Alberta wildfire situation: Update 3

As of Saturday afternoon, more than 24,000 individuals have been evacuated from communities throughout north and central Alberta.

Those evacuated due to wildfires are asked to register at local reception centres or at emergencyregistration.alberta.ca.

Current situation

Alberta has declared a provincial state of emergency. Visit Alberta.ca/emergency for information or call 310-4455.
Mandatory evacuation orders are in effect for the following areas. Please check alberta.ca/emergency or download the Alberta Emergency Alert mobile app for complete information:
- Parts of Brazeau County. Evacuees should register in Edmonton at the Expo Centre, Hall C, at 7515 118 Avenue.
- Parts of Northern Sunrise County.
- Parts of Mackenzie County. Evacuees should register at the High Level Rural Hall.
- The entire Town of Rainbow Lake. Evacuees should register in High Level at the High Level Arena, at 10101 105 Avenue.
- Fox Creek, Little Smoky and surrounding areas. Evacuees should register at the Allan and Jean Millar Centre, at 58 Sunset Boulevard in Whitecourt.
- Parts of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation and the Municipal District of Greenview. Evacuees should register at Memorial Hall, 4808 50 Street in Valleyview.
- Parts of the County of Grande Prairie. Evacuees should register at the Bonnets Energy Centre, 10017 99 Avenue, Grande Prairie.
- Parts of Big Lakes County. Evacuees should register at Elks Rodeo Hall on Highway 749.
- Parts of Lac Ste Anne County. Evacuees should register at the Mayerthorpe Diamond Centre, at 4184 54 Street.
- Parts of Yellowhead County, including the Town of Edson.
- The communities of Whitefish River and Aitkameg. Evacuees should register at the Town of Slave Lake office, at 10 Main Street, Slave Lake.
- The Hamlet of Entwistle. Evacuees should register at Wabamun Jubilee Hall, at 5132 53 Avenue in Wabamun.
- Parkland County and the Hamlet of Entwistle. Evacuees should register at Wabamun Jubilee Hall at 5132 53 Avenue in Wabamun.
Residents of the following areas should be prepared to evacuate on short notice:
- The Grovesdale area of the Municipal District of Greenview
- The area west of Beaverdam Provincial Recreation Area and east of the Bighorn Dam, including the hamlet of Nordegg.
- Parts of the County of Grande Prairie, including Pipestone Creek area.
- The town of High Prairie.
- Parts of Wetaskiwin County.
Sixteen declared states of local emergency and two band council resolution include:
- Big Lakes County
- Brazeau County
- County of Grande Prairie
- Clear Hills County
- Clearwater County
- Drayton Valley
- Town of Edson
- MD of Fairview
- Town of High Prairie
- Northern Sunrise County
- East Prairie Metis Settlement
- Saddle Hills County
- Lac St. Anne County
- Parkland County
- Rainbow Lake
- Yellowhead County
- The Little Red River Cree Nation (Fox Lake) has declared a band council resolution
- Whitefish Lake First Nation has declared a band council resolution

Information for evacuees

Evacuees should register at the reception centre identified for their community so staff can quickly assist them and connect them with the resources they need.
Evacuees with special needs who are unable to stay in an evacuation centre can request emergency financial assistance to cover hotel accommodations.
- Special needs could include having a disability, a medical condition or other family needs.
- Apply for emergency financial assistance by visiting an Alberta Supports Centre or calling the Income Support Contact Centre at 1-866-644-5135. Information is also available through the Alberta Supports Contact Centre at 1-877-644-9992.
Albertans affected by wildfires, including evacuees, can access supports by calling the Alberta Supports Contact Centre at 1-877-644-9992.
- The centre is open from 8:15 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends.
The Income Support Contact Centre is also available 24-7 and provides emergency financial assistance. It can be reached at 1-866-644-5135.

Fire bans and other restrictions

Unusually warm, dry weather and strong winds mean it is easier for a wildfire to start and spread.
As a result of these conditions, the entire province is under a fire ban. No open burning is allowed, including backyard fire pits inside the Forest Protection Area. Alberta Parks and many municipalities and communities have ordered their own bans and restrictions. For more information, visit Albertafirebans.ca.
A provincial off-highway vehicle restriction is also in place, which means the recreational use of off-highway vehicles on public land, including on designated OHV trails, is prohibited.

Wildfire activity updates

There are currently 110 active wildfires in the Forest Protection Area, 37 of which are classified as out of control.
- Information on all wildfires is on the Alberta Wildfire dashboard and the Alberta Wildfire app.

Travel

There are multiple road closures and advisories for north and central Alberta.
Visit 511.alberta.ca for up-to-date information on road closures and travel advisories.

Health

Alberta Health Services is supporting the evacuation of the Drayton Valley Hospital.
- Patients will be moved to Rocky Mountain House and Edmonton hospitals.
Edson Healthcare Centre has been fully evacuated with patients/continuing care residents and families being notified of new location of all patients and continuing care residents.
Evacuation of the Fox Creek Health Centre is currently underway.
- AHS continues to work in providing care in the community to transport residents to other facilities in Alberta and Edmonton.
EMS and zones continues to be fully engaged to ensure safe transport and care of all patients/residents. Other zones and provincial programs are assisting with reception centres, and ensuring availability of spaces/equipment as needed.
Alberta Health Services is deploying mobile air quality monitoring, as multiple communities are reporting high levels of smoke and ash residue.
Residents affected by the wildfires who have health care-related questions and are looking for up-to-date information about the wildfires or health care resources, should visit the Alberta Health Services Wildfire Resources webpage.
For non-emergency health advice, including information on their health care options, residents should call Health Link at 811.

Justice

Due to the wildfire evacuation of Evansburg, Evansburg court sittings on Monday, May 8 have been relocated to Stony Plain.
The Drayton Valley circuit court is within the Town of Drayton Valley’s evacuation order. The next sitting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 16.

Agriculture and livestock

Agricultural societies may have room for livestock evacuated from wildfire areas: Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies.
Evacuated farmers and ranchers:
- can contact the wildfire resource line at 310-4455 with agriculture and livestock related questions.
- should register at the reception centre identified for their community so staff can quickly assist them and connect them with the resources they need.
- may need re-entry permits if they want to go back into an evacuated area to check on livestock, and should check with their municipality before entering.

Alberta Emergency Alerts

For up-to-the-minute Alberta Emergency Alert information, visit Alberta Emergency Alert.
Albertans are encouraged to download the Alberta Emergency Alert mobile app, which immediately pushes all alerts out to subscribers.

Related Topics:#AlbertaStateOfEmergency #AlbertaWildfires feature

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Diploma Exams Affected: No school Monday as ATA rejects offer of enhanced mediation

Published on October 17, 2025

Government of Alberta

Premier Danielle Smith, Minister of Finance Nate Horner, and Minister of Education Demetrios Nicolaides issued the following statement.

“Yesterday, the Provincial Bargaining and Compensation Office wrote to the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) and formally requested an agreement to enter an enhanced mediation process.

“This process would have ensured that students returned to the classrooms on Monday, and that teachers returned to work.

“Negotiating would have continued with the ATA, Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) and a third-party mediator to propose a recommended agreement.

“We are very disappointed that the Alberta Teachers’ Association refused this offer. Teachers and students should also be disappointed.

“PBCO made this offer to the ATA because the union has not made a reasonable offer and this strike is impacting students. Alberta’s government is trying to put kids first and bring an end to this strike.

“The offer of enhanced mediation provided a clear path to ending it.

“We want the same things as the ATA: More teachers. More pay for teachers. More educational assistants. And more classrooms.

“This strike has gone on too long and we are extremely concerned about the impact it is having on students.

“We are willing to consider further options to ensure that our next generation gets the world-class education they deserve. After about three weeks, a strike of this nature would reach the threshold of causing irreparable harm to our students’ education.

“The ATA needs to do what is right for its members, and for all Alberta students.

“If it refuses to do so, we will consider further options to bring this strike to an end.”

Diploma exam update

November diploma exams will be optional for students.

With instructional time in schools disrupted due to the teacher strike, the November 2025 diploma exams will now be optional for students. Students who wish to write a diploma exam may request to do so, and their school boards will accommodate the request.

The optional diploma exams apply to all schools provincewide. These exams will still take place on the currently scheduled dates.

Students who choose not to write the November diploma exams can still complete their courses and graduate on time. Their final grade will be based entirely on the school-awarded mark provided by their teacher.

Choosing not to write the November diploma exams will not affect a student’s ability to apply to, be accepted by, or attend post-secondary institutions after graduation.

No changes have been made to the January and June diplomas and provincial achievement tests.

Quick facts

Students are automatically exempted from writing the November diploma exams but can request to write them.
School boards must allow the student to write the diploma exam if requested.

Alberta

Alberta taxpayers should know how much their municipal governments spend

Published on October 16, 2025

Todayville Content Team

From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill and Austin Thompson

Next week, voters across Alberta will go to the polls to elect their local governments. Of course, while the issues vary depending on the city, town or district, all municipal governments spend taxpayer money.

And according to a recent study, Grande Prairie County and Red Deer County were among Alberta’s highest-spending municipalities (on a per-person basis) in 2023 (the latest year of comparable data). Kara Westerlund, president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta, said that’s no surprise—arguing that it’s expensive to serve a small number of residents spread over large areas.

That challenge is real. In rural areas, fewer people share the cost of roads, parks and emergency services. But high spending isn’t inevitable. Some rural municipalities managed to spend far less, demonstrating that local choices about what services to provide, and how to deliver them, matter.

Consider the contrast in spending levels among rural counties. In 2023, Grande Prairie County and Red Deer County spent $5,413 and $4,619 per person, respectively. Foothills County, by comparison, spent just $2,570 per person. All three counties have relatively low population densities (fewer than seven residents per square kilometre) yet their per-person spending varies widely. (In case you’re wondering, Calgary spent $3,144 and Edmonton spent $3,241.)

Some of that variation reflects differences in the cost of similar services. For example, all three counties provide fire protection but in 2023 this service cost $56.95 per person in Grande Prairie County, $38.51 in Red Deer County and $10.32 in Foothills County. Other spending differences reflect not just how much is spent, but whether a service is offered at all. For instance, in 2023 Grande Prairie County recorded $46,283 in daycare spending, while Red Deer County and Foothills County had none.

Put simply, population density alone simply doesn’t explain why some municipalities spend more than others. Much depends on the choices municipal governments make and how efficiently they deliver services.

Westerlund also dismissed comparisons showing that some counties spend more per person than nearby towns and cities, calling them “apples to oranges.” It’s true that rural municipalities and cities differ—but that doesn’t make comparisons meaningless. After all, whether apples are a good deal depends on the price of other fruit, and a savvy shopper might switch to oranges if they offer better value. In the same way, comparing municipal spending—across all types of communities—helps Albertans judge whether they get good value for their tax dollars.

Every municipality offers a different mix of services and those choices come with different price tags. Consider three nearby municipalities: in 2023, Rockyview County spent $3,419 per person, Calgary spent $3,144 and Airdrie spent $2,187. These differences reflect real trade-offs in the scope, quality and cost of local services. Albertans should decide for themselves which mix of local services best suits their needs—but they can’t do that without clear data on what those services actually cost.

A big municipal tax bill isn’t an inevitable consequence of rural living. How much gets spent in each Alberta municipality depends greatly on the choices made by the mayors, reeves and councillors Albertans will elect next week. And for Albertans to determine whether or not they get good value for their local tax dollars, they must know how much their municipality is spending.