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Alberta

Premier Smith announces provincial policies for transgender Alberta youths

Published

1 year ago

14 minute read

New policies regarding transgender Albertans:
  • Top and bottom gender reassignment surgeries will not be permitted for children age 15 and under.
  • Puberty blockers and hormone therapies for the purpose of gender reassignment or affirmation will not be permitted, with the exception of those who’ve already commenced treatment.
  • Minors age 16 and 17 will be permitted to commence hormone therapies for gender reassignment and affirmation purposes so long as they are deemed mature enough to make these decisions and have parental, physician, and psychologist approval.
  • For transgender adults our government is currently working to attract one or more medical professionals to practice in Alberta who specialize in transgender surgery.
  • Alberta will also have a private registry of medical professionals who specialize in this field to better support the lifelong health Care needs of transgender Albertans, including access to needed hormones and surgery after care.
  • Classroom instruction on subject matter involving gender identity, sexual orientation, or human sexuality we will require parental notification, and an open requirement for each instance a teacher intends to give formal instruction on these subjects.
  • All third party resource materials or presentations related to gender identity sexual orientation or human sexuality in our K through 12 school system will need to be pre-approved by the Ministry of Education to ensure the materials are age appropriate for a minor age 15 and under.
  • The government will require parental notification and consent for a school to alter the name or pronouns of a child.
  • For 16 and 17 year old’s who choose to alter their name or pronouns, parents do not need to give consent but they must be notified.
  • In rare situations where one or both of the parents reject or become abusive to a child who identifies as transgender we have child protection laws that will be strictly enforced.
  • The government is designing a pilot project to provide counseling services to support parents and youth identifying as transgender, to work through the unique challenges these families face.
  • Women and girls will have the choice to compete in a women’s only division in athletic competitions.
  • Transgender athletes will be able to participate in the sport of their choice through the expansion of co-ed or other gender neutral divisions.

From the YouTube page of Premier Danielle Smith

Gender identity can be a hard thing to talk about, especially when you are involved. But this conversation is extremely important and parental involvement is critical. Kids need to know we love and support them.
My message to all Albertans:
Premier Smith:
My fellow Albertans. Today I wish to address a very sensitive issue involving our children in gender identity. This is not always an easy conversation to have. I strongly believe that we as a society must support and reach out with kindness and inclusion to those who identify as transgender and work to eliminate the discrimination they often experience in their lives.
As premier of this province I want every Alberton that identifies as transgender to know I care deeply about you and I accept you as you are. As long as I lead this province I will ensure you are supported and your rights are protected. In the case of children aged 17 and under who identify as transgender I also want you to know that you are loved and supported as you work through your often changing emotions feelings and beliefs.
As we all know children and teenagers are in a constant state of biological social emotional and sexual development and change they’re constantly learning about themselves, trying new things, dealing with
After much discussion the government caucus and I have therefore decided to implement the following policies and guidelines as it relates to transgender minors and athletes including additional supports to assist transgender adults to secure the health care they need and the counseling support for youth identifying as transgender to ensure they can successfully work their way through their complex feelings and emotions as they grow to adulthood.
First on the issue of gender reassignment treatments for minors for minors age 17 and under. Top and bottom gender reassignment surgeries will not be permitted for children age 15 and under. Puberty blockers and hormone therapies for the purpose of gender reassignment or affirmation will also not be permitted, with the exception of those who’ve already commenced their treatment at this time. Minors age 16 and 17 will be permitted to commence hormone therapies for gender reassignment and affirmation purposes so long as they are deemed mature enough to make these decisions and have parental, physician, and psychologist approval.
For transgender adults our government is currently working to attract one or more medical professionals to practice in Alberta who specialize in transgender surgery to ensure those individuals transitioning have access to an expert in Alberta to assist them with their extremely unique and complex medical needs, rather than going to Quebec which is now the practice. We will also be building a private registry of medical professionals who specialize in this field to better support the lifelong health Care needs of transgender Albertans, including access to needed hormones and surgery after care.
When it comes to classroom instruction on subject matter involving gender identity sexual orientation or human sexuality we will be requiring parental notification and an open requirement for each instance a teacher intends to give formal instruction on these subjects. Furthermore all third party resource materials or presentations related to gender identity sexual orientation or human sexuality in our K through 12 school system will need to be pre-approved by the Ministry of Education to ensure the materials are age appropriate for a minor age 15 and under.
The government will require parental notification and consent for a school to alter the name or pronouns of a child. For 16 and 17 year olds who choose to alter their name or pronouns, parents do not need to give consent but they must be notified. We know that nearly all parents, even those who may disagree with the decision of their children, will love and care for their children no matter what choices
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This is a news release from the Government of Alberta.

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Pierre Poilievre will run to represent Camrose, Stettler, Hanna, and Drumheller in Central Alberta by-election

Published on May 3, 2025

By

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Conservative MP-elect Damien Kurek announced Friday he would be willing to give up his seat as an MP so Pierre Poilievre, who lost his seat Monday, could attempt to re-join Parliament.

Conservative MP-elect Damien Kurek announced Friday he would be willing to give up his seat in a riding that saw the Conservatives easily defeat the Liberals by 46,020 votes in this past Monday’s election. Poilievre had lost his seat to his Liberal rival, a seat which he held for decades, which many saw as putting his role as leader of the party in jeopardy.

Kurek has represented the riding since 2019 and said about his decision, “It has been a tremendous honor to serve the good people of Battle River—Crowfoot.”

“After much discussion with my wife Danielle, I have decided to step aside for this Parliamentary session to allow our Conservative Party Leader to run here in a by-election,” he added.

Newly elected Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney used his first post-election press conference to say his government will unleash a “new economy” that will further “deepen” the nation’s ties to the world.

He also promised that he would “trigger” a by-election at once, saying there would be “no games” trying to prohibit Poilievre to run and win a seat in a safe Conservative riding.

Poilievre, in a statement posted to X Friday, said that it was with “humility and appreciation that I have accepted Damien Kurek’s offer to resign his seat in Battle River-Crowfoot so that I can work to earn the support of citizens there to serve them in Parliament.”

 

“Damien’s selfless act to step aside temporarily as a Member of Parliament shows his commitment to change and restoring Canada’s promise,” he noted.

Carney said a new cabinet will be sworn in on May 12.

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Alberta

‘Existing oil sands projects deliver some of the lowest-breakeven oil in North America’

Published on May 2, 2025

By

From the Canadian Energy Centre 

By Will Gibson

Alberta oil sands projects poised to grow on lower costs, strong reserves

As geopolitical uncertainty ripples through global energy markets, a new report says Alberta’s oil sands sector is positioned to grow thanks to its lower costs.

Enverus Intelligence Research’s annual Oil Sands Play Fundamentals forecasts producers will boost output by 400,000 barrels per day (bbls/d) by the end of this decade through expansions of current operations.

“Existing oil sands projects deliver some of the lowest-breakeven oil in North America at WTI prices lower than $50 U.S. dollars,” said Trevor Rix, a director with the Calgary-based research firm, a subsidiary of Enverus which is headquartered in Texas with operations in Europe and Asia.

Alberta’s oil sands currently produce about 3.4 million bbls/d. Individual companies have disclosed combined proven reserves of about 30 billion barrels, or more than 20 years of current production.

A recent sector-wide reserves analysis by McDaniel & Associates found the oil sands holds about 167 billion barrels of reserves, compared to about 20 billion barrels in Texas.

While trade tensions and sustained oil price declines may marginally slow oil sands growth in the short term, most projects have already had significant capital invested and can withstand some volatility.

Cenovus Energy’s Christina Lake oil sands project. Photo courtesy Cenovus Energy

“While it takes a large amount of out-of-pocket capital to start an oil sands operation, they are very cost effective after that initial investment,” said veteran S&P Global analyst Kevin Birn.

“Optimization,” where companies tweak existing operations for more efficient output, has dominated oil sands growth for the past eight years, he said. These efforts have also resulted in lower cost structures.

“That’s largely shielded the oil sands from some of the inflationary costs we’ve seen in other upstream production,” Birn said.

Added pipeline capacity through expansion of the Trans Mountain system and Enbridge’s Mainline have added an incentive to expand production, Rix said.

The increased production will also spur growth in regions of western Canada, including the Montney and Duvernay, which Enverus analysts previously highlighted as increasingly crucial to meet rising worldwide energy demand.

“Increased oil sands production will see demand increase for condensate, which is used as diluent to ship bitumen by pipeline, which has positive implications for growth in drilling in liquids-rich regions such as the Montney and Duvernay,” Rix said.

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