Alberta

Phillips, first elected in 2015 and environment minister in Rachel Notley’s NDP government, made her bombshell announcement Saturday in an interview with the Globe and Mail, citing the disinformation and viciousness characteristic of politics today, especially as experienced by female politicians, particularly if they are on the left.

It would be fair to add “especially in Alberta,” as well, but the Globe did not quote Phillips saying that. “I’m the next in a line of woman politicians who are taking a pass,” she told the Globe.

“These conditions are not improving,” Phillips said. “The right is only getting more crazy and more bonkers, and disinformation is just getting worse.”

It is impossible to disagree with that part of her analysis, and not just in Alberta. It’s also hard not to blame her for giving the scoop about her decision to leave politics to a Toronto-based media organization. Throughout her political career Phillips has not been treated particularly well by local media here in Alberta.

But then, as a general rule, nor have most politicians on the left, especially if they are confident, sometimes bluntly spoken women like Phillips.

That the harassment to which Phillips was subjected included being illegally spied upon and photographed by members of the Lethbridge Police Service, and her inability to do anything about it despite her position as an MLA, undoubtedly influenced her decision.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, Alberta’s toothless police watchdog, found that the officers acted in violation of the provincial Police Act, yet the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service refused to lay charges. The Speaker of the Alberta legislature was silent.

It was early August 2022, when Michelle Wigmore was on her way back from leading a crew of wildland firefighters near Grande Prairie, Alta. They stopped for a coffee in Fox Creek, about 230 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

"There was a 'help wanted' sign up and the wage that they were offering at the Tim Hortons was higher than all our crew members," said Wigmore in an interview with CBC's What On Earth.

While they made a joke of it at the time, Wigmore — who has about three decades of experience fighting wildfires in Ontario and Alberta — says it felt unfair when she considered the amount of training and work involved in the job.

Low wages are one of the reasons Wigmore and others say wildland firefighters in Alberta are not returning to the seasonal jobs, resulting in a dwindling number of experienced firefighters and creating potential safety risks to personnel and the public.

Other reasons include "lack of benefits [and] lack of potential opportunity in the organization," said a former wildland firefighter, whom CBC News has agreed to call by one of his initials, D, because of concerns speaking out could harm his livelihood.

D worked as a seasonal wildland firefighter — part of what were long called "Type 1" crews — for the province of Alberta for several years, including 2023.

Last month Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tabled Bill 18, the Provincial Priorities Act, in the provincial legislature. If passed into law, the bill will give the Alberta government power to vet any agreements between the federal government and post-secondary institutions, and other “provincial entities.”

The proposed legislation could have a tremendous impact on whether scholars in Alberta can secure federal research funding. The bill would prohibit provincial entities like municipalities, post-secondary institutions and health authorities from making deals with the federal government unless they obtain approval from the province.

In terms of federal funding for Alberta universities, the Tri-Council agencies — the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council — are the main, non-partisan mechanism through which the Government of Canada funds research across disciplines.

Through these sources, faculty and graduate students obtain funding to conduct research in diverse fields that contribute to health, science and engineering and social sciences and humanities innovation and insight.

Universities across the country sign an agreement with the Tri-Council every five years on how to administer the funding.

Should the provincial government intervene in this process under Bill 18, some critics feel university research could be jeopardized.

Numerous research projects could be at risk of losing access to grants and awards, which thousands of research assistants and students rely on to support themselves and their research. It could also limit opportunities for teaching and training.

More than 6,000 residents of Fort McMurray, Alta., headed south to safety as a large, out-of-control wildfire drew closer to their community. Other areas in Fort McMurray remain on evacuation alert and residents need to be ready to leave on short notice.

Flatlands in Southern Alberta. Its my homeland and I have missed it. I will never forget this beauty of seeing the land. I'll miss you and I'll be back Alberta I swear!

by u/Unable_Cauliflower57