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☆ Explainer: What is Alberta's Sovereignty Act?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Below are some key aspects of the act:WHAT IS THE ALBERTA SOVEREIGNTY ACT? Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act was approved by the legislature in December 2022 after the initial bill was diluted to its current form. The act affirmed that the Alberta legislature, not Smith's cabinet, would have the last word on lawmaking. The Sovereignty Act was one of the most eye-catching policies Smith promised to introduce after becoming premier last year. Former conservative premier Jason Kenney has blasted the Alberta Sovereignty Act as a "full-frontal attack on the rule of law" that risked turning Alberta into a "banana republic".

Persons: Danielle Smith, Todd Korol, Justin Trudeau's, Smith, " Smith, Trudeau, Jason Kenney, Denny Thomas, Rod, Deepa Babington, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Calgary Stampede, REUTERS, Smith's United Conservative Party, Liberal, ACT, Alberta, United, First Nations, Ottawa, federal National Energy Program, Wildrose Party, Reuters, Former, Thomson Locations: Alberta, Calgary , Alberta, Canada, ALBERTA, United Canada, Saskatchewan, Alberta . Alberta, Ottawa

☆ Canada warns of economic uncertainty if Alberta quits national pension plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Susana Vera/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Canada will face rising economic uncertainty if the province of Alberta carries out a threat to withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Friday. Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner later on Friday said the province would not leave fellow Canadians without a stable pension and its associated benefits. "For the past several weeks, Alberta has been having an open discussion about the possibility of establishing an Alberta Pension Plan that will benefit our seniors and workers," he said. The so-called Alberta Pension Protection Act would require Albertans to vote in favor of a pension plan for the province during a public referendum before the provincial government would seek to withdraw assets, the statement said. "Alberta would need to negotiate complex time-consuming portability agreements with the CPP and with the Quebec Pension Plan," she said.

Persons: Finance Chrystia Freeland, Susana Vera, Chrystia Freeland, Freeland, Nate Horner, Justin Trudeau's, Danielle Smith's, Smith, Trudeau, Pierre Poilievre, Maiya Keidan, David Ljunggren, Kirsten Donovan, Paul Simao Organizations: Finance, IMF, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, Canada, federal, Alberta, Liberal, Danielle Smith's United Conservative Party, Conservative Party, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Canada, Alberta, Quebec, Toronto, Ottawa

☆ Canada says Alberta leaving CPP would add to economic uncertainty
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Susana Vera/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Nov 3 (Reuters) - If the Canadian province of Alberta carries out a threat to withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) it would add to economic uncertainty and hurt everyone in the country, federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Friday. The so-called Alberta Pension Protection Act would require Albertans to vote in favor of a pension plan for the province during a public referendum before the provincial government would seek to withdraw assets, said the statement. But when asked whether she found it realistic that Alberta was entitled to 53% of CPP assets in 2027, according to a study commissioned by the Alberta government, Freeland said she did not. Freeland also cautioned that the Alberta government would need to negotiate how Canadians could live and work anywhere in Canada without jeopardizing their retirement. "Alberta would need to negotiate complex time-consuming portability agreements with the CPP and with the Quebec pension plan," she said.

Persons: Finance Chrystia Freeland, Susana Vera, Chrystia Freeland, Freeland, Danielle Smith's, Smith, Justin Trudeau, Pierre Poilievre, Maiya Keidan, David Ljunggren, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Finance, IMF, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, Canada, federal, Conservative Party, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Canadian, Alberta, Canada, Quebec, Toronto, Ottawa

☆ Explainer: What's at stake as Alberta seeks to split from Canada Pension Plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Maiya Keidan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TORONTO, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will seek to challenge Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's plan to pull her province out of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), in a meeting with provincial and territorial counterparts on Friday. A nationwide pension scheme called CPP that took contributions from paychecks began in the late 1960s. CPP Investments - an entity to manage its assets - was created in 1997 by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act. AIMCo has not been considered a vehicle for a new Alberta pension plan. If Alberta walks away with more than 22.5% of assets, CPP contributions from everywhere else in the country would have to increase, Tombe estimates.

Persons: Chrystia Freeland, Danielle Smith's, Justin Trudeau, Pierre Poilievre, paychecks, AIMCo, SMITH, Smith, Patrik Marier, Trevor Tombe, Tombe, Maiya Keidan, Deepa Babington Organizations: TORONTO, Canadian Finance, Canada, Conservative Party, CPP Investments, Plan Investment, Investments, Alberta Investment Management Corp, Concordia University, University of Calgary, British Columbia, Thomson Locations: Quebec, Alberta, Ottawa, ALBERTA, Western, Ontario

☆ Leaving Canada Pension Plan could save Albertans billions, says study
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Maiya Keidan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"I believe that an Alberta pension plan would be fairer," Premier Danielle Smith told a news conference on Thursday. However, he noted the pension respects the right of Albertans to consider withdrawing from the Canada Pension Plan. Albertans will have until spring 2024 to submit views on a provincial pension plan to a panel, which will submit a report to the Albertan government. Former Premier Jason Kenney announced in June 2020 that his government would study a recommendation from a panel to replace the CPP with a provincial plan. Any province has the right to withdraw under the Canada Pension Plan Act but written notice is required, enabling legislation has to be passed and the value of assets to be transferred must be negotiated.

Persons: Danielle Smith, Todd Korol, LifeWorks, Smith, Michel Leduc, Albertans, Chrystia Freeland, Premier Jason Kenney, Maiya Keidan, Steve Scherer, Barbara Lewis, Josie Kao Organizations: United Conservative Party, REUTERS, Rights, Canada, Global, Public Affairs, Communications, Investments, Plan . Finance, Premier, CPP, Investment Board, Thomson Locations: Calgary , Alberta, Canada, Canadian, Alberta, Ottawa, Province of Alberta, Quebec

BRITISH COLUMBIA/OTTAWA, June 9 (Reuters) - Wildfires spread in the western Canadian province of British Columbia on Friday, while hundreds of fires continued to burn on the other side of the country in Quebec, sending wildfire smoke billowing across North American cities. Around 2,500 people were told to evacuate the community of Tumbler Ridge in northeastern British Columbia on Thursday afternoon. Temperatures in parts of British Columbia soared to more than 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) this week, nearly 10 degrees above the seasonal average. [1/2] Smoke rises from a wildfire in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, in this screen grab taken from a video, June 8, 2023. Reporting by Nia Williams in British Columbia; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Albertans, François Legault, Nia Williams, Stephen Coates Organizations: British Columbia, BC Wildlife Service, REUTERS, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, Thomson Locations: BRITISH COLUMBIA, OTTAWA, Canadian, British, Quebec, North, Tumbler, British Columbia, Peace, Alberta, Ridge, Canada, United States, Ottawa, Toronto , New York, Washington, Ontario, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, U.S

[1/2] Danielle Smith of the United Conservative Party (UCP) gestures during her party's provincial election night party after a projected win in Calgary, Alberta, Canada May 29, 2023. Smith, leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP), defeated left-leaning New Democratic Party leader Rachel Notley on Monday, and immediately targeted Trudeau, threatening the country's ambitious climate goals. Some analysts have said deep emissions cuts are not possible without reducing oil production, which Smith fiercely opposes. "As premier I cannot under any circumstances allow these contemplated federal policies to be inflicted upon Albertans." "One of the challenges is there is a political class in Alberta that has decided that anything to do with climate change is going to be bad for them or for Alberta," Trudeau told Reuters in a January interview.

May 29 (Reuters) - United Conservative Party (UCP) leader Danielle Smith's election victory in Canada's main oil-producing province Alberta on Monday is likely to herald further friction with Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, particularly over climate change. The populist premier's win signals a further rightward shift in the traditionally conservative province, and comes despite a series of controversies and gaffes from Smith, 52, since she first became premier in October. In her victory speech, Smith was quick to take aim at Trudeau and what she described as the federal government's "harmful policies". "As premier I cannot under any circumstances allow these contemplated federal policies to be inflicted upon Albertans. In early 2022 she announced plans to run for leadership of the United Conservative Party, which was born in 2017 from a merger of the Progressives Conservatives and Wildrose Party.

☆ Factbox: Biggest issues in Canadian province of Alberta's May 29 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Below are the main issues in the election:HEALTHCAREIn the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare has become a big issue in Alberta. The UCP last month committed to keeping Alberta's publicly-funded healthcare system, contrasting with comments previously made by Smith about dismantling universal healthcare paid for by taxpayers. The UCP has pledged to lower taxes by creating a new 8% tax bracket on income under C$60,000 ($44,033.47). ENERGY AND CLIMATEBoth the UCP and NDP are supportive of the energy sector, recognising it as Alberta's main economic engine. ($1 = 1.3626 Canadian dollars)Reporting by Nia Williams; Editing by Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Wildfire risk spurs Alberta to close parks, urge caution ahead of holiday weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Leslie Kramer walk her dogs as some 90 wildfires are active in Alberta, with 23 out of control, according to the provincial government, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada May 16, 2023. Traditionally, residents spend the Victoria Day weekend outside as families take advantage of the warmer weather to go camping or enjoy other outdoor activities. The long weekend in May has usually seen an uptick in seasonal wildfires, some of which are accidentally caused by people, according to Alberta Wildfire. With abnormally hot and dry weather forecast until at least early next week, Alberta has preventively closed some provincial parks and campgrounds for the weekend and imposed a fire ban. Consultancy firm Rystad Energy has estimated nearly 2.7 million barrels per day of Alberta oil sands production in May is at risk in "very high" or "extreme" wildfire danger rating zones.

☆ Ethics official cites Alberta premier for violation, ahead of election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OTTAWA, May 18 (Reuters) - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith interfered with the judicial process, the Canadian province's ethics commissioner said in a ruling released on Thursday, two weeks before a provincial election that is expected to be hard fought. Ethics Commissioner Marguerite Trussler said Smith had breached conflict of interest laws by contacting the province's justice minister about the case of a Calgary pastor facing criminal charges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In statement on Thursday, Smith said she would seek legal advice on how a premier could talk to a justice minister about sensitive matters in the future. Last week Smith apologized for having compared Albertans vaccinated against COVID-19 with followers of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany. In March, another UCP candidate resigned after claiming children are exposed to pornography in schools and teachers help them change their gender identities.

☆ No respite for wildfire-hit Alberta as conditions set to worsen
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Leslie Kramer walk her dogs as some 90 wildfires are active in Alberta, with 23 out of control, according to the provincial government, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Record-high temperatures and tinder-dry vegetation have led to an intense, early start to wildfire season in western Canada this year. Alberta has been the worst-hit, with about 91 wildfires burning, including 27 out of control, as of Wednesday. On Wednesday, consultancy firm Rystad Energy said nearly 2.7 million barrels per day (bpd) of Alberta oil sands production in May is at risk in "very high" or "extreme" wildfire danger rating zones. Of estimated May production volumes, about 60% are subject to extreme wildfire danger levels, with the remaining 40% subject to very high danger, Oslo-based Rystad said.

☆ Factbox: Alberta wildfire shuts in at least 145,000 boepd of Canadian production
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 8 (Reuters) - Canada's main oil-producing province Alberta on Saturday declared a provincial state of emergency due to wildfires, shutting in at least 145,000 of oil equivalent per day (boepd). Tens of thousands of Albertans have been forced to evacuate their homes as unprecedented wildfires rage on in Alberta. It added that about 50,000 boepd of production has been temporarily curtailed since the evening of May 5. Crescent Point Energy Corp (CPG.TO)Crescent Point said about 45,000 boepd of production in the Kaybob Duvernay region has been temporarily shut in with a plan to restart production once safe and permitted to do so. Vermilion Energy Inc (VET.TO)Vermilion Energy said it had temporarily shut in about 30,000 boepd of production and that it was assessing the risk to its operations.

☆ Thousands of Albertans evacuated in "unprecedented" wildfire situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Maiya Keidan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ET), 24,511 Albertans were evacuated from homes with 103 active wildfires across the province, burning 121,909 hectares. "I don't know that I ever recall seeing multiple communities evacuated all at once in fire season," said Smith. So far this year, there have been 43,000 hectares burned from wildfires, Smith said. "It is very unusual for us to see this much fire activity this early in the season," said Christie Tucker, an information unit manager for Alberta Wildfire. "This is a much much busier than average wildfire season so far."

☆ More than 24,000 people evacuated in Western Canada as 103 wildfires burn
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Mirna Alsharif | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Over 24,000 residents throughout Western Canada have been ordered to evacuate their homes to escape active wildfires in the province of Alberta. Smith activated the Emergency Management Cabinet Committee in response to the wildfires, which has been meeting daily since Friday. All options are on the table, including declaring a provincial state of emergency, Smith added. Fourteen counties and communities have declared states of local emergency, including Brazeau, Grande Prairie, Parkland and Lac Ste. Anne counties, as well as the Beaver Lake Cree Nation.

☆ Alberta's ethics commissioner probes premier's alleged meddling in COVID prosecution
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OTTAWA, April 10 (Reuters) - Alberta's ethics commissioner is investigating whether Premier Danielle Smith interfered with the judicial process tied to the prosecution of an offence related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a statement from the premier's office on Monday. "The premier welcomes this investigation, is fully cooperating with the commissioner, and is confident this examination will confirm there has been no such interference," the statement said. The office of Alberta's ethics commissioner did not respond to a request for comment. Pawlowski is facing charges related to COVID-19 protests in Canada last year, which included a weeks-long blockade of the Coutts border crossing into the United States from southern Alberta. Smith became UCP leader and premier last October, replacing Jason Kenney, by appealing to grassroots UCP members in the traditionally conservative province.

☆ Canada's Trudeau urges Alberta to contribute to carbon-capture incentives
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We've seen for a while Alberta hesitating around investing in anything related to climate change. But CCUS is one of those tangible things," Trudeau told Reuters in an interview. The Canadian oil and gas industry wants a level playing field as Ottawa targets net zero emissions by 2050, the same goal set by U.S. President Joe Biden. "One of the challenges is there is a political class in Alberta that has decided that anything to do with climate change is going to be bad for them or for Alberta," Trudeau said. In the interview, Trudeau also took aim at his main rival, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, for casting Canada as "broken".

☆ Alberta Premier Danielle Smith seeks more autonomy from Canada in new bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 29 (Reuters) - The government of Canada's main oil-producing province Alberta introduced proposed legislation on Tuesday to resist federal laws it deems harmful to Alberta, fulfilling a controversial promise from new Premier Danielle Smith. If passed, the bill, known as the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act, would give the province a legislative framework to defend its jurisdiction in areas such as natural resources, gun control, and health and education. Trudeau avoided commenting directly on the Sovereignty Act when asked by reporters on Tuesday. Smith became premier in early October and promised to introduce the Sovereignty Act as her first piece of legislation. read moreThe government said nothing in the proposed act undermines any existing treaties with First Nations.

☆ Canada's Alberta province forecasts C$12.3 bln budget surplus
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 24 (Reuters) - Canada's main oil-producing province Alberta on Thursday forecast a C$12.3 billion ($9.2 billion) budget surplus for the 2022/23 fiscal year, but warned economic risks are increasing as high inflation, rising interest rates and geopolitical unrest slow global activity. The estimated surplus is less than the C$13.2 billion surplus forecast in August, due to weakening global oil prices, but still marks a dramatic turnaround from recent years when Alberta posted sustained deficits. The government expects bitumen royalties to hit C$19.4 billion this year and said non-renewable resource revenues were the main driver of the surplus. The province is planning to use the surplus to pay down debt by C$13.4 billion in this fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, reducing debt to C$79.8 billion. The 2023/24 surplus estimate is C$5.6 billion, and C$5.3 billion in 2024/25.

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