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 police‑like 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.
Parties acknowledged the significant challenges facing rural policing, including recruitment shortages, difficult to access areas, slower response times, and the growing financial burden on municipalities to sustain existing police services.
Government MLAs argued that the ASPS – once fully implemented – would be better positioned than current RCMP detachments to address these pressures, and that there would be a noticeable increase in “boots on the ground” in rural communities as a result.
Opposition MLAs countered that creating the ASPS is an unnecessary and costly workaround when comparable resources already exist within the RCMP; they suggested strengthening existing services would be more efficient and more expeditious in delivering officers to rural areas.
Bill 15 passed its third reading on March 31 and now goes to the Lieutenant Governor for Royal Assent.
Bill 17 – Fiscal Measures Statutes Amendment Act, 2026
Honourable Nate Horner, President of Treasury Board and Finance
Bill 17 is an omnibus bill amending 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 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, reversing a previous amendment that had encouraged data centres to draw electricity from the provincial grid. In its place, the Bill introduces a new formula that applies levies to the amount of grid electricity a data centre consumes in a calendar year. Government positions this as a clarification: levy rates for data centres will now be tied directly to actual grid usage, and only electricity generated on‑site will qualify for a 0% rate.
While the change is intended to reduce the relative cost of onsite power production and may strengthen incentives for data centres to invest in their own generation capacity, it also creates a risk. Communities that were expecting new grid connected generation capacity as part of AI data centre development may see those investments become less likely to materialize.
The Bill would also raise Alberta’s tourism levy from 4% to 6%. After March 31, the higher rate will apply to the purchase price of hotel, motel, hostel, and other short term lodging accommodations in the province. This increase would apply to all travellers, the majority of whom originate from within Alberta. If current hospitality and tourism trends persist, the higher levy is projected to generate an additional $66 million in revenue for the 2026 fiscal year.
Bill 17 passed its third reading on March 26, receiving Royal Assent the same day. Bill 17 is now law.
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 their third reading on March 26, receiving Royal Assent the same day. Bills 19 and 20 are now law.
Bill 21 – Interprovincial Trade Mutual Recognition Act, 2026
Honourable Joseph Schow, Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration
Bill 21 would legislate the application of several trade-related mutual recognition agreements, including the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement on the Sale of Goods (CMRA), Part B of Chapter 4 of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), and Article 5(1) of the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA).
The CMRA – signed by all federal, provincial, and territorial governments in November 2025 – enables a good that meets the regulatory requirements of one province or territory to be sold in others that have ratified the Agreement. In effect, it removes many interprovincial trade barriers by ensuring that compliance in one jurisdiction is sufficient for sale in others. It also places a shared obligation on provinces and territories to reconcile their internal regulations to support cross‑border trade.
The referenced provisions of the CFTA and NWPTA serve a similar purpose: they commit signatories to reducing regulatory differences that impede the movement of goods between provinces. The CFTA was signed by all provinces and territories; the NWPT was signed by British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
Together, these measures would expand economic opportunities for Alberta consumers and businesses by reducing duplicative regulatory requirements. Products that meet Alberta’s standards could be sold in other provinces without additional compliance costs, and goods produced elsewhere in Canada could enter the Alberta market under the same principle.
However, most of the operational details of Bill 21 are left to be regulated. While the Bill guarantees interprovincial trade compatibility in principle, the practical rules governing how this compatibility will function are left to Cabinet to determine. This may replace existing interprovincial barriers with a new form of uncertainty for businesses as they must wait to understand how the regulatory framework will be applied in practice.
Bill 21 passed its second reading on March 31 and now heads to the Committee of the Whole for assessment and possible amendment.
Bill 23 – Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2026
Honourable Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice
Bill 23 is an omnibus bill that amends multiple statutes related to elections. The Bill would prohibit the creation and distribution of election-related deepfakes, introduce a 12month blackout period on citizen initiatives before and after a general election, and remove the deadlines requiring the Alberta government to act on successful citizen petitions.
Under the proposed blackout period, an individual would be prohibited from submitting a notice of intent to petition for signatures during the 12 months immediately preceding a fixed general election date and the 12 months following the most recent general election. Any petitions already underway during this period – regardless of their progress – would be terminated. As a result, individuals wishing to advance a petition would need to secure the required number of signatures before the blackout period begins.
The amendments would also allow either the Minister or petitioner to appoint lawyers as scrutineers of the verification process. Scrutineers would have the authority to audit the verification of collected signatures by the Chief Electoral Officer’s office. The Minister would retain this power even if they were a subject of the petition.
This will be the third substantial amendment to the Citizen Initiative Act in just over a year. Signature thresholds were lowered and the collection period extended in April 2025. Additional procedural and definitional changes – including new notice of intent requirements – were introduced in December 2025. Bill 23 represents the third set of amendments.
The Bill would make it illegal to distribute deepfake imagery tied to elections. A deepfake is an image, audio clip, or video – produced through AI or other digital manipulation – that fabricates or alters real-world content so convincingly that a reasonable person could reasonably believe it is authentic, and that is created with the intent to mislead. Individuals who distribute deepfake content depicting political candidates or election officials would face fines of $10,000 for each day the material is shared, while organizations and corporations could be fined up to $100,000 per day for the same offence.
Additionally, Bill 23 would increase the salary disclosure threshold for public employees to $130,000. Any public employee earning above this amount will be required to publicly report their compensation. Previously, the threshold was $104,754 for Government of Alberta employees and $125,000 for employees of public sector bodies, education bodies, and municipal authorities.
Bill 23 passed its first reading on March 30.
Bill 24 – Alberta Whiskey Act, 2026
Honourable Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction
Bill 24 creates standards for an official designation of “Alberta Whisky.”
The Bill creates made-in-Alberta standards for whisky production. Ideally, the official designation would support growth in agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, and hospitality by creating the impetus for exploration into the Alberta whisky market. Alberta’s whisky sector which has grown steadily and is gaining national recognition for quality and craftsmanship. The provincial definition would help producers distinguish their products within the broader Canadian whisky category, which operates under more flexible federal standards.
“Alberta Whisky” – under the condition set in the Bill – would be made entirely in Alberta, having 2/3 of the total weight of cereal grain coming from Alberta farms, use water that is sole sourced from Alberta, and not blended or modified after distillation except through flavouring or the addition of water from Alberta.
Bill 24 passed its first reading on March 31.
Orders in Council
Order in Council 109/2026
Honourable Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice
OIC 109/2026 officially sets the dates for the upcoming provincial referendum on federal integration in Alberta law. The referendum will include four questions, including one each on:
- judicial appointments;
- abolition of the unelected Senate;
- opting out of federal programs on healthcare, education, and social services; and
- provincial paramountcy.
The referendum will be held on October 19, 2026.
Order in Council 110/2026
Honourable Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice
OIC 110/2026 officially sets the dates for the upcoming provincial referendum on immigration. The referendum will include five questions, including one each on:
- employment priority between immigrants and Albertans;
- the ability of immigrants to enter or use provincially-funded programs such as health care, education, and social services;
- requiring all non-permanent legal immigrants (work and study permit holders and their families) to reside in Canada for at least 12 months before service provision;
- the charging of additional fees to immigrants for access to healthcare; and
- the provision of proof-of-citizenship to vote in provincial elections.
The referendum will be held on October 19, 2026.
Order in Council 113/2026
Honourable Brian Jean, Minister of Energy and Minerals
OIC 113/2026 establishes the Oil and Gas Conservation Regulation. The regulation requires the regulator to consider both the Agricultural Pests Act and the Weed Control Act when assessing whether “reasonable care and measures” have been taken under the Oil and Gas Conservation Act. This broadens the range of statutory obligations that must inform regulatory decision-making.
Ian Profiri
Policy & Research Analyst
825.319.2352
ian@RMAlberta.com
Wyatt Skovron
General Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com