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 28 – Municipal Affairs and Housing Statutes Act, 2026
Honourable Dan Williams, Minister of Municipal Affairs
Bill 28 is an omnibus bill modifying large sections of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), Libraries Act, and the Alberta Housing Act (AHA). The Bill has significant implications for municipal and local governance, including housing, property assessment, aggregate pits, seniors’ housing, governance and accountability, and the operation of public institutions.
Bill 28 reflects a shift toward increased provincial oversight in areas traditionally within municipal authority. While some amendments clarify processes or introduce new administrative tools, many establish new oversight mechanisms or standardize municipal practices in ways that will shape how municipalities plan, regulate development, manage assessment and taxation, and deliver services. The amendments collectively centralize significant authority within the provincial government, restructuring long‑standing governance relationships across housing, municipal planning, utilities, and public libraries.
Several amendments appear rooted in provincial engagements framed around reducing administrative requirements for industry. However, as RMA’s analysis notes, the province has provided limited evidence that municipal planning or permitting processes create unreasonable costs or delays, nor has it shown that existing municipal authorities are ineffective. Despite this, the Government of Alberta (GOA) appears poised to advance changes that significantly reduce municipal discretion in planning and development without assuming corresponding provincial accountability.
The AHA has been updated to separate senior lodge accommodations from other affordable and social housing. Bill 28 also consolidates regulatory and funding authority under the Minister. GOA control now includes defining specific housing categories, setting lodge rates, and managing reserve funds that municipalities must contribute to.
Amendments to the MGA similarly shift decision‑making power upward. The province gains authority to mandate automated permitting systems, impose binding community design codes that override municipal statutory plans, restrict off‑site levies, and allow the reshaping of development processes through regulation. Additional changes expand provincial influence over municipal viability reviews, councillor accountability and conduct, CAO reporting, and councillor access to information. New transparency requirements – such as mandatory reporting on development‑permit timelines – also increase oversight.
The Bill also integrates provincial environmental approvals with municipal planning through aggregate‑pit provisions, strengthens assessment‑system compliance expectations, and grants Cabinet broad authority to restructure municipal utilities through public utility entities.
Taken together, Bill 28 represents a substantial expansion of provincial regulatory reach and oversight, accompanied by a corresponding reduction in municipal and board‑level autonomy. RMA has completed an analysis of Bill 28 and the changes comprised within, found here: Bill 28: RMA Analysis.
Bill 28 passed its first reading on April 2. It has undergone extensive debate since.
Bill 30 – Expedited 120-Day Approvals Act, 2026
Honourable Brian Jean, Minister of Energy and Minerals
Bill 30 introduces a new legislative framework that would allow the Minister to expedite approval timelines for designated major projects in Alberta. Under this framework, qualifying projects would be subject to a hard 120‑business‑day approval window (roughly five to six months) representing a substantial reduction from the timelines typically associated with large-scale industrial or infrastructure developments.
Proposals must meet several broad criteria. These include a minimum capital investment of $250 million, alignment with GOA strategic priorities, a determination that project benefits outweigh residual impacts, and an assessment of whether the project advances national and provincial security by recognizing provincial autonomy. These criteria are expansive, undefined in key areas, and open to political interpretation rather than grounded in objective or evidence-based thresholds. As a result, the designation process may be highly discretionary, with significant latitude for ministerial judgment. There is also no guarantee that the expedited timelines contemplated in the Bill will be administratively or legally achievable given existing requirements for project hearings, environmental assessments, and Indigenous consultation.
Proponents seeking this designation must apply in a form and manner acceptable to the Minister, including an anticipated project completion timeline, confirmation that the project meets the capital spending threshold, and a list of all known required approvals.They must also provide proof acceptable to the Minister of the status of any environmental impact assessment reports required under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, as well as proof acceptable to the Minister of any planned, ongoing, or completed Indigenous consultations.
Because Bill 30 does not define what constitutes “acceptable” proof, proponents face considerable uncertainty regarding evidentiary standards, procedural expectations, and the degree of ministerial discretion in determining whether a project is sufficiently advanced to enter the expedited stream. This ambiguity is particularly consequential given that incomplete or improperly conducted environmental assessments or Indigenous consultations could complicate an application and expose proponents to legal risk if a project proceeds prematurely. Proponents will need clarification on specific requirements once the Bill is proclaimed.
Bill 30 emerges in the context of ongoing intergovernmental discussions between Alberta and the federal government, particularly following the recent Co-operation Agreement on Environment and Impact Assessment. The federal government committed to rely more heavily on Alberta’s environmental assessment and regulatory processes when evaluating potential adverse environmental impacts.
Although public discussion has largely focused on the implications for the oil and gas sector, the Bill’s structure is broad enough to apply to a wide range of industries. Mining, utilities, forestry, renewable energy, nuclear development, large-scale manufacturing, and data centres could all qualify for expedited approval if they meet the investment threshold and align with provincial priorities. As such, Bill 30 has the potential to reshape Alberta’s major project landscape well beyond the energy sector.
Overall, Bill 30 introduces a highly discretionary, accelerated approval regime that could significantly alter how major projects are evaluated and approved in Alberta. While intended to streamline processes and attract investment, the Bill raises important questions about transparency, regulatory consistency, environmental oversight, and the adequacy of consultation processes – particularly given the undefined nature of key criteria and the substantial authority vested in the Minister.
Bill 30 swiftly passed through its second reading, evaluation by the Committee of the Whole, and third reading by May 6. The Bill now goes to the Lieutenant Governor for Royal Assent.
Bill 31 – Red Tape Reduction Statues Amendment Act, 2026
Honourable Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction
Bill 31 is an omnibus bill that amends 18 pieces of legislation, addressing myriad topics that span from land-use planning, management of liquor and gaming information, electronic land‑title registration, and the elimination of daylight savings time. Many of the amendments are technical or administrative, but collectively represent a substantial legislative update intended to align older statutes with recent policy directions and establish new government processes.
The Bill significantly amends the Alberta Land Stewardship Act (ALSA), expanding potential filing obligations for municipalities. Under the revised framework, municipalities may now be required to file compliance declarations not only when a regional plan is amended, but also when Cabinet creates, amends, or incorporates a subregional or issue‑specific plan under the new provisions.
This marks a meaningful shift from the previous structure. Previously, filing obligations were triggered solely by changes to regional plans. Because these new standalone plans can be created for specific geographic areas, particular issues, or Crown land management topics, municipalities could face filing requirements more frequently and in a wider range of circumstances. Importantly, the obligation to file is not automatic; it depends on whether the subregional or issue‑specific plan itself directs municipalities to submit a compliance declaration. Municipalities will therefore need to closely review each plan to understand its specific requirements and ensure timely compliance.
Bill 31 also formally ends daylight savings time in Alberta. The province would remain on what was previously standard time year-round, now designated as “official time” in Alberta. This change eliminates the biannual time shift and aligns Alberta with other western provincial jurisdictions that have moved to permanent standard time.
Beyond these headline items, Bill 31 introduces numerous targeted amendments across several other Acts. Amendments clarify ministerial authority, update administrative processes, and align statutory language with other recent legislative reforms. The Bill also modernizes terminology, corrects outdated cross-references, and refines the powers of ministers and public bodies to ensure consistency across the legislative framework. This includes technical amendments designed to improve regulatory functioning, such as clearer authority for ministers to delegate responsibilities, expanded regulation‑making powers in select Acts, and adjustments to statutory timelines and procedural requirements.
Several amendments address gaps or ambiguities identified through recent implementation experience, ideally ensuring that existing statutes operate coherently. While many of these changes are administrative in nature, they may collectively strengthen the government’s ability to coordinate across departments, streamline statutory processes, and maintain alignment between older legislation and Alberta’s increasingly rapidly changing policy landscape.
Bill 31 moved through the Committee of the Whole, unamended, on May 6.
Orders in Council
Order in Council 134/2026
Honourable Demetrios Nicolades, Minister of Education and Childcare
OIC 134/2026 amends the Certification of Teachers and Teacher Leaders Regulation under the Education Act to incorporate the new certification pathways created through recent amendments. The Order formally extends the Regulation’s framework to include specialized teachers and trade teachers – individuals who obtain teaching authority through the expedited training and diploma‑based routes established in the amended Education Act.
The Order adds detailed accreditation, certification, and supervisory provisions parallel to those already in place for certificated teachers. These include requirements related to program completion, professional suitability, English‑language proficiency, and ongoing eligibility to hold a teaching certificate. The Regulation is also updated to authorize the Registrar to issue, suspend, or cancel certificates for specialized and trade teachers using criteria that largely mirror those applied to fully certificated teachers.
The amendments also integrate these new teacher categories into the broader regulatory regime governing teacher conduct, competence, and oversight. Specialized and trade teachers become subject to the same reporting obligations, disciplinary processes, and Ministerial authority as other certificate holders. This ensures that individuals entering the profession through the expedited diploma stream are regulated under a consistent framework, even though their training pathway differs from that of traditionally accredited teachers.
OIC 134/2026 establishes the regulatory infrastructure needed to implement the government’s new teacher‑certification pathways. By embedding specialized and trade teachers into the existing certification, oversight, and discipline system, the Order creates a parallel but substantively aligned regime intended to support the integration of diploma‑route graduates into Alberta’s K-12 education workforce.
Ian Profiri
Policy & Research Analyst
825.319.2352
ian@RMAlberta.com
Wyatt Skovron
General Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com