Alberta Minute: Lizard Population, Oil Boom, and Legal Aid Funding

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

This Week In Alberta:

• The Legislature remains on break until October 31st. The Select Special Ombudsman and Public Interest Commissioner Search Committee (2022) meeting, on September 7th at 1:00 pm, is the next upcoming meeting.
  
  
• An annual search found a record-high number of blood-shooting lizards in Alberta. There were only eight of them, mind you, but the researchers usually only find two or three. The greater short-horned lizard is an endangered species that lacks protection from predators so it shoots blood from its eye sockets to ward off would-be attackers, and naturalists are very excited by their apparent burgeoning population. (In politics, the lizards' opponents would call this a rogue poll!)
  
  
• A pilot program to connect Albertans with doctors continues to reduce unnecessary hospital visits. The virtual program helps patients access medical care through telephone or videoconference. The medical director of the program says that more than 8,000 Albertans have used it and estimates that one in three emergency room visits were diverted as a result.

Last Week In Alberta:

• Criminal defence lawyers extended their job action for two more weeks after meeting with Legal Aid Alberta and Justice Minister Tyler Shandro. The disagreement stemmed from whether or not compensation rates should be reviewed and possibly increased immediately or as part of the Budget 2023 process.
  
  
• Oil production has increased in Alberta again. In the first six months of the year, Alberta produced an average of 3.6 million barrels of crude oil per day. This is an increase of 100,000 barrels over the same period last year. Estimated royalty revenues could now range from $20 to $30 billion, so let’s hope the incoming Premier can make good use of this boom!

• The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) removed portions of its retail store handbook that prohibited cannabis from being visible from the exterior of shops to help reduce store robberies. "Outward-facing promotions" will still not be permitted, but the change means that windows no longer need to be covered, which was making it easier to commit crimes inside the stores without being seen due to the lack of visibility.

-----

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.