Alberta Minute: Merry Christmas, New Committees, and Brian Jean Returns

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

This Week In Alberta:

• It's Christmas this week! From everyone at the Alberta Institute - Peter, Laura, Jeff, Josh, Kristy, Lynn, Ronnie, Will, Rob, and all of our volunteers - we wish you a happy Christmas with all of your loved ones. Thank you for your support, thank you for reading our emails and research, and thank you for everything you do to make Alberta an amazing place. We would like to give an extra, extra special thank you to those of you who donated so that we can keep doing what we do. We really appreciate every donation, idea, and kind word we’ve received. Merry Christmas!
  
  
• The Legislature is on break until February when the government will return with a new Speech from the Throne. Legislature Committees will continue for a few days, however, with the Select Special Committee on Real Property Rights meeting on Tuesday from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. The newly formed Select Special Committee to Examine Safe Supply was set to meet on Wednesday from 9:00 am to 10:30 am, but the meeting has been removed from the calendar and the agenda taken offline, so it appears this meeting has been cancelled.
  
  
• Supplies permitting, Alberta pharmacies and AHS clinics will be handing out free rapid COVID-19 tests to Albertans this week in the hopes that people will use them before attending holiday gatherings. These tests, however, won't be accepted at businesses and venues participating in the vaccine passport program.

Last Week In Alberta:

• The Provincial Government signed a new agreement with AUPE for government workers. Instead of the 4% wage rollback the province was seeking, the new agreement provides a 1.25% wage increase in January 2023 and a minimum 1.5% further increase in September 2023, amongst other items. The government also dropped its demands for other cost-saving measures such as cuts to health spending accounts, reductions in shift differential pay, and elimination of employment security.
  
  
• The government announced some minor lifting of COVID restrictions for Christmas, permitting the unvaccinated to now have private gatherings and removing the limit on the number of households permitted at a gather. The maximum number of adults per private gathering remains at 10, however. There can be unlimited children.

• Former Wildrose Leader Brian Jean will face off against the NDP’s Ariana Mancini in the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche by-election. Brian Jean won the UCP nomination on a platform of explicitly opposing Jason Kenney’s leadership. There’s no word yet on whether Kenney will sign off on Jean’s nomination. Paul Hinman, leader of the Wildrose Independence Party, will also be running. Other party contenders are not known as of now.

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