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Alberta

Alberta wildfire situation: Update 3

Published

2 years ago

9 minute read

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:

This is a news release from the Government of Alberta.

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Median workers in Alberta could receive 72% more under Alberta Pension Plan compared to Canada Pension Plan

Published on July 15, 2025

By

From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill and Joel Emes

Moving from the CPP to a provincial pension plan would generate savings for Albertans in the form of lower contribution rates (which could be used to increase private retirement savings while receiving the same pension benefits as the CPP under the new provincial pension), finds a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

“Due to Alberta’s comparatively high rates of employment, higher average incomes, and younger population, Albertans would pay a lower contribution rate through a separate provincial pension plan while receiving the same benefits as under the CPP,” said Tegan Hill, director of Alberta policy at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Illustrating the Potential of an Alberta Pension Plan.

Assuming Albertans invested the savings from moving to a provincial pension plan into a private retirement account, and assuming a contribution rate of 5.85 per cent, workers earning the median income in Alberta ($53,061 in 2025) could accrue a stream of retirement payments totalling $454,741 (pre-tax)—a 71.6 per cent increase from their stream of CPP payments ($264,968).

Put differently, under the CPP, a median worker receives a total of $264,968 in retirement income over their life. If an Alberta worker saved the difference between what they pay now into the CPP and what they would pay into a new provincial plan, the income they would receive in retirement increases. If the contribution rate for the new provincial plan was 5.85 per cent—the lower of the available estimates—the increase in retirement income would total $189,773 (or an increase of 71.6 per cent).

If the contribution rate for a new Alberta pension plan was 8.21 per cent—the higher of the available estimates—a median Alberta worker would still receive an additional $64,672 in retirement income over their life, a marked increase of 24.4 per cent compared to the CPP alone.

Put differently, assuming a contribution rate of 8.21 per cent, Albertan workers earning the median income could accrue a stream of retirement payments totaling $329,640 (pre-tax) under a provincial pension plan—a 24.4 per cent increase from their stream of CPP payments.

“While the full costs and benefits of a provincial pension plan must be considered, its clear that Albertans could benefit from higher retirement payments under a provincial pension plan, compared to the CPP,” Hill said.

Illustrating the Potential of an Alberta Pension Plan

  • Due to Alberta’s comparatively high rates of employment, higher average incomes, and younger population, Albertans would pay a lower contribution rate with a separate provincial pension plan, compared with the CPP, while receiving the same benefits as under the CPP.
  • Put differently, moving from the CPP to a provincial pension plan would generate savings for Albertans, which could be used to increase private retirement income. This essay assesses the potential savings for Albertans of moving to a provincial pension plan. It also estimates an Albertan’s potential increase in total retirement income, if those savings were invested in a private account.
  • Depending on the contribution rate used for an Alberta pension plan (APP), ranging from 5.85 to 8.2 percent, an individual earning the CPP’s yearly maximum pensionable earnings ($71,300 in 2025), would accrue a stream of retirement payments under the total APP (APP plus private retirement savings), yielding a total retirement income of between $429,524 and $584,235. This would be 22.9 to 67.1 percent higher, respectively, than their stream of CPP payments ($349,545).
  • An individual earning the median income in Alberta ($53,061 in 2025), would accrue a stream of retirement payments under the total APP (APP plus private retirement savings), yielding a total retirement income of between $329,640 and $454,741, which is between 24.4 percent to 71.6 percent higher, respectively, than their stream of CPP payments ($264,968).

 

Tegan Hill

Director, Alberta Policy, Fraser Institute
Joel Emes

Joel Emes

Senior Economist, Fraser Institute
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Alberta

Alberta ban on men in women’s sports doesn’t apply to athletes from other provinces

Published on July 15, 2025

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From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

Alberta’s Fairness and Safety in Sport Act bans transgender males from women’s sports within the province but cannot regulate out-of-province transgender athletes.

Alberta’s ban on gender-confused males competing in women’s sports will not apply to out-of-province athletes.

In an interview posted July 12 by the Canadian Press, Alberta Tourism and Sport Minister Andrew Boitchenko revealed that Alberta does not have the jurisdiction to regulate out-of-province, gender-confused males from competing against female athletes.

“We don’t have authority to regulate athletes from different jurisdictions,” he said in an interview.

Ministry spokeswoman Vanessa Gomez further explained that while Alberta passed legislation to protect women within their province, outside sporting organizations are bound by federal or international guidelines.

As a result, Albertan female athletes will be spared from competing against men during provincial competition but must face male competitors during inter-provincial events.

In December, Alberta passed the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act to prevent biological men who claim to be women from competing in women’s sports. The legislation will take effect on September 1 and will apply to all school boards, universities, as well as provincial sports organizations.

The move comes after studies have repeatedly revealed what almost everyone already knew was true, namely, that males have a considerable advantage over women in athletics.

Indeed, a recent study published in Sports Medicine found that a year of “transgender” hormone drugs results in “very modest changes” in the inherent strength advantages of men.

Additionally, male athletes competing in women’s sports are known to be violent, especially toward female athletes who oppose their dominance in women’s sports.

In February, Andres ranted about why men should be able to compete in women’s competitions, calling for “the Ontario lifter” who opposes this, apparently referring to powerlifter April Hutchinson, to “die painfully.”

Interestingly, while Andres was suspended for six months for issuing death threats, Hutchinson was suspended for two years after publicly condemning him for stealing victories from women and then mocking his female competitors on social media. Her suspension was later reduced to a year.

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