Alberta Minute: Safety Standards, Charitable Donations, and Nenshi Officially Declares

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

This Week In Alberta:

• Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi will seek the Edmonton-Strathcona seat left vacant by Rachel Notley's resignation. Nenshi, the former Mayor of Calgary, emphasized his pride in being Calgarian but expressed excitement about learning more about Edmonton as he splits his time between the two cities. The NDP nomination meeting is scheduled for January 22nd, and a by-election must be called by the end of June.
  
  
• Alberta non-profits are hopeful that a federal proposal to extend the charitable donation deadline to the end of February will boost contributions following a difficult fundraising season. The extension aims to help organizations recover from disruptions caused by a recent postal strike, which impacted mail-in donations. Groups like Alberta Lung, which relies heavily on older donors using mail, have only reached 40% of their fundraising targets and are advocating for the change. The legislation, set to be introduced later in January, could help charities, though concerns remain about potential donor confusion and future deadlines.
  
  
• The 2024 edition of our annual Alberta Policy Survey is open for a few more days. We launched the survey to gather input on the issues that matter most to you. It takes just five minutes to complete, and will help guide our research and policy efforts in the coming months. If you can spare some time, please fill it out soon.

Last Week In Alberta:

• A judge has recommended Alberta establish safety standards for clothing donation bins following the deaths of three individuals trapped in bins between 2017 and 2019. The victims, all experiencing homelessness and addiction, died from injuries or suffocation while attempting to access bins. Charitable organizations have since added warning signs and redesigned bins to remove hazards like "pinch points" and anti-theft spikes. The Alberta government is reviewing the report, which calls for consultations with charities and manufacturers to create regulations ensuring safer bins.
  
  
• Visitor spending in Alberta neared $13 billion in 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Tourism and Sport Minister Joseph Schow said the Province has an ambitious goal of reaching $25 billion in annual spending by 2035, supported by initiatives like the All-Season Resorts Act. The legislation simplifies resort development processes, addressing an overreliance on national parks and attracting investors to create new tourism opportunities. Alberta has identified ten tourism development zones near airports and major infrastructure.
  
  
• Alberta Parks also experienced a highly successful year in 2024, with over 2.3 million overnight stays and 228,000 camping reservations recorded. Visitor satisfaction reached 87%. To address rising demand, the Province opened new spaces, including Kleskun Hills Provincial Park and La Biche River Provincial Recreation Area, while launching a public engagement initiative to shape conservation and recreation priorities for the next decade.

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