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Alberta

Violence Against Women is a Crisis in Every Single City

Published

4 years ago

5 minute read

The City of Calgary remains on edge following several reports of assault and harassment against women in the last two weeks.  

660 City News reports uptick in attacks on Calgary Women

 

One woman reported being targeted while in her car, when four men on foot surrounded her vehicle while it was stopped at a streetlight on Glenmore Trail as she was driving home. It was close to midnight and the roads were relatively quiet, and the woman reported the men pulled on all four door handles but were unable to enter the vehicle, as the doors were locked while she was driving – a simple action she believes may have saved her life.
Another woman was assaulted on the Calgary Beltline on March 18th while reportedly walking to work on 5th Street between 11th and 12th Avenue. Two men pulled her from the street into an alley where they proceeded to violently physically and sexually assault her. The incident was captured by security cameras on a nearby building. 

Tributes to 33-year-old Sarah Everard continue to pour in following her murder

These frightening attacks occurred in Calgary just as the devastating news of Sarah Everard’s murder being circulating in the UK. On the evening of March 3rd, Everard was walking home from a friend’s house in south London when she went missing. The body of the 33-year-old was found on the evening of March 10th, more than 50 miles from where she was last seen. British police officer Wayne Couzens has since been charged with the kidnapping and murder of Sarah Everard.

The tragic UK story has struck chords all across the globe, and thousands of women have come forward to share their own lived experiences with physical and sexual assault. In recognition of Sarah and in solidarity with the countless women who suffer physical and sexual assault on a daily basis, women’s marches have broken out around the world. Statements such as #SheWasJustWalkingHome, #EveryWomanYouKnow and #TextMeWhenYouGetHome are now also trending online. 

For many – if not all – women, the fear for personal safety is never far from mind. The extensive list of personal protection devices, such as pepper spray, pocket sirens, rape whistles, key-chains designed to smash windows from the inside, and so many more, offer just a glimpse into the lived reality of ongoing fear for women everywhere. Simply put, violence against women represents a crisis in every single city.  

An analysis conducted in 2018 by the World Health Organization on violence against women, featuring data from across 161 countries and areas from 2000 – 2018 found that nearly 1 in 3 women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner or non-partner sexual violence or both.
According to the Assaulted Women’s Helpline, over half of all Canadian women have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16.
The movement to end violence against women is not new, and it is still far from over. In addressing the complex structural factors that contribute to the continued perpetuation of violence against women, conversation is key. 

Listening to the woman who has spent countless years holding keys between her fingers as a make-shift weapon while she walks home from work, or made pretend phone-calls to friends or family so she wouldn’t be perceived as alone. Understanding the fears of the girl who learned at an early age to never wear headphones in public and never be caught walking alone after dark – or even in the daytime, if it can be helped. 

These women are our daughters, mothers, sisters and friends, and far too many of them have stories like this. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with violence, assault or harassment, visit https://crcvc.ca/links/ – Support for Women for an extensive list of available resources including helplines, counseling and support centres, and a number of activism groups focused on ending violence against women in Canada and around the world.

 

For more stories, visit Todayville Calgary.

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Alberta

Cross-Canada NGL corridor will stretch from B.C. to Ontario

Published on July 12, 2025

By

Keyera Corp.’s natural gas liquids facilities in Fort Saskatchewan. Photo courtesy Keyera Corp.

From the Canadian Energy Centre

By Will Gibson

Keyera ‘Canadianizes’ natural gas liquids with $5.15 billion acquisition

Sarnia, Ont., which sits on the southern tip of Lake Huron and peers across the St. Clair River to Michigan, is a crucial energy hub for much of the eastern half of Canada and parts of the United States.

With more than 60 industrial facilities including refineries and chemical plants that produce everything from petroleum, resins, synthetic rubber, plastics, lubricants, paint, cosmetics and food additives in the southwestern Ontario city, Mayor Mike Bradley admits the ongoing dialogue about tariffs with Canada’s southern neighbour hits close to home.

So Bradley welcomed the announcement that Calgary-based Keyera Corp. will acquire the majority of Plains American Pipelines LLP’s Canadian natural gas liquids (NGL) business, creating a cross-Canada NGL corridor that includes a storage hub in Sarnia.

“As a border city, we’ve been on the frontline of the tariff wars, so we support anything that helps enhance Canadian sovereignty and jobs,” says the long-time mayor, who was first elected in 1988.

The assets in Sarnia are a key piece of the $5.15 billion transaction, which will connect natural gas liquids from the growing Montney and Duvernay plays in B.C. and Alberta to markets in central Canada and the eastern U.S. seaboard.

Map courtesy Keyera Corp.

NGLs are hydrocarbons found within natural gas streams including ethane, propane and pentanes. They are important energy sources and used to produce a wide range of everyday items, from plastics and clothing to fuels.

Keyera CEO Dean Setoguchi cast the proposed acquisition as an act of repatriation.

“This transaction brings key NGL infrastructure under Canadian ownership, enhancing domestic energy capabilities and reinforcing Canada’s economic resilience by keeping value and decision-making closer to home,” Setoguchi told analysts in a June 17 call.

“Plains’ portfolio forms a fully integrated cross Canada NGL system connecting Western Canada supply to key demand centres across the Prairie provinces, Ontario and eastern U.S.,” he said.

“The system includes strategic hubs like Empress, Fort Saskatchewan and Sarnia – which provide a reliable source of Canadian NGL supply to extensive fractionation, storage, pipeline and logistics infrastructure.”

Martin King, RBN Energy’s managing director of North America Energy Market Analysis, sees Keyera’s ability to “Canadianize” its NGL infrastructure as improving the company’s growth prospects.

“It allows them to tap into the Duvernay and Montney, which are the fastest growing NGL plays in North America and gives them some key assets throughout the country,” said the Calgary-based analyst.

“The crown assets are probably the straddle plants in Empress, which help strip out the butane, ethane and other liquids for condensate. It also positions them well to serve the eastern half of the country.”

And that’s something welcomed in Sarnia.

“Having a Canadian source for natural gas would be our preference so we see Keyera’s acquisition as strengthening our region as an energy hub,” Bradley said.

“We are optimistic this will be good for our region in the long run.”

The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, pending regulatory approvals.

Meanwhile, the governments of Ontario and Alberta are joining forces to strengthen the economies of both regions, and the country, by advancing major infrastructure projects including pipelines, ports and rail.

A joint feasibility study is expected this year on how to move major private sector-led investments forward.

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Alberta

Alberta school boards required to meet new standards for school library materials with regard to sexual content

Published on July 10, 2025

By

Alberta’s government has introduced new standards to ensure school library materials are age-appropriate.

School libraries should be safe and supportive places where students can learn and explore without being exposed to inappropriate sexual content. However, in the absence of a consistent standard for selecting age-appropriate library materials, school boards have taken different approaches, leading to concerns about safeguards in place.

In response to these concerns, and informed by feedback from education partners and the public, Alberta’s government has created standards to provide school boards with clear direction on the selection, availability and access to school library materials, such as books.

“Our actions to ensure that materials in school libraries don’t expose children to sexual content were never about banning books. These new standards are to ensure that school boards have clear guidance to ensure age-appropriate access to school library materials, while reflecting the values and priorities of Albertans.”

Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education and Childcare

The new standards set clear expectations for school library materials with regard to sexual content and require school boards to implement policies to support these standards.

Standards for school library materials

Under the new standards, school libraries are not permitted to include library materials containing explicit sexual content. Non-explicit sexual content may be accessible to students in Grade 10 and above, provided it is age-appropriate.

“Protecting kids from explicit content is common sense. LGBTQ youth, like all children, deserve to see themselves in stories that are age-appropriate, supportive and affirming – not in material that sexualizes or confuses them.”

Blaine Badiuk, education and LGBTQ advocate

School boards must also regularly review their school library collections, publish a full list of available materials and ensure that a staff member supervises students’ access to school library materials. School boards will have to remove any materials with explicit sexual content from their school libraries by October 1.

School board policies and procedures

All school boards must have publicly available policies that align with the new standards for selecting and managing library materials by January 1, 2026. School boards can either create new policies or update existing ones to meet these requirements.

These policies must outline how school library materials are selected and reviewed, how staff supervise students’ access throughout the school day, and how a student, parent, school board employee or other member of the school community can request a review or removal of materials in the school library. School boards are also required to clearly communicate these policies to employees, students and parents before January 2026.

“A robust, grade- and age-appropriate library catalogue is vital for student success. We welcome the ministry’s initiative to establish consistent standards and appreciate the ongoing consultation to help craft a plan that will serve our families and communities well.”

Holly Bilton, trustee, Chinook’s Edge School Division

“Red Deer Public Schools welcomes the new provincial standards for school library materials. Our division is committed to maintaining welcoming, respectful learning spaces where students can grow and thrive. Under the new standards for school libraries, we remain dedicated to providing learning resources that reflect our values and support student success.”

Nicole Buchanan, chair, Red Deer Public Schools

Quick facts

  • The new standards will apply to public, separate, francophone, charter and independent schools.
  • The ministerial order does not apply to municipal libraries located within schools or materials selected for use by teachers as learning and teaching resources.
  • From May 26 to June 6, almost 80,000 people completed an online survey to provide feedback on the creation of consistent standards to ensure the age-appropriateness of materials available to students in school libraries.

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