Alberta Minute: Provincial Police, Athabasca University, and a Massive Bonus Payout

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), on September 7th at 1:00 pm, is the next upcoming meeting.
  
  
• This is the final week to purchase or renew your United Conservative Party membership in order to vote in the leadership race. Friday, August 12th is the deadline. The race is well underway and the first official debate has already taken place.
  
  
• The Government of Alberta is sharing more information about a proposed provincial police force through a recently launched website. The website notes that the Province is halfway through its agreement with the federal government to contract for RCMP policing services and that policing across the country is being re-evaluated. According to the Province, a provincial force would improve civilian oversight, offer more front-line police officers, and provide better service.

Last Week In Alberta:

• A summer storm led to massive hail in Central Alberta, with stones ranging from pea-sized to as large as eggs and softballs. One researcher suggested that Canada’s largest recorded hailstone fell during the storm. Property and cars were damaged, but thankfully no one was seriously injured. Unfortunately, farmers are estimating huge crop losses and insurance adjusters said the number of claims is trending upwards.
  
  
• Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, received a huge bonus of $228,000 for her work during COVID-19. Combined with her salary of more than $363,000, Hinshaw raked in nearly $600,000. The news isn’t sitting well with Albertans, many of whom lost their jobs during the pandemic. Health care workers are also angry, on account of having been asked to take a pay cut despite busy hospitals and demanding pandemic schedules.

• The Province butted heads with Athabasca University over the institution’s long-standing “near virtual” work plan. Minister of Advanced Education Demetrios Nicolaides gave the university until September to formulate a plan to have more employees physically work in the town of Athabasca, or face a cut to its $3.4 million monthly operating grant.

-----

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.