Alberta’s government wants to send a clear message to drivers — if you’re behaving dangerously on its roads, it’s going to cost you.

Starting March 13, fines for several offences will increase by up to 50 per cent.

“This is the first time that traffic fines have increased since 2015,” the province said in a statement to Global News. “Improving safety requires coordination at every level of government, and Alberta remains committed to working with municipal and policing partners to help keep all road users safe.”

Fines for common traffic offences, such as distracted driving, will increase by 30 per cent.

The province says what used to be a $300 ticket for distracted driving will now cost $390.

Offences such as careless driving, excessive speeding, racing or stunting will increase by 50 per cent.

All tickets issued by Alberta law enforcement agencies on or after March 13 will be subject to the change.

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Demerit points, which are a part of several offences, such as distracted driving, won’t be increasing, but the province says it’s considering further changes to the Traffic Safety Act.

One expert says the headline might grab motorists’ attention, but the impacts already span far beyond the amount of those fines.

“There’s insurance premium implications,” explained Rob de Pruis, national director of Consumer and Industry Relations for the Insurance Bureau of Canada. “And those convictions can also stay and impact your premiums for up to three years. So there can be a long-term consequence.”

In 2025, Calgary police issued 2,294 distracted driving tickets, while Edmonton police issued nearly 3,100.

A focused effort in February of this year netted an additional 257 tickets in Calgary.

“Distracted drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a collision than other motorists,” the Calgary Police Service said in a statement. “These collisions are preventable — drivers need to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel.”

The city is dealing with a rash of traffic incidents on its roads to start 2026, including 80 collisions involving pedestrians in the first two months of the year.

That number doesn’t include a young boy who was hit at a marked crosswalk earlier this week, breaking his leg in three places. The driver involved in that incident fled the scene and Calgary police are still searching for them.

“You do have an obligation to make sure that you pay attention when you’re driving,” de Pruis said. “And we want to make sure that people are reminded they have a role to play … they’re in control of their vehicle when they’re travelling on the roadways for their protection and for the protection of others.”

2:17
12-year-old Calgary hit-and-run victim speaks out as police search for suspect’s vehicle

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Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams is set to announce “next steps” in the province’s review of Calgary’s maligned water system on Friday.

Williams will be speaking to the media at the McDougall Centre at 11 a.m.

The news conference comes more than a month after the province requested thousands of documents from the city, following a second critical failure of the Bearspaw feeder main on Dec. 30.

Following that break, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the province would look into whether or not more oversight is needed.

The City of Calgary had until Jan. 27 to provide all documentation.

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Since the break was repaired in mid-January, the city has embarked on an ambitious plan to replace a large section of the pipe, which Mayor Jeromy Farkas has deemed “critically ill.”

The project, along with other water infrastructure concerns, has city officials asking council for an extra $600 million injection of cash over the next two fiscal years.

“(I) really welcome that … really appreciative of the minister’s engagement,” Farkas told Global News on Friday morning.

“I think it’s appropriate for them to be checking our work, doing their own due diligence. What we’re seeing here in Calgary isn’t necessarily unique to our municipality.”

Farkas says other mayors from across the country have reached out to discuss the broader issues of infrastructure deficits and governance in the wake of Calgary’s crisis.

“I think we’re proving we can do here in Calgary what no other place can,” Farkas said, speaking of the expedited timeline for the replacement project.

On Monday, crews began critical repair work to several damaged sections of the existing pipe, resulting in stage four water restrictions across the city and surrounding communities.

In a letter to the city, Williams says while he recognizes city officials have taken “commendable steps” to review the circumstances leading to the first break of the pipe in June of 2024, he believes Calgarians and those living near the city have “valid concerns” the feeder main could rupture again.

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