This Week
Supporting children and youth: Alberta’s government announced new policies regarding gender identity and the well-being of children. The cross-ministry policies aim to:
- Prohibit gender reassignment surgeries for minors aged 17 and under, and not permit puberty blockers and hormone therapies for gender reassignment.
- Require opt-in from parents and pre-approval from the Ministry of Education for any instance a teacher provides formal instruction on gender identity, sexual orientation, or human sexuality. Parents must also consent to alterations to names and pronouns for their children.
- Ensure biologically born female athletes do not have to compete against transgender female athletes and expand co-ed and gender-neutral divisions so transgender athletes can meaningfully participate in the sport of their choice.
- Support transgender adults by bringing medical professionals to Alberta who specialize in pre- and post-operative transgender care for adults.
Legislation for these changes is expected in the fall legislative session. Premier Danielle Smith’s announcement can be viewed here.
Annual Red Tape Report Card: The Canadian Federation of Independent Business’s (CFIB) awarded Alberta an A for their efforts to reduce red tape. The grade is an improvement from last year’s A-. Since 2019, the government has cut over 200,000 pieces of red tape and saved job creators and Albertans $2.75 billion. Highlights from Alberta’s more recent work to reduce red tape can be found here.
$11.3-million for new power engineering lab: To address increasing demand for power engineers in northwestern Alberta, Alberta’s government is investing $11.3 million to build a new power engineering lab at Northwestern Polytechnic’s Grande Prairie campus. The facility offers space for an additional 60 students.
Water-sharing negotiations begin: Alberta’s Drought Command Team began negotiations with major water licence holders to strike water-sharing agreements in the Red Deer River, Bow River and Old Man River basins. In the case severe drought conditions occur this summer, these negotiations would see major users use less water to help downstream users. In Alberta, there are 25,000 organizations and businesses that hold licences for 9.5 billion cubic metres of water. The last time the Drought Command Team was authorized for these negotiations was 2001.
Minister Nally at International Casino Exhibition: Minister Nally is attending the International Casino Exhibition in the United Kingdom. The conference provides an opportunity to understand trends in the global gaming industry, learn how to attract new markets while improving consumer protection, and develop a provincial iGaming strategy.
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
- Promoting Alberta’s great outdoors in Nashville
- Building learning spaces for power engineers
- Winning the battle against red tape
- Empowering communities to boost access to justice
- It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s the Flying Canoe festival
- Water-sharing negotiations start on Feb. 1
- Alberta scores another A for red tape reduction
- Working with Colorado on a strong energy future
- Alberta launches free digital literacy program
- Helping communities reduce emissions, energy costs
- Pursuing better online gaming practices
- Preserving choice for children and youth
- Orders in Council
- New supportive housing for Calgary families
- Alberta remains open for business
Key Resources