Alberta Minute: Carbon Capture, Asylum Seekers, and Mental Health Classrooms

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

This Week In Alberta:

• Alberta is hiring a CEO to lead a new agency responsible for handling complaints against municipal police officers, aiming to improve transparency and accountability in law enforcement. This new body, called the Alberta Police Review Commission, will take over disciplinary duties from police chiefs and include the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT). The Commission will investigate both criminal and non-criminal misconduct and is expected to begin operations by December 2025.
  
  
• Alberta is progressing toward its goal of opening 60 mental health classrooms, with 17 now operational across the province. Nine additional CASA Mental Health Classrooms opened in various communities this fall, providing mental health support to students while they learn. Each classroom is staffed with a team of professionals, including teachers and mental health specialists, to assist students. The government has committed $70 million over three years to expand these services, which aim to fill the gap between home and hospital care for youth. By 2026, the Province expects to support 1,500 students annually through this initiative.
  
  
• Premier Danielle Smith says she opposes a federal plan that could relocate asylum seekers to smaller provinces without financial support. Smith argues that Alberta cannot handle the additional burden due to the high costs associated with increasing immigration and the strain on public services. Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller says that the federal government is exploring fair ways to distribute asylum seekers. Smith highlighted Alberta's already significant role in supporting Ukrainian evacuees and criticized the federal government’s immigration policies as unsustainable.

Last Week In Alberta:

• The Ermineskin Cree Nation has revived a decade-old lawsuit against the federal government to demand recognition of their right to clean, safe water. The First Nation argues that Ottawa's proposed Bill C-61 (An Act respecting water, source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on First Nation lands) fails to ensure safe drinking water for reserves. Chief Joel Mykat highlighted worsening water conditions, while band members continue to rely on expensive bottled water due to unsafe tap water. Ermineskin's water treatment issues have persisted for years, with the reserve under frequent boil-water advisories. The First Nation seeks amendments to the legislation to guarantee access to clean water.
  
  
• During her keynote speech at the 2024 Carbon Capture Conference, Premier Danielle Smith championed carbon capture as Alberta’s leading technology for tackling environmental challenges while maintaining the energy industry. She called it a “trailblazing technology” and suggested that Alberta “fully intends to lead the world in this critical field." About 4,000 people attended the three-day conference in Edmonton.
  
  
• Premier Danielle Smith has expressed concerns that if Ottawa provides a low estimate on Alberta’s share of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), tough decisions will need to be made. Alberta estimates it should receive around $334 billion, while the CPP Investment Board estimates closer to $100 billion. Smith emphasized that if the amount is lower than expected, it might not be worth creating a separate Alberta pension plan. The Province is awaiting a review by Canada’s chief actuary this fall, which will determine the next steps, including whether to hold a public referendum on the issue.

-----

Donate:

The Alberta Institute doesn't accept any government funding and never will. We think you should be free to choose, for yourself, which organizations to support. If you're in a position to contribute financially, you can make a donation here.

-----

Share:

If you're not in a position to donate, we understand, but if you appreciate our work, you can help by spreading our message. Please forward this email to your friends, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and help make sure every Albertan knows what's going on in our province.