Monday, May 5: Premier Danielle Smith gives an address on the “province’s path forward with the federal government.” She makes several demands of Ottawa, including the elimination of: Bill C-69 (Impact Assessment Act), net-zero policies, an oil and gas emissions cap and the ban on tankers off the BC coast. Smith calls for changes to federal equalization and demands more pipelines to the Pacific and Atlantic. She says she’ll chair an “Alberta Next Panel” to protect against “hostility” from Ottawa, with the panel’s recommendations going to a referendum in 2026. She says she wants Alberta to address problems without separating, but she’ll respect citizens’ wishes should they choose separation via referendum.
May 5: Health Minister Adriana LaGrange and interim Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Sunil Sookram announce a “Don’t get measles. Get immunized” awareness campaign and expanded access to immunization in central and south zone clinics. As of noon Monday there have been 265 confirmed cases of measles in the province.
Tuesday, May 6: Members of the Alberta Teachers’ Association vote to reject a mediator’s recommendations for a new provincial contract. A majority of the 36,000 votes cast, nearly 62 per cent, oppose the proposed terms.
Wednesday, May 7: The government of Alberta appoints Nathan Cooper as the province’s official representative to the US. Cooper will replace Kenney-era appointee James Rajotte and step down as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and MLA for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, triggering a by-election. Alberta and the US have a bilateral trade partnership valued at $187-billion.
May 7: Active wildfires that have caused the evacuation of hundreds of Albertans continue to threaten the towns of Redwater and Boyle and other areas north of Edmonton. Officials say one of the wildfires was caused by an all-terrain vehicle that caught fire at a recreation area.
May 7: Former premier David Hancock is named assistant chief justice of the Alberta Court of Justice in the Edmonton Family and Youth Division. Hancock served as the interim premier after the 2014 resignation of Alison Redford.
Friday, May 9: The Information and Privacy Commissioner, Diane McLeod, issues a report that finds the Government of Alberta “non-compliant in processing access to information requests” under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP). The systemic investigation was launched in August 2023 following a series of access requests by newspapers including the Globe and Mail that were refused by the government.
May 9: The Republican Party of Alberta will outline its five-step vision “for a stronger, independent Alberta” tonight at the Cochrane RancheHouse. Leader Cameron Davies, a former Wildrose and UCP operative, will discuss why his party wants Alberta to separate from Canada.
