By George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The UCP lacks the transparency and oversight to assure Albertans its efforts to reduce red tape aren’t dangerous, an NDP shadow cabinet minister said. Gurinder Brar, the red tape reduction critic, said a new permitting approach dubbed the automatic yes toolkit could compromise public safety and the environment while continuing to undermine community trust … Read more…
By George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Does your heart sing when you think of a future Alberta crisscrossed with passenger trains joining mountains to airports to suburbs to city centres to regional outposts? Perhaps you’re more of a train’s-on-time, get-to-work-by-nine kind of person. Or you think the subject has no wheels at all. Regardless, the government wants you to help … Read more…
By Anna Smith, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Albertans will now have easier access to information regarding the province’s various non-profits thanks to a new online tool, the province says. The Alberta Non-profit Listing Dashboard is an interactive, searchable database which uses the official records of the Alberta Corporate Registry. Through it, residents can search for the location, type and incorporation status … Read more…
By George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Alberta’s rural heartland will continue to inform the UCP agenda in 2025, Premier Danielle Smith said in a yearend interview aimed at audiences beyond Calgary and Edmonton. Health care, public safety and housing for seniors are among the issues that small-town, small-city and countryside Alberta can expect continued progress on, she told The Macleod Gazette. … Read more…
By George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A barely touched hamburger and fries at his side, Naheed Nenshi had completed six yearend interviews back-to-back at the Citadel Theatre in downtown Edmonton. It was the day after the final 2024 sitting of the Alberta legislature, and thieves had smashed through a window to get into his car. But his staff had accomplished … Read more…
By Brett McKay, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Government of Alberta says it has an obligation to some coal companies to allow open-pit mining despite the practice being banned under the province’s new coal policy, but these “contractual relationships” aren’t quite formal contracts. When Energy and Minerals Minister Brian Jean announced details of the province’s coal industry “modernization” initiative on Dec. … Read more…
By Mia Parker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Alberta’s government has invested $4.3 million toward two specialized surveillance teams to support fighting crime in rural Alberta, which are now fully operational. “Two new surveillance teams are filling a gap by helping rural RCMP detachments with local investigations to combat local crime,” said Mike Ellis, minister of public safety and emergency services, in … Read more…