The restaurant business has weathered its fair share of troubles since the pandemic and labour shortages continues to be a main point of concern for the province’s hospitality industry.

“Restaurants are struggling with both input costs going up and of course the affordability crunch that the customers are feeling themselves,” said Mona Pinder, executive director of the Alberta Hospitality Association.

Which makes a new piece of legislation tabled in the Alberta legislature this week feel like another challenge for an already strained industry that relies on people from all walks of life to operate.

Bill 26, or the Immigration Oversight Act, would target employers who want to take advantage of foreign workers.

The bill would mean the creation of a public registry, and require employers and immigration consultation to be licensed.

Joseph Schow, Alberta’s immigration minister, said the bill is about protecting workers who come to the province to earn a living and to accurately address the needs of the current labour market.

“It is clear that in some instances, we have become over-reliant on temporary foreign workers,” Schow said at a news conference Wednesday.

He said the current system favours hiring foreign nationals for some jobs, bypassing young Canadians.

“As a result, some of the jobs that usually would’ve gone to Albertans as entry-level positions are now going to temporary workers.”

Schow said the legislation is about Alberta taking more control over immigration to fill jobs where needed and is “absolutely not” about restricting the number of temporary foreign workers coming to the province.

5:31
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith promises referendum over immigration, Constitution changes

According to provincial statistics there are 271,024 non-permanent residents in Alberta. About 60 per cent of those hold work permits and six per cent hold work and study permits as of Jan. 1.

Those numbers have all decreased compared with the same time last year. The number of non-permanent residents fell by almost 26,000.

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National advocacy group Restaurants Canada said in Alberta, foodservice is a $16-billion industry that employs 155,000 people, including 63,000 youth, who represent more than 40 per cent of workers.

Pinder said restaurants in some rural areas do not have the workforce to run at full capacity, especially with youth workers.

Restaurants Canada agreed, noting youths often have limited schedule availability due to school and other commitments and are concentrated in urban areas close to higher education institutions.

“You can’t operate a kitchen without a trained chef or maintain a 24/7 rest stop if no one is willing to work overnight,” Kelly Higginson, president and CEO of Restaurants Canada, said in a statement.

Restaurants Canada said temporary foreign workers make up three per cent of the foodservice workforce but are critical, particularly for skilled roles like chefs and cooks, for overnight shifts and in rural regions where there are not enough workers.

This is why businesses look to temporary foreign workers, even though that process can be expensive, Pinder said, adding Alberta’s bill duplicates rules already in place at the federal level.

“Alberta is kind of known for looking at red tape reduction,” Pinder said.

“This doesn’t really feel like reducing red tape.”

While the process will effectively duplicate the work already being done by Ottawa, Schow said it’s necessary to prioritize and address Alberta’s unique labour market needs, particularly in agriculture and manufacturing.

2:00
Canada’s temporary foreign worker program a ‘breeding ground’ for contemporary slavery: UN report

Government officials said the plan is to publish the registry of employers who are approved to hire foreign workers. The bill will also establish a licensing system for immigration consultants and foreign worker recruiters to crack down on those who take advantage of vulnerable newcomers.

A new system for complaints and enforcement will be handled by Schow’s ministry. It aims to target those who charge money for job offers, misrepresent employment conditions, take illegal pay deductions or keep workers’ documents like passports.

Government officials said the regulatory framework proposed Wednesday is similar to existing legislation in Saskatchewan and British Columbia but will allow for different investigative powers.

Penalties will include fines, suspensions and bans from recruiting or hiring foreign nationals.

The legislation sets maximum fines of up to $1 million for individuals or $1.5 million for corporations. In severe cases, courts can imprison someone who violates the rules for up to a year.

1:46
Alberta push to suspend temporary foreign worker program concerning for food industry

Moshe Lander, an economist with Concordia University, says it is hard to gauge how the new measures would impact the economy, since the province is continuing to develop the bill’s regulations.

“If we’re going to have an economic analysis of what are the benefits and costs and what does this mean, and try and come up with a dollar amount, it’s almost impossible to do when we can’t model what we can’t see,” Lander said.

Cracking down on fraudulent activity and ensuring the protection of workers is important in maintaining the integrity of the TFW program, Restaurants Canada noted.

It and the Alberta Hospitality Association hope to see the provincial government instead scale up programs that have already seen success, like the Alberta Youth Employment Incentive.

The bill is currently tabled before the legislature. Schow said if passed, implementation could be seen as early as 2027.

With files from The Canadian Press

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Alberta’s government has tabled legislation — Bill 21, the Interprovincial Trade Mutual Recognition Act — to ease regulations and barriers to more easily enable the sale of some goods from other provinces.

It’s part of a commitment Alberta made with its provincial and federal counterparts in signing an interprovincial free trade pact in November.

That trade accord, which is supposed to take effect this summer, would see provinces recognize each other’s regulations for most consumer and capital products to avoid duplicative inspections and requirements.

The agreement doesn’t apply to the sale of alcohol, cannabis, food, live animals, tobacco or plants, and it lets provinces maintain certain restrictions on items for health and safety reasons.

Alberta is keeping its own rules in place for several products, including pesticides, plumbing equipment and safety helmets.

Another Alberta exemption is for gift cards, which the province requires to have no expiry date. The province retains the right to add or remove items from the list of goods and they must still meet Alberta rules.

Jobs and Economy Minister Joseph Schow said that despite the limitations, he expects the new rules will have a major economic effect for the province.

“This is a great news story for small- and medium-sized businesses,” he said. “These are mom and pop shops, in some cases, where they don’t have a lot of staff, and the last thing they want to be dealing with is cumbersome regulation.”

9:13
Provinces, territories sign interprovincial trade deal

He added that for years in Canada, it has sometimes been easier for businesses to sell products internationally rather than to other provinces.

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Schow said by eliminating red tape, businesses will be able to expand and access new markets without having to bring on more staff, or hire lawyers or consultants to deal with regulations.

Heather Thomson at the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce said at the government news conference that having consistency across the country will open doors for businesses and allow them to scale up.

“This means more time spent on hiring, innovating and selling,” she said. “It gives Alberta businesses the competitive edge that they need to succeed, not just here, but across the entire country.”

Government officials told reporters before the bill was tabled that manufacturers in industries such as oil and gas, lumber and logging and fertilizer producers will likely see the most positive impact once the pact takes effect.

Provinces such as Ontario and British Columbia have already introduced similar pieces of legislation to implement the commitments in November’s agreement.

5:33
Food and alcohol excluded in interprovincial trade agreement

Alberta officials told reporters that the government purposely waited longer so it could study and learn from what other provinces did.

Thursday’s bill also sets out the process for future mutual recognition agreements between provinces to be implemented.

Schow didn’t provide specifics about what future deals he’d like to ink, noting only that the legislation allows the government to be nimble and make changes without reconvening the legislature as needed.

Opposition NDP jobs critic Rhiannon Hoyle said the legislation is good news for businesses and the economy, but she would have like to have seen it sooner, given long-standing business interest in seeing trade barriers removed.

— More to come…

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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government took steps Wednesday to drastically restrict who’s eligible for medical assistance in dying.

Smith’s United Conservative Party government introduced a bill that, if passed, would limit medical assistance in dying, better known as MAID, to those likely to die of natural causes within a year.

Those under 18 would still be prohibited regardless of condition, in line with current federal rules.

Smith said the federal rules are missing the mark.

“I think that we’re failing in our duty to give people hope,” Smith told reporters before the bill was introduced in the house.

“We believe MAID must be a compassionate option reserved only for those who will not recover from terminal illness.”

The major limitation in Alberta’s bill resembles how Canada’s MAID program began in 2016.

Restricting access to MAID unless it was reasonably foreseeable that someone would die was ruled unconstitutional by a superior court judge in Quebec.

Ottawa then expanded eligibility in 2021.

The changes permit those suffering from a serious illness or disability that isn’t considered terminal and who are in an advanced state of unreversible decline to use MAID.

6:58
Alberta UCP considers own legislation on MAID

Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery said the Quebec decision isn’t binding on Alberta and his government would defend the bill in court if it’s challenged.

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“We think that this bill finds the appropriate balance between allowing people who are eligible for the original intention of MAID to be able to seek that, but also to find a balance in protecting our vulnerable,” Amery told reporters.

The bill repeats many of the same safeguards in place under federal law, including the prohibition on children receiving MAID as well as those deemed unable to make their own health-care decisions.

Alberta would also restrict mental illness as a sole condition.

Ottawa had planned in 2024 to allow it — depending on certain criteria and other safeguards. But the final decision was delayed until next year as debate continues.

Smith said Alberta is acting now to prevent that possible change from taking effect in her province, saying she has “profound misgivings” about it.

Other care and treatment options are often available for those who aren’t facing a reasonably foreseeable death, she said.

“MAID should not become a permanent response to a moment of crisis or despair that can change with care and time,” Smith said.

Alberta Health Services says 1,242 people died through MAID in the province last year, though the statistics don’t break them down by eligibility factors.

The government says deaths in Alberta under Ottawa’s expanded eligibility rules increased by 136 per cent between 2021 and 2025.

1:57
Majority of Canadians support MAID for mental illness patients, research says

More than outlawing MAID for certain circumstances, Alberta’s bill would also prohibit medical professionals from referring patients to providers in other provinces.

And it would create new professional sanctions for doctors and nurse practitioners that break provincial rules.

Government officials said sanctions would range from mandatory training to losing a licence.

The bill would also require all medical professionals who provide MAID services to undergo new training.

It aims to prevent medical professionals from discussing MAID with patients unless they bring it up first.

It also restricts hospitals, doctors’ offices and continuing care homes from displaying information about MAID, such as on posters.

As with Ottawa’s rules, Alberta’s bill would prohibit requests made by patients in advance.

2:00
Robert Munsch sparks conversation about MAiD

That includes people recently diagnosed with diseases such as dementia or Alzheimer’s who may want to provide their consent for MAID before they lose capacity to make the decision.

Quebec currently permits such requests.

Alberta’s bill also repeats that medical providers have the right to refuse patient evaluations in the MAID process and to refuse performing the procedure for religious or conscientious reasons.

A spokesperson for federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser said in a statement that Alberta has jurisdiction when it comes to providing health care.

“As for the federal government, Parliament is currently studying the question of eligibility expansion through (a special joint committee),” said Lola Dandybaeva.

“We will be guided by that process and its findings before any decisions are made about next steps.”

— With files from Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press

— More to come…

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Disability advocates and Alberta’s Opposition NDP is calling on Premier Danielle Smith’s government to up its game when it comes to accessibility, saying it’s about dignity.

Alberta is one of just two provinces to not have overarching accessibility legislation and standards, which critics say continues to be a blemish on the province.

The NDP is trying to fix that through a private member’s bill, which aims to have the government form a committee to create standards for most aspects of daily life, including public transit, employment accommodations and access to services like health care.

Advocates like Bean Gill and Zachary Weeks, speaking at an NDP news conference Tuesday, told reporters they hope it gets through even though private members’ bills rarely if ever get passed in the legislature.

A sudden spinal cord injury left Gill paralyzed over a decade ago, causing her to use a wheelchair.

“It’s stuff that everybody takes for granted — that I took for granted from my 30 years of being able-bodied — being able to step over a curb, being able open a door, being able to access places and services without a second thought,” Gill said.

“Now it requires six or seven thoughts before I even get out of my car.”

Gill said the challenges extend to such mundane but fundamental tasks as using a public washroom.

2:43
Alberta woman feels ‘trapped’ by lack of affordable and accessible rentals

Sometimes there are no options, she said, or if there are, it’s not very accessible.

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“When I find a door that I have to go up a ramp to get to and pee my pants pushing myself up a ramp that’s not to code, I lose my dignity,” Gill said.

“It’s really, really frustrating being on this side of the ball, not really having any power, but always still getting up, smiling, getting dressed, getting out of your house and doing the thing anyway,” Gill said.

“This life is not for the faint-hearted.”

Weeks, an Edmonton-based accessibility consultant and advocate who also uses a wheelchair, agreed with Gill.

“A lot of people don’t even know what dignity looks like anymore,” Weeks said.

“We are the only minority group that you can join at any time. So people with dignity now may not have that dignity later if we do not pass this bill right away.”

1:42
A look at the impact of winter weather on Edmontonians with wheelchairs

Marie Renaud, the NDP’s assisted living critic, introduced the bill. She said existing accessibility measures in Alberta are done piecemeal or in response to complaints.

She wants the government needs to take the initiative. She said broad standards would cover “basic things” like having government documents be made compatible with screen readers for those who are visually impaired and having those who know sign language available in hospitals.

“This is the work that Alberta needs to start. We’re so far behind already,” she said.

5:40
Edmontonians welcome to come check out leading neurorehabilitation facility

The committee the bill would form would feature a majority of members who live with disabilities, as well as law experts and people who support those with disabilities.

Asked about the bill, Assisted Living Minister Jason Nixon told reporters he has concerns.

He noted it wouldn’t include input from businesses or the Municipal Affairs Ministry, which is responsible for building codes in the province.

Nixon also said he didn’t like the idea of having the committee separate from government, “which would not allow the elected legislature to obviously have a say in the process.”

He added, “We want to continue to make sure that Alberta is an accessible place (but) most of what I would say is good in the bill, we already do,” he said.

1:57
Edmonton neighbouhood gets accessibility makeover

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More than a dozen First Nations chiefs and even more band councillors and elders came together Monday at the Alberta legislature, calling on Premier Danielle Smith’s government to stomp out the push for the province to quit Canada.

“Our rights are being minimized,” Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation Chief Sheldon Sunshine said to reporters.

“Our people are being minimized at every level.”

The comments came after First Nations chiefs across the province unanimously called on members of the legislature to hold a non-confidence vote against Smith’s government in part for how it has handled a budding separatist movement.

1:15
Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation suing province over Alberta separatist petition

Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi tabled a motion to hold such a vote Monday, but it was promptly shut down by Smith’s majority United Conservatives.

Government House Leader Joseph Schow called it a “political stunt” and questioned whether Nenshi believed in direct democracy.

“Who do you think you are … to say Albertans don’t have a right to have their voices heard?” Schow told the house.

Chiefs and other Indigenous leaders in the gallery voiced their frustration before leaving, with some yelling at the politicians below to denounce separatism.

“Traitors!” shouted one.

Cold Lake First Nations Chief Kelsey Jacko said after the vote that the chief’s call was an attempt to “hold the premier to account.”

“No matter what we say, (Smith) doesn’t seem to hear us,” Jacko said outside the legislature.

“We have been trying to work with her and (her caucus) for years now.

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“She keeps saying we have a great relationship, but how do you have a great relationship with someone who doesn’t listen?”

Confederacy of Treaty 8 Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi said he knew the vote wouldn’t pass, but that it was important to take a stand.

“We knew what (we were) in for when we came to this legislature,” Mercredi said.

“We’ve seen it time and time again, the disrespect that the MLAs have for our people in those rooms when they’re yawning, texting, leaning back on their chairs (and) smiling.

“It’s very unprofessional.”

Indigenous leaders have been vocally opposed to the budding separatist movement in Alberta.

1:50
Another Alberta First Nation promises legal action over separation

Multiple First Nations are challenging in court provincial legislation permitting citizen-led petitions that seek referendum votes, such as the ongoing campaign to put separation on a ballot.

While numerous Indigenous leaders were in Edmonton, others travelled to England on Monday, where a delegation from the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations is to meet with King Charles.

Confederacy of Treaty 6 Grand Chief Joey Pete said in a news release he plans to discuss the separation push with the King and “remind (him) that our relationship is not with provinces or Canada — it is with the Crown.”

“Treaties are recognized in international law and any attempt to override them is a violation of the original agreements made between First Nations and the Crown,” the release says.

Pete was not available for an interview, and Buckingham Palace didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Alberta Indigenous Relations Minister Rajan Sawhney called it a “tremendous opportunity” for the delegation to meet with the King.

“First Nation leaders have a right to engage with the Crown,” Sawhney said. “I think it’s totally fine that they’re doing so.”

1:53
Only 29% of Albertans support independence, poll finds

Separation and the “fundamentally broken” relationship, as the NDP called it, between Smith’s United Conservatives and First Nations dominated question period Monday.

Nearly a dozen chiefs, many wearing ceremonial headdresses, were in the gallery watching.

At times, the chiefs and other Indigenous leaders cheered and clapped for the NDP’s questions, especially when Nenshi accused the premier of undoing treaty rights “step by step.”

Nenshi also accused Smith of ignoring the chief’s declaration of non-confidence in her government and pandering to both sides of the separatism debate.

Smith and her ministers said her government is trying to renegotiate its relationship with Ottawa, is continuing to build on its connections with First Nations leaders, and that the Constitution is the “highest law of the land.”

“Sovereignty is not the same as separation,” Smith said.

Smith, asked how she would make a separatist petition constitutional, said it’s not her petition.

“We’re addressing the real grievances that Alberta has with the 10 years of mistreatment by Ottawa,” Smith said.

2:15
Alberta separatist supporters say conversation about leaving Canada long overdue

Meanwhile, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce released a report Monday indicating 51 per cent of Calgarians believe the current separatism debate is affecting the provincial economy, with 93 per cent of those believing the impact is negative.

“Our province has worked to enhance its competitiveness and attract investment and labour, yet this conversation introduces a new level of uncertainty that reduces business confidence in growth opportunities,” president Deborah Yedlin said in a news release.

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Alberta Hospitals Minister Matt Jones says he doesn’t blame doctors for the delay in a core initiative to address extreme pressures in the province’s emergency departments.

Jones said Tuesday he’s hopeful the government and doctors can still find a way to hire the emergency department triage liaison physicians he previously promised for February.

“I’m optimistic we can find a solution. There’s two sides to this, and I take accountability for our side of it,” he said at an unrelated news conference in Calgary.

Jones made the pledge in January in an effort to expedite patients through emergency rooms in the wake of stories of suffering and potentially preventable hospital deaths.

His latest remarks come a day after United Conservative Premier Danielle Smith was more blunt. When asked for an update on the file, she pointed to the Alberta Medical Association, which represents doctors.

“I would just suggest you ask the AMA,” she said Monday.

AMA president Dr. Brian Wirzba said in a statement in response that weeks of confusion among government ministries and agencies about who is responsible for contract conditions had left negotiations in limbo.

“Contrary to what was stated in a government press conference today, the delay has not been on the AMA’s end and not solely related to the compensation rate,” he wrote Monday.

He added that the government didn’t follow a previous master agreement that outlines how special “alternative relationship plans” are meant to be approved and implemented when it came to triage liaison physicians.

1:51
Alberta doctors hope new triage doctor role is properly resourced

Wirzba said doctors want to take on the jobs, and there is no time to waste in resolving the issue when the public is rightfully concerned about the emergency department “crisis.”

On Tuesday, Jones said he’s met with AMA, who recommended the position, and got a budget of $20 million over two years approved to implement it in nine hospitals across Alberta.

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“(I’m) certainly not blaming the AMA,” he said.

When asked twice about the government failing to follow the negotiation process laid out by the master agreement Tuesday, Jones reiterated that the government continues to engage with the AMA.

A late January letter from the AMA’s section of emergency medicine outlined seven sticking points with government’s proposed contract.

2:01
Alberta ER doctors detail preventable deaths and ‘near misses’ in letter to province

They relate to pay rates, administration burdens, and liability protection for the special ER doctors.

Jones said so far, the government has agreed to one adjustment for after-hours pay.

“We’re happy to work through those, although we can’t work through them immediately. It does take time,” said Jones.

He said a meeting with the doctors’ association is scheduled later this month, with more meetings to follow as part of the negotiation of a broader pay agreement.

Jones did not offer a timeline for when the triage liaison position might finally be implemented.

If both sides can’t come to terms soon, Jones said short-term contingency plans include looking to bring in nurse practitioners, triage nurses, or boosting emergency room budgets.

Alberta’s Opposition NDP has painted the original announcement as a communications exercise rather than an effective strategy to address ER concerns.

6:11
Alberta Medical Association’s Dr. Paul Parks on overcrowded hospitals and patient deaths

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Premier Danielle Smith’s UCP government has introduced a new Alberta budget that promises more money for health and education but also an eye-popping deficit of $9.4 billion.

Finance Minister Nate Horner says coping with a rising population and lower-than-expected oil prices is putting the squeeze on Alberta’s bottom line.

Horner says the prudent course is to weather the economic storm and work to build the province.

The budget is the second consecutive multibillion-dollar deficit from Smith’s United Conservatives, and they’re forecasting more deficits through to 2029.

The taxpayer-supported debt is also going up and is expected to surpass $100 billion about a year from now.

1:57
Alberta budget deficit expected despite record resource revenue

While income taxes aren’t increasing to make up the shortfall, there are several other ways Albertans will be paying more through fees and changes to the education property tax.

Consumers will also pay more on a number of items, from dangerous driving tickets to registry fees and car rentals.

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There will also fewer provincial supports for the province’s growing motion picture industry, as the government has reduced the Film and Television Tax Credit by $35 million to $60 million.

It comes after last year’s budget 2025 committed $235 million over the ensuing three years to the FTTC program designed to attract large-scale productions.

Here are some of the highlights

— The government expects to take in $74.6 billion while spending $83.9 billion (including $2 billion set aside as a contingency fund).

— It predicts a $9.4-billion deficit, the largest since the COVID-19 crisis when the budget came in nearly $17 billion in the red for 2020-2021.

— This is the second deficit under Premier Danielle Smith, with a $7.6 billion deficit projected for 2027 and a $6.9 billion deficit for the year after that.

— Taxpayer supported debt is set to increase by nearly $17 billion, reaching almost $109 billion in 2026 and almost $138 billion by 2029.

— Spending on education and health care is boosted at rates higher than the rate of population plus inflation (pegged in the budget at 3.7 per cent).

— Big ticket spending on education at $10.8 billion (7.2 per cent more than last year) and health care at $34.4 billion (5.8 per cent more than 2025-2026).

— A tax is to be introduced in 2027 on personal rental vehicles. It’s to be set at six per cent of the price of the rental before other taxes are calculated. Long-term leases and non-passenger rentals, like moving trucks, are to be excluded.

— A mandatory tourism levy applied to hotel rooms and other short-term accommodations rises in April to six per cent from four per cent.

— Fees and penalties are going up for some driving offences, corporate registry filing and licensing, and registration for businesses and charities

More to come…

— With a file from Karen Bartko, Global News

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