Alberta
Stoney Nakoda RCMP conduct drone trials to enhance safety of Albertans
Alberta RCMP testing Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems drone technology (Photo from Alberta RCMP Facebook page)
News release from the Alberta RCMP
Keep an eye on the sky!
Stoney Nakoda, Alta. – From June 4-June 15, 2024, Stoney Nakoda RCMP will be participating in a ‘pilot’ program to test Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), commonly known as drones, and how it can be used to respond to calls for service. Stoney Nakoda was selected as one of three communities for the RPAS trials, scheduled for May and June of this year. The trials are being held in a mid-sized community, large municipality, and an Indigenous community.
RPAS technology is already used by the Alberta RCMP for a variety of needs including traffic accident reconstruction, search and rescue, major crimes investigation, and emergency response team calls. The trial is being conducted as another step in exploring potential new ways RPAS technology can be used to help ensure the safety of Albertans.
The objectives of the trials are to learn more about RPAS, to test different technologies, and to determine how RPAS can be used to better serve our communities.
During the trial period, the RCMP will be testing a new type of service delivery where RPAS will be used to assist police responding to certain calls by providing air support. RPAS will be deployed from the Stoney Tribal Administration Building (40 Morley Rd, Morley, AB) for various calls to service including crimes in progress, flight from police, suspicious persons, missing persons, assist EMS/Fire, or even to support natural disaster response.
The decision to further explore and expand RPAS usage was made following thorough research into the use of the technology by law enforcement in other jurisdictions. The decision is also based on recommendations to increase air support made by the Mass Casualty Commission following the Mass Casualty Event in Nova Scotia.
“We’re always excited to work with the people of Stoney Nakoda to figure out new ways that we can serve the community,” says Inspector Dave Brunner, Officer in Charge of the Stoney Nakoda RCMP. “These RPAS trials will give us the opportunity to test new technology and develop new methodologies that will help ensure the safety of members, our communities, and help us continue to build trust and confidence with the people we serve.”
The expansion of the RPAS program is being done in consultation with the RCMP National RPAS Program, law enforcement partners, municipal and provincial governments, and industry experts to ensure that the program is developed to best meet the needs of Albertans. Following the trial, the RCMP will evaluate the program to determine if RPAS can be used to enhance public safety and will update the public on the results.
The Stoney Nakoda Tribal leadership, which includes Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney bands, wish to share:
“The Stoney Nakoda Nation welcomes the RCMP Drone-Trial Project and looks forward to assisting them in providing an enhanced police service to First Nations while respecting the privacy and culture of our people. We hope this new technology will aid the RCMP in reducing the levels of drug trafficking, the crime and pain this brings to our Nation. We look forward to receiving further briefings from the RCMP on the results of the trial and how this new capability will aid in providing increased safety and security to our people.”
RCMP-provided information related to the local RPAS trial will be hosted at Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Pilot Program (rcmp-grc.gc.ca).
“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
Oh, Canada
We find it endlessly fascinating that most Canadians believe they live in a representative democracy, where aspiring candidates engage in authentic politicking to earn their place in office. So accustomed are Canada’s power brokers to getting their way, they rarely bother to cover their tracks. A careful reading of the notoriously pliant Canadian press makes anticipating future events in the country surprisingly straightforward.
Back in December, when Pierre Poilievre was given better than 90% odds of replacing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau—and Mark Carney was still just an uncharismatic banker few had heard of—we engaged in some not-so-speculative dot-connecting and correctly predicted Carney’s rise to the top spot. Our interest was driven by the notoriously rocky relationship between Ottawa and the Province of Alberta, home to one of the world’s largest hydrocarbon reserves, and how Carney’s rise might be a catalyst for resetting Canada’s energy trajectory. In a follow-up article titled “The Fix Is In,” we laid out a few more predictions:
“Here’s how the play is likely to unfold in the weeks and months ahead: Carney will be elected Prime Minister on April 28 by a comfortable margin; [Alberta Premier Danielle] Smith will trigger a constitutional crisis, providing cover for Carney to strike a grand bargain that finally resolves longstanding tensions between the provinces and Ottawa; and large infrastructure permitting reform will fall into place. Protests against these developments will be surprisingly muted, and those who do take to the streets will be largely ignored by the media. The entire effort will be wrapped in a thicket of patriotism, with Trump portrayed as a threat even greater than climate change itself. References to carbon emissions will slowly fade…
In parallel, we expect Trump and Carney to swiftly strike a favorable deal on tariffs, padding the latter’s bona fides just as his political capital will be most needed.”
The votes have barely been counted, yet the next moves are already unfolding…
“Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she’ll make it easier for citizens to initiate a referendum on the province’s future in Canada, after warning that a Liberal win in Monday’s election could spur a groundswell of support for Alberta separatism. Smith said on Tuesday that a newly tabled elections bill will give everyday Albertans a bigger say in the province’s affairs.
‘(We’re giving) Albertans more ways to be directly involved in democracy, and to have their say on issues that matter to them,’ Smith told reporters in Edmonton.
If passed, the new law would dramatically lower the number of signatures needed to put a citizen-proposed constitutional referendum question on the ballot, setting a new threshold of 10 per cent of general election turnout — or just over 175,000, based on Alberta’s last provincial election in 2023.”
“US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is looking to make a trade deal and will visit the White House within the next week. Trump said he congratulated Carney on his election victory when the Canadian leader called on Tuesday.
‘He called me up yesterday – he said let’s make a deal,’ Trump told reporters at the White House after a televised Cabinet meeting.”
Remember where you read it first.
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