At a Glance - April 5
UCP Leadership Review Changes to Mail-In Voting
On March 23, the UCP announced that the leadership review vote will no longer be conducted in person and, instead, will be conducted by mail-in ballot. Newly elected MLA Brian Jean has called the change “a formula for fraud and cheating” adding that “the UCP cannot survive another tainted vote.” UCP President Cynthia Moore said that the decision to change the vote to a mail-in ballot was made after the number of registrants exceeded the capacity of the venue. Moore also cited “thousands” of members wanting the party to eliminate the registration fee and the need to travel saying that not making changes would place the Party at risk of “disenfranchising thousands of UCP members.”
Premier Jason Kenney’s campaign team is celebrating the change, calling it a necessary move stating “it's important that all members have a safe and secure way to vote, free from potential harassment and intimidation, and a mail-in ballot provides that opportunity.” Moore has announced that a national auditing firm will be hired to oversee the ballot, and Premier Kenney spokesperson Harrison Fleming said that the Premier would welcome an audit of the new members and that he expects the mail-in vote will be fair and accurate. Leading up to the vote, the 2017 leadership race remains under investigation by the RCMP.
UCP Backs Down on Proposed Traffic Court Appeal Changes
The Alberta Government has announced it plans to scrap proposed changes to the province’s traffic ticket appeals process. The proposed bill, Bill 21, would result in motorists paying a non-refundable fee of up to $150 to dispute a traffic fine and allow them only one week to fight traffic violations. Transportation Minister Rajan Sawhney said Tuesday that negative feedback from Albertan’s was one of the reasons the government decided to scrap the plan.
Minister Sawhney told reporters “we realized that there were elements of the program that were not as effective as we had hoped that they would be. And of course, we heard from Albertans, we heard from our stakeholders, we heard from MLAs, so all of that feedback combined resulted in this recommendation." The province said the plan was intended to free up police and court resources to address more serious cases. NDP Justice Critic Irfan Sabir said in a media release “this is a great victory for Albertans”, saying that the bill should have never been proposed in the first place.
World Cup Coming to Edmonton?
Edmonton gets financial backing from the Alberta Government as they move forward with their FIFA World Cup 2026 bid. Minister of Culture Ron Orr announced that the province plans to contribute up to $110 million and government services to support Edmonton’s bid to become a host city for the FIFA World Cup 2026, jointly hosted by Canada, the USA, and Mexico.
“I think it’ll be a great event. I think it’ll be great for Alberta,” Orr stated, adding that “soccer is the biggest sport in Alberta for Under 18… I think this will be hugely inspiring to a lot of youth”. Minister Orr also spoke about the economic benefits of the event, citing the impact it will have on hotels, restaurants, tourism, airlines, and others in the hospitality industry. Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi fully supports the bid and spoke to reporters about the incredible soccer community in Edmonton that has been supportive of the bid since the beginning. Explore Edmonton CEO Traci Bednard said that a successful bid would result in an estimated $750 million coming to Edmonton.
Hyperloop Between Calgary and Edmonton Takes a Step Forward
The trip between Edmonton and Calgary may soon only take 45 minutes, at least that is what Toronto-based TransPod is hoping. The high-speed transportation system being developed by TransPod is said to be able to transport passengers and cargo safely at 1,000 kilometres per hour. Described as an aircraft without wings, the vehicles would be powered by electrically driven magnetic propulsion. UK- based Broughton Capital Group and China-East Resources Import and Export Co., have agreed to make a combined investment of $550 million USD to finance the project.
A feasibility study on the project released last ear estimated that the project would create up to 140,000 jobs and add a staggering $19.2 billion to the region’s GDP. Upon completion, individual tickets would cost around $90 per person. Executive Director of Building Trades of Alberta Terry Parker has called the TransPod line “an exciting, game-changing leader for the future of green