What to Expect
With the last United Conservative Party (UCP) leadership debate done and ballots in the mail, campaigns will shift into high-gear to get out the vote from their avowed supporters. Given the ranked ballot, however, the campaigns will also be jockeying to secure second and third choices from their rivals’ supporters.
The Week That Was
On Wednesday last week, the Alberta government released its first quarterly budget report since Budget 2022. The report outlined a projected surplus of $13.2 billion and key decisions regarding a savings and a significant effort to pay down debt.
Following a decrease over the past few years, defence lawyers in Edmonton and Calgary staged a 90-minute walk-out over the lack of legal aid funding from the provincial government.
Alberta is supporting Indigenous and municipal communities in developing a business case for a self-administered police force (or equivalent) with a one-time $30,000 grant.
The provincial government announced the creation of the Premier’s Council on Skills to strengthen post-secondary programming for students and address industry demand. The council is comprised of the following members:
- Dennis Perrin, Alberta and Prairies director, Christian Labour Association of Canada – council chair;
- Brent Allison, CEO, Long View Systems;
- Glenn Feltham, interim city manager, City of Medicine Hat – council vice-chair;
- Ken Gibson, executive director, Alberta Construction Association;
- Ron Koslowsky, vice-president, Manitoba division, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters;
- Jason Krips, president and CEO, Alberta Forest Products Association;
- Gurpreet Lail, president and CEO, Petroleum Services Association of Canada and principal of Lail Consulting;
- Tara Lockyer, chief people, culture, brand and communications officer, ATB Financial;
- Terry Parker, executive director, Building Trades Alberta;
- Darren Reeder, president and CEO, Tourism Industry Association of Alberta; and
- Tom Snell, president and chair of the board of directors, Columbia College Calgary.
Today, Associate Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity Dale Nally released a statement confirming the government’s intention to continue to develop a hydrogen blending framework and a commitment to continue to consult industry stakeholders.
