The Weekly Roundup- September 19, 2022
Today has been named a provincial day of mourning in recognition of Queen Elizabeth II, whose funeral was held earlier in the day in London. An outdoor ceremony in honour of Her late Majesty at the Alberta legislature at 10 a.m. and will include a 96 gun salute. You can view the ceremony here. The outdoor ceremony follows the Legislature reconvening last Thursday for MLAs to pay tribute to the late Queen and King Charles III.
The Federal Building, located on the northeast corner of the legislature grounds, will also be officially named the Queen Elizabeth II Building in a ceremony on September 27. Premier Jason Kenney made the decision to pay his respects to the late Queen who he deeply admired in person, flying to London and queuing for over 14 hours at personal expense.
Below, you’ll find a recap of the UCP leadership race, government announcements made and Orders in Council passed since our last edition.
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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.
Leela Aheer: During a candidate forum in Fort McMurray last week, Aheer had choice words for leadership frontrunner Danielle Smith.
Brian Jean: Jean continues to release text heavy policy commitments on topics ranging from his proposed Autonomy for Albertans Act, agricultural policy and retailer margin caps enshrined in legislation when there is abuse in setting gas prices.
Todd Loewen: No updates to report.
Rajan Sawhney: No updates to report.
Danielle Smith: Smith is holding “ballot parties” across the province where she gives her stump speech and local residents can drop off their leadership ballots. Large crowds have been showing up across the province. Smith also released a four-point plan for AHS reform that includes hiring a new CEO, replacing the current board with an interim commissioner and hiring an audit team. A new poll that was commissioned by Danielle Smith of party members was provided to Rick Bell, and shows Smith firmly in the lead with 42.5 per cent of those polled favouring her campaign and winning in the fifth round.
Rebecca Schulz: No updates to report.
Travis Toews: Toews weighed in on centralization in the health care system, saying that he would decentralize decision-making and support municipalities that want to take back control of EMS, while undertaking a review of senior management roles in AHS to reduce redundancies. Toews also stated that he would reindex AISH by January 1 as Premier.
Government of Alberta Announcements
Alberta’s government is joining efforts with the Canadian Red Cross to help the victims of devastating floods in Pakistan and will match dollar for dollar every donation Albertans and Alberta organizations make to the Canadian Red Cross, up to a maximum $500,000.
Starting on Sept. 21, appointments for the bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine can be booked, with vaccine administration also beginning on Sept. 21.
The governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan along with industry stakeholders have secured a regulation exemption from Ottawa that will allow oil service rigs to move freely between the two provinces.The exemption also applies to Manitoba and British Columbia.
Orders in Council
OC 304/2022: Proclaiming that His Royal Highness Prince Charles Philip Arthur George is now, by the death of our late Sovereign, CHARLES THE THIRD, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom, Canada and His Other Realms and Territories, KING, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, to whom we acknowledge our faith and allegiance.
OC 305/2022: Rescinds the appointment of Collin P. May as a member of the Alberta Human Rights Commission and his designation as Chief of the Commission and Tribunals of the Alberta Human Rights Commission. May has retained legal counsel and will sue the province for his termination.
OC 306/2022: Makes the Publication Ban (Court Applications and Orders) (Expiry Date Extension) Amendment Regulation extending the expiry to September 30, 2027.
OC 307/2022: Prescribes the amount of $39 857 000 to be paid to the Crown under agreement by The Workers’ Compensation Board for the purpose of defraying part of the Crown’s costs during the fiscal year 2022-2023 of administering the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
OC 308/2022: Effective October 30, 2022, reappoints Richard Casson as a member of the board of The Governors of The University of Lethbridge for a term to expire on October 29, 2025; appoints Bev Burton and Nikki Van Mulligen, to succeed Shipla Stocker, as members of the board of The Governors of The University of Lethbridge, each for a term to expire on September 15, 2025.
OC 309/2022: Reappoints Dwayne Dubois as a member of The Board of Governors of Bow Valley College for a term to expire on September 15, 2025; effective December 6, 2022, reappoints John Kousinioris, Steven McLeod and Bettina Pierre-Gilles as members of The Board of Governors of Bow Valley College, each for a term to expire on December 5, 2025.
OC 310/2022: Reappoints Joe MacNeil and redesignates him as chair of The Board of Governors of Keyano College for a term to expire on September 15, 2025; reappoints Kim Farwell and Christian Matte as members of The Board of Governors of Keyano College, each for a term to expire on September 15, 2025; appoints Kalpesh Patel, to succeed Staci Millard, and Andrew Rosser, to succeed Margaret Ziolecki, as members of The Board of Governors of Keyano College, each for a term to expire on September 15, 2025.
OC 311/2022: Appoints Robert (Bob) Sartor, to succeed Letha J. MacLachlan, as a member of the Board of Governors of The Banff Centre for a term to expire on September 15, 2025.
OC 312/2022: Effective November 5, 2022, reappoints Roger Renaud as a member of the board of directors of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation for a term to expire on November 4, 2025; effective January 1, 2023, reappoints Dr. Kenneth Kroner as a member of the board of directors of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation for a term to expire on December 31, 2025; effective October 1, 2022, appoints Navjeet Singh Dhillon as a member of the board of directors of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation for a term to expire on September 30, 2025.
OC 313/2022: Makes the Procedures (Traffic Safety) Amendment Regulation making changes to the schedule for penalties related to enforcement of the Traffic Safety Act.
OC 314/2022: Appoints Nadeem Esmail as a member of the Law Enforcement Review Board for a term to expire on September 15, 2025.
OC 315/2022: Effective September 20, 2022, designates Judge Donald Blaine Higa as Assistant Chief Judge for the Civil Division of The Provincial Court of Alberta for a term to expire on September 19, 2027.
Upcoming Events Calendar
September 24, 2022: Join the Canada Strong and Free Network (CSFN), formerly known as the Manning Centre, in Red Deer, where Premier Jason Kenney will deliver some of his final remarks in conversation with the Hub’s Sean Speer. CSFN's President Jamil Jivani and Alberta Proud's Lindsay Wilson will also host a UCP leadership showcase featuring Danielle Smith, Travis Toews, Rebecca Schultz, Rajan Sawhney and Todd Loewen. Register here.
October 6, 2022: New UCP Leader announced at BMO Centre (Calgary). Tickets are available for $10.
October 21-23, 2022: UCP AGM at River Cree Resort
October 31, 2022: Alberta Legislature Session resumes