Alberta Minute: Budget Passed, Oil Prices, and Healthcare Innovation

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

This Week In Alberta:

• The Legislature is scheduled to resume on Tuesday at 1:30pm though most employees will be working from home and public tours of the building are, of course, suspended.
  
  
• Bill 1 (Critical Infrastructure Defence Act), Bill 2 (Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Amendment Act), Bill 3 (Mobile Home Sites Tenancies Amendment Act), and Bill 4 (Fiscal Planning and Transparency (Fixed Budget Period) Amendment Act) are in second reading but the schedule for passing these bills is not currently known.
  
  
• The provincial government plans to announce new rules and enforcement mechanisms around COVID-19 social distancing and isolation, including allowing public health inspectors to monitor large groups, restaurants and businesses.

Last Week In Alberta:

• The Alberta budget, including an amendment to spend an extra $500 million on healthcare to help combat COVID-19, was approved in the Alberta Legislature on Tuesday evening.
  
  
• Oil prices continued to plummet causing even more havoc in the oil and gas industry. The one small bright side is that this is resulting in cheaper fuel at gas stations across Alberta - as low as 69.9 cents per litre in some places.
  
  
• The COVID-19 crisis has led to the introduction of new types of telemedicine - Doctor appointments by phone, app, or video conference - in Alberta. We hope the government will consider allowing this type of service to continue after the crisis has passed as well.

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