints The Honourable Tracy L. Allard and Jackie Lovely, MLA, as members of the Treasury Board.
OC 260/2022: Appoints Ashley Runka Owens as a public member to the council of the Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors for a term to expire on June 28, 2025.
OC 261/2022: Appoints Lorrie Sparks, James Thompson and Doreen Upshaw as public members to the council of the Alberta College of Combined Laboratory and X-ray Technologists, each for a term to expire on June 28, 2025.
OC 262/2022: Appoints Muhammad Rasheed as a public member to the council of the Alberta College of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists for a term to expire on June 28, 2025.
OC 263/2022: Appoints Alice Barr as a public member to the council of the College and Association of Respiratory Therapists of Alberta for a term to expire on June 28, 2025.
OC 264/2022: Appoints Gerald Ingeveld and Karlana Noel as public members to the council of the College of Hearing Aid Practitioners of Alberta, each for a term to expire on June 28, 2025.
OC 265/2022: Appoints David Swanson as a public member to the council of the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta for a term to expire on June 28, 2025.
OC 266/2022: Appoints Judith Hansen and Erhard Poggemiller as public members to the council of the College of Registered Dental Hygienists of Alberta, each for a term to expire on June 28, 2025.
OC 267/2022: Appoints 8 persons to a list of public members for the purpose of establishing complaint review committees and hearing tribunals, each for a term to expire on June 28, 2025.
OC 268/2022: Effective August 1, 2022, on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly, appoints Diane McLeod as Information and Privacy Commissioner for a term to expire on July 31, 2027.
OC 269/2022: Designates The Honourable Justice John J. Gill to act as an adjudicator for the purposes of section 75(1)(e) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
OC 270/2022: Effective July 1, 2022, rescinds the appointment Phillip “Dominic” Shaw as a member of the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities and reappoints him as a member and appoints him as chair of the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities for a term to expire on June 30, 2025; effective July 1, 2022, reappoints Shino Nakane as a member of the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities for a term to expire on June 30, 2025; effective July 1, 2022, appoints Francis “Frank” Hoebarth and Earl Thiessen as members of the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities, each for a term to expire on June 30, 2025.
OC 271/2022: Appoints Funmi Abiiba and Geoffrey Chow to a list of public members for the purpose of establishing complaint review committees and hearing tribunals of the Alberta Institute of Agrologists, each for a term to expire on June 28, 2025.
OC 272/2022: Effective July 18, 2022, reappoints 3 persons as members of the Labour Relations Board, each for a term to expire on July 17, 2024; effective July 24, 2022, reappoints 4 persons as members of the Labour Relations Board, each for a term to expire on July 23, 2025; effective July 25, 2022, reappoints 3 persons as members of the Labour Relations Board, each for a term to expire on July 24, 2025; effective September 25, 2022, reappoints Jeremy Schick as a member and redesignates him as a vice-chair of the Labour Relations Board for a term to expire on September 24, 2027.
OC 273/2022: Appoints John deJong, Dianne Johnstone and Brian Marcotte to the membership list to be used for appointing members of the public to hearing tribunals and complaint review committees for the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association, each for a further term to expire on June 28, 2025.
OC 274/2022: Proclaiming section 1(3) to (5), (7), (10) to (18), (20) and (21) of the Advanced Education Statutes Amendment Act, 2021 in force on July 20, 2022.
OC 275/2022: Proclaiming the Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Education Act in force on July 20, 2022.
OC 276/2022: Effective August 15, 2022, reappoints Carolyn Graham as chair of The Board of Governors of Grant MacEwan University for a term to expire on August 14, 2025; effective August 15, 2022, reappoints Adam Guiney as a member of The Board of Governors of Grant MacEwan University for a term to expire on August 14, 2025; effective August 15, 2022, appoints Sandra Haskins, to succeed Samantha Kernahan, as a member of The Board of Governors of Grant MacEwan University for a term to expire on August 14, 2025.
OC 277/2022: Effective August 15, 2022, appoints Mark Herman, to succeed Geeta Sankappanavar, as chair of the board of The Governors of the University of Calgary for a term to expire on August 14, 2025.
OC 278/2022: Appoints Sherry Davis, to succeed Harvey Labuhn, as a member of the board of The Governors of The University of Lethbridge for a term to expire on June 28, 2025; amends Order in Council numbered O.C. 233/2022 to correct an error.
OC 279/2022: Makes the Athabasca University Amendment Regulation establishing Athabasca as the primary location of the university and having two members of the town of Athabasca or Athabasca County appointed to the board of the university.
OC 280/2022: Effective August 15, 2022, appoints Jason Pincock as a member of the Board of Governors of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology for a term to expire on August 14, 2025.
OC 281/2022: Appoints Ryan MacDonald as a member of the Board of Governors of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology for a term to expire on June 28, 2025.
OC 282/2022: Appoints Kelly Smith-Fraser as a member of The Board of Governors of Lakeland College for a term to expire on June 28, 2025.
OC 283/2022: Effective August 15, 2022, reappoints Adam Waterous as chair of the Board of Governors of The Banff Centre for a term to expire on August 14, 2025.
OC 284/2022: Makes the Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Education General Regulation.
OC 285/2022: Makes the Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Education Act (Consequential Amendments) Amendment Regulation.
OC 286/2022: Appoints Kathryn Oviatt as a member of the General Insurance Council for a term to expire on June 28, 2025.
OC 287/2022: Effective July 1, 2022, appoints Christopher Bruce and Rita Lazar-Tippe as members of the Automobile Insurance Rate Board, each for a term to expire on June 30, 2025.
OC 288/2022: Effective July 18, 2022, appoints Renee Marx as a member of the Alberta Utilities Commission for a term to expire on July 17, 2027.
OC 289/2022: Effective July 25, 2022, reappoints Parand Meysami and Tracey Stock to the roster of hearing commissioners of the Alberta Energy Regulator, each for a term to expire on July 24, 2027; effective July 25, 2022, appoints Meg Barker, Shona Mackenzie and Harold Robinson to the roster of hearing commissioners of the Alberta Energy Regulator, each for a term to expire on July 24, 2025.
OC 290/2022: Makes the Utility Commodity Rebate Regulation.
OC 291/2022: Effective August 15, 2022, reappoints Doris C.E. Bonora, Teresa Rose Haykowsky and Erika Ringseis as members of the Alberta Human Rights Commission, each for a term to expire on August 14, 2025; effective October 7, 2022, reappoints Cynthia Dickins and Nathalie Whyte as members of the Alberta Human Rights Commission, each for a term to expire on October 6, 2025; appoints Duncan Marsden and Karen Scott as members of the Alberta Human Rights Commission, each for a further term to expire on June 28, 2024.
Upcoming Events Calendar
July 20, 2022: UCP Leader application deadline
July 22, 2022: Northern Alberta UCP Leadership Forum
August 6, 2022: Lethbridge Leadership Candidate Forum
September 10, 2022: New CPC Leader announced
September 25, 2022: New Alberta Liberal Leader announced
October 6, 2022: New UCP Leader announced
October 31, 2022: Alberta Legislature Session resumes