This Week
Alberta Pension Plan: Finance Minister Nate Horner released a statement updating Albertans on a potential provincial pension plan. Recently, the federal Liberal government informed the Government of Alberta that they would strike a panel to interpret the asset transfer formula in the Canada Pension Plan Act. The panel’s work would begin this spring and inform the chief actuary’s calculation which is expected to be provided to Alberta later this fall.
New long-term provincial tourism strategy: Premier Danielle Smith, Tourism and Sport Minister Joseph Schow, and MLA Martin Long this week introduced a new long-term provincial tourism strategy. The new strategy aims to increase the visitor economy to $25 billion in yearly visitor expenditures by 2035, supporting the equivalent to 190,000 full-time jobs. The strategy is built of five key pillars: Leadership and Alignment, Competitive Product, People and Careers, Expansion of Access, and Indigenous Tourism. In 2022, Alberta saw an upward trend in tourism with $10.7 billion in tourism spending, an increase of $600 million from 2019 levels.
New immigration steam: To better support the tourism and hospitality sector in the province, Alberta is introducing a new Tourism and Hospitality Stream as part of the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program(AAIP). The program aims to help relieve labour challenges and help Alberta businesses attract and retain much-needed workers. The stream will be open to individuals who have already been working for a tourism and hospitality business for at least six months and who have met the criteria to establish themselves in Alberta permanently.
Increasing access to legal aid: Minister of Justice and Attorney General Mickey Amery this week announced that the threshold income to qualify for legal aid is increasing effective April 1. The qualifying income threshold is currently $24,456 per year. This will increase to $30,000 per year allowing more Albertans to access legal aid services to support cases in family law, family violence matters, child welfare, immigration, and youth and adult criminal defence. In 2022-23, Legal Aid Alberta served 35,449 clients.
What’s Next
Legislature: The Legislature will return on February 28. The legislative calendar for 2024 can be found here.
Budget 2024: Alberta will release its next provincial budget on February 29.
Announcements
- Teaming up for the Games
- Have your say on Springbank Reservoir land use
- Promoting Alberta’s great outdoors in Salt Lake City
- Growing Alberta’s tourism and hospitality sector
- New Heritage Minute scores a touchdown
- Recognizing Alberta’s agricultural leaders
- Growing Alberta’s visitor economy
- Making legal aid accessible to more Albertans
- Rebranding the carbon tax won’t fix a failure: Statement
- Going the distance at Calgary’s Olympic Oval
- Alberta Pension Plan update: Minister Horner
- Furthering reconciliation through emergency shelter
- Curlers hit the ice at Scotties Tournament of Hearts
Key Resources