Alberta Minute: Backlog Cleared, Council Dismissed, and Emissions Cap Announced

Alberta Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Alberta politics.

This Week In Alberta:

• The Legislature is now on break until 2024, but there are several Committee meetings this week. On Wednesday, at 9:30 am, the Special Standing Committee on Members’ Services will meet. The Standing Committee on Legislative Offices will meet at 8:30 am on Thursday and again on Friday at 11:00 am.
  
  
• Businesses and residents in west-central Alberta can now submit applications for disaster relief funding. The Alberta Disaster Recovery Program is allocating up to $68 million for those affected by the June flooding in Edson, Whitecourt, and Yellowhead and Woodland Counties. The funds are intended to cover uninsurable costs incurred due to the heavy rainfall and spring runoff that took place in June and caused damage to businesses, homes, roads, and properties in the region. Approximately $30 million of the $68 million budget is expected to be covered by the federal government.
  
  
• Alberta is reinforcing its position as a thriving hub for film and television production. On Thursday, the Province announced additional funding for the Alberta Made Screen Industries Program, which will provide $2.8 million in mentorship and post-production grants to support 155 film and television projects produced locally.

Last Week In Alberta:

• The Province has dismissed Chestermere's Mayor, three City Councillors, and three Chief Administrative Officers due to their failure to comply with 12 binding directives stemming from a municipal inspection. A forensic audit of the City's finances is on the horizon, and an Administrator has been appointed to oversee the City until a byelection can take place. While three councillors were spared from dismissal for their efforts to hold the Council accountable, they will have no active role in the City's government until the byelection, the date of which is yet to be determined.
  
  
• The United Nations’s 28th Climate Change Conference in Dubai wrapped up with federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announcing an emissions cap. The framework that's being proposed by the federal government would cap emissions at 35%-38% below 2019 levels. Premier Danielle Smith was vocal in her opposition to the announcement, calling it an intentional attack on Alberta’s economy. Our friends at Project Confederation renewed their campaign to Stop The Cap On Oil And Gas - you can sign the petition and get involved here.
  
  
• The Alberta government has declared the elimination of the backlog in the Land Titles office, bringing processing times back to normal after more than two years. The surge in requests from April 2021 to December 2022, fueled by Alberta's population and economic growth, was intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. To address the delays, the government increased funding and staffing, extended counter service closures post-pandemic, and collaborated with employees and industry stakeholders to streamline the land title registration process. Processing times have now reduced from a peak of 84 days in December 2022 to 10 to 12 days.

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