Category Archives: Prairies/BC
Government upgrades virtual identification options to obtain BC Services Card
VICTORIA — The B.C. government says it is upgrading its virtual identification system to make it easier for people to apply to access online services on their mobile devices during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Citizens' Services Minister Anne Kang...
Alberta won’t require full environmental assessments for sandpits
EDMONTON — Alberta is moving to change the legal definition of minerals to spare excavators from having to conduct environmental assessments for large sandpits. A court ruling earlier this spring would have forced sandpits for road and other constructi...
Alberta justice minister cleared in ethics case tied to oil funding inquiry
EDMONTON — Alberta's ethics commissioner says Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer did not break the rules when he hired Steve Allan to run a public inquiry into whether foreign money is bankrolling anti-oil protests in Canada. Marguerite Trussle...
Alberta to streamline approvals for new private clinics to boost surgeries
EDMONTON — The Alberta government is proposing legislation that would accelerate approval of private clinics to get more surgeries done. A bill introduced Monday also says the province should have more latitude to pay doctors in other wa...
Saskatchewan resuming tenant evictions; NDP says no help for struggling
REGINA — Tenants missing rental payments during the COVID-19 pandemic will no longer have protection from being evicted in Saskatchewan. The government says the Office of Residential Tenancies will start accepting applications from landlords ...
Edmonton hospital stops admitting patients due to COVID-19 outbreak
EDMONTON — A hospital in Edmonton is tightening restrictions as COVID-19 cases continue to increase at the facility. An outbreak at the Misericordia Community Hospital was first declared by Alberta's chief medical officer of health on June 23...
Fishing lodge plans to reopen despite objections from Haida Nation in B.C.
HAIDA GWAII, B.C. — A luxury fishing lodge in British Columbia says it plans to reopen Friday despite a state of emergency issued by the Haida Nation because of COVID-19. The president of Queen Charlotte Lodge says in a statement that it...
No new COVID-19 cases in Manitoba for sixth straight day
WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government says there are no new COVID-19 cases to report for a sixth straight day. Chief public health officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, says the number of confirmed and probable cases remains at 325. Fourteen cases remain activ...
SaskPower taking revenue hit from COVID-19; too soon to rule out rate increases
REGINA — SaskPower says it's taking a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, but it's too early to say what impact that will have on customer rates. The Crown utility says sales were down by 10 per cent from April to June, amounting to mil...
After prior rejections, Alberta announces sandhill crane hunt for this fall
EDMONTON — Alberta has announced there will be a sandhill crane hunting season this fall — a hunt that's been opposed by an environmental group and was previously rejected by the provincial government three times. The province said in a news ...
