At A Glance
Provincial Government Announces New Mental Health and Addictions Funding
The Government of Alberta has announced various new projects to support Albertans’ living with mental health concerns and addictions that will be receiving provincial funding. Youth mental health hubs were announced by Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Mike Ellis with a grand total of $7.3 million in funding. These mental health resource centres primarily are located in rural areas that have faced a lack of supports in the past.
$3 million of the funding will be allocated for the 2021 year. The government also has committed to a multi-million-dollar project to build a new recovery community just east of Lethbridge to expand supports for those struggling with addictions. This facility will offer 50 spaces for holistic treatment. In addition to the recovery community, 11 publicly funded residential recovery treatment beds will be provided to Lethbridge’s Southern Alcare Manor.
Grassy Mountain Coal Project Being Appealed After Rejection
Benga Mining, the company behind the controversial Grassy Mountain coal project, is appealing the joint federal-provincial review panel’s decision to reject the proposed open-pit coal mine. Their request was filed with the Court of Appeal of Alberta, stating that the June 17 decision to reject the project contained errors of law and procedural fairness that warrant an appeal.
The decision to reject the project was made due to the significant adverse environmental effects on westslope cutthroat trout and surface water quality. Benga contends that the panel erred in law by ignoring or misconstruing relevant evidence on the environmental and economic impacts of the project. The mine would create hundreds of jobs as well as mine up to 4.5 million tonnes of coal per year over its approximate 23-year life span. The application for the appeal will be heard on September 9th, 2021.
Province Announces Funding for First Steps Towards a New Edmonton Children’s Hospital
The Alberta government is providing $1 million to launch capital planning for a new children’s hospital in Edmonton. The Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation will be matching the government’s funding by providing an additional $1 million to help develop the needs assessment, capital cost estimate, and a business case. If built, this new stand-alone Stollery Children’s Hospital would serve children and families from the Edmonton area, northern and central Alberta, and children across Western Canada.
Banff Mayor Appointed as Alberta’s Newest Senator
On July 29, Canada’s new Governor General Mary Simon appointed five new individuals as Independent Senators on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. These include David Arnot for Saskatchewan, Michele Audette, Amina Gerba, and Clement Gignac for Quebec, and Karen Sorensen for Alberta.
Sorenson was born and raised in Ontario, having moved to Banff following her graduation from the University of Guelph. As the current Mayor of Banff, she will be resigning from her elected office on Banff Town Council after 17 years in order to represent Alberta in the Senate.
UCP MLA Devinder Toor Fined by Elections Alberta
UCP MLA for Calgary – Falconridge, Devinder Toor, has been slapped with $15,000 worth of fines by Elections Alberta. During his time as a candidate in the 2019 provincial election and as a UCP nomination contestant, Toor faces charges for:
Accepting a prohibited in-kind contribution in the form of use of property, from a corporation of which he was a director.
Filing a false financial statement with the chief electoral officer
Exceeding expense limits
Receiving a loan from a party other than a financial institution
Failing to deposit donations into the bank account on record with the chief financial officer
A person other than his chief financial officer accepted donations
Sahib Bhakri, Toor’s financial officer for both contests, faces $14,000 in fines. The corporation that donated to both campaigns was fined $4,500 as well. Toor released a statement acknowledging the wrongdoings of his campaign, taking full responsibility as well as ensuring he fully participated in the Election Commissioner’s investigation.
