Highlights
The Spring 2026 sitting of the Second Session of the 31st Legislature resulted in the passage of the following Acts:
- Public Safety and Emergency Services Statutes Amendment Act, SA 2026 c5
- Traveller Protection and Destination Development Act, SA 2026 cT-6.7
- Fiscal Measures Statutes Amendment Act, SA 2026 c3
- Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act, SA 2026 cS-0.3
- Appropriation Act, SA 2026 c1
- Appropriation (Supplementary Supply) Act, SA 2026 c2
- Interprovincial Trade Mutual Recognition Act, SA 2026 cI-9.5
- Animal Protection Amendment Act, SA 2026 c6
- Justice Statutes Amendment Act, SA 2026 c4
- Alberta Whisky Act, SA 2026 cA-37.7
- An Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms and Amend the Education Act, SA 2026 c13
- Immigration Oversight Act, SA 2026 cI-0.3
- Financial Statutes Amendment Act, SA 2026 c8
- Municipal Affairs and Housing Statutes Amendment Act, SA 2026 c10
- Health Statutes Amendment Act, SA 2026 c9
- Expedited 120-Day Approvals Act, SA 2026 cE-12.8
- Red Tape Reduction Statutes Amendment Act, SA 2026 c12
- Electoral Boundaries Commission Amendment Act, SA 2026 c7
AMENDED LEGISLATION
- Alberta Corporate Tax Act, RSA 2000 cA-15
- Alberta Health Care Insurance Act, RSA 2000 cA-20
- Alberta Housing Act, RSA 2000 cA-25
- Alberta Land Stewardship Act, SA 2009 cA-26.8
- Alberta Personal Income Tax Act, RSA 2000 cA-30
- Animal Protection Act, RSA 2000 cA-41
- Automobile Insurance Act, SA 2025 cA-47
- Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act, RSA 2000 cC-12
- Citizen Initiative Act, SA 2021 cC-13.2
- Credit Union Act, RSA 2000 cC-32
- Crown's Right of Recovery Act, SA 2009 cC-35
- Education Act, SA 2012 cE-0.3
- Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, RSA 2000 cE-2
- Electoral Boundaries Commission Act, RSA 2000 cE-3
- Employment Pension Plans Act, SA 2012 cE-8.1
- Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, RSA 2000 cE-12
- Financial Administration Act, RSA 2000 cF-12
- Health Insurance Premiums Act, RSA 2000 cH-6
- Insurance Act, RSA 2000 cI-3
- Libraries Act, RSA 2000 cL-11
- Loan and Trust Corporations Act, RSA 2000 cL-20
- Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, SA 2025 c13
- Seniors Benefit Act, RSA 2000 cS-7
- Alberta Enterprise Corporation Act, SA 2008 cA-17.5
- Alberta Research and Innovation Act, SA 2009 cA-31.7
- Municipal Government Act, RSA 2000 cM-26
- Pharmacy and Drug Act, RSA 2000 cP-13
- Police Act, RSA 2000 cP-17
- Provincial Health Agencies Act, RSA 2000 cP-32.5
- Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act, SA 2015 cP-40.5
- Public Service Employee Relations Act, RSA 2000 cP-43
- Recall Act, SA 2021 cR-5.7
- Tourism Levy Act, RSA 2000 cT-5.5
REPEALED LEGISLATION
- Daylight Saving Time Act, RSA 2000 cD-5
BILL 15 - Public Safety and Emergency Services Statutes Amendment Act
AMENDED:
Police Act, RSA 2000 cP-17
SUMMARY:
The Public Safety and Emergency Services Statutes Amendment Act, 2026 amends the Police Act to establish the mechanism for transferring Alberta Sheriff employees to the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service (ASPS), the independent agency police service established as a Crown corporation by the Independent Agency Police Service Regulation (AR 163/2025).
The Act inserts new provisions creating a transfer order mechanism. The Minister may, by order and notwithstanding the terms of any employment contract, transfer individual employees or defined classes of Crown employees to the ASPS as successor employer. A transfer order must identify the employees or class it covers and specify the effective date. On that date, transferred employees cease to be Crown employees and become employees of the ASPS; the Act deems their employment continuous and uninterrupted for all purposes. The Act denies transferred employees any entitlement to severance pay, termination pay, termination notice, pay in lieu of notice, or other compensation — whether under the Employment Standards Code, another enactment, an employment contract, or at common law — where the ASPS position is substantially the same as the employee's prior Crown position. The Minister may publish transfer orders but may not disclose any individual employee's name.
The Act also addresses the labour relations consequences of a transfer. Employees who move to the ASPS and who previously belonged to a Crown bargaining unit retain that union representation under a newly recognized bargaining unit at the ASPS, and the Act directs the Labour Relations Board to formally certify the existing union as representing this new unit. The collective agreement that applied before the transfer carries forward and binds the ASPS, the union, and the transferred employees on the same terms. For Crown employees who have not yet moved over, their existing bargaining unit and collective agreement continue unaffected. Any labour relations proceedings already underway at the time of a transfer carry on, with the ASPS and the union stepping into the place of the Crown and the prior bargaining agent. Where these new provisions conflict with the Public Service Employee Relations Act, the new provisions govern.
Practitioners, especially those who practise in the areas of labour and employment law and associations representing Alberta Sheriff employees, are encouraged to review the Act to determine how the amendments affect their practice.
IN FORCE: April 16, 2026
BILL 16 - Traveller Protection and Destination Development Act
AMENDED:
Tourism Levy Act, RSA 2000 cT-5.5
SUMMARY:
The Traveller Protection and Destination Development Act establishes the provinical framework for destination marketing fees collected by accommodation and tourism operators.
An operator — a person who sells, offers for sale, or otherwise provides accommodation or a tourism experience in Alberta — may charge a destination marketing fee only within a geographic area for which the Minister has designated a destination marketing organization (DMO). The Minister may designate only one DMO per geographic area and may also designate an accommodation association and trustee for each area. Designation is available to societies incorporated under the Societies Act or companies registered under Part 9 of the Companies Act. Operators who charge destination marketing fees must hold the fees in trust and remit them to the designated trustee. They must maintain records available for inspection. DMOs must submit annual reports to the Minister,
Operators must disclose mandatory fees charged on accommodation or tourism experiences to customers at the time of booking. Although participation in the destination marketing fee framework is voluntary, an operator may not charge such fees without a designated organization being in place for the applicable geographic area.
The Act also makes consequential amendments to the Tourism Levy Act.
IN FORCE: On proclamation
BILL 17 - Fiscal Measures Statutes Amendment Act
AMENDED:
- Alberta Corporate Tax Act, RSA 2000 cA-15
- Alberta Personal Income Tax Act, RSA 2000 cA-30
- Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act, RSA 2000 cC-12
- Credit Union Act, RSA 2000 cC-32
- Employment Pension Plans Act, SA 2012 cE-8.1
- Loan and Trust Corporations Act, RSA 2000 cL-20
- Tourism Levy Act, RSA 2000 cT-5.5
SUMMARY:
The Fiscal Measures Statutes Amendment Act amends seven statutes in connection with Budget 2026.
Alberta Corporate Tax Act: The Act amends the rate formula for the calculation of the data centre levy. The Act repeals the provision that had previously exempted data centres not connected to the power grid, whether directly or indirectly.
Alberta Personal Income Tax Act: The Act repeals the existing caregiver credit and infirm dependant credit and replaces them with a consolidated Alberta Caregiver Credit. The credit applies to a person who is dependent on the individual because of mental or physical infirmity and who is either a spouse or common-law partner, or a dependant aged 18 or older. The credit equals $13,180 minus the amount by which the dependant's income exceeds $20,956. The Act extends the existing indexation rule to the new credit beginning with the 2027 taxation year.
Tourism Levy Act: The Act increases the levy rate on temporary accommodation from 4% to 6% and introduces a vehicle rental tax.
Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act: The Act repeals the provisions governing the discontinued Child and Youth Support Program and makes consequential amendments elsewhere in the Act.
Credit Union Act: The Act removes the requirement to distribute printed complaint brochures, permits electronic and virtual participation and voting in general meetings without the former consent requirement, and allows email notification to the address on record.
Loan and Trust Corporations Act: The Act prohibits directors of affiliated entities from serving on a loan and trust corporation's board, confirms that the corporation may only pay dividends from profits, and extends information-sharing authority to self-regulatory organizations.
Employment Pension Plans Act: The Act makes technical amendments to the terminology and multi-jurisdictional pension administration provisions.
Practitioners, especially those who practise in the areas of tax, pensions, financial services regulation, and hospitality are encouraged to review the Act to determine how the amendments affect their practices.
IN FORCE: Various dates
BILL 18 - Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act
SUMMARY:
The Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act establishes Alberta-specific safeguards and standards for the provision of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) by practitioners, defined in the Act as medical practitioners (physicians and nurse practitioners). The Act operates within the federal authorization in the Criminal Code and prevails over the Health Professions Act in the event of conflict.
The Act sets out the conditions a practitioner must satisfy before providing MAID. A practitioner must follow the federal safeguard requirements under the Criminal Code and may proceed only if:
- the individual's request does not rest on a mental illness as the individual's sole underlying medical condition, and the individual makes the request in accordance with the regulations;
- the individual has reached at least 18 years of age at the time of the request;
- both the providing practitioner and a second practitioner hold the opinion that the individual's natural death is reasonably foreseeable within 12 months and that the individual meets the federal eligibility criteria under the Criminal Code; the providing practitioner qualifies as an approved practitioner through the care coordination service the Act establishes;
- a family member of the individual — an adult parent, spouse, adult interdependent partner, child, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild — witnesses the provision in person, unless the practitioner determines no family member is reasonably available; and
- the individual retains capacity to make a health care decision immediately before receiving MAID, subject to limited exceptions under the Criminal Code.
Before making a qualifying opinion, a practitioner must make reasonable efforts to review the individual's health information and personal information, and to contact each practitioner who has acted as the individual's primary care provider within the 12 months preceding the request.
The Act expressly prohibits a practitioner from referring an individual to a person or service in another jurisdiction for the purpose of obtaining a qualifying opinion.
The Act also provides that health care facilities. Practitioners and operators of prescribed health care facilities may refuse to permit MAID or qualifying opinions, but must then direct the individual to a resource that provides accurate information about all available medical options. An operator who so refuses must notify the Minister, and the Minister must then establish an exclusion zone extending 150 metres from the legal boundary of the facility within which MAID and qualifying opinions may not take place. The Act also prohibits regulated health professionals from displaying MAID information within a health care facility or from raising MAID with a patient unless the patient raises it first.
The Act treats a hearing tribunal finding that a contravention occurred as a finding of unprofessional conduct under the Health Professions Act and requires the imposition of mandatory sanctions.
Practitioners, especially those who practise in the areas of health law and professional regulation are encouraged to review the Act to determine how the amendments affect their practices.
IN FORCE: On proclamation
BILL 19 - Appropriation Act
SUMMARY:
The Appropriation Act, 2026 authorizes the drawing from the General Revenue Fund of the amounts required to pay charges and expenses of the Public Service for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2027, in accordance with the 2026 budget.
IN FORCE: March 26, 2026
BILL 20 - Appropriation (Supplementary Supply) Act
SUMMARY:
The Appropriation (Supplementary Supply) Act, 2026 authorizes additional supply from the General Revenue Fund for charges and expenses of the Public Service for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026 not otherwise provided for.
IN FORCE: March 26, 2026
BILL 21 - Interprovincial Trade Mutual Recognition Act
SUMMARY:
The Interprovincial Trade Mutual Recognition Act establishes a framework for the mutual recognition of goods between Alberta and other Canadian jurisdictions.
Amongst other things, the Act creates a mutual recognition principle that where a good meets the manufacturing, production, or sale requirements of another Canadian province or territory may be sold in Alberta without complying with Alberta's equivalent requirements, subject to any exceptions specified by the responsible Minister. The Minister may make regulations specifying exceptions to the mutual recognition principle where necessary to protect health, safety, the environment, or consumer interests, and specifying the goods, jurisdictions, or requirements the Act covers.
The Act enables the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations extending the mutual recognition principle to additional goods or services and to other jurisdictions through regulation, without requiring further legislative amendment.
Practitioners, especially those who advise manufacturers, distributors, and retailers operating across Canadian jurisdictions, are encouraged
to review the Act to determine how the amendments affect their practices.
IN FORCE: On proclamation
BILL 22 - Animal Protection Amendment Act
AMENDED:
Animal Protection Act, RSA 2000 cA-41
SUMMARY:
The Animal Protection Amendment Act revises the Animal Protection Act among other things, by replacing the definitions of "caretaker," "peace officer," and "person responsible for an animal," and adds new definitions for "corporation," "peace officer agency," and "prohibition order." The Act expands the definition of "peace officer" to include police officers under the Police Act, and creates a defined class of "peace officer agency" that captures authorized employers under the Peace Officer Act and police services under the Police Act, enabling agencies to exercise certain statutory powers.
The Act replaces the definition of distress with an expanded list of circumstances: deprivation of adequate food, water, or veterinary care; deprivation of adequate shelter, ventilation, or space; confinement in unsanitary conditions likely to impair health over time; injury, illness, pain, or suffering; abuse or undue hardship; deprivation of adequate opportunity for exercise, movement, or the expression of natural behaviours needed for long-term health; exposure to conditions causing undue or prolonged fear, anxiety, or frustration; and conditions prescribed by regulation.
The Act replaces the animal care duties provisions with an expanded set of obligations covering food and water, sanitary conditions, exercise opportunity, transport, veterinary care, heat and cold protection, adequate shelter, distress minimization during slaughter, and additional prescribed duties.
The Act introduces a new "Relief of distress by peace officer" provision. A peace officer may take action — including issuing a corrective action order, taking custody of the animal, or arranging transportation and care — where an animal is in distress or where the officer believes on reasonable grounds the animal will become distressed. The Act
introduces a framework for maintaining animals on the owner's premises pending removal, subject to court order.
The Act replaces and expands the prohibition order regime, directing courts to consider enumerated factors. The Act also enables enforcement of prohibition orders issued by courts in other Canadian provinces and territories.
Practitioners, especially those who practise in the areas of animal law and agricultural law, are encouraged to review the Act to determine how the amendments affect their practices.
IN FORCE: On proclamation
BILL 23 - Justice Statutes Amendment Act
AMENDED:
- Citizen Initiative Act, SA 2021 cC-13.2
- Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, RSA 2000 cE-2
- Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act, SA 2015 cP-40.5
- Recall Act, SA 2021 cR-5.7
SUMMARY:
The Justice Statutes Amendment Act amends four statutes relating to democratic processes and public sector compensation disclosure.
Citizen Initiative Act: The Act introduces a 12-month blackout period during which no one may commence or continue a citizen initiative petition — from 12 months before a fixed-date general election through 12 months after any general election. A blackout immediately terminates and deems unsuccessful any petition already in progress. The Act repeals the requirement that the government hold a referendum within a specified period following a successful referendum petition. New provisions allow the Minister of Justice and the petition proponent to each appoint a lawyer who is an active member of the Law Society of Alberta to observe the Chief Electoral Officer's signature verification process. The Act extends the retention period for successful initiative petition signature sheets from one year to two years.
Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act: The Act prohibits persons and organizations from creating, publishing, or distributing deepfakes — media that realistically depicts a real person, that someone digitally created or materially altered, and that is likely to mislead a reasonable person about that person's actual conduct, statements, or positions — relating to a party leader, minister, MLA, candidate, leadership or nomination contestant, or officer or employee of Elections Alberta. The Act sets fines of up to $10,000 for individuals and up to $100,000 for organizations for such contraventions. The Act also confirms that the EFCDA applies to referendum campaigns.
Recall Act: The Act introduces a parallel scrutineer mechanism, permitting the named MLA and the petition applicant to each appoint a practising lawyer who is an active Law Society member to observe the signature verification process.
Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act: The Act reduces the annual compensation disclosure threshold for Government of Alberta employees and reduces the frequency of severance disclosure.
Practitioners, especially those who practise in the areas of election law and administrative law, are encouraged to review the Act to determine how the amendments affect their practices.
IN FORCE: April 16, 2026 (with some exceptions)
BILL 24 - Alberta Whisky Act
SUMMARY:
The Alberta Whisky Act establishes a provincial designation for whisky produced in Alberta.
To use the “Alberta Whisky” designation on labelling or in marketing, a product must satisfy the following requirements:
- (a) all stages of production — mashing, fermenting, distilling, aging, proofing, and bottling — must occur in Alberta;
- (b) the producer must use 100% Alberta water in the pre-distillation process;
- (c) the producer must use at least two-thirds Alberta-grown grain;
- (d) the producer must age the product in small wood for a minimum of three years;
- (e) the producer must bottle the product at a minimum of 40% alcohol by volume;
- (f) after distillation, the producer may add only Alberta water and plain caramel colouring; and
- (g) if the producer blends in wine or spirits for flavouring, those additions must not exceed 9.09% of total alcohol content and must have aged at least two years before blending.
The Act sets out the standards a spirit must meet to earn the Alberta Whisky designation, including that it meets the standards for Canadian whisky under the federal Food and Drug Regulations. Where a spirit meets the Act's standards and the manufacturer makes a declaration that it does so, the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission must designate the spirit as Alberta Whisky.
The Act provides authority for the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations respecting geographic indicators and the Alberta Whisky designation.
Practitioners, especially those who advise distilleries, agricultural producers, and tourism operators, are encouraged to review the Act to determine how the amendments affect their practices.
IN FORCE: On proclamation
BILL 25 - An Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms and Amend the Education Act
AMENDED:
Education Act, SA 2012 cE-0.3
SUMMARY:
An Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms and Amend the Education Act, 2026 amends the Education Act across several areas.
The Act replaces the sixth recital, substituting “a safe and caring environment that fosters and maintains respectful and responsible behaviours” for the former text referencing welcoming, caring, respectful, and safe learning environments that respect diversity and nurture a sense of belonging and positive sense of self. The Act makes corresponding language changes to the student and parent responsibility provisions.
The Act repeals and replaces the intellectual diversity provision. All courses, programs of study, and instructional materials must now:
- encourage a wide range of perspectives and ideas;
- foster critical thinking; foster the acquisition of knowledge and skills;
- reflect the diverse nature and heritage of society in Alberta; promote understanding and respect for others; and
- honour and respect the common values and beliefs of Albertans.
No course, program, or material may promote doctrines of racial or ethnic superiority or persecution, or social change through violence or unlawful disobedience.
The Act adds a provision authorizing the Lieutenant Governor in Council to establish provincial strategic priorities for the education system through regulation, subject to constitutional protections for minority language instruction rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and for separate school rights existing at the time of the Alberta Act, 1905.
The Act clarifies the ministerial approval requirements for learning and teaching resources supplied by external parties and removes the ministerial approval requirement for religious instruction materials supplied by external parties.
A further provision deals with the transfer of real property to charter schools, including a consequential amendment to the Municipal Government Act.
IN FORCE: On proclamation (with exceptions)
BILL 26 - Immigration Oversight Act
SUMMARY:
The Immigration Oversight Act establishes a registration and licensing framework for employers of foreign nationals, foreign worker recruiters, and immigration consultants operating in Alberta.
The Act requires employers of foreign nationals to hold a subsisting certificate of registration before recruiting or hiring a foreign national either directly or through the services of another person. Foreign worker recruiters and immigration consultants, as defined in the Act, must hold individual licences.
A Director appointed by the Minister issues certificates and licences, which are personal and non-transferable and may be subject to terms and conditions. A Director may issue, amend, suspend, or cancel
certificates and licences, with an expedited process available where it is in the public interest.
The Act prohibits a range of practices, including:
- confiscating or retaining identity or immigration documents;
- misrepresenting the nature, terms, or availability of employment;
- charging fees to foreign workers for job placement or for information;
- recovering recruitment costs through wage or benefit reductions; and
- threatening deportation without lawful cause.
The Act allows employers, but not foreign workers, to pay recruitment fees. All contracts for recruitment and immigration services must be in writing, in plain language, must contain the terms the regulations require, and Alberta law must govern them. No person may require a foreign worker to use a specified immigration consultant.
The Act provides for compliance orders, compensation and reinstatement orders, as well as administrative penalties, as well as criminal offences and associated fines.
Persons without required credentials may not commence proceedings in Alberta courts in relation to their recruitment or immigration services activity.
The Act requires the Minister to maintain a public registry of registered employers and licensed recruiters and consultants, and authorizes the Minister to share information with federal, provincial, and territorial governments and regulatory bodies.
The Act also authorizes the Minister to establish and administer selection programs under agreements with the Government of Canada, including under the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program.
Transitional provisions allow existing operators to continue during a transition period while applying for registration or a licence.
IN FORCE: On proclamation
BILL 27 - Financial Statutes Amendment Act
AMENDED:
- Automobile Insurance Act, SA 2025 cA-47
- Insurance Act, RSA 2000 cI-3
- Seniors Benefit Act, RSA 2000 cS-7
- Alberta Enterprise Corporation Act, SA 2008 cA-17.5
- Alberta Research and Innovation Act, SA 2009 cA-31.7
SUMMARY:
The Financial Statutes Amendment Act amends five statutes to advance Budget 2026 commitments.
Insurance Act and Automobile Insurance Act: The Act repeals the provision which authorized the Lieutenant Governor in Council to freeze automobile insurance premiums by order, including retroactively, and to suspend or modify decisions of the Automobile Insurance Rate Board. The Act adds a new provision authorizing the Rate Board to issue published guidelines on matters relating to its powers and duties or any power or duty the Minister assigns to it. In the Automobile Insurance Act, the Act replaces the fixed commencement date for the care-first no-fault system, as enacted in 2025, with a proclamation-based mechanism, and applies the same treatment to the related transitional provision. The Act reworks medical assessment provisions, replacing the insurer's ability to require independent medical examinations with a process under the Superintendent of Insurance. The Act also updates Rate Board governance, including realignment of terms of office.
Seniors Benefit Act: The Act applies a 9% adjustment to income thresholds for non-deductible income under the Alberta Seniors Benefit, Special Needs Assistance for Seniors, and the grant portion of the Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair Program.
Alberta Enterprise Corporation Act: The Act codifies AEC's mandate as a minority co-investor alongside qualified private-sector lead investors who have conducted independent due diligence and committed their own capital. The Act bars AEC from acting as decision-maker or lead investor and introduces investment accountability and oversight mechanisms.
Alberta Research and Innovation Act: The Act authorizes Alberta Innovates to co-invest alongside qualified private-sector lead investors, acting as a minority partner only. The Act includes intellectual property supports and services in Alberta Innovates' corporate objects, enabling the creation of an Alberta Intellectual Property Office, and directs investment returns to the General Revenue Fund.
IN FORCE: Various dates
BILL 28 - Municipal Affairs and Housing Statutes Amendment Act
AMENDED:
- Municipal Government Act, RSA 2000 cM-26
- Alberta Housing Act, RSA 2000 cA-25
- Libraries Act, RSA 2000 cL-11
- Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, SA 2025 c13
SUMMARY:
The Municipal Affairs and Housing Statutes Amendment Act amends four statutes.
Alberta Housing Act: The Act adds new definitions of "capital maintenance reserve fund," "capital reserve fund," "operating reserve fund," and "social housing accommodation," and creates a new requisition mechanism allowing management bodies that provide lodge accommodation to requisition participating municipalities for amounts required to fund capital maintenance reserve funds, capital reserve funds, and operating reserve funds.
The Act repeals the fixed monthly basic lodge rate formula and the schedule establishing the minimum monthly disposable income amount, and updates regulation-making authority to reflect the new reserve fund structure and to add authority to prescribe lodge rates.
Libraries Act: The Act replaces the inspection provisions with an expanded regime that establishes formal inspector appointment, grants broader inspection powers including authority to inspect library property accessible to the public and to require employees to answer questions, and requires post-inspection reporting to the Minister.
Interestingly, the Act adds regulation-making authority to restrict the access, use, and borrowing of public library property, including restrictions based on age, and authorizes the Minister to issue publicly available guidelines on the interpretation or application of such regulations.
Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act (SA 2025 c13): The Act makes further amendments to provisions of that Act not yet in force.
Municipal Government Act: Amendments include the “Automatic Yes” permitting framework for qualifying low-risk development applications, automated permitting tool authority, public reporting requirements for municipalities with populations exceeding 15,000, off-site levy cost clarifications, a community design code framework, the Councillor Accountability Framework, and clarifications to natural person powers, utility transfer, and information request provisions.
Practitioners, especially those who practise in the areas of municipal law, housing law, and public administration, are encouraged to review the Act to determine how the amendments affect their practices.
IN FORCE: Various dates
BILL 29 - Health Statutes Amendment Act
AMENDED:
- Alberta Health Care Insurance Act, RSA 2000 cA-20
- Crown's Right of Recovery Act, SA 2009 cC-35
- Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, RSA 2000 cE-12
- Financial Administration Act, RSA 2000 cF-12
- Health Insurance Premiums Act, RSA 2000 cH-6
- Pharmacy and Drug Act, RSA 2000 cP-13
- Provincial Health Agencies Act, RSA 2000 cP-32.5
SUMMARY:
The Health Statutes Amendment Act amends seven statutes and introduces two patient-access measures.
Alberta Health Care Insurance Act: The Act adds a new defined term "preventative health testing services," covering goods and services a practitioner provides, made available through a self-referral, and specified by ministerial order.
The Act amends the definition of "extended health services" to include preventative health testing services.
The Act requires the Minister to provide preventative health testing services to residents in accordance with the regulations, and makes the Province the payor of last resort for preventative testing benefits where a resident has first submitted a claim to a private insurer that was not fully paid.
The Act denies Alberta residents any right of appeal in relation to a denial of a claim for preventative health testing benefits. The Minister may specify which goods and services qualify and set benefit rates by order.
Pharmacy and Drug Act: The Act authorizes pharmacists in licensed community pharmacies to sell Schedule 1 drugs to authorized prescribers for use in their practices.
Crown's Right of Recovery Act: The Act updates cross-references from "an approved hospital under the Provincial Health Agencies Act" to "a hospital services facility as defined in the Alberta Health Care Insurance Act."
Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act: The Act updates a cross-reference from the "Alberta Health Act" to the "Emergency Health Services Act."
Financial Administration Act: The Act repeals the provision which excluded provincial health corporations from the Financial Administration Act.
Health Insurance Premiums Act and Provincial Health Agencies Act: Housekeeping, definitional, and transitional amendments are made to align terminology with the restructured health system entities.
IN FORCE: May 14, 2026 (with exceptions)
BILL 30 - Expedited 120-Day Approvals Act
SUMMARY:
The Expedited 120-Day Approvals Act creates a process by which a proponent may apply to designate a project as a "qualified project" subject to an expedited approval timeline.
The Act defines a "project" as a physical activity carried out in Alberta that requires an approval, and defines an "approval" as any approval, permit, licence, registration, authorization, disposition, certificate, allocation, declaration, or other instrument of approval or consent under a prescribed enactment. The regulations prescribe what counts as a "prescribed enactment."
When a proponent applies to the Minister for designation, the application must include a project description, the anticipated completion timeframe, the minimum capital spending threshold, a list of known required approvals, proof of the status of any required environmental impact assessments under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, proof of the status of any consultations with Indigenous communities, and any additional information required by the Minister. The Minister then reviews the application and either denies it or recommends that the Lieutenant Governor in Council (LGIC) designate the project as a qualified project. In making a decision, the Minister may consider, among other things, whether the project strategically aligns with government priorities, whether it is of strategic importance to Alberta's economy, whether its benefits outweigh residual impacts, whether the minimum capital spending threshold exceeds $250 million, and whether the project advances provincial autonomy and security.
Following a recommendation, the LGIC may, by order, designate the project as a qualified project. The order must set out the required approvals and, for each approval, the date by which the relevant regulator must decide. The LGIC must publish the order in the Alberta Gazette within 60 days.
The relevant regulator must decide each listed approval within the lesser of 120 business days from the date the relevant LGIC order appears in the Alberta Gazette, or the decision timeframe the prescribed enactment requiring the approval sets out.
The LGIC may rescind a qualified project designation if extraordinary circumstances materially affecting the project arise. The Act prevails over inconsistent provisions in other enactments unless another Act expressly provides otherwise.
Practitioners, especially those who practise in the areas of energy, mining, infrastructure, and regulatory law, are encouraged to review the Act and and monitor the regulations prescribing which enactments will be subject to the 120-day timeline - to determine how the amendments affect their practices.
IN FORCE: On proclamation
BILL 31 - Red Tape Reduction Statutes Amendment Act
REPEALED:
- Daylight Saving Time Act, RSA 2000 cD-5
SUMMARY:
The Red Tape Reduction Statutes Amendment Act is an omnibus bill amending multiple statutes.
Official Time: The most significant provision repeals the Daylight Saving Time Act (RSA 2000 cD-5) and replaces it with a new Official Time Act. The Official Time Act defines Mountain Standard Time as six hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC−6, equivalent to year-round Mountain Daylight Time) and permanently fixes Alberta's official time at Mountain Standard Time as so defined, eliminating the twice-annual clock change. The Act expressly bars municipalities and Métis Settlements from passing bylaws or issuing proclamations that provide for the observance of Daylight Saving Time or any time other than Mountain Standard Time.
Alberta Land Stewardship Act: The Act amends the definitions of "Designated Minister," "effect," and "threshold," and adds provisions enabling standalone subregional plans and issue-specific plans in areas where no regional plan is currently in force.
Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act: The Act shifts authority for updating recycling program materials from the Lieutenant Governor in Council to the Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, and grants the Minister new authority to ban specific materials from disposal in waste management facilities, including landfills.
Additional amendments correct cross-references, clarify ambiguous provisions, streamline administrative processes, and remove spent provisions across the remaining statutes covered by the Act, including resource, property, and housing-related enactments.
Practitioners in property law, construction law, environmental law, and natural resource law should review the portions of the Act applicable to their practices.
IN FORCE: May 14, 2026 (with exceptions)
BILL 32 - Electoral Boundaries Commission Amendment Act
AMENDED:
Electoral Boundaries Commission Act, RSA 2000 cE-3
SUMMARY:
The Electoral Boundaries Commission Amendment Act amends the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act to increase the number of electoral divisions in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 89 to 91.
The Act provides the legislative authority for the increase in the number of electoral divisions and establishes the framework for a subsequent boundaries review process for a 91-seat Legislature, including provision for an advisory panel and a select legislative committee to report on proposed boundaries by a specified date.
Practitioners, especially those who practise in the areas of election law and constitutional law, are encouraged to review the Act to determine how the amendments affect their practices.
IN FORCE: May 14, 2026