Alberta Minute: Fair Funding, Triceratops Skull, and New Pipeline Opened

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

This Week In Alberta:

• Our Can't Stop Alberta Tour continues in Southern Alberta. We’re headed to Taber on Wednesday, Cardston on Thursday, and Lethbridge on Friday. We’ll be discussing K-12 education, Alberta’s relationship with Ottawa, energy policy, and more. Attendance is free, but if you’re so inclined, you can make a donation to help cover venue hire costs and other expenses. We hope to see you at one or more of the events, and if you're not in the cities listed above, don't worry - we have a few more dates scheduled. Click here to check the list online for an event near you.
  
  
• The most complete and well-preserved triceratops skull ever found in Canada is now on display at The Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller as part of the "Fossils in Focus" exhibit. Discovered in 2014, the skull is nearly two metres long by two metres wide and was unearthed in an area of southwestern Alberta where dinosaur fossils are rare. Museum staff spent over 6,500 hours preparing the fossil, which weighs almost 500 kilograms.
  
  
• Provincial politicians are set to travel to Germany to gain insights into the country's energy transition plans. The trip, scheduled from October 8th to 14th, will involve Shane Getson, MLA for Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland, and Garth Rowswell, MLA for Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright, along with Canadian and U.S. lawmakers. They aim to learn from Germany's experiences as it navigates an energy crisis triggered by factors such as the war in Ukraine and a shift away from nuclear power, while planning to transition to renewables by 2050.

Last Week In Alberta:

• A new pipeline has opened in Alberta. Keyera Corp’s Key Access Pipeline System (KAPS), a 575-kilometre pipeline for natural gas in Western Canada, is now operational. KAPS will transport 350,000 barrels per day of natural gas liquids and condensate from the Montney and Duvernay production basins to Keyera Corp's Fort Saskatchewan hub in Alberta. Premier Danielle Smith was on hand for the opening and called the project a “truly fantastic milestone in our energy industry.”
  
  
• More than 50 CEOs, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders from Alberta visited Ottawa to promote collaboration on energy, climate, and economic issues. The delegation was organized by Alberta economic development agencies, chambers of commerce, and policy organizations. It's the largest business delegation from Alberta to Ottawa in recent memory. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the group that Alberta will play a key role in leading the energy innovations necessary for a low-carbon economy - and he just couldn’t resist making a dig at the proposed Alberta Pension Plan while he was at it...
  
  
• A deal has been finalized for a new events center in Calgary, and now, the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) and the City of Edmonton are asking for their “fair share” from the Province. The provincial government committed to $330 million in funding for infrastructure improvements related to the events centre project, like roads, utilities, and CTrain station upgrades, with no money going to the actual arena itself. Edmonton, which recently built a new arena, must cover the expenses of tearing down the old Northlands Coliseum, and are concerned about equitable funding. The RMA said they are hopeful that the Calgary deal means the Province is ready to spend on infrastructure, and that municipalities in Alberta could use a similar amount for water, wastewater, and bridges.

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