These bulletins summarize and explain the important and relevant details of potential and upcoming legislation in Alberta, including notable Orders in Council.
Members’ Issues and Related Bills or Activities
Bill 15 – Public Safety and Emergency Services Statutes Amendment Act, 2026
Honourable Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services
Bill 15 represents a major step toward establishing a provincial police force by amending the Police Act to allow the Minister to transfer Alberta employees, including the roughly 600 sheriffs currently performing policelike duties, into the new Alberta Sheriffs Police Services (ASPS).
The GOA argues this authority will support a smooth transition as the existing sheriff structure is wound down and ASPS is built out. While the GOA maintains that training and qualification requirements will be addressed, the legislation itself focuses primarily on transferring staff into comparable roles, leaving open questions about how training will be funded and whether communities may experience policing capacity gaps during and after the transition.
Bill 15 swiftly passed through the Committee of the Whole – unamended – on March 19 and will now return to the Assembly for its Third Reading.
Bill 17 – Fiscal Measures Statutes Amendment Act, 2026
Honourable Nate Horner, President of Treasury Board and Finance
Bill 17 amends seven pieces of legislation related to Budget 2026, including consolidation of caregiver supports, increasing the tourism levy, and amending the levy calculation for computer equipment in data centres. Minister Horner introduced the Bill calling it a disciplined plan that sets clear priorities in an effort to deliver real results for Albertans.
Bill 17 removes the off-grid exemption for power supply of data centres in the Alberta Corporate Tax Act, effectively reversing a previous amendment that encouraged grid power use. In its place, the Bill introduces a formula that applies levies to the amount of grid electricity consumed in a calendar year. The Government presents this amendment as a clarification: that the levy rate for data centres will be based on actual grid usage, and that only onsite generation will qualify for a 0% rate.
The change is intended to reduce costs associated with onsite power production and may increase incentives for data centres to invest in their own energy generation capacity. However, it also introduces the risk that promised increases in local power generation capacity tied to AI datacentre integration in the community may be less likely to materialize.
The Bill would also increase Alberta’s tourism levy rate from 4% to 6%. After March 31, this higher rate will be applied to the purchase price of hotel, motel, hostel, and similar temporary lodging accommodations in Alberta. If current trends in hospitality and tourism continue, the increased levy is projected to generate an additional $66 million in revenue for the 2026 fiscal year.
Bill 17 passed its second reading on March 25 and now goes to the Committee of the Whole for evaluation and possible amendment.
Bill 19 and Bill 20 – Appropriation Act and Appropriation (Supplementary) Act, 2026
Honourable Nate Horner, President of Treasury Board and Finance
Bill 19 and Bill 20 work in concert to actualize spending authority for the offices of the Legislative Assembly and the GOA.
Specifically, the Bill 19 authorizes $218 million for the Legislative Assembly, $62.5 billion in government expense, $4.8 billion in capital investments, and $1.4 billion for financial transactions. This Bill also includes a $2 billion contingency to address unexpected pressures during the year, including support for Albertans and communities facing emergencies such as natural disasters. Bill 20 further authorizes $326 million in expense funding, $18 million in capital investment, $202 million in other financial transactions, $18 million for the Legislative Assembly offices, and $734 million in transfers between ministries.
Spending authorization bills like these are typically noncontroversial – at least in terms of the actual content held within. Debate focused less on the Bills themselves and more on broader concerns about Budget 2026, including variance in allocations and the underlying causes Alberta’s current deficit.
Both Bill 19 and 20 passed through evaluation by the Committee of the Whole – unamended – on March 25.
Orders in Council
Order in Council 091/2026
Honourable Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services
OIC 091/2026 makes a simple amendment to the Peace Officer Regulation to account for the newly established sections of the Police Act authorizing the Independent Agency Police Services (IAPS). This further integrates the upcoming independent provincial police services promised by the GOA.
Order in Council 095/2026
Honourable Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services
OIC 095/2026 amends the lengthy named Alberta Health Services Provincial Health Corporation Regulation to exclude the financial impacts of a property transfer from a regional health authority to its successor in the fiscal evaluation of surplus and deficits.
Order in Council 103/2026
Honourable Nathan Neudorf, Minister of Affordability and Utilities
OIC 103/2026 amends the Transmission Regulation in two ways: (1) by asking the independent systems operator (AESO) to make all reasonable efforts to maintain inter-state ancillary services at specified amounts, and (2) to refund application costs for cancelled system access requests from qualifying energy generation or storage unit.
Inter-state ancillary services between Alberta and British Columbia, and Alberta and Montana, will now be required to be maintained at specified levels in the event of diminished capacity or capabilities. This means that AESO must make all reasonable efforts to ensure that electricity that crosses the specified borders meets certain thresholds irrespective of the cause of the capacity shortage.
Cancelled system access requests made between January 1, 2025, and December 1, 2025, will be refunded minus amounts paid attributable to tariffs applied by AESO.
Order in Council 104/2026
Honourable Nathan Neudorf, Minister of Affordability and Utilities
OIC 104/2026 gives effect to certain sections of Bill 52 (2025) on the Electric Utilities Act and further amending the Transmission Regulation to account for these changes.
This Order repeals significant sections of the Regulation ensuring AESO monitors and reports to the public costs associated with transmission lines, including maintenance and loss, in respect of changes to be applied following Bill 52 (2025). The Bill would, instead, require AESO to incorporate these factors into the management of transmission constraints – including costs associated with transmitting electricity – as part of planning for the efficient and effective delivery of power to the market. Prices must be made publicly available; the factors that lead to the prices do not.
The specific provision of Bill 52 (2025) has not yet come into force. The Order will come into effect at the same time as the specific provisions of Bill 52 (2025).
Ian Profiri
Policy & Research Analyst
825.319.2352
ian@RMAlberta.com
Wyatt Skovron
General Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com