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Alberta

It’s official. Albertans to vote on Equalization and Daylight Savings Time on October 18

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Referendum to be held on October 18, 2021

Elections Alberta has received the Orders in Council to conduct a Referendum Vote in conjunction with the 2021 Alberta Municipal Elections and the Alberta Senate Election on October 18, 2021.

Both referendum questions allow for a ‘yes’ vote or a ‘no’ vote.  The two questions are:

  • Should section 36(2) of the Constitution Act, 1982 – Parliament and the government of Canada’s commitment to the principle of making equalization payments – be removed from the constitution?
  • Do you want Alberta to adopt year-round Daylight Saving Time, which is summer hours, eliminating the need to change our clocks twice a year?

Conducting the Vote

All local jurisdictions holding elections on October 18, 2021, will facilitate the vote by also issuing the referendum ballot to electors.  In addition to Election Day voting, local jurisdictions may also offer advance voting, institutional voting, and special ballot voting.  At each voting opportunity, the referendum ballot will be provided to electors to vote in this election.

As not all communities hold elections on October 18, 2021, Elections Alberta and Alberta Municipal Affairs are working with First Nation communities, Métis Settlements, Lloydminster, Summer Villages, Improvement Districts, and Special Areas to provide voting opportunities for electors residing in these communities.

Eligibility to Vote

Canadian citizens who reside in Alberta and are at least 18 years of age or older on Election Day are eligible to vote in the referendum.  As the vote is being conducted by local jurisdictions, electors must vote in the municipality or local jurisdiction in which they reside.

Third Party Advertisers

Any individual, corporation or group that spends or plans to spend more than $1,000 in advertising to promote or oppose a referendum question must register with Elections Alberta.  Registration is now open. Visit https://www.elections.ab.ca/political-participants/third-party-advertisers/ for more information.

All registered third party advertisers are required to submit weekly contribution reports to Elections Alberta, commencing Thursday, August 12 and ending on October 21, 2021.  Elections Alberta will publish the reports each Friday on https://efpublic.elections.ab.ca/.

Announcement of Official Results

Following the close of voting on October 18, all local jurisdictions will complete the unofficial count of ballots.  These counts are submitted to Elections Alberta for tabulation.  The official announcement of the provincial referendum results will take place on October 26, 2021.

Result of Vote

The referendum question regarding equalization is a constitutional question asked under the authority of section 1 of the Referendum Act.

The referendum question regarding Daylight Saving Time is a non?constitutional question asked under section 5.1 of the Referendum Act. The result of the vote on the Daylight Saving Time question is binding.

More Information

For more information about the Referendum, visit www.elections.ab.ca, call toll free at 1.877.422.VOTE (8683), join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Elections Alberta is an independent, non-partisan office of the Legislative Assembly responsible for administering provincial elections, by-elections and referenda.

Alberta

Saskatchewan entrepreneur says government thwarted his ag-plastics recycling business

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Dallon Leger thought he was part of the solution. 

The entrepreneur from Yorkton, Sask., about 190 kilometres northeast of Regina, says he collected more than 1.8 million kilograms of used grain bags over the past few years, helping his neighbours deal with their mounting plastic problem.

Leger’s business, EcoGenX, transported the grain bags to a company in the United States that would recycle them. The company would turn the bags into various agricultural plastic products, including new grain bags. EcoGenX would then sell the recycled product in Saskatchewan.

But he says the Saskatchewan government has stifled his business through rules he believes are unfair.

The province recently took Leger to court and won, fining him for not following the province’s grain bag regulations. It effectively forced him to close his business.

“I’m not perfect, no entrepreneur is, but my government was my biggest hurdle,” said Leger, a farm worker, in an interview earlier this month. “That should never have happened, not when climate change and environment as a whole is the hot topic right now.”

Leger pleaded guilty in late April for failing to comply with the government’s Agricultural Packaging Waste Stewardship Regulations, therefore violating a section of Saskatchewan’s Environment and Management Protection Act. 

Court determined he did not operate a product stewardship program that was approved by the environment minister. He was fined $580 and must pay $10,604 to Cleanfarms, a regulated non-profit that also collects grain bags in the province.

Leger explained his lawyer advised him to plead guilty because it wouldn’t have been a winning fight. 

However, he said the province’s position is still not right.

“How can you charge me under the environmental act, find me guilty of anything, when I did no harm to the environment? That says a lot,” he said. “I felt I did something good.”

The Saskatchewan government regulates the industry, requiring grain bag sellers to participate in an approved product stewardship program.

EcoGenX didn’t operate under an approved program.

Environment Minister Dana Skoropad said the legislation is meant to ensure agricultural plastics recycling is sustainable in Saskatchewan. 

“The community of sellers of these products is quite small in Saskatchewan, so it’s certainly important that all first sellers be compliant with the regulations and a level playing field be existent,” Skoropad said. “And that ensures the financial stability and sustainability of the program.” 

Cleanfarms is the only approved product stewardship program in Saskatchewan, which means grain bag sellers must work with Cleanfarms or get their own program rubber-stamped if they want to participate. 

Under the Cleanfarms program, farmers can deliver bags to more than 40 collection points set up by the organization.

Sellers collect an environment handling fee when they sell the bags. The sellers then remit those fees to Cleanfarms so the organization can operate its collection sites.

Leger didn’t remit environmental handling fees to Cleanfarms when he sold bags, arguing he didn’t need to because his company did all the work in partnership with the American recycler. 

“I would travel anywhere in the province, roll up their bags. I would do all the work,” he said. “I had the best answer for this fairly large problem —  like it’s a significant amount of plastic.”

The $10,604 Leger is required to pay to Cleanfarms represents the environmental handling fees he was supposed to pay to the organization. 

Skoropad said he’s open to working with anyone who would meet the requirements in the legislation. 

He said Leger did not submit a proposal.

However, Leger said he tried to work with the provincial government but was told the province was not interested in another operator. 

“I’m told, ‘We have to focus on the sustainability of the current approved program,'” he said. “Well, I’m sorry I’m a threat to this non-profit organization. That’s kind of what a business is meant to do, is grow and succeed.”

Leger accused the government of siding with Cleanfarms, pointing to past lobbying by CropLife Canada, a sister organization of Cleanfarms. 

In 2016, CropLife representatives lobbied Saskatchewan ministers about “promoting the benefits of industry stewardship programs.” It noted Cleanfarms had been active in the province. 

CropLife, which is based in Ontario, lobbied former environment minister Scott Moe, who’s now premier, and former agriculture minister Lyle Stewart. Ted Menzies, CropLife’s former president, was among those lobbying. Menzies had previously served as a Conservative MP and cabinet minister before moving to CropLife. 

In 2018, the province’s Agricultural Packaging Waste Stewardship Regulations came into effect. 

“I believe this created a monopoly and gives an out-of-province organization 100 per cent of the money that Saskatchewan farmers pay,” Leger said.

Skorpopad denied the accusations.  

“Cleanfarms submitted an application to be a product stewardship operator and that would be the extent of my knowledge of that,” he said. “As I said before, we’re open to working with anyone who would meet the requirements of the regulations on this program.”

Skoropad said he doesn’t know if there have been previous applications to become an operator. He said there are 14 regulated grain bag sellers in Saskatchewan. 

Leger said he has plans to continue fighting his case. 

“I was demonized, so to me that’s worth continuing to fight for and why I didn’t give up.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2023. 

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press

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Alberta

Drying conditions return in Alberta, crews see more intense fire activity

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