Alberta Minute: Housing Starts, Engineer Argument, and a Lithium Pilot Project

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

This Week In Alberta:

• Our Can't Stop Alberta Tour continues this week. This evening, we’re headed to Oyen, followed by stops in Medicine Hat, Brooks and Strathmore. The events will be casual and fun, with plenty of opportunities for networking and participation. Attendance is free, but if you’re so inclined, you can make a donation to help cover our venue hire costs and our travel 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 - just check the list online for an event near you.
  
  
• The Court of King’s Bench will consider arguments and make a decision about the meaning of the word “engineer”. The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) is seeking to stop tech companies Jobber and iStock from posting job ads recruiting software engineers, arguing that to become a professional engineer, one must meet certain ethical, professional, and technical requirements. Jobber and iStock are arguing that the term software engineer is understood as being distinct from the civil, technical, chemical, and other engineering professions that fall under APEGA’s regulatory system. Jobber’s lawyer says APEGA is engaging in “regulatory overreach”.
  
  
• Over the span of four years, Alberta's universities are set to receive $27.3 million to support innovative technology research through the Province’s Major Innovation Fund. The goal is to assist post-secondary institutions in expediting advancements in medical devices, electronic and mobile health, clean energy, and space and defense technologies.

Last Week In Alberta:

• Alberta's first lithium production plant officially opened in central Alberta, marking a significant step toward exploring the province's potential in the lithium industry. The plant is a pilot project, operated by Calgary-based E3 Lithium Ltd., and aims to test lithium extraction from underground brine sources, with the capacity to eventually produce up to 150,000 tonnes of lithium annually, enough for approximately 2.2 million electric vehicle batteries. E3 Lithium's technology utilizes ion-exchange methods, reducing the environmental footprint compared to traditional lithium extraction practices used in China.
  
  
• The Government of Alberta has introduced a new initiative aimed at improving the student transportation system by providing up to $20 million in advance funding for school boards managing their own bus fleets. This financial support is expected to enable the purchase of 115 new buses, increasing the efficiency of student transportation, reducing ride times, and offering cost savings to Alberta families.
  
  
• Housing starts declined Alberta-wide this year - by 18.8% compared to the same time period last year. The Province’s quarterly fiscal update report noted that construction activity has failed to gain ground and that homebuilders have been slow to respond to the anticipated 4.5% increase in the province’s population this year. The remedy to exploding housing prices is definitely not a continually shrinking supply...

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