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- Smith yet to sign petition Edmonton Feb 12 - 7,067 views
- More teachers on the way
Edmonton Feb 12 - 4,094 views - Grieving and forgiveness Taber Feb 12 - 7,933 views
- Secure custody for boy Alberta Feb 11 - 7,589 views
- Chief slams separatists Alberta Feb 10 - 5,361 views
- Alberta to stay in the red Alberta Feb 10 - 8,340 views
- Church community in shock Alberta Feb 9 - 12,264 views
- Alberta's changes on hold Alberta Feb 9 - 452 views
Alberta News
Alberta's Smith says she hasn't signed separatist petition
Smith yet to sign petition
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she has not signed a petition currently gathering signatures for a referendum to pull the province out of Confederation.
Smith says she hasn't signed any petitions because the process is meant to be driven by citizens.
The push for a vote on Alberta becoming its own country is now in its second month of collecting signatures, and the group behind it, Stay Free Alberta, has until May to get nearly 178,000 signatures.
Smith has long said she supports a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada, but that she believes in direct democracy.
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says he too didn't put his name to the effort, and Environment Minister Grant Hunter's office confirmed the same.
It comes after two of Smith's other ministers publicly confirmed they had not signed the petition, including Sport Minister Andrew Boitchenko this week, and Assisted Living Minister Jason Nixon earlier this month.
Alberta's premier announces $143M for extra staff to tackle complex classrooms
More teachers on the way
Alberta’s government is spending $143 million to dispatch about 1,400 extra teachers and educational assistants to support students in strained elementary school classrooms across the province.
The bulk of new staff is meant for schools in Edmonton and Calgary to provide in-class help, where Premier Danielle Smith's government says the latest data indicates the greatest need.
The move is part of a broader pledge and is made to hire 3,000 new teachers and 1,500 educational assistants over the next three years.
In October, the government invoked the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to end a provincewide teachers strike and imposed a pay deal teachers previously rejected.
At an announcement in Calgary on Thursday, Smith said the strike laid bare teachers’ concerns about the pressures they were facing on the front lines amid population growth and students demanding special attention.
“Our message to teachers and to school administrators is this: we have heard you. We're here for you, and help is on the way,” she said.
She added that the government determined it had to “get a lot deeper than just having some kind of arbitrary pupil-teacher ratio written into a contract.”
Junior high and high school classrooms won't see a similar funding boost immediately, but Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said the government is prioritizing addressing complex needs in the kindergarten to Grade 6 classrooms that need it the most.
He said early intervention has the greatest impact.
“We will be continuing to look at additional schools that require support in the coming months and years,” he said.
The $143-million pot of money is coming from the ministry’s existing 2025-26 budget.
Nicolaides said it will go out the door immediately so school boards can begin hiring. He said the government didn’t deploy it at the beginning of the school year because it wanted to take a data-driven approach.
“We didn’t have a strong line of sight into the nature of complexity affecting our schools,” he said.
The province is set to unveil the coming year’s budget on Feb. 26.
New class size and complexity data, released Thursday, pegs the average class size across the province at 25 students, and says less than one per cent of classrooms have a class size over 40.
It’s the first detailed provincewide reporting of such numbers since the United Conservative Party government stopped reporting it under then-premier Jason Kenney in 2019.
However, the government said class size alone is not the best predictor of classroom pressures, and that the data shows classroom complexity is widespread and growing.
Its data flags 655 schools and 4,486 classes as “high priority," but only 476 "complexity teams," made up of one teacher and two educational assistants each, are to be hired.
Nicolaides said they're targeting those classrooms that need the most support first.
The teams are to provide one-on-one help, including managing disruptive students or helping students learn English.
All 61 school authorities across the province will have funding for at least one complexity team.
Father of Alberta school shooting victim talks grieving and forgiveness
Grieving and forgiveness
The father of a student killed in a school shooting in southern Alberta almost 27 years ago says forgiveness was at the heart of how he tackled the tragedy.
Retired reverend Dale Lang lost his 17-year-old son, Jason, after the teen was shot by a fellow student in a hallway at W.R. Myers High School in Taber, Alta., about 300 kilometres southeast of Calgary, in 1999.
The 14-year-old shooter, who also wounded another student, was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder and sentenced as a youth to three years in jail and seven years of probation.
"In our case, God granted us the grace to be able to forgive the boy who killed our son, and that was hugely important for us," he said in an interview Wednesday.
He shared his story again after a mass shooting Tuesday in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., left nine people dead, including the 18-year-old shooter.
Police said the shooter killed her mother and 11-year-old stepbrother at a home in the town before gunning down a teacher and five students at the high school and taking her own life.
Lang said he doesn't know enough of the details about what happened in B.C. to speak directly about it, other than to say it's a tragedy.
"I'm very sad to know that Tumbler Ridge will be going through some difficult days ahead, to say the least, and particularly the families that have lost people," said Lang.
"That's a terrible tragedy that no one should have to go through."
In a small community, he said, everyone will be very affected. "It's going to be part of the picture in the life of the community now for years and years to come."
The process of grieving can be different for everybody, and it takes time, he added.
In his experience, forgiveness was the beginning of not getting "stuck in a place of anger and bitterness."
He drew strength from his relationship with God, he said.
"(It) is hard to explain to people, because it was so painful and so tragic. And even in the midst of all our tears, we were still able to begin the process of healing."
He said one of the things that was useful for him and his wife was returning to the high school where Jason was shot to welcome kids back into their classrooms.
The Taber shooting was the first deadly high school shooting in Canada in about 20 years. It came eight days after a mass shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., where two students killed 12 students and one teacher before taking their own lives.
"It was a time when people, and young people, needed to feel like the world wasn't falling apart on them," Lang said. He added that students also needed to know they were cared for and could get through it.
"Over the years, we've had the kids that were in the school contact us or talk with us and let us know that it was a meaningful time for them in a difficult situation," said Lang.
Lang wrote a book about the killing titled "Jason Has Been Shot!" along with his son Mark.
Lang said it's something that wasn't easy to put to paper, but he believes it was cathartic and brought comfort and healing to a lot of people.
Alberta boy, 13, sentenced to secure custody for trying to kill younger brother
Secure custody for boy
An Alberta judge sentenced a 13-year-old boy Wednesday to three years in an intense rehabilitation program for trying to stab his younger brother to death.
The attacker was 12 when he repeatedly stabbed the seven-year-old in the family's Lethbridge home last August.
Police have said the older boy had claimed an unknown man had entered the house and stabbed his brother before fleeing.
The boy, who earlier pleaded guilty to attempted murder, cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Justice Ryan Anderson broke down the sentence into two years of secure custody and one year of conditional supervision, all under the Intensive Rehabilitation and Custody Supervision program. It provides treatment for youth who have mental health issues and are convicted of violent offences.
Crown prosecutor Lauren Atkinson told the court the program is often only applied to youth with "some level of serious mental health diagnoses" who commit a very serious, violent offence.
She said the offender has expressed remorse for the stabbing.
"What we have is one of the highest degrees of violence that we see in the courtroom," said Atkinson.
"However, we also are balancing this against the fact that we have a young person with several diagnoses and unfortunately has not, up until this point, had any opportunity to address any of them."
The Crown and defence both recommended the sentence, which is the most severe for youth convicted of attempted murder without being sentenced as an adult.
The boy's remaining aggravated assault charge was withdrawn.
Defence lawyer Greg White said the sentence is in the best interest of the offender.
The Youth Criminal Justice Act is not meant to punish but to rehabilitate, reintegrate and lay out meaningful consequences, White said.
"We want to help these young persons whose brains aren't fully developed, we appreciate that, to have the best opportunity to become productive members of society," he said outside court.
The offender was also ordered to provide a DNA sample and will be under a weapons ban for a decade.
After about one year, court can consider reviewing the sentence to transition the boy from secure to open custody.
Alberta separation needs First Nations' permission, says AFN national chief
Chief slams separatists
The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says Alberta separatists will not be taking treaty land.
Speaking at an AFN conference on Tuesday in Calgary, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak again denounced the separatist movement in Alberta as "illegitimate" and "unconstitutional."
Some other Indigenous leaders at the conference echoed her distaste for separatist sentiment in Alberta.
Several First Nation communities in Alberta are legally challenging the legislation for citizen-led petitions in the province, which has allowed questions on a separation referendum.
Woodhouse Nepinak says separation from Canada requires the collective consent of First Nations in Canada.
She says Alberta separation, fuelled by misinformation and foreign interference, risks rupturing the country.
"They can take the dirt that maybe their ancestors brought with them under their fingernails when they came over here from other places," said Woodhouse Nepinak.
"Canada is treaty territory, First Nations were here first, Canada is First Nations land, each and every square inch of it."
Alberta's Smith says 'significant' deficits to come, rules out tax hikes and big cuts
Alberta to stay in the red
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says "significant" deficits are in store for her province as it tries to grapple with low oil prices.
The government's new budget is set to be unveiled later this month, and Smith says it's going to be a "tough" one.
The premier told RED FM Calgary this week that she has ruled out tax hikes and "deep" service cuts, but says it means the province will need to run multiple deficits.
She says the government will still prioritize health care, education and infrastructure spending but says the government can't do everything.
As of November, the province was forecasting a $6.4-billion deficit for the current budget year based on a reduced average benchmark oil price of US$61.50 a barrel.
The current budget forecasted deficits of more than $2 billion for the next two years, but Smith didn't say if those are now expected to be higher.
Church community in shock after leader dies in Alberta bus rollover: pastor
Church community in shock
A pastor says loved ones are at a loss for words after a church leader died when a charter bus rolled on a northern Alberta highway, ejecting children and adults returning home from a Bible competition.
"(Lillian Banda) made the world a better place," Dan Wilson, with the Grande Prairie Seventh-day Adventist Church, said in a phone interview Monday.
"She's just one of those people that will do whatever needs to be done with a smile on her face. Anyone who knows Lillian is devastated.
"No one ever thinks this is gonna happen, right?"
Wilson said Banda had chaperoned multiple youths attending the competition in Edmonton, and on Saturday night she and 36 other church members were on the bus heading home to Grande Prairie, including Banda's husband and two youngest children.
The bus crashed into a median near Debolt, about 60 kilometres east of Grande Prairie.
Some passengers, including children as young as six years old, landed about 50 metres from where the bus stopped rolling, Wilson said.
Wilson said shock, pain, the cold temperature and the darkness on the remote highway made it difficult at first for passengers to call for help.
It was a youth who was eventually able to find a phone and call police, he said.
Banda, a 50-year-old nurse, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Wilson said five adults and a six-year-old boy were taken to hospital in serious condition.
Three of the adults have since been discharged, and two of them are awaiting surgery — one for a broken collar bone and the other for a broken shoulder.
One woman remains in hospital with two cracked vertebrae, five broken ribs and a broken wrist, Wilson added.
He said she's a new immigrant from Jamaica. Her two daughters, who were not injured, are now staying with Wilson and his wife. Their father was discharged from hospital with the broken shoulder.
Mounties said Monday they had no updates in the crash investigation.
Wilson said the children on the bus are part of the church's Pathfinder group, and they often make the journey back and forth from Edmonton and Grande Prairie, as they share churches in both cities.
"Pathfinders is similar to like Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts. So they do activities like camping, raise money for blankets for the homeless, all kinds of stuff," he said.
An upcoming trip in March is in limbo, he said. "We'll see how parents are feeling and how things go."
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she was deeply saddened to hear about the crash.
"My heart is with the family who lost a loved one, with those recovering from their injuries, and with the congregation walking through this painful time together," Smith said in an online post.
Alberta pauses health-care coverage change for some international work permit holders
Alberta's changes on hold
The Alberta government is hitting pause on a recent policy change cutting off health coverage for some temporary foreign workers, including youth coming to Canada on working vacations.
The province quietly introduced the change Jan. 7, but it did not receive widespread attention until a CBC News story last week.
Following that story, a government spokesperson confirmed Monday that the program change is on hold.
"Following an initial review, Alberta’s government is pausing implementation of this change to review the policy going forward," Kyle Warner, with the ministry of primary and preventive health, said in a statement.
He called the original change a "premature decision" made within the department.
Warner said the government heard concerns from temporary foreign workers and employers about the end of coverage for workers with specific International Experience Canada work permits, called Type 58 permits.
The permits allow people to come to Canada to work and travel temporarily in the country, up to two years.
Communities in the Bow Valley region, including Banff and Lake Louise, rely heavily on seasonal and temporary foreign workers to sustain their tourism-based economies.
Tineke van der Merwe, with the Bow Valley Immigration Partnership, said they welcome the government's decision to pause changes to health benefits eligibility for these workers.
"However, we continue to urgently seek clarity," van der Merwe said in an interview.
Van der Merwe said they need a timeline of when the review process might conclude and whether those who arrive to Alberta during the government's review process will be eligible.
She said in the next eight weeks, as the Bow Valley tourism and hospitality sector heads towards the spring and summer season, employers are going to be hiring for the busy summer season.
If potential newcomers choose to come to the mountains but learn they're not eligible or can't renew their health cards, it could have a significant negative impact on the local workforce at a key time, van der Merwe said.
"This is absolutely critical that people are able to find clear, timely public information, and to the best of our knowledge, at the moment that's not available," she said.
The town of Jasper, at the northern edge of the Rockies, also relies on workers from elsewhere.
Mayor Richard Ireland said in a statement Friday "everything" that affects the well-being of those workers affects the entire community.
"Seasonal and international workers play a crucial role in supporting local businesses and visitor services and contribute positively to community health and vitality," he said.
Alanis Morissette to play the 2026 Calgary Stampede
Morissette to play Stampede
She's got one hand in her pocket, and the other is waving a cowboy hat.
Alanis Morissette is set to perform at this year's Calgary Stampede.
The Canadian alt-rock icon will play the Scotiabank Saddledome on July 11 as part of the 2026 Calgary Stampede Concert Series.
American rapper A$AP Rocky is also set to play the Stampede on July 4.
Morissette's cathartic, 1990s-defining album "Jagged Little Pill" earned her five Grammys, six Junos and has sold more than 33 million copies worldwide. She's since released nine more acclaimed albums.
The Ottawa-born artist has enjoyed success outside the studio too — "Jagged Little Pill: The Musical" made its Broadway debut in 2019 and earned 15 Tony Award nominations, winning two.
Morissette's 25th anniversary tour of "Jagged Little Pill" was the top-selling female-fronted tour of that year.
She followed it up in 2024 with the Triple Moon Tour, which saw her hit cities across North America with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts as a supporting act.
Last year's Stampede featured performances by Shania Twain, Simple Plan and the Arkells among others.
Alberta auto insurance reforms aim to reduce court battles over compensation
Alberta moving to 'no-fault'
Courtrooms and lawyers' offices in Alberta are set to become less busy next year, when changes to the province's auto insurance market take effect.
The province is moving to what it calls a "care-first," or no-fault, system from its current tort model starting Jan. 1, 2027. That means insurers will be required to bolster medical and income support as well as other benefits for those injured in collisions, regardless of who is at fault, instead of parties having to battle it out in the justice system for compensation beyond the limited amount insurance now covers.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada has welcomed the change, saying it will drive down legal costs for its members and in turn lower premiums for drivers.
"The care and benefits that are provided to those injured in collisions are going to increase. They're going to be the richest in the country," said Aaron Sutherland, vice-president for Western Canada and Pacific at IBC.
"That's a win for drivers and anyone injured in collisions and we're keen to work with the government to see this new system come to fruition."
But a legal advocacy group has warned it takes away a crucial avenue for recourse and puts too much power in the hands of insurers.
Auto insurance premiums and delivery models vary province by province. Some, like British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, deliver mandatory coverage through Crown corporations, whereas in Alberta, Ontario and elsewhere, it's left up to private insurers.
Albertans pay among the highest premiums for auto insurance in Canada and the provincial government has said the changes would shave off up to $400 per year of those costs. IBC has said rising legal expenses make up one fifth of what drivers pay.
While "care-first" will be a help, Sutherland said more needs to be done to cure what's ailing the province's insurance market.
The 2024 annual report from the Superintendent of Insurance published last month painted a grim picture. It found a substantial majority of Alberta auto insurers were unprofitable that year, with private passenger automobile insurance taking the biggest hit.
Auto insurers' expenses that year exceeded revenues by a collective $1.2 billion, the report said, with claims and expenses outpacing premiums by 18 per cent.
It forecast that escalating claims costs would continue to exceed the province's Good Driver Rate Cap, which limits premium increases to 7.5 per cent a year for drivers without at-fault claims in the previous six years, criminal convictions in the previous four years or other convictions in the previous three years.
The rate cap, which is meant to be temporary, is set to last at least until the end of this year.
"In any industry, if you are forced to sell a product below the cost of providing it, that's not a recipe for success or a healthy competitive marketplace," Sutherland said.
A handful of companies, including Sonnet and Zenith, have exited the Alberta auto insurance market, while others have scaled back their offerings.
"I don't expect anyone to shed a tear over the financial plight of the insurance industry in Alberta. But what does it mean for drivers? It means less choice, fewer options, more expensive premiums," Sutherland said.
"We've got a competitive market that's been in crisis, that's been pulling back, and it's been drivers that are footing a higher bill as a result and facing significant challenges securing the coverage they need."
Adding to the pressures in Alberta is the fact that it's been "the disaster capital for Canada" over the past several years, Sutherland said. For instance, a 2024 hailstorm in Calgary caused more than $3 billion in insured property damage within a single afternoon.
Vehicle theft is also a growing problem, with claims 76 per cent higher in the first half of 2025 than they were in 2021.
Once the "care-first" changes take effect, there will be no other system like it in Canada, said Owen Lewis, past-president of the Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association.
Lewis, a partner at KMSC Law in Grande Prairie, Alta., said he's concerned about what checks and balances there will be in a system dominated by for-profit players, even though the province is planning an independent tribunal to resolve disputes over benefits.
"You're going to have individuals who are required to navigate a system that, quite frankly, is extremely confusing for me," he said.
"And they'll be required to try to navigate that on their own to go against insurance companies that are well-funded, will have their own lawyers, have their own specialists to argue against the individual claim."
Albertans would still be able to sue if the at-fault driver is convicted of a serious Criminal Code or Traffic Safety Act offence. But it would be "extremely rare" for someone to collect under those circumstances, Lewis said.
Lewis agrees that the status quo is not tenable for insurers in Alberta, but disputes that legal costs should bear so much of the blame.
"You can't revamp an entire system and take rights away from innocent injured individuals to try to resolve a problem that isn't created by injured Albertans."
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