Alberta
RCMP looking for suspect in connection to robbery and kidnapping
From Ponoka RCMP
Ponoka RCMP lay charges after social media meeting results in kidnapping – Female Wanted
The Ponoka RCMP have laid charges and made arrests against two males and a female following a 911 complaint of a kidnapping, beating and robbery which occurred on Sept. 7.
At 4:23 a.m. on Sept. 7, Ponoka RCMP were alerted to the above incident which was reported to have occurred, hours earlier, in Ponoka. Investigation reveals that a 22-year-old male victim from Slave Lake met a female online, and after almost a year of online communication, agreed to meet her. The male got into a vehicle, determined to be previously stolen, with the female in Ponoka.
Allegations are that the while in the vehicle, the male was assaulted by two unknown males, one of whom had a gun. Over a lengthy period, the male was driven to several banks where he was forced to provide his banking information in order for withdrawals to be made from his accounts. The victim’s truck and cell phone was stolen, and he was eventually dropped off in Blackfalds.
Ponoka RCMP General Investigation Section members collaborated with Red Deer and Blackfalds RCMP to coordinate intelligence on this incident. The suspects were identified as Amber Loretta Knickle (21), Jared Michael Mcleod (26) and Chasetin Jon Arthur Morin (25). Charges were sworn against all three subjects. An arrest warrant was issued for Knickle on Sept. 9 and for Mcleod and Morin on Sept. 15.
Knickle is charged with robbery, while Mcleod and Morin are charged with robbery with a firearm (x2), kidnapping and assault.
On Sept. 16 at 11:58 a.m., the Central Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit located a stolen vehicle in Gasoline Alley, and with assistance from Blackfalds RCMP, arrested Jared Mcleod and Chasetin Morin, who were both in the vehicle. A search of the vehicle incidental to arrest led the RCMP to recover an imitation firearm, a loaded shotgun, ammunition, methamphetamine, and at least 61 pieces of miscellaneous stolen identity documents. Charges are pending.
At the time of his arrest, Morin was wanted on an arrest warrant out of Red Deer for an earlier incident where he fled from police while driving the victim’s stolen truck.
The RCMP have been unable to locate Amber Loretta Knickle and are seeking public assistance. Amber is described as:
– Caucasian female
– 5’3” tall / 119 lbs.
– Blonde / brown hair and green eyes
– Unknown tattoo on one of her fingers
If you have information about the whereabouts of Amber Knickle, please contact the Ponoka RCMP at 403-783-4472 or call your local police. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com ( http://www.p3tips.com) or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.
Alberta
Alberta government should create flat 8% personal and business income tax rate in Alberta
From the Fraser Institute
By Tegan Hill
If the Smith government reversed the 2015 personal income tax rate increases and instituted a flat 8 per cent tax rate, it would help restore Alberta’s position as one of the lowest tax jurisdictions in North America
Over the past decade, Alberta has gone from one of the most competitive tax jurisdictions in North America to one of the least competitive. And while the Smith government has promised to create a new 8 per cent tax bracket on personal income below $60,000, it simply isn’t enough to restore Alberta’s tax competitiveness. Instead, the government should institute a flat 8 per cent personal and business income tax rate.
Back in 2014, Alberta had a single 10 per cent personal and business income tax rate. As a result, it had the lowest top combined (federal and provincial/state) personal income tax rate and business income tax rate in North America. This was a powerful advantage that made Alberta an attractive place to start a business, work and invest.
In 2015, however, the provincial NDP government replaced the single personal income tax rate of 10 percent with a five-bracket system including a top rate of 15 per cent, so today Alberta has the 10th-highest personal income tax rate in North America. The government also increased Alberta’s 10 per cent business income tax rate to 12 per cent (although in 2019 the Kenney government began reducing the rate to today’s 8 per cent).
If the Smith government reversed the 2015 personal income tax rate increases and instituted a flat 8 per cent tax rate, it would help restore Alberta’s position as one of the lowest tax jurisdictions in North America, all while saving Alberta taxpayers $1,573 (on average) annually.
And a truly integrated flat tax system would not only apply a uniform tax 8 per cent rate to all sources of income (including personal and business), it would eliminate tax credits, deductions and exemptions, which reduce the cost of investments in certain areas, increasing the relative cost of investment in others. As a result, resources may go to areas where they are not most productive, leading to a less efficient allocation of resources than if these tax incentives did not exist.
Put differently, tax incentives can artificially change the relative attractiveness of goods and services leading to sub-optimal allocation. A flat tax system would not only improve tax efficiency by reducing these tax-based economic distortions, it would also reduce administration costs (expenses incurred by governments due to tax collection and enforcement regulations) and compliance costs (expenses incurred by individuals and businesses to comply with tax regulations).
Finally, a flat tax system would also help avoid negative incentives that come with a progressive marginal tax system. Currently, Albertans are taxed at higher rates as their income increases, which can discourage additional work, savings and investment. A flat tax system would maintain “progressivity” as the proportion of taxes paid would still increase with income, but minimize the disincentive to work more and earn more (increasing savings and investment) because Albertans would face the same tax rate regardless of how their income increases. In sum, flat tax systems encourage stronger economic growth, higher tax revenues and a more robust economy.
To stimulate strong economic growth and leave more money in the pockets of Albertans, the Smith government should go beyond its current commitment to create a new tax bracket on income under $60,000 and institute a flat 8 per cent personal and business income tax rate.
Author:
Alberta
Province to stop municipalities overcharging on utility bills
Making utility bills more affordableAlberta’s government is taking action to protect Alberta’s ratepayers by introducing legislation to lower and stabilize local access fees. Affordability is a top priority for Alberta’s government, with the cost of utilities being a large focus. By introducing legislation to help reduce the cost of utility bills, the government is continuing to follow through on its commitment to make life more affordable for Albertans. This is in addition to the new short-term measures to prevent spikes in electricity prices and will help ensure long-term affordability for Albertans’ basic household expenses.
Local access fees are functioning as a regressive municipal tax that consumers pay on their utility bills. It is unacceptable for municipalities to be raking in hundreds of millions in surplus revenue off the backs of Alberta’s ratepayers and cause their utility bills to be unpredictable costs by tying their fees to a variable rate. Calgarians paid $240 in local access fees on average in 2023, compared to the $75 on average in Edmonton, thanks to Calgary’s formula relying on a variable rate. This led to $186 million more in fees being collected by the City of Calgary than expected.
To protect Alberta’s ratepayers, the Government of Alberta is introducing the Utilities Affordability Statutes Amendment Act, 2024. If passed, this legislation would promote long-term affordability and predictability for utility bills by prohibiting the use of variable rates when calculating municipalities’ local access fees. Variable rates are highly volatile, which results in wildly fluctuating electricity bills. When municipalities use this rate to calculate their local access fees, it results in higher bills for Albertans and less certainty in families’ budgets. These proposed changes would standardize how municipal fees are calculated across the province, and align with most municipalities’ current formulas.
If passed, the Utilities Affordability Statutes Amendment Act, 2024 would prevent municipalities from attempting to take advantage of Alberta’s ratepayers in the future. It would amend sections of the Electric Utilities Act and Gas Utilities Act to ensure that the Alberta Utilities Commission has stronger regulatory oversight on how these municipal fees are calculated and applied, ensuring Alberta ratepayer’s best interests are protected.
If passed, this legislation would also amend sections of the Alberta Utilities Commission Act, the Electric Utilities Act, Government Organizations Act and the Regulated Rate Option Stability Act to replace the terms “Regulated Rate Option”, “RRO”, and “Regulated Rate Provider” with “Rate of Last Resort” and “Rate of Last Resort Provider” as applicable. Quick facts
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