At a Glance - March 8, 2023

Alberta’s New Chief Justice Sworn-In

For the first time since 1992, Alberta has sworn in a new Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal. Justice Ritu Khullar was appointed to the position back in November, but was officially sworn in on February 23. She becomes the second female Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal in Alberta and the first of South Asian descent to hold the position in Canada.

Justice Khullar takes over for her predecessor, Catherine Fraser, who held the position since 1992 and reached the mandatory age of retirement last year. The Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal is third in the provincial government’s order of precedence, falling behind only the Lieutenant Governor and Premier.

Auditor General Releases Continuing Care Findings During COVID-19

The “Report of the Auditor General – COVID-19 in Continuing Care Facilities” has found that Alberta’s continuing care system was not adequately prepared to respond to the first two waves of the recent pandemic. “We must, must do a better job for our parents and grandparents who are living in continuing care facilities in Alberta,” said Auditor General Doug Wylie. “The findings in this report are simply sad.”

The report would make eight recommendations. One of the recommendations centred on staffing at the continuing care centres, finding that 91 per cent of staff providing direct care were part-time workers. “I’d expect to see a model like that in a fast food franchise but not in organizations that are caring for the vulnerable.”

Tailings Pond Leaking for Nine Months

Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is accusing Imperial Oil of hiding a long-term leak of oilsands tailings near harvesting grounds. An environmental protection order brought the nine-month long spill to the attention of Chief Adam. "We have land users in the area that hunt and fish animals that could have been exposed to these deadly toxins. We have been eating them for months unaware of the potential danger."

Imperial Oil responded to the claim, saying "we have expressed to (Chief Adam) directly our regret that our communications did not meet the expectations of the (Athabasca Chipewyan) community. We further committed to him that we are taking the necessary steps to improve our communications so this does not happen again in the future.” It is being reported that the 5.3 million litre leak makes this incident one of the largest spills in the province’s history.

Tourism Grants Awarded to Alberta

The federal government is investing $17.8 million in an effort to revive Alberta’s tourism numbers to pre-pandemic numbers by next year. Edmonton Centre MP and Minister of Tourism Randy Boissonnault made the announcement that money would be flowing into 50 museums, attractions, and other related events in the province through PrariesCan.

“Over the past years, many in the tourism sector lost the opportunity to do what they love — to tell the story of what makes this place so great — and I can say that we are getting beyond survival into revival and we are talking about growth.” Part of the multi-million-dollar funding includes $3.25 million to Travel Alberta to develop regional destination development plans.

Metis Nation of Alberta Signs Self-Government Agreement

The Metis Nation of Alberta has joined Saskatchewan and Ontario in signing a deal with the federal government that recognizes them as Indigenous governments. The “Metis Nation within Alberta Government Recognition and Self-Government Implementation Agreement” recognizes MNA’s jurisdiction to manage affairs such as citizenship, elections, and administration.

In a press release, President of MNA Audrey Poitras said “for almost a century, our citizens and communities in Alberta have come together, with the vision of Louis Riel in their hearts, to build the Métis Nation of Alberta as their Métis government. With the recent ratification of our Otipemisiwak Métis Government Constitution and the formal recognition of our Métis government by Canada, we now have a clear pathway to finally put into place an enduring nation-to-nation, government-to-government relationship with the federal Crown through a modern-day treaty.”