Alberta
New Provincial Government says NO Liquor Bans in Provincial Parks
From the Province of Alberta
Liquor ban quashed and rules relaxed
Liquor constraints will be relaxed in Alberta starting this May long weekend.
Premier Jason Kenney and Environment and Parks Minister Jason Nixon are pushing back against the excesses of the nanny state and the ‘War on Fun.’ Beginning this May long weekend, the liquor ban imposed on eight remaining provincial parks will be lifted. Moving forward, this government is committed to remove unnecessary red tape for festival organizers hosting events in municipalities and provincial parks. Relaxed liquor regulations will also extend to select provincial park day use area picnic sites later this summer.
“It’s time to lift prohibition-era restrictions around liquor consumption in Alberta and give responsible adults the freedom to act responsibly. This is part of our plan to take bold, decisive steps to reduce regulatory burden on business and not-for-profit festival organizations. We will take Alberta from being the most over-regulated to the freest economy in Canada.”
Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis regulations have been clarified to allow event organizers the flexibility to serve drinks where they see fit on festival grounds. Albertans will be able to responsibly enjoy the environment festival organizers wish to create. The same strategy is being applied to festivals and events in provincial parks by making approvals for liquor licences less restrictive.
This May long weekend, the liquor ban will be lifted at Aspen Beach, Miquelon Lake, Garner Lake, Dillberry Lake, Pigeon Lake, Whitney Lakes, Jarvis Bay and Wabamun provincial parks. There is no ban in place in Alberta Parks’ other provincial campgrounds.
Historically, there has been a liquor ban only over the May long weekend and only in select provincial parks.
“The vast majority of Albertans who enjoy our provincial parks do so responsibly. We should not punish the majority of responsible campers through liquor bans because of the past behaviour of a few bad characters.”
Rules and regulations around quiet times, excessive noise and appropriate behaviour continue to be in place and will be enforced as they are in Alberta Parks’ other campgrounds. Enforcement staff will shift their focus from enforcing the previous liquor ban to addressing negative behaviour. Liquor consumption in provincial campgrounds is restricted to adults and in campsites only.
Relaxing liquor constraints in municipalities and provincial parks is a commitment under government’s Red Tape Reduction strategy and a change to make the lives of Albertans better.
Alberta
Alberta threatens to fight Trudeau government restrictions on Canada’s plastics industry
From LifeSiteNews
“If the federal government refuses to abide by the constitution, we will take them to court again to defend our jurisdiction and the thousands of Albertans who work in the petrochemical sector”
Alberta has rejected the Liberal government’s “unconstitutional” federal plastics registry and production limit.
In an April 25 press release, Alberta’s Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz promised to take Liberal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault to court over his proposal to create a plastics registry, mandating companies to report their plastic production and implementation.
“If the federal government refuses to abide by the constitution, we will take them to court again to defend our jurisdiction and the thousands of Albertans who work in the petrochemical sector,” Schulz declared.
“This unilateral announcement is a slap in the face to Alberta and our province’s petrochemical industry, and the thousands of Albertans who work in it,” she continued.
Guilbeault’s plan, set to be implemented in September 2025, would mandate that businesses record how much plastic they place on the market in addition to the amount of plastic waste generated on their commercial, industrial, and institutional premises.
Companies would then report that amount to the federal government. The plan exempts small businesses which produce less than one tonne of plastic each year.
However, Schulz explained that the registry would negatively affect Alberta, as “plastics production is a growing part of Alberta’s economy, and we are positioned to lead the world for decades to come in the production of carbon neutral plastics.”
“Minister Guilbeault’s proposal would throw all of that into jeopardy and risk billions of dollars in investments. This includes projects like Dow Chemical’s net-zero petrochemical plant in Fort Saskatchewan, a $9-billion project that will create thousands of jobs,” she warned.
Schulz further pointed out that the mandate will not reduce plastic production since countries such as China will produce more plastic to make up for Canada.
“If the federal government limits plastic production in Canada, other countries like China will just produce more. The only outcome that this federal government will achieve will be fewer jobs in Canada,” she explained.
Schulz’s statement comes after the November decision by the Federal Court to rule in favor of Alberta and Saskatchewan, declaring that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government overstepped its authority by classifying plastic as “toxic” and banning all single-use plastic items, like straws.
Essentially, the ruling overturned Trudeau’s 2022 law which outlawed manufacturing or importing plastic straws, cutlery, and checkout bags on the grounds of government claims that plastic was having a negative effect on the oceans. In reality, most plastic pollution in the oceans comes from a few countries, like India and China, which dump waste directly on beaches or in rivers.
The November ruling was only one of two recent court rulings that have dealt a blow to Trudeau’s environmental laws.
The second ruling came after Canada’s Supreme Court recently sided in favor of provincial autonomy when it comes to natural resources. The Supreme Court recently ruled that Trudeau’s law C-69, dubbed the “no-more pipelines” bill, is “mostly unconstitutional.” This was a huge win for Alberta and Saskatchewan, which challenged the law in court. The decision returned authority over the pipelines to provincial governments, meaning oil and gas projects headed up by the provinces should be allowed to proceed without federal intrusion.
The Trudeau government, however, seems insistent on defying the recent rulings by pushing forward with its various regulations.
Alberta
Red Deer Company fined $360,000.00 after 2022 workplace fatality
Company sentenced for workplace fatality
An oilfield equipment supplier will pay $360,000 related to a workplace fatality.
On Feb. 21, 2024 in the Red Deer Court of Justice, Isolation Equipment Services Inc. pleaded guilty to one charge under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code for failing to take measures to eliminate the potential danger of equipment or material that was dislodged or moved. The Crown withdrew 28 other charges under OHS legislation. The company was sentenced on April 24.
The charges stem from an incident on a Red Deer construction site on Jan. 13, 2022. A worker operating an overhead crane was positioning a valve bonnet when the equipment released from the rigging, striking and pinning the worker. The worker sustained fatal injuries.
The company will pay $360,000 in total penalties, including a $1,000 fine. Under a creative sentence, $359,000 will be paid to Energy Safety Canada to develop supervisor and competency programs targeting those who work with new, young and inexperienced workers.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act provides a creative sentence option in which funds that would otherwise be paid as fines are directed to an organization or project to improve or promote workplace health and safety.
Both the company and the Crown have up to 30 days to appeal the conviction or penalties.
Alberta’s OHS laws set basic health and safety rules for workplaces across the province. They provide guidance for employers to help them ensure their workplaces are as healthy and safe as possible while providing rights and protections for workers. Charges under OHS laws may be laid when failing to follow the rules results in a workplace fatality or serious injury.
Quick facts
- Jobs, Economy and Trade does not provide sentence documents. These are available through the Red Deer Court of Justice.
- Victim fine surcharges apply to fines payable to the Crown. The $1,000 fine in this case includes the 20 per cent surcharge. Surcharges are not applied to payments to other entities, in this case Energy Safety Canada, under creative sentences.
- Fatality investigation summaries are posted to alberta.ca/fatality-
investigation-reports 60 to 90 days after court proceedings conclude.
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