At A Glance
Supports for Businesses that Implement Vaccine Passport to get Financial Support
Premier Jason Kenney announced on Thursday that the UCP Government will be bringing in legislation to protect businesses who require vaccines for employees designed to protect them from legal challenges and protect frontline-workers from harassment. The government will also be doubling the maximum fine for mistreating public-facing workers from $2,000 to $4,000.
The province has also announced a one-time $2,000 payment for small and medium businesses that decide to implement the Restrictions Exemption Program. The funding can be used however the business deems fit with the first intake for payment will begin in four to six weeks.
Anti-Energy Report Released
The anti-Alberta energy campaign inquiry has come to a close as commissioner Steve Allan has tabled his final findings report. The $3.5 million inquiry produced 657-page document outlining the players and the impact found to have had some influence over various energy projects and the sector as a whole.
Commissioner Allan found that approximately $1.28 billion of foreign funds were invested in Canadian environmental non-profits and charities, $54.1 million of which was designated towards “grant descriptions specifically prescribing funds for ‘anti-Alberta resource development activity’”.
Of note, the report addressed findings made surrounding activities carried out by environmental groups. “No individual or organization, in my view, has done anything illegal. Indeed, they have exercised their rights of free speech.”
The report also prescribes six key recommendations from Commissioner Allan. Among them are calls for the province to create meaningful opportunities for First Nations to be more involved in the energy sector as a form of economic reconciliation, develop strategies for non-profit transparency and accountability, and work towards creating a new “brand” for Canadian energy.
Municipal Election Results
Both of Alberta’s largest cities saw significant turnover on their respective councils when the ballots were counted on October 18th. Former federal cabinet minister and city councillor Amarjeet Sohi was elected as Don Iveson’s successor in Edmonton while Councillor Jyoti Gondek will take over Calgary’s top job from Naheed Nenshi.
Calgary will welcome eleven new city councillors in what amounts to the single largest council-to-council turnover in the city’s history. Nine of the incumbents either opted to run for mayor or not to seek re-election while Joe Magliocca and Diane Marie Colley Urquhart fell short in their campaigns. Edmonton also saw significant turnover as it will swear in eight new councillors. Unlike Calgary, four incumbents lost their bid for re-election while the rest were elected where no incumbent was running.
Also on the ballot were votes for school board trustees, two referenda questions, and the Senate elections. The results for the referenda questions and the Senate elections will be made publicly available by Elections Alberta on October 26.
Elections Alberta Launches Internal Social Media Review
After a series of confrontational tweets were posted by Elections Alberta, the organization has announced that it will be conducting an internal review of its social media presence. The tweets in questions stemmed from a thread involving allegations that former MLA Derek Fildebrandt took a photo of his ballot and posted it on social media.
Acting Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Pamela Renwick shared that “The review will look at the conduct of our personnel on our social media platforms and the policies and processes that are to be followed for social media engagement and message approval.” She also stated that the results will not be made public as it involves a personnel matter, but Elections Alberta will determine if any details can be shared without breaching confidentiality.
Alberta Will Add New Seats in House of Commons
The House of Commons will add 6 new seats to the lower house when the next federal election takes place. As a result, Alberta will see an increase of 3 new seats added to its electoral roster. The timeline outlined by Elections Canada suggests that the entire process will conclude by April 2024 at the earliest. The new electoral quotient (the number of people that should live within each electoral district) will be calculated at 121,891 as a result of population growth across the country.
The number of seats a province receives is determined by dividing the province’s population by the quotient, then rounding up to the nearest whole number. As new seats are being added, electoral districts will need to be redrawn to accommodate the change.
