Alberta calls on Canadians to oppose federal electricity guidelines: CALGARY, AB – In response to the Canadian government’s proposed electricity regulations, Alberta has launched a national advertising campaign to inform Canadians that they will impact them negatively.

The province said the proposed regulations would increase power bills for Albertans and Canadians overall, drive investment out of the province and put grid reliability at risk.

If the current guidelines are to be followed, Alberta will need to achieve net-zero in 12 years without the help of baseload power such as natural gas. Officials note the lack of stable sources would likely increase the possibility of brownouts and blackouts.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said, “Canadians need to know the risks they face if Ottawa’s proposed electricity regulations move forward without any amendments. The federal government is choosing to ignore the facts about their transition, but we are not. All Canadians need to be able to rely on reliable and affordable electricity and we will continue to fight for that.”

Manitoba is not exactly known for its ambitious climate commitments. For reporter Julia-Simone Rutgers, that rings especially true as she covers this year’s provincial election.

“The environment has felt more like an asterisk in many policy promises,” she told me. “Some leaders haven’t even uttered the words ‘climate change.’ ”

Progressive Conservative Leader Heather Stefanson has hopped on the trend of rejecting meaningful climate policies, much like many of her counterparts across the country — particularly policies coming from the federal government.

The federal carbon price? That’s an “unfair cash grab” and Manitoba will “stop at nothing” to see it eliminated. The international goal to conserve 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030? That “could harm economic development” — and the province is considering expanding mining activity in provincial parks. It goes on.

None of this negates the impacts of climate change felt across the Prairies.

Manitoba is a place where floods affect 90 per cent of Indigenous communities and have left residents evacuated for months, if not years. A place where residents are finding their homes — long built to withstand frigid winters — are now way too hot as summer heat intensifies. Add in extreme drought, wildfires and the numerous threats to one of Canada’s “most endangered lakes,” not to mention the uncertainty around extracting minerals deemed critical to a low-carbon future, and you’d think you might have some fodder for intense campaign debate.

But the environment and Manitoba’s climate footprint have again taken a backseat in this election campaign. Voters are set to head to the polls next week, on Oct. 3, and the debate has so far been dominated by concerns about health care, cost of living and public safety. 

Climate change is still a priority for Manitobans; very few have been happy with the province’s efforts to curb its carbon emissions.

I spoke with Julia-Simone, who has been scouring the scant environment-related promises for a hint of what’s to come in the province following the election. Read on for her takes from the campaign trail — and why this election matters even if you don’t live in Manitoba.

Take care and don’t forget to vote,

Sharon Riley
Prairies bureau chief

B.C. to reinstate mask mandate in all health-care settings | Globalnews.ca:
The B.C. government is bringing back masks in all health-care settings.

Global News has obtained a memo sent from the Ministry of Health to health-care providers on the plan that is expected to be announced Thursday at a press conference.

When asked about the announcement on Wednesday, Health Minister Adrian Dix said, “It’s not a secret. We’ve been talking about this for about a month that for the respiratory illness season in the fall, we would expect health-care settings to have masking, so we’ll have details of that tomorrow.”

Health officials across the country are urging Canadians to get a COVID and flu shot at the same time as provinces have seen a rise in cases.

Getting both the flu and COVID-19 shots at the same time can provide an added layer of defence against respiratory illnesses, health experts said on Sunday.
Although the influenza vaccine and the updated COVID-19 shot are not currently available, experts anticipate their rollout in mid-October.

“In preparation for the viral respiratory illness this fall and winter, B.C. will be reinstating enhanced infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in health-care settings, services, and programs, including community physician offices and outpatient clinics,” the memo to health-care staff reads.