Alberta Next panel set to begin hearings on public concerns with federal government
CBC
Premier Danielle Smith's handpicked panel hearing how to fix relations with the federal government will begin work this week with back-to-back town halls.
On Tuesday, Smith and the 15 other members of the Alberta Next panel will be in Red Deer in the first stop on their tour to host some 650 residents and hear concerns with the federal government.
On Wednesday, they will hear feedback in Edmonton, where 600 people have scooped up free tickets.
Smith has said she believes in a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada, and that one of the reasons for the Alberta Next panel is to address the concerns inspiring more vocal separatist sentiment in the province.
On her Saturday radio call-in show, Smith said that in years past, the repeal of federal policies "took the wind right out of the sails" of separatism in Alberta.
"Ottawa really does have to listen, as I am, take it seriously and correct the things that are causing the grievances, and that's what I'm working for over the next few months," she said.
The government is dedicating time at the town hall to six main strategies it's pitching to wrest more control from the federal government, including pulling out of the Canada Pension Plan and withholding social services from some immigrants.
The event will include an open question-and-answer period.
In a video posted to social media in late June, Smith said the issues on the table, including taking over policing from the RCMP and tax collection from the federal government, might spark tough and emotional conversations.
"That's OK. We are Albertans, we can have hard conversations and share our ideas and opinions respectfully and stay good friends and neighbours while doing so," she said.
After her town halls wrap up in October, Smith has said the panel would recommend ideas and policy proposals for a referendum.
Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi has dismissed the panel as a way for Smith to curry favour with extreme elements of her United Conservative Party to keep them from splintering off.
On Monday, he announced his party's own summer event plans.
Nenshi said his caucus members will be knocking on doors and hosting town halls in a tour he calls Better Together to explore ways Albertans can help build a strong future for all Canadians within a united country.
A report by the City of Calgary presented to councillors says blanket rezoning has so far required only "minimal" upgrades to infrastructure.
Changes are coming to residential recycling in Toronto starting in the new year, two councillors announced on Thursday.
Before a bitumen pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia’s northwest coast can be built, there's another box that needs to be checked: a massive investment in carbon capture and storage in central Alberta.
Jeremy Tunraluk, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI), is on leave from his position after he was charged with assault.
The head of Canada's Leaders' Debates Commission says the independent body should stop organizing post-debate news conferences and will make changes to how it decides what leaders to invite after this spring's leadership debate was surrounded by controversy.
The Alberta Health Services CEO who took over after a controversial firing in January is now himself off the job.
Standing inside her non-profit managed rental unit in central Windsor, Ont., Sue Pare points to a crack in her kitchen floor she can’t get fixed.
Five people were sent to hospital, including one person with life-threatening injuries, after a fire broke out at a fraternity house near Western University prompting a police investigation.
A rusting and derelict ship that’s been looming large over the waterfront in Springdale for years will soon be removed and disposed of by the federal government.
Greater Sudbury taxpayers will be paying 3.9 per cent more in property taxes in 2026.
When it comes to wintry weather, the Maritimes has certainly dipped a toe into the water with this week's chilly temperatures and snow.
N.B. Power is warning that the U.S. company it hired to build and run a billion-dollar gas plant could walk away in April — a move that would set the project back years, and possibly lead to power shortages in the province.
After Serge Belloncik suffered a stroke in 2022, he developed aphasia, a communication disorder affecting his ability to speak.