Alberta
Red Deer Public School Board leading educators across the province to push for tougher vaping laws
From Red Deer Public Schools
Trustees see unanimous support on tougher youth vaping laws
The Board of Trustees for Red Deer Public Schools continues to lead the way when it comes to seeking tougher vaping laws to protect youth.
At the Alberta School Boards Association Fall Annual General Meeting last week, the Trustees for Red Deer Public School Board put forward a motion urging all levels of government to align restrictions on the consumption, promotion, marketing and sale of vaping products with those on tobacco products.
Recognizing the real issue this is to youth and schools, the motion was unanimously supported by all other school boards in the province. ASBA will now advocate tougher vaping laws to the provincial government.
“There have been real challenges with bylaws and legislation from the municipal, provincial and federal level in keeping up and protecting students,” said Nicole Buchanan, Board Chair for Red Deer Public Schools. “We are encouraged by the unanimous support we received from all other school boards in the province as we confidently move forward in protecting the health and well-being of our students.”
After years of real progress in creating a smoke-free generation, we are slipping back with the real risk of significant numbers of youth being addicted to nicotine and becoming smokers. Previously tobacco users were a “fringe” group of students – now we are seeing students from all grade levels and profiles vaping including athletes, artistic, and academic students.
Last year, our schools saw a significant increase in students using vaping products, and it ranked as the number one reason for student suspensions. Statistics indicate in 2017, nearly 36,000 junior and senior high school students used vaping devices in Alberta. Since then, those numbers have grown.
The use of vaping products has increased so dramatically that Health Canada recently issued a national plea for help in what has become a runaway public health problem. Canada’s Chief Medical Officer is concerned about the seismic shifts in the nicotine market in a short period of time and the alarming number of youth vaping in Canada.
Youth are being targeted with alluring nicotine flavoured devices. The high concentrations of nicotine in vaping products are making young people addicted to these products in a very short time. As a result of the strong addiction to nicotine, students aren’t just vaping outside, they are using these products in bathrooms, hallways and even in classrooms. We are concerned about the health of our students.
Last spring, all high schools in Red Deer united with the City of Red Deer Bylaw Enforcement to curb vape use, and its negative side effects, on students. Students caught vaping at any Red Deer high schools will be issued:
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1-day suspension for the first offense.
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3-day suspension for the second offense.
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5-day suspension for the third offense.
Under the City of Red Deer Bylaw, anyone caught vaping in a public place could face the following fines:
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A $200.00 fine for the first offense.
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A $500.00 fine for the second offense.
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Up to $2,500 fine for the third offense.
The coordinated efforts have been effective. Our schools have seen the positive impact greater awareness and enforcement has had on student vaping.
The Board hopes this resolution, and the actions recommended will see future reductions in vaping among youth.
From the Canadian Energy Centre
By Will Gibson
Alberta oil sands projects poised to grow on lower costs, strong reserves
As geopolitical uncertainty ripples through global energy markets, a new report says Alberta’s oil sands sector is positioned to grow thanks to its lower costs.
Enverus Intelligence Research’s annual Oil Sands Play Fundamentals forecasts producers will boost output by 400,000 barrels per day (bbls/d) by the end of this decade through expansions of current operations.
“Existing oil sands projects deliver some of the lowest-breakeven oil in North America at WTI prices lower than $50 U.S. dollars,” said Trevor Rix, a director with the Calgary-based research firm, a subsidiary of Enverus which is headquartered in Texas with operations in Europe and Asia.
Alberta’s oil sands currently produce about 3.4 million bbls/d. Individual companies have disclosed combined proven reserves of about 30 billion barrels, or more than 20 years of current production.
A recent sector-wide reserves analysis by McDaniel & Associates found the oil sands holds about 167 billion barrels of reserves, compared to about 20 billion barrels in Texas.
While trade tensions and sustained oil price declines may marginally slow oil sands growth in the short term, most projects have already had significant capital invested and can withstand some volatility.
Cenovus Energy’s Christina Lake oil sands project. Photo courtesy Cenovus Energy
“While it takes a large amount of out-of-pocket capital to start an oil sands operation, they are very cost effective after that initial investment,” said veteran S&P Global analyst Kevin Birn.
“Optimization,” where companies tweak existing operations for more efficient output, has dominated oil sands growth for the past eight years, he said. These efforts have also resulted in lower cost structures.
“That’s largely shielded the oil sands from some of the inflationary costs we’ve seen in other upstream production,” Birn said.
Added pipeline capacity through expansion of the Trans Mountain system and Enbridge’s Mainline have added an incentive to expand production, Rix said.
The increased production will also spur growth in regions of western Canada, including the Montney and Duvernay, which Enverus analysts previously highlighted as increasingly crucial to meet rising worldwide energy demand.
“Increased oil sands production will see demand increase for condensate, which is used as diluent to ship bitumen by pipeline, which has positive implications for growth in drilling in liquids-rich regions such as the Montney and Duvernay,” Rix said.
“If Ottawa had it’s way Albertans would be left to freeze in the dark”
The ineffective federal net-zero electricity regulations will not reduce emissions or benefit Albertans but will increase costs and lead to supply shortages.
The risk of power outages during a hot summer or the depths of harsh winter cold snaps, are not unrealistic outcomes if these regulations are implemented. According to the Alberta Electric System Operator’s analysis, the regulations in question would make Alberta’s electricity system more than 100 times less reliable than the province’s supply adequacy standard. Albertans expect their electricity to remain affordable and reliable, but implementation of these regulations could increase costs by a staggering 35 per cent.
Canada’s constitution is clear. Provinces have exclusive jurisdiction over the development, conservation and management of sites and facilities in the province for the generation and production of electrical energy. That is why Alberta’s government is referring the constitutionality of the federal government’s recent net-zero electricity regulations to the Court of Appeal of Alberta.
“The federal government refused to work collaboratively or listen to Canadians while developing these regulations. The results are ineffective, unachievable and irresponsible, and place Albertans’ livelihoods – and more importantly, lives – at significant risk. Our government will not accept unconstitutional net-zero regulations that leave Albertans vulnerable to blackouts in the middle of summer and winter when they need electricity the most.”
“The introduction of the Clean Electricity Regulations in Alberta by the federal government is another example of dangerous federal overreach. These regulations will create unpredictable power outages in the months when Albertans need reliable energy the most. They will also cause power prices to soar in Alberta, which will hit our vulnerable the hardest.”
Finalized in December 2024, the federal electricity regulations impose strict carbon limits on fossil fuel power, in an attempt to force a net-zero grid, an unachievable target given current technology and infrastructure. The reliance on unproven technologies makes it almost impossible to operate natural gas plants without costly upgrades, threatening investment, grid reliability, and Alberta’s energy security.
“Ottawa’s electricity regulations will leave Albertans in the dark. They aren’t about reducing emissions – they are unconstitutional, ideological activist policies based on standards that can’t be met and technology that doesn’t exist. It will drive away investment and punish businesses, provinces and families for using natural gas for reliable, dispatchable power. We will not put families at risk from safety and affordability impacts – rationing power during the coldest days of the year – and we will continue to stand up for Albertans.”
“Albertans depend on electricity to provide for their families, power their businesses and pursue their dreams. The federal government’s Clean Electricity Regulations threaten both the affordability and reliability of our power grid, and we will not stand by as these regulations put the well-being of Albertans at risk.”
Related information
- Conference Board of Canada socio-economic Impacts of Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan – (April 2025)
- Alberta Electric System Operator’s position on Canadian Energy Regulations
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