Alberta
Half of Red Deer COVID-19 cases recovered. Central Alberta COVID death occurred in Camrose (April 6 Update)
Information from covid19stats.alberta.ca
On Monday, April 6 the province made some interesting changes and additions of the provincial COVID-19 stats website.
Red Deer is no longer separated into 3 quadrants. But the report now indicates how many cases are active and how many are recovered.
Across Central Alberta there are 66 cases.
- Red Deer City – 25 cases – 13 active – 12 recovered
- Red Deer County – 13 cases – 11 active – 2 recovered
- Wetaskiwin City – 7 cases – 3 active – 4 recovered
- Mountain View County – 5 cases – 4 active – 1 recovered
- Lacombe County – 4 cases – 1 active – 3 recovered
- Lacombe City – 2 cases – 0 active – 2 recovered
- Camrose City – 2 cases – 0 active – 1 recovered – 1 death
- Beaver County – 2 cases – 2 active
- Camrose County – 1 case – 1 recovered
- Windburn County – 1 case – 1 recovered
- Vermilion River County – 1 case – 1 recovered
- Ponoka County – 1 case – 1 active
- Stettler County – 1 case – 1 active
- Kneehill County – 1 case – 1 active
- Clearwater County – 1 case – 1 active
In this graph you can see that Central and Southern Alberta zones have been very fortunate in the amount of cases per 100,000
This graph makes it look like all the regions in Alberta “might” be flattening the curve. Experts say it takes up to 5 days in a row to indicate this trend. It currently looks promising.
This graph compares the age categories in both actual number of cases, and as a rate per 100,000 people in each category.
Here are the total numbers for the province. In recent days the percentage of cases in Central Alberta has dropped from 8 to 5.
From the Province of Alberta
Latest updates
- A total of 953 cases are laboratory confirmed and 395 are probable cases (symptomatic close contacts of laboratory confirmed cases). Laboratory positivity rates remain consistent at two per cent.
- Cases have been identified in all zones across the province:
- 817 cases in the Calgary zone
- 351 cases in the Edmonton zone
- 89 cases in the North zone
- 66 cases in the Central zone
- 22 cases in the South zone
- Three cases in zones yet to be confirmed
- Of these cases, there are currently 40 people in hospital, 16 of whom have been admitted to intensive care units (ICU).
- Of the 1,348 total cases, 204 are suspected of being community acquired.
- There are now a total of 361 confirmed recovered cases.
- One additional death has been reported in the Calgary zone. There have been 15 deaths in the Calgary zone, four in the Edmonton zone, four in the North zone, and one in the Central zone.
- Strong outbreak measures have been put in place at continuing care facilities. To date, 112 cases have been confirmed at these facilities.
- There have been 64,183 people tested for COVID-19 and a total of 65,914 tests performed by the lab. There have been 821 tests completed in the last 24 hours.
- Aggregate data, showing cases by age range and zone, as well as by local geographic areas, is available online at alberta.ca/covid19statistics.
- All Albertans need to work together to help prevent the spread and overcome COVID-19.
- Restrictions remain in place for all gatherings and close-contact businesses, dine-in restaurants and non-essential retail services. A full list of restrictions is available online.
- Alberta Health Services (AHS) has announced further restrictions for visitors to Alberta hospitals.
- AHS has expanded its testing criteria for COVID-19 to include symptomatic individuals in the following roles or age groups:
- Group home and shelter workers
- First responders, including firefighters
- Those involved in COVID-19 enforcement, including police, peace officers, bylaw officers, environmental health officers, and Fish and Wildlife officers
- Correctional facility staff, working in either a provincial or federal facility
- Starting April 7, individuals over the age of 65
- Anyone among these groups is urged to use the AHS online assessment tool for health-care workers, enforcement and first responders.
- Medical masks and respirators must be kept for health-care workers and others providing direct care to COVID-19 patients. Those who choose to wear a non-medical face mask should:
- continue to follow all other public health guidance (staying two metres away from others, wash hands regularly, stay home when sick)
- wash their hands immediately before putting it on and immediately after taking it off (in addition to practising good hand hygiene while wearing it)
- ensure it fits well (non-gaping)
- not share it with others
- avoid touching the mask while wearing it
- change masks as soon they get damp or soiled
- As Albertans look forward to the upcoming holiday weekend, they are being reminded to:
- avoid gatherings outside of their immediate household
- find ways to connect while being physically separated
- worship in a way that does not put people at risk, including participating in virtual or live-streamed religious celebrations
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Alberta minister says patience running short for federal energy industry aid
Construction of an oil sands SAGD production well pad in northern Alberta. Photo supplied to the Canadian Energy Centre
From the Canadian Energy Centre
The facts about one of Canada’s biggest industries
Alberta’s oil sands sector is one of Canada’s most important industries — and also one of its most misunderstood.
Here are five common myths, and the facts behind them.
Myth: Oil sands emissions are unchecked
Steam generators at a SAGD oil sands production site in northern Alberta. Photo courtesy Cenovus Energy
Reality: Oil sands emissions are strictly regulated and monitored. Producers are making improvements through innovation and efficiency.
The sector’s average emissions per barrel – already on par with the average oil consumed in the United States, according to S&P Global – continue to go down.
The province reports that oil sands emissions per barrel declined by 26 per cent per barrel from 2012 to 2023. At the same time, production increased by 96 per cent.
Analysts with S&P Global call this a “structural change” for the industry where production growth is beginning to rise faster than emissions growth.
The firm continues to anticipate a decrease in total oil sands emissions within the next few years.
The Pathways Alliance — companies representing about 95 per cent of oil sands activity — aims to significantly cut emissions from production through a major carbon capture and storage (CCS) project and other innovations.
Myth: There is no demand for oil sands production
Expanded export capacity at the Trans Mountain Westridge Terminal. Photo courtesy Trans Mountain Corporation
Reality: Demand for Canadian oil – which primarily comes from the oil sands – is strong and rising.
Today, America imports more than 80 per cent more oil from Canada than it did in 2010, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
New global customers also now have access to Canadian oil thanks to the opening of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in 2024.
Exports to countries outside the U.S. increased by 180 per cent since the project went into service, reaching a record 525,000 barrels per day in July 2025, according to the Canada Energy Regulator.
The world’s appetite for oil keeps growing — and it’s not stopping anytime soon.
According to the latest EIA projections, the world will consume about 120 million barrels per day of oil and petroleum liquids in 2050, up from about 104 million barrels per day today.
Myth: Oil sands projects cost too much
Heavy haulers at an oil sands mining operation in northern Alberta. Photo courtesy Suncor Energy
Reality: Operating oil sands projects deliver some of the lowest-cost oil in North America, according to Enverus Intelligence Research.
Unlike U.S. shale plays, oil sands production is a long-life, low-decline “manufacturing” process without the treadmill of ongoing investment in new drilling, according to BMO Capital Markets.
Vast oil sands reserves support mining projects with no drilling, and the standard SAGD drilling method involves about 60 per cent fewer wells than the average shale play, BMO says.
After initial investment, Enverus says oil sands projects typically break even at less than US$50 per barrel WTI.
Myth: Indigenous communities don’t support the oil sands
Chief Greg Desjarlais of Frog Lake First Nation signs an agreement in September 2022 whereby 23 First Nations and Métis communities in Alberta acquired an 11.57 per cent ownership interest in seven Enbridge-operated oil sands pipelines for approximately $1 billion. Photo courtesy Enbridge
Reality: Indigenous communities play an important role in the oil sands sector through community agreements, business contracts and, increasingly, project equity ownership.
Oil sands producers spent an average of $1.8 billion per year with 180 Indigenous-affiliated vendors between 2021 and 2023, according to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
Indigenous communities are now owners of key projects that support the oil sands, including Suncor Energy’s East Tank Farm (49 per cent owned by two communities); the Northern Courier pipeline system (14 per cent owned by eight communities); and the Athabasca Trunkline, seven operating Enbridge oil sands pipelines (~12 per cent owned by 23 communities).
These partnerships strengthen Indigenous communities with long-term revenue, helping build economic reconciliation.
Myth: Oil sands development only benefits people in Alberta
The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) on Bay St. Getty Images photo
Reality: Oil sands development benefits Canadians across the country through reliable energy supply, jobs, taxes and government revenues that help pay for services like roads, schools and hospitals.
The sector has contributed approximately $1 trillion to the Canadian economy over the past 25 years, according to analysis by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI).
That reflects total direct spending — including capital investment, operating costs, taxes and royalties — not profits or dividends for shareholders.
More than 2,300 companies outside of Alberta have had direct business with the oilsands, including over 1,300 in Ontario and almost 600 in Quebec, MLI said.
Energy products are by far Canada’s largest export, representing $196 billion, or about one-quarter of Canada’s total trade in 2024, according to Statistics Canada.
Led by the oil sands, Canada’s energy sector directly or indirectly employs more than 445,000 people across the country, according to Natural Resources Canada.
Your province, your plate
For the first time in more than 40 years, Alberta is refreshing its licence plate with a Strong and Free motto, and the final look will be decided by Albertans.
From Oct. 15 until Nov. 5, Albertans can take part in a tournament-style online vote for a new provincial licence plate design that proudly reflects who we are every time we hit the road.
The new licence plate will be available in late 2026 and will be based on a “Strong and Free” theme, echoing the Latin motto of our province and reflecting Alberta’s bold identity, economic strength and deep-rooted provincial pride. The motto’s inclusion on the licence plates will also serve as a nod to Canada’s national anthem and Alberta’s position as a strong and sovereign province within a united Canada.
“From our wide-open landscapes to our entrepreneurial spirit, Alberta has so much to be proud of, and our new licence plate will reflect that pride. For the first time in four decades, Albertans will choose how we tell that story. I look forward to seeing which design is selected to show the world that this is the land of the strong and free.”
With options that include famous Alberta landmarks such as the Three Sisters Mountains, and long-standing symbols of our province’s core industries including agriculture and energy production, the potential plates each contain symbols of Alberta’s beauty, history and spirit.
In the first phase of voting, Albertans can vote for their favourite of eight unique concepts that incorporate Alberta’s unique landscape and history. Following the first phase, four designs will advance to the next round of voting where the top two will be selected, and subsequently, there will be a final vote for the winning plate concept. The winning new licence plate will be announced during the fall session of the legislature.
“Alberta is strong and free, and Albertans will have the opportunity to choose a new licence plate that captures that spirit. The new licence plate will be a fresh design that every Albertan will be proud to show off, whether they’re driving to work, heading to the lake or exploring North America.”
If an Albertan wants to replace their current plate for the new licence plate once it is released, they can voluntarily pay a $28 fee. Alternatively, Albertans could obtain a new plate on their vehicle registration renewal date at no additional cost. Motorists may also continue using the previous licence plate once the new licence plate is brought onboard, provided it is still in good condition.
Quick facts
- Alberta’s current licence plate was designed in 1984.
- In 2021, Alberta began a transition from painted to reflective plates with the same design.
- The new designs each incorporate reflective technology to improve readability for law enforcement and automated systems in low-light conditions, and also meet international standards for visibility, legibility and counterfeit resistance.
Related information
Licence plate designs. Click link above to vote
The City of Red Deer’s Financial Troubles: Here Are The Candidates I Am Voting For And Why.
UN, Gates Foundation push for digital ID across 50 nations by 2028
Click here to help choose Alberta’s new licence plate design
The Trials of Liberty: What the Truckers Taught Canada About Power and Protest
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