Alberta
Province offers alberta.ca/bizconnect – information hub for businesses about to open during pandemic
From the Province of Alberta
Supporting Alberta’s businesses through relaunch
To support businesses reopening during stage one of Alberta’s phased relaunch, government is launching a new resource to help them keep their staff and customers safer.
The new alberta.ca/bizconnect webpage will provide business owners with information on health and safety guidelines for general workplaces and sector-specific guidelines for those able to open in stage one of relaunch to ensure businesses can reopen safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As businesses reopen, we’re committed to making sure they have the information they need to operate during the pandemic and get people back to work. We expect businesses to follow these safety measures so that we can continue to reopen our economy while protecting the health and safety of all Albertans.”
As part of government’s commitment to support businesses as they reopen and to eliminate red tape, alberta.ca/bizconnect will include a red tape reduction submission form so business owners can share their ideas on modernizing regulations and reducing red tape, especially as they respond to COVID-19.
“We know that Alberta businesses are dealing with a whole new reality because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We want business owners to continue to let us know how we can help make their lives easier so we can reduce unneeded regulatory barriers to their success and get Albertans back to work.”
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants have provided their communities with safe and reliable meal options and this will continue to be their priority as they reopen their doors to diners. Restaurants Canada looks forward to continuing to work closely with the Alberta government on efforts to help foodservice businesses get ready to reopen their dining rooms and ramp up operations. We appreciate the guidance that the government has provided to help restaurants prepare to resume on-premise dining services as early as May 14.”
“Businesses who are planning to reopen want to ensure they do so safely while following all proper guidelines. A single website with resources will provide small businesses the information they need to reopen and continue their operations while protecting the health and safety of their staff and customers.”
The launch of alberta.ca/bizconnect is part of Alberta’s comprehensive response to COVID-19, which includes measures to enhance physical distancing, screening and testing. Financial supports are helping Alberta families and businesses.
Quick facts
- The website includes guidance documents for sectors currently allowed to operate under public health orders:
- Disability service providers
- Farmers markets
- Golf course operators
- Health non-essential services
- Health sector PPE guidelines
- Homeless shelters
- Industrial work camps
- Private/municipal campgrounds
- Planning documents to prepare businesses for stage one relaunch are posted for:
- Day camps
- Daycare and out-of-school care
- Hair salons and barbershops
- Museums and art galleries
- Outdoor recreation
- Places of worship
- Restaurants
- Retail
CALGARY — The Alberta Energy Regulator says it is suspending licences for thousands of wells and pipelines after an oil and gas producer failed to bring its operations into regulatory compliance.
The regulator says it has ordered SanLing Energy Ltd. to suspend its 2,266 wells, 227 facilities and 2,170 pipelines and ensure they are left in a state that’s safe for the public and the environment.
It adds the company currently owes $67 million in security to the AER for its assets’ end-of-life obligations.
The company is being asked to comply with past orders to clean up historic spills and contamination, ensure its emergency response number is working and provide a detailed plan to maintain its assets while they are suspended.
The AER says it issued an order to SanLing in September because of a poor compliance record and its outstanding security issues.
It says it met with the company several times over the past five months to request a plan to come back into compliance but the company’s responses proved to be inadequate.
“If SanLing, or any company, wants to do business in Alberta, they must follow our rules,” said Blair Reilly, AEB director of enforcement and emergency management, in a news release.
“We cannot allow a company that has ignored the rules continue to operate—that’s not in Alberta’s interest.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2021.
The Canadian Press
CALGARY — The federal government is unveiling proposed regulations for its greenhouse gas offset program that will govern how developers can register and sell credits earned through projects that reduce emissions.
Environment and Climate Change Canada says one credit will be issued for each tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent reduced or removed from the environment, adding that eligible projects must be in Canada and offer “real, additional, quantified, unique and permanent GHG reductions.”
The projects will have to be registered and approved, monitored and face third-party verification before credits can be sold to industrial buyers for use to offset their greenhouse gas emissions and thus reduce their carbon tax costs.
In a briefing, department officials said the federal program will not compete with credit generators under similar programs offered in provinces such as Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec, adding approved carbon offsets can only be used once.
The regulations are to undergo a 60-day comment period ending May 5 and final regulations are to be established by next fall.
Meanwhile, the department will be developing protocols to govern how various types of offsets will be regulated. On Friday, it unveiled proposed protocols for advanced refrigeration system upgrading, landfill methane reductions, and forest and agricultural land management.
In December, Ottawa announced a $15-billion plan to meet its climate change commitments that includes steady annual increases to its carbon tax from $50 per tonne in 2022 to $170 per tonne by 2030.
Canada wants to get to a 32 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030, slightly more than its 30 per cent Paris agreement commitment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2021.
The Canadian Press
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