At a Glance
Alberta to Fast-Track Tech Worker Visas
On January 13, the province announced the “Accelerated Tech Pathway” through the Alberta Immigration Nominee program. The program hopes to attract highly skilled foreign tech workers to fill the job shortages in Alberta’s growing tech industry. Labour and Immigration Minister Tyler Shandro announced that “tech professionals across Canada and overseas can be permanent residents in as early as six months if they have a job offer in an in-demand tech occupation”. The program coincides with ongoing pressures to diversify the Albertan economy and move away from reliance on the oil and gas industry.
Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation Doug Schweitzer added that “Alberta’s technology sector continues to see record growth and a corresponding demand for highly skilled professionals. This accelerated immigration pathway will help attract the best and the brightest talent from across the globe”. This new program comes with glowing endorsements from several tech firms in Alberta as well as tech workers from around the world.
Post Secondary Institutions to Remain Online
While K-12 students return to in-person learning, post secondary institutions have announced they will remain online through February. The University of Alberta, Calgary, and Lethbridge have announced a delay in in-person learning until after Reading Week. University residences will remain open and select in-person course components such as labs and midterms may still take place in person. Student unions are calling on the province to provide the same support they are providing to K-12 institutions by making rapid testing and medical grade face coverings available to post secondary students and faculty.
Alberta has the lowest vaccination rate of all the provinces with 77% of all Albertans aged 5+ being fully vaccinated, a total of 7,981,543 doses have been administered in the province. Nation wide, 81% of Canadians aged 5+ are fully vaccinated.
Justice Minister Kaycee Madu Stripped of Duties
After another controversial week for the UCP, Premier Jason Kenney has removed Justice Minister Kaycee Madu from his cabinet position. The latest controversy comes after it was revealed that Minister Madu contacted Edmonton’s Chief of Police after he received a distracted driving ticket for using his cellphone while driving through a school zone. Police Chief Dale McFee assured reporters that Minister Madu “never asked to get out of the ticket”; instead, Madu expressed concern about people of colour being stopped by police and voiced concerns that he was being unlawfully surveilled.
Madu said he paid the ticket in full and told reporters that he has “the utmost respect for our men and women in uniform”. Premier Kenney has appointed an independent investigator to review the case and determine what, if any, violations occurred. Until the situation has been resolved, Energy Minister Sonya Savage will act as interim-Minister of Justice and Solicitor General.
Alberta Education Moves Forward with K-6 Curriculum
The Alberta Government is moving forward with its controversial K-6 school curriculum. The province has formed a curriculum implementation advisory group comprised of school board trustees, superintendents, and teachers all of whom are piloting the curriculum. The Alberta Teachers’ Association was notably not included in the organization of the advisory group,. The ATA has voiced various concerns, including arguing that the level of engagement with teachers in inadequate.
President Jason Schilling stated that “teachers implement curriculum and need to be meaningfully involved in its development”. The government intends to have the new curriculum implemented in the fall of 2022 which, according to Shilling, is not enough time for teachers to prepare for the change. “They can’t expect teachers to do this work over the summer to get prepared”, argued Shilling. The majority of the curriculum changes are to be implemented in fall of 2022, with select subjects being delayed until the fall of 2023.
A Revival of Passenger Trains in Alberta
One Alberta based firm wants to revive railway travel in the province. Alberta Regional Rail Inc. (ARR) has proposed a passenger line connecting cities across the province. Beginning with an express line between Calgary and Edmonton and eventually expanding the lines to include transportation between Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Lake Louise, Red Deer, Wainwright, Lloydminster, Jasper, Grande Prairie, and Fort McMurray.
Vern Raincock, Director of Global Sourcing for ARR stated that linking all the major regions of the province together is the main goal of the project. Similar projects have existed elsewhere in Canada for decades, notably the Go Train in Toronto and the West Coast Express. ARR officials say that improving accessibility between municipalities would help local businesses. They are hoping to have the first train in operation by 2030.
