Coming off the heels of the federal election, the Alberta Legislature got right back to work debating and passing meaningful legislation. Recognizing the importance of the direction Alberta will take in light of the new structure of Parliament, the Legislature sat for two consecutive evenings through Monday and Tuesday to focus on federal-provincial relations.
Visitors to the Legislature this week included the Ponoka Storm U15 Girls Soccer team who will be representing Canada at the Iber Cup in Portugal later this year, representatives from Water Movement, an Indigenous group ensuring communities have the training and resources needed to supply clean water, and a group of Buddhist monks from California. Legislature also took a moment to recognize the tragic loss of life that occurred over the weekend at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival in Vancouver.
Members’ Issues and Related Bills or Activities
Bill 50 – Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, 2025
Honourable Ric McIver, Minister of Municipal Affairs
Bill 50 seeks to modify four pieces of legislation relevant to municipalities in Alberta: the Local Authorities Election Act, the Municipal Government Act, the New Home Buyer Protection Act, and the Safety Codes Act.
The Bill makes significant changes to the intermunicipal collaboration framework process, repeals all municipal codes of conduct, and introduces a funding scheme for municipal parties during an election. The Bill also changes significant aspects of the practice, administration, and recall of chief administrative officers.
RMA recently conducted a detailed analysis of Bill 50. Numerous questions have been raised by our members; RMA is actively seeking clarification from the Minister on several issues.
Bill 50 passed its second reading, on division, on April 30.
Bill 52 – Energy and Utilities Statues Amendment Act, 2025
Honourable Nathan Neudorf, Minister of Affordability and Utilities
Bill 52 makes several significant changes to the Electric Utilities Act. These include restructuring the energy market to replace the current Alberta Electric Systems Operator (AESO) power pool with a day-ahead and real-time market, modifying the duties of AESO to minimize interference in the energy market, and allow the Minister to create new regulations without committee oversight. The Bill would also permit hydrogen-blended gas to be used for residential and commercial purposes. These changes are expected to take effect by 2027.
If passed, Bill 52 would assist the electricity market move away from the current “zero-congestion” model which encouraged unfettered infrastructure expansion. In addition to market-based mechanisms, the amendments would encourage AESO to development transmission systems that permit greater exchange of electricity through minimal infrastructure. The changes may introduce risk to generators seeking to deliver electricity to the grid, as there would be reduced capacity for new or growing generators, but would reduce costs associated with building and maintaining an ever-expanding grid.
Bill 52 passed its second reading on April 30.
Bill 54 – Election Statutes Amendment Act, 2025
Honourable Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice
Bill 54 would introduce significant changes to seven pieces of election-related legislation. Among the many changes proposed, the Bill would ban electronic and out-of-riding ballots while expanding the use of special ballots, eliminates vouching for voters, require vote-counts to be complete within 12 hours of the closing of the voting period, reduce advertising restrictions during elections, allow corporations and unions to make political donations, and increase the donation limit. The Bill would also make it easier for referendum questions to be initiated by citizens.
The GOA submits that the amendments will ensure democratic prosses – elections and referendums – are aligned and conducted in a transparent manner. Premier Smith told a news conference that the changes “build on the integrity, trust, and openness that have always been at the heart of democracy and keep Alberta strong and free.” Critics of the Bill note that the increased donation and advertising amounts place average people at a disadvantage in terms of political influence, and that the new rules may make it more difficult to trace donation sources.
Bill 54 passed its first reading on April 29.
Other Notable Legislative Action
Bill 39 – Financial Statutes Amendment Act, 2025
Honourable Nate Horner, President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance
Bill 39 proposes several funding changes described in Budget 2025 to various acts. At issue during this week’s sittings were changes to funding for Legal Aid and the Law Society of Alberta. Lawyers have raised concerns with the proposed $22 million cut in Legal Aid funding, noting there are already significant barriers to access to justice for the general population, and that these cuts will only delay or prevent this access. The GOA submits the changes are necessary to find efficiencies within the justice system. Bill 39 passed it second reading, unamended, on April 29.
Bill 40 – Professional Governance Act, 2025
Honourable Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Advanced Education
Bill 40 seeks to modernize and streamline professional governance by consolidating nine separate acts into one. This would bring more than 20 professional regulators – including accounting, engineering, geoscience, and veterinary medicine – under one entity. The Bill would standardize the framework for resolution processes, including complaints, disciplines, and appeals, across the professional organizations. The Bill passed it second reading on April 28. Debate continued through April 30, but was adjourned.
Bill 44 – Agricultural Operation Practices Amendment Act, 2025
Honourable RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation
Debate continued on Bill 44 from its adjournment on April 15. The Bill seeks to encourage the emerging biogas industry in Alberta through clarifying waste management practices by amending the use and disposal of waste throughout the biogas creation process in the Agricultural Operation Practices Act. While changes that are expected to reduce the amount of farm waste entering landfills was applauded, concerns were raised over the limited areas of development. The current limit to industrial areas away from the public, instead of farmland, regardless of proximity to municipalities, appears to contradict the stated environmental goals of the legislation. Debate was adjourned again on April 29.
Bill 45 – Critical Infrastructure Defence Amendment Act, 2025
Honourable Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice
Bill 45 updates the definition of “essential infrastructure” – infrastructure and land protected from protest and unlawful entering under the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act (CIDA) – to include a two-kilometre-deep area on the US-Canada border and oil and gas production facilities. The Bill, critically referenced by some commentators as “performative,” also seeks to apply the CIDA prohibition on entering essential infrastructure to the Government of Canada. The Bill passed its second reading on April 28.
Bill 47 – Automobile Insurance Act, 2025
Honourable Nate Horner, Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board
Bill 47 introduces no-fault collision insurance into the Albertan vehicle insurance scheme. The merits of the scheme continued to be debated, with special attention given to the inability of injured parties to sue for extenuating or debilitating injuries and the projected profits for private insurance companies. Critics note that the scheme may move significant funds from the insured to private companies without the corresponding and adequate coverage. The Bill passed its second reading, on division, on April 30.
Bill 49 – Public Safety and Emergency Services Statutes Amendment Act, 2025
Honourable Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services
Bill 49 further enables the establishment of a provincial police force in Alberta. It also introduces changes to how emergencies are declared and managed in the province. Bill 49 amends several Acts, including the Police Act and the Emergency Management Act. The Bill may provide more policing options to municipalities; however, there remain concerns over the financial, governance and service level implications for municipalities. Bill 49 passed its second reading, on division, on April 30. RMA is currently conducting a detailed analysis of Bill 49 and will provide members with more information in the near future.
Bill 51 – Education Amendment Act, 2025
Honourable Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education
Bill 51 is the education board version of the hotly debated Bill 50. Bill 51 seeks to update the Education Act by introducing a preamble that recognizes the various school boards within Alberta, removing duplicative reporting processes, and changing the removal procedure for school board trustees. School board trustees that breach the school board code of conduct would now only be able to be removed through the election process or a recall vote. The recall would be initiated after 40% of the voters in a trustee’s ward sign a recall petition. Bill 51 passed its second reading on April 30.
Bill 53 – Compassionate Intervention Act, 2025
Honourable Dan Williams, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction
Bill 53 would allow adult family members, guardians, healthcare professionals, and police to request a treatment order for those with addiction or substance use issues and are a danger to themselves or others. The Act would allow the internment of these individuals in a secure-treatment facility for three to six months without their consent. The GOA says that the Act aims to keep communities safe while ensuring vulnerable people have access to recovery supports. Debate was adjourned on April 29.
Bill 210 – Employment Standards (Protecting Workers’ Tips) Amendment Act, 2024
Honourable Christina Gray, Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods
Bill 210 revises the Employment Standards Code to protect tips and gratuities from being allocated unfairly from employees who earn them. The Bill would also mandate that any pooled tips are distributed through agreement, and that the amount returns directly to the employees. The Bill was defeated on April 28.
Standing and Select Special Committee Meetings
May 6 and 13:
Standing Committee on Public Accounts
Ian Profiri
Policy & Research Analyst
825.319.2352
ian@rmalberta.com
Wyatt Skovron
General Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@rmalberta.com