Alberta

Alberta


Alberta’s Smith brushes off NDP voter list court battle, says legislation coming

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on Wednesday brushed off a court battle launched by the Opposition NDP over her government’s changes to voter list rules. Smith told reporters in Edmonton that the new restrictions were called for by elections officials earlier this year after a major data breach involving a separatist group and the pro-Independence Republican […]

Read More


Alberta government argues voter list changes won’t affect upcoming referendum

A lawyer for the Alberta government argued Tuesday that temporary restrictions on what voter information can be provided to political parties won’t affect the upcoming referendum. Mandy England made the comment in a court challenge launched by the Opposition NDP against the new rules. The rules, published last month, say Elections Alberta can only provide […]

Read More


Wheatland County tightens privacy rules for municipal use of artificial intelligence

Wheatland County has approved changes to its artificial intelligence policy, adding stronger privacy restrictions and an explicit safeguard against using AI to broadly monitor or profile residents online. Council approved amendments to the county’s AI policy Sept. 22 after a lengthy discussion about personal information, chatbots, automated decision-making and public concerns about how governments could […]

Read More


Alberta anti-coal campaigner says letter from Elections Alberta workers shows changes needed

An Alberta country music singer wants more from Elections Alberta after a letter was leaked by former workers who raised concern about how the Water, Not Coal petition was validated. “It sort of verified that what we had heard from our lawyers was consistent with what they were saying,” said Lund. The letter, which Great […]

Read More


Alberta changes voter list rules, eyes new legislation after privacy breach

Alberta’s government said Friday it has made temporary changes to rules governing provincial voter lists after a major privacy breach earlier this year. However, the move drew concern from the Opposition NDP, who said the government could be opening the door to voter fraud in next month’s referendum. The province published a new policy Thursday […]

Read More


Calgary police charge three in extortion case, search for wanted man

Calgary police have charged two adults and a youth in what they say was an extortion scheme that included threats for money and gunfire at a woman’s home, and they are asking the public to help find a man still wanted in the case.Police say the woman started getting demands for money on March 25 […]

Read More


Calgary city councillor apologetic but unrepentant over budget document leak

Calgary city councillor Landon Johnston said Tuesday he is apologetic — but unrepentant –for recently leaking private budget documents to the media. City councillors, meanwhile, were told they can’t do anything to sanction him for misconduct for the leak because recent law changes by the provincial government took that power away. “I apologize for breaking […]

Read More


Letter to feds decries immigration status checks at Calgary protest

Hundreds of civil rights groups wrote the federal government to criticize status checks on international students during a Calgary protest.  Over 250 organizations signed a letter sent on Sept. 2, calling for an investigation into allegations that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) issued removal orders to several people protesting changes to work permit eligibility. […]

Read More


Alberta technology minister met with jeers at first town hall over AI data centres

Alberta’s technology minister was jeered, badgered and booed late Wednesday by a room packed with hundreds of people over the province’s plans for an artificial intelligence data centre. Alberta’s technology minister was met with jeering, badgering and boos at a town hall discussing the province’s plans for artificial intelligence data centres. Nate Glubish says the […]

Read More


Personal data status unknown after Crowsnest Pass cyberattack

Two weeks after a cyberattack hit the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, officials still cannot say whether residents’ personal information was affected — even as most services have been restored. The municipality detected the breach July 29 and immediately brought in external cybersecurity specialists to investigate. The incident was announced in a July 30 news release. […]

Read More


Nenshi presses Smith for full disclosure on referendum costs

Naheed Nenshi, leader of the Opposition of Alberta, is asking the premier to come clean about the total cost of holding the referendum will be. Though Access to Information requests by Alberta NDP found an additional $2 million in costs towards the referendum to the already staggering $132-180 million. Some of these costs include a […]

Read More


Alberta referendum costs climbing with another $365K in promotion, says Nenshi

Alberta’s Opposition says the cost of just getting the word out on the province’s looming separation referendum is setting taxpayers back at least $365,000 dollars. The new numbers come from a freedom of information request, NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said Thursday. He said contracts show about $365,000 in fees for a televised address and promotional […]

Read More