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 33 – Justice States Amendment Act, 2026 (No. 2)
Honourable Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice
Bill 33 is an omnibus bill proposing amendments to the Alberta Human Rights Act (AHRA), Court of King’s Bench Act, Education Act, King’s Counsel Act, Legal Profession Act, and the Protecting Victims of Non-consensual Distribution of Intimate Images Act (PVNCDIIA).
The Minister states that the legislation is intended to emphasize merit-based hiring practices in the public sector and makes several administrative and procedural changes to Alberta’s justice system.
Proposed amendments to the AHRA would prohibit public bodies, including municipalities, from implementing hiring or promotion practices that provide preference based on personal characteristics delineated under the Act. While the legislation would not necessarily alter existing human rights protections under AHRA, it would limit the use of employment equity or representation-based considerations in hiring and promotion decisions within affected public organizations.
Bill 33 would also restrict mandatory workplace training requirements in the same public-sector workplaces. Under the proposed amendments, employers would be prohibited from requiring training that seeks to prescribe acceptable or unacceptable opinions or beliefs on political, historical, social, cultural, or “conscience”-based issues. Training related to matters such as race, gender, disability, religion, or other protected characteristics could still be provided on a voluntarily basis, but employers would be required to demonstrate when mandatory participation is necessary for employees’ duties or workplace requirements.
Bill 33 passed through its third reading in the Legislative Assembly on November 5, 2026, and has been sent to the Lieutenant Governor for Royal Proclamation.
Bill 34 – Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Statues Amendment Act, 2026
Honourable Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction
Bill 34 is an omnibus bill that proposes amendments to several Alberta statutes, including the Consumer Protection Act, Land and Property Rights Tribunal Act, Surface Rights Act, and the Oil and Gas Conservation Act, among others. The bill addresses a wide range of matters related to consumer protection, credit reporting, property rights, professional regulation, and administrative processes.
Bill 34 proposes significant changes to Alberta’s land and property rights adjudication framework. Under the proposed amendments, certain matters currently within the sole jurisdiction of the Land and Property Rights Tribunal (LPRT) would be transferred to a re-established and independent Surface Rights Board (SRB). The SRB was amalgamated with three other tribunals in 2021 to create the LPRT, with the objective of streamlining decision-making on matters related to land-use planning, property assessment, and compensation arising from land expropriation.
Specifically, matters relating to drainage operations and rights of entry for conservation and reclamation purposes would be transferred from the LPRT to the SRB, while expropriation-related proceedings would become subject to concurrent jurisdiction. The amendments would restore and expand the SRB’s role in resolving disputes between landowners and resource developers, including re-establishing its sole jurisdiction over matters governed by the Surface Rights Act, such as mineral development, pipelines, and electricity transmission infrastructure. These changes may provide affected landowners with greater access to specialized administrative dispute-resolution mechanisms.
Bill 34’s right-to-repair provisions requiring manufacturers to provide owners and independent repair businesses with access to parts, tools, diagnostic software, and repair information where these resources are not reasonably available through other means. The legislation does not define what constitutes “reasonable” availability, leaving the scope of the requirement open to interpretation. While debate on the provisions has largely focused on consumer electronics and agricultural equipment, the amendments could potentially apply more broadly across a range of manufactured products.
Debate on Bill 34 has generally reflected broad support for the legislation’s objectives and timing. The bill passed second reading in the Legislative Assembly on October 28, 2026, and was referred to Committee of the Whole for further consideration and debate.
Bill 37 – Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2026
Honourable Joseph Schow, Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration
Bill 37 is a relatively concise omnibus bill that proposes amendments to sixteen separate statutes. While most of the amendments are administrative in nature or correct language use, the bill includes changes affecting processes under the Land Titles Act (LTA) and Local Authorities Capital Financing Act (LACF).
Bill 37 amends the Minister’s regulation-making authority respecting the pending registration queue administered under the LTA. The amendments grant the Minister regulation-making authority governing the circumstances in which registration or filing requests may be examined out of sequence. While the changes appear largely administrative, it may provide additional flexibility in the management of the registration queue and the processing of land title documents depending on the regulations created.
Bill 37 also repeals a provision in the LACF that authorized the Minister of Finance to provide loans to regional airport authorities to address financial impacts arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The amendment removes a pandemic-specific financing authority that is no longer considered necessary, signaling Governments’ intention to complete a winding down of pandemic-era programs. Programs that were begun under this provision are not expected to be affected immediately.
Bill 37 passed through its first reading in the Legislative Assembly on October 29, 2026, and awaits further debate and consideration by the Assembly.
Bill 38 – Advanced Education Statutes Amendment Act, 2026
Honourable Myles McDougall, Minister of Advanced Education
Bill 38 seeks to establish greater consistency across Alberta’s publicly funded post-secondary system through amendments related to freedom of expression, institutional neutrality, tuition-setting frameworks, and institutional governance standards.
The Bill would amend the Post-Secondary Learning Act (PSLA) to require all publicly funded post-secondary institutions to establish and maintain a student code of conduct. These codes must address matters related to student misconduct and sexual and gender-based violence, while also incorporating any requirements prescribed by regulation. Although the contents of future regulations have not yet been released, debate on the bill has prompted concerns among some stakeholders that broad regulatory powers could be used to mandate approaches to campus conduct and expression that may prove discriminatory or dangerous.
The bill would also introduce institutional neutrality requirements, requiring student codes of conduct to include provisions directing institutional decision-makers to remain neutral on political, social, and ideological matters that are not directly connected to the institution’s academic mission. Supporters have argued that these provisions will help ensure institutions remain focused on teaching, research, and scholarship, while critics have expressed concern that they may limit the ability of institutions to respond to or fairly discuss contentious social and political issues, inside and outside the classroom.
In addition, Bill 38 would expand ministerial oversight of Alberta’s publicly funded post-secondary system. The Minister would be granted authority to establish tuition caps and exercise greater oversight over program approval processes. Collectively, these amendments seek to promote greater consistency across post-secondary institutions, while raising questions regarding the balance between institutional autonomy and provincial direction.
Bill 38 passed its first reading on November 3, 2026. Debate on the second reading has been extensive, but adjourned since November 5, 2026.
Bill 39 – Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2026 (No. 2)
Honourable Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Advanced Education
Bill 39 is an omnibus bill affecting several separate pieces of healthcare-related legislation, including extensive amendments to the for the Protection for Persons in Care Act (PPCA), the Mental Health Act (MHA), the Public Health Act (PHA), and the not-yet-proclaimed Compassionate Intervention Act (CIA). Proponents argue that the bill would strengthen protections for vulnerable Albertans, improve legislative clarity, and support a modern and effective healthcare system through targeted amendments to several health statutes.
The Bill clarifies the PPCA, establishing which publicly funded care providers are subject to abuse-reporting requirements and adding measures intended to strengthen investigation, enforcement, and appeal processes while maintaining existing protections. Bill 39 also amends the MHA and the CIA to establish coordination channels between health service providers, streamline application and hearing procedures, expand access to information, likely increasing flexibility within Alberta’s forthcoming addiction intervention framework.
Additional amendments would facilitate the transfer of public health inspectors from the outgoing Alberta Health Services to the newly established Primary Care Alberta, while creating reporting and record-keeping requirements for insurance arrangements used to fund elective care outside the public healthcare system. Primary Care Alberta would also be the authority-designate when dealing with matters that engage the municipality directly, including land titles, policing, and fee collection.
A significant component of Bill 39 concerns laboratory funding and oversight. The Bill would certify that publicly funded laboratory services remain available at no upfront cost when they are medically necessary and physician-referred, while ending public funding for laboratory tests associated with uninsured or privately paid services. According to proponents, this change addresses a longstanding policy issue, and is expected to save approximately $12 million annually without affecting access to medically necessary laboratory testing.
The bill also contains administrative amendments related to Alberta’s involuntary addiction treatment framework, including expanded authority for psychiatric nurses to initiate applications, new mechanisms for withdrawing or reconsidering applications, and provisions allowing treatment teams to administer certain non-refusable medications. Supporters contend that these measures would strengthen oversight and consistency, while critics have raised concerns regarding implementation and the potential civil-liberties implications of involuntary treatment.
Bill 39 passed its first reading in the Legislative Assembly on November 4, 2026.
Orders in Council
Order in Council 353/2026
Honourable Dan Williams, Minister of Municipal Affairs
OIC 353/2026 directs the municipalities of Edmonton and Calgary to amend specified land-use and zoning bylaws within three months of the order’s activation.
Edmonton has been ordered to amend Zoning Bylaw 20001 to more closely align with the former Zoning Bylaw 12800 with respect to certain small-scale residential development regulations. Specifically, the Order requires the City to revert aspects of its rules governing residential density and building height to those that were in effect on December 31, 2023, and to restore parking requirements that were in effect on July 1, 2020. These changes would reverse portions of Edmonton’s recent infill reforms and could reduce opportunities for increased residential density within established neighbourhoods.
Similarly, Calgary’s Land Use Bylaw 1P2007 must be amended to establish an overlay affecting residential parcels impacted by Bylaw 9P2026. The Order effectively reverses elements of Calgary’s city-wide rezoning approach by reintroducing additional layers of review and neighbourhood-specific considerations for certain residential developments. The Province has stated that the amendments are intended to align municipal land-use policies with provincial objectives regarding neighbourhood character and public input into planning decisions.
The Order cites the Government of Alberta’s provincial policy direction on infill development, including the objective that new developments be compatible with the established character of existing neighbourhoods. The Province has framed the changes as a means of balancing housing development with local planning considerations and community input, but effectively removes local considerations and efforts that have been evaluated and applied over the past several years.
The Order was issued under authorities created through Bill 28: Municipal Affairs and Housing Statutes Amendment Act, 2026, which expanded provincial powers over certain municipal land use decisions. Municipal stakeholders, including the RMA, previously raised concerns that these provisions could reduce municipal autonomy and limit the ability of locally elected councils to make planning decisions based on local circumstances. OIC 353/2026 represents the first known use of these new provincial intervention powers and may serve as an indication of how the Province intends to exercise its expanded authority over municipal planning matters in the future.
Order in Council 355/2026
Honourable Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education and Childcare
OIC 355/2026 creates the Provincial Strategic Priorities for Education Regulation. This is one of the first exercises of power under the newly created s. 18.01 of the Education Act which allows the minister to establish strategic priorities for the education system that “support student success.”
The Order prescribes for Alberta’s education system a focus on building strong foundations in literacy and numeracy, with intentions of using screenings to monitor progress and identify students who may need early support. The Order also emphasizes “academic mastery” through rigorous instruction and ascribing high expectations, while preparing students to be “engaged and responsible members of society” who understand their rights and responsibilities, appreciate Canada’s history and democratic institutions, and develop skills such as critical thinking, respectful dialogue, and community-minded participation.
OIC 355/2026 will shape curriculum development and teaching priorities until its expiration.
Order in Council 358/2026
Honourable Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education and Childcare
OIC 358/2026 places the responsibility of overseeing the administration of the Alberta Health Act (AHA) under the dual care of both the Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services, Minister Adriana LaGrange, and the Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services, Minister Justin Wright. Minister LaGrange was the previous Minster of Primary and Preventative Health Services until the recent cabinet shuffle in February of this year. Previously, the AHA was under the sole jurisdiction of the Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services.