At a Glance: Week of October 9, 2024
Municipal Voting Machines Debate Continues
In the spring of this year, the UCP introduced new legislation to ban electronic voting machines in municipal elections, among a list of other reforms to local government.
The ban on electronic tabulators was introduced to “increase transparency for Alberta voters and provide surety their votes will be counted accurately” by Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver.
Last week’s Alberta Municipalities conference saw a resolution advocating the provincial government to reverse the voting machine ban, which passed with 85% support by voting delegates. The cost of manual voting is a primary concern among municipalities as elections are self-funded.
Premier Danielle Smith responded with a firm commitment to leaving the policy unchanged, stating “as a provincial government we have heard that people want to go back to paper ballots, we’ve started with municipalities and we’re going to be doing that at the provincial level too."
Limiting Liquor Laws Live On
An MLA advisory committee review has recommended the Government of Alberta not expand the sale of liquor into grocery or convenience stores.
Despite convenience for consumers, expansion of sales “would have a detrimental effect on the retail liquor store industry,” according to committee member and MLA for Lesser Slave Lake Scott Sinclair. Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, the minister in charge of liquor licensing, accepted the committee’s findings to not pursue an expansion of retailer options.
Beer and wine have been available for purchase at multiple 7/11 convenience store locations in Alberta since 2021. Certain types of liquor are also currently available for purchase at convenience or grocery stores in British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick, Quebec, P.E.I., and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Premier Recommits to Transgender Legislation
Premier Danielle Smith has recommitted to introducing new legislation that will place restrictions on youths’ ability to make decisions about gender transitions.
The legislation will include prohibitions on doctors “performing gender assignment surgery in youth under the age of 18 in Alberta.” The legislation will also prohibit “puberty blockers and hormone therapies for the purpose of gender reassignment for minors under the age of 16,” and will require “parental, psychologist, and doctor approval” for those aged 16 and 17 seeking treatment.
On personal identification in schools, Smith has confirmed that parental notification will be needed for “a teacher or staff member to change a name or pronoun of a student or use it at school.”
Additionally, “individuals born biologically male” will be prohibited from “competing against women and girls” in provincial sports competitions, school sports, and post-secondary sporting divisions.
Alberta Tied for the Country’s Lowest Minimum Wage
On October 1st, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and P.E.I. all raised their provincial minimum wages. As a result of changes in other provinces, Alberta now ranks last in Canada regarding the guaranteed minimum wage, tied with Saskatchewan at $15 per hour. Alberta last increased its minimum wage in 2018.
Matt Jones, the Minister of Jobs, Economy, and Trade clarified the UCP’s position on the issue stating that “changes to the minimum wage could negatively impact small businesses, youth and Albertans seeking their first job or part-time employment. Further, these changes also affect operational costs, which ultimately flow through to all Albertans.”
Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi has since called for an increase in the province’s minimum wage remarking, “We have gone from being the highest minimum wage in the country to the lowest in a time of an inflation and affordability crisis, making it harder and harder for people to buy groceries, put food on their table, pay their rents, and be able to live in Alberta.”
Alberta Population Growth
The Alberta Treasury Board and Finance has released the 2024 population and long-term projections report. Following 4.1% growth in 2023, and an expected 4.6% growth in 2024, the province is expecting to surpass five million inhabitants within the next year.
By 2051, an additional 2.6 million residents are expected to reside in Alberta, raising the total population to 7.3 million people. International immigration is expected to account for a majority of this growth, and four out of five Albertans will likely reside in urban areas within the Edmonton-Calgary corridor.
In a contrasting national quarterly assessment, Statistics Canada noted that this quarter saw "the smallest net increase since the first quarter of 2023 [marking] the third quarter in a row of smaller net increases in the number of non-permanent residents" across Canada.