Connect with us

Alberta

Province launching review of Calgary Board of Education

Published

1 minute read

From the Province of Alberta

Calgary Board of Education review underway

The province has launched an independent, external review to examine the finances and governance of the Calgary Board of Education.

The financial and governance review was deemed necessary after the Calgary Board of Education demonstrated an inability to appropriately manage its finances following a series of questionable decisions.

“I expect all boards to prioritize the educational experience of Alberta’s students. With an operating budget of $1.2 billion, I believe the Calgary Board of Education has many options available that would allow it to operate within its budget allocation while still providing students with a world-class, high-quality education. My hope is that this inquiry will provide context to recent board decisions, so we can provide them with much-needed guidance.”

Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Education

The review into the board’s financial cost-management processes and governance, led by Grant Thornton LLP, will begin immediately. The report, which is expected to cost between $100,000 and $125,000, is due to the minister by Jan. 31, 2020. The minister will be provided with information on board finances and board governance.

The review was ordered under Section 70(1) of the Education Act, which allows the minister to appoint a person to conduct an inquiry into the administrative and financial condition of a board, private school or early childhood services program.

After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

Follow Author

Alberta

Alberta Cabinet shuffle reflects new ministries. Adriana LaGrange in charge of “health care refocusing”

Published on

Premier Danielle Smith has made changes to cabinet to address key priorities of Albertans.

Following the conclusion of the spring sitting of the legislature, and the resignation of the Honourable Ric McIver from his cabinet position to serve as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Premier Smith has made changes to her cabinet and caucus leadership.

The new cabinet comprises both seasoned and newly appointed ministers, reflecting Alberta’s diverse population. Together, they are committed to serving all Albertans and striving to unlock the province’s full potential. Those members taking on new roles include:

  • Minister of Advanced Education, Myles McDougall
  • Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services, Matt Jones
  • Minister of Indigenous Relations, Rajan Sawhney
  • Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade, and Immigration, Joseph Schow
  • Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, Rick Wilson
  • Minister of Municipal Affairs, Dan Williams
  • Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services, Adriana LaGrange
  • Minister of Tourism and Sport, Andrew Boitchenko
  • Associate Minister of Multiculturalism, Mohammed Yaseen
  • Associate Minister of Water, Grant Hunter

Additionally, Grant Hunter will be serving as the Chief Government Whip.

The Honourable Demetrios Nicolaides will be adding childcare to his portfolio and become the Minister of Education and Childcare. The Honourable Jason Nixon will also see his title changed to the Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services to reflect his oversight of Assisted Living Alberta.

“I’m eager to collaborate with this dedicated team to fulfill the commitments we made to Albertans during the last election. Our government has already addressed many key priorities of Albertans, but we know there is more work to do, and I’m excited to continue working alongside each of my cabinet colleagues as we move forward an ambitious agenda for Albertans.”

Danielle Smith, Premier

This new cabinet also serves as the critical next step in the journey to refocus Alberta’s health care system. Each of the four health care agencies – Primary Care Alberta, Acute Care Alberta, Assisted Living Alberta, and Recovery Alberta – are now established, and will now each have a corresponding minister responsible. Minister LaGrange will continue to oversee the health care re-focusing efforts.

“I’m pleased to continue the important work of re-focusing our health care system with the support of my colleagues. Moving forward, we will work together to ensure that patients in our health care system have an integrated seamless experience and get the care they need when and where they need it.”

Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services

Cabinet members will be tasked with working collaboratively to complete the important work that Albertans voted for, including continuing to grow the economy, keep life affordable, reform the health care system, fight crime, and defend Alberta from punitive federal government policies.

Continue Reading

Alberta

Alberta group releases referendum question on leaving Canada, becoming ‘sovereign country’

Published on

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

‘Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a Sovereign Country and cease to be a province of Canada?’ reads the proposed question from Alberta Prosperity Project, which says it has over 240,000 pledges to vote ‘yes’ on the referendum.

A group behind a citizen-led movement for Alberta’s independence from Canada in light of increasing frustration with the Liberal federal government made public the question it will put to a future referendum that could come in 2026.

The Alberta Prosperity Project (APP), which bills itself as a sovereignty advocacy group, released Monday the question it wants on a referendum.

“Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a Sovereign Country and cease to be a province of Canada?” the question reads.

Thus far, the group says it has over 240,000 pledges from people who say they will vote “yes” to the referendum question. The group wants to have at least 1 million signatures, which is more than the 600,000 needed before a citizen-led petition would be allowed to be brought before Alberta’s legislature.

The APP says its mission is to “empower the Alberta government to restructure Alberta’s relationship with Canada by educating and mobilizing public support for Alberta Sovereignty.”

As reported by LifeSiteNews, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her conservative government will allow but not support a citizen-led referendum on independence.

Smith’s comments came after she said recently that she would consider taking serious steps for Alberta to have greater autonomy from Canada after the Liberals were re-elected to a fourth consecutive term.

Asked about the APP’s statement, Smith said, “I’ve made my position clear.”

“I support a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada, and it’s my job to see if we can get a new deal with Ottawa, so that I can convince more Albertans to feel the same,” she said to the press.

As it stands, Albertans can call a referendum under the Referendum Act and the Citizen Initiative Act, but in order to trigger such a vote, citizens would first have to collect signatures from 20 percent of eligible voters (about 600,000 citizens) within just 90 days and do so on an official government-approved petition.

Some pre-election polls have shown independence sentiment on the rise among Albertans, with over 30 percent favoring a move toward sovereignty.

The calls for independence have grown since Liberal leader Mark Carney defeated Conservative rival Pierre Poilievre, who also lost his seat in the 2025 federal election. In Alberta, almost all of the seats except two went to conservatives.

Carney, like former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before him, said he is opposed to new pipeline projects that would allow Alberta oil and gas to be unleashed. Also, his green agenda, like Trudeau’s, is at odds with Alberta’s main economic driver, its oil and gas industry.

Continue Reading

Trending

X