Monday, March 10: Legal action began against the UCP government law that prevents doctors from providing gender-affirming treatment, including puberty blockers, for those under 16, arguing it is unconstitutional to deny medical care to a specific group of Albertans and a violation of the Charter right to equality.
March 10: NDP leader Naheed Nenshi said Premier Danielle Smith should cancel her taxpayer-funded Florida speaking engagement at a fundraiser for PragerU, where she will co-host with Ben Shapiro, who supports Canada becoming the 51st state.
March 10: The Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton has paused intakes due to significant and unexpected cuts from the UCP.
Wednesday, March 12: Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen introduced legislation that, among other measures to “modernize hunting,” allows 12-year-olds to hunt without adults around.
March 12: An agreement was signed by Premier Smith and Ichiro Takahara of the state-owned Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security at the CERAWeek energy conference in Texas. Japan is the province’s third-largest export market, with trade totalling $3-billion in 2024.
Thursday, March 13: The provincial government suspended the loan program of Alberta’s largest cattle industry lender, Picture Butte Feeder Cooperative, after an inspection, alleging financial mismanagement. PBFC, with 227 members, owes $281-million, which it says is the same amount it has loaned to its members.
March 13: A statement of defence was filed in court on behalf of Alberta Health Services and Health Minister Adriana LaGrange. It disputes the allegations in former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos’s wrongful dismissal suit by claiming she was terminated because she did not advance the UCP government’s plan to divide AHS into four organizations.
March 13: Amid a measles outbreak in Little Red River Cree Nation, LaGrange is not recommending all residents get a measles vaccination, saying it’s “a parental choice.”
