Alberta
Albertans as young as 58 with health conditions now eligible for the jab as province moves to 2B vaccine stage
From the Province of Alberta
Phase 2B vaccine appointments available through AHS
Albertans born in 1963 or earlier with underlying health conditions now have another way to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
As part of Phase 2B of Alberta’s vaccine rollout, anyone born in 1963 or earlier with eligible health conditions can now book appointments with Alberta Health Services (AHS) online or by calling 811.
Anyone with eligible health conditions born in 1963 or earlier can also continue booking at participating pharmacies in Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer. In the coming weeks, as more vaccine supply is available, pharmacies across Alberta will begin to offer bookings.
As Phase 2B rolls out, additional birth years for Albertans with underlying health conditions will be added in the coming days, based on vaccine supply.
By April 23, all Albertans born in 2005 or earlier with eligible high-risk underlying health conditions will be able to book an appointment through pharmacies and AHS.
“We are expanding the vaccine rollout as quickly and safely as possible. Now, Albertans born in 1963 or earlier with diabetes, disabilities, cancer and many other conditions can book through AHS, offering another chance to get the vaccine as soon as possible. I know this will bring peace of mind to those with high-risk health conditions and their loved ones, and we will continue to put pressure on the federal government until every last dose arrives.”
“Launching Phase 2B provides more Albertans, their families, and our communities across the province the hope of brighter days ahead. Our staff are working diligently, every day, to ensure we are providing vaccine to eligible Albertans as quickly and efficiently as possible and appreciate everyone’s patience as we work to include more eligible Albertans in the weeks ahead.”
Eligible health conditions
Phase 2B of Alberta’s vaccine rollout focuses on those who have at least one of the following underlying health conditions:
- A missing spleen or a spleen that is no longer working
- Cancer
- Chronic heart disease and vascular disease
- Chronic kidney diseases requiring regular medical monitoring or treatment
- Chronic liver disease due to any cause
- Chronic neurological disease
- Chronic respiratory (lung) diseases
- Diabetes requiring insulin or other anti-diabetic medication to control
- A weakened immune response due to disease or treatment
- Anyone who is currently pregnant
- Severe mental illness or substance use disorder requiring a hospital stay during the past year
- Severe obesity
- Severe or profound learning disabilities or severe developmental delay
- Solid organ, bone marrow or stem cell transplant recipients
Additional information on eligible health conditions, including examples, is available at Alberta.ca/vaccine.
Individuals are not required to provide proof of health condition, such as a doctor’s note. However, you may want to talk to your doctor or pharmacist to help you understand if your condition is on this list.
Alberta’s government is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by protecting lives and livelihoods with precise measures to bend the curve, sustain small businesses and protect Alberta’s health-care system.
Quick facts
- Anyone eligible in Phase 1 and 2A of Alberta’s vaccine rollout who hasn’t yet received the vaccine can continue to book their appointment through a participating pharmacy or AHS.
- As of April 4, more than 690,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered to Albertans.
Alberta
Alberta government should create flat 8% personal and business income tax rate in Alberta
From the Fraser Institute
By Tegan Hill
If the Smith government reversed the 2015 personal income tax rate increases and instituted a flat 8 per cent tax rate, it would help restore Alberta’s position as one of the lowest tax jurisdictions in North America
Over the past decade, Alberta has gone from one of the most competitive tax jurisdictions in North America to one of the least competitive. And while the Smith government has promised to create a new 8 per cent tax bracket on personal income below $60,000, it simply isn’t enough to restore Alberta’s tax competitiveness. Instead, the government should institute a flat 8 per cent personal and business income tax rate.
Back in 2014, Alberta had a single 10 per cent personal and business income tax rate. As a result, it had the lowest top combined (federal and provincial/state) personal income tax rate and business income tax rate in North America. This was a powerful advantage that made Alberta an attractive place to start a business, work and invest.
In 2015, however, the provincial NDP government replaced the single personal income tax rate of 10 percent with a five-bracket system including a top rate of 15 per cent, so today Alberta has the 10th-highest personal income tax rate in North America. The government also increased Alberta’s 10 per cent business income tax rate to 12 per cent (although in 2019 the Kenney government began reducing the rate to today’s 8 per cent).
If the Smith government reversed the 2015 personal income tax rate increases and instituted a flat 8 per cent tax rate, it would help restore Alberta’s position as one of the lowest tax jurisdictions in North America, all while saving Alberta taxpayers $1,573 (on average) annually.
And a truly integrated flat tax system would not only apply a uniform tax 8 per cent rate to all sources of income (including personal and business), it would eliminate tax credits, deductions and exemptions, which reduce the cost of investments in certain areas, increasing the relative cost of investment in others. As a result, resources may go to areas where they are not most productive, leading to a less efficient allocation of resources than if these tax incentives did not exist.
Put differently, tax incentives can artificially change the relative attractiveness of goods and services leading to sub-optimal allocation. A flat tax system would not only improve tax efficiency by reducing these tax-based economic distortions, it would also reduce administration costs (expenses incurred by governments due to tax collection and enforcement regulations) and compliance costs (expenses incurred by individuals and businesses to comply with tax regulations).
Finally, a flat tax system would also help avoid negative incentives that come with a progressive marginal tax system. Currently, Albertans are taxed at higher rates as their income increases, which can discourage additional work, savings and investment. A flat tax system would maintain “progressivity” as the proportion of taxes paid would still increase with income, but minimize the disincentive to work more and earn more (increasing savings and investment) because Albertans would face the same tax rate regardless of how their income increases. In sum, flat tax systems encourage stronger economic growth, higher tax revenues and a more robust economy.
To stimulate strong economic growth and leave more money in the pockets of Albertans, the Smith government should go beyond its current commitment to create a new tax bracket on income under $60,000 and institute a flat 8 per cent personal and business income tax rate.
Author:
Alberta
Province to stop municipalities overcharging on utility bills
Making utility bills more affordableAlberta’s government is taking action to protect Alberta’s ratepayers by introducing legislation to lower and stabilize local access fees. Affordability is a top priority for Alberta’s government, with the cost of utilities being a large focus. By introducing legislation to help reduce the cost of utility bills, the government is continuing to follow through on its commitment to make life more affordable for Albertans. This is in addition to the new short-term measures to prevent spikes in electricity prices and will help ensure long-term affordability for Albertans’ basic household expenses.
Local access fees are functioning as a regressive municipal tax that consumers pay on their utility bills. It is unacceptable for municipalities to be raking in hundreds of millions in surplus revenue off the backs of Alberta’s ratepayers and cause their utility bills to be unpredictable costs by tying their fees to a variable rate. Calgarians paid $240 in local access fees on average in 2023, compared to the $75 on average in Edmonton, thanks to Calgary’s formula relying on a variable rate. This led to $186 million more in fees being collected by the City of Calgary than expected.
To protect Alberta’s ratepayers, the Government of Alberta is introducing the Utilities Affordability Statutes Amendment Act, 2024. If passed, this legislation would promote long-term affordability and predictability for utility bills by prohibiting the use of variable rates when calculating municipalities’ local access fees. Variable rates are highly volatile, which results in wildly fluctuating electricity bills. When municipalities use this rate to calculate their local access fees, it results in higher bills for Albertans and less certainty in families’ budgets. These proposed changes would standardize how municipal fees are calculated across the province, and align with most municipalities’ current formulas.
If passed, the Utilities Affordability Statutes Amendment Act, 2024 would prevent municipalities from attempting to take advantage of Alberta’s ratepayers in the future. It would amend sections of the Electric Utilities Act and Gas Utilities Act to ensure that the Alberta Utilities Commission has stronger regulatory oversight on how these municipal fees are calculated and applied, ensuring Alberta ratepayer’s best interests are protected.
If passed, this legislation would also amend sections of the Alberta Utilities Commission Act, the Electric Utilities Act, Government Organizations Act and the Regulated Rate Option Stability Act to replace the terms “Regulated Rate Option”, “RRO”, and “Regulated Rate Provider” with “Rate of Last Resort” and “Rate of Last Resort Provider” as applicable. Quick facts
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