AB Today – Daily Report January 9, 2019 Quotation of the day “I personally will be devoting more time to advocating for Alberta on the national stage through as many means as I possibly can.” Former Wildrose leader Brian Jean teases plans for his political future during a Facebook Live ​ ​ pregnancy announcement with his wife Kim. Today in AB On the schedule The government has not committed to holding a spring legislative session or to tabling a budget before next year’s election, which must be held between March 1 and May 31, 2019. Should no changes to the parliamentary calendar be made, the House will resume on February 12. Province to release photo radar report this month A long-awaited report on the future of photo radar in the province will be released by the end of this month, according to Transportation Minister Brian Mason’s office. ​ ​ In a statement to AB Today, a spokesperson for the minister confirmed the results of the review ​ ​ — which launched more than two-and-a-half years ago — will be released alongside an announcement about the province’s plans for the file. Minister Mason announced the photo radar study in 2017 to ensure the devices are improving ​ ​ road safety and not just serving as a revenue tool for municipalities. Mason originally claimed the review would be completed by fall of that year, but the province ​ waited until March 2018 to hire a consultant. On Tuesday the minister’s office said the report’s release was delayed while the government continued “to consider how best to operationalize the results of our study.” Also Tuesday, Freedom Conservative Party Derek Fildebrandt held a press conference calling ​ ​ ​ for an immediate end to the use of non-red light cameras and releasing his party’s own policy ​ report on the devices. ​ The FCP’s six-page report says Alberta is the “most deregulated jurisdiction” when it comes to municipalities’ “overzealous” use of photo radar; calls road safety claims “unsubstantiated”; and notes the strain the program puts on the judicial system. “There is good reason why the NDP are afraid to release the facts: they are afraid of upsetting municipal politicians who are using photo radar as a cash-cow scam-of-a-tax on drivers,” Fildebrandt said in a statement. “If photo radar did anything noticeable for safety, the NDP would tell us. If photo radar didn’t cost the judicial system hundreds of millions dollars and backlog the courts, the NDP would tell us.” Topics of conversation ● Despite ensuing legal battles, TransCanada Corp. says it hopes to get workcamps set up next month and start construction on the Keystone XL pipeline this June, Bloomberg ​ reports. The company filed court documents with the U.S. District Court in Montana ​ Monday saying another year-long delay would cost $949 million USD. ○ In November 2018, the Montana court blocked any further pipeline construction until the U.S. State Department completed an updated environmental impact statement. ○ The case heads back to court next week, with a hearing scheduled for January 14 — however, it could be delayed due to the ongoing U.S. government shutdown. The Justice Department, which will represent the State Department in the hearings, is affected by the shutdown. ● After four years on the job, Calgary’s top bureaucrat Jeff Fielding is leaving his post for ​ ​ the City of Toronto. The city manager’s last day will be April 1. ○ Fielding will serve as chief of staff to Toronto’s city manager Chris Murray. ​ ​ ● The United Conservative Party has been granted intervenor status in the Ontario government’s court challenge against the federal carbon tax, Leader Jason Kenney ​ tweeted on Tuesday. ​ ○ The UCP was previously granted intervenor status in the Saskatchewan government’s upcoming court battle, which begins February 13. ○ The Ontario court challenge is slated for April. ○ If elected government, the UCP has vowed to scrap the provincial carbon tax as its first act in power. ● In a live Facebook video announcement, former Wildrose leader Brian Jean revealed he ​ ​ and his wife Kim are expecting a baby in 10 weeks. Jean stepped down from his Fort McMurray—Conklin riding last May, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family and to rebuild his home, which was destroyed in the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire. ○ In the Facebook announcement, Kim wore a shirt that said “Alberta Grown,” while Jean hinted he would have more to say soon about his political future. ○ “I personally will be devoting more time to advocating for Alberta on the national stage through as many means as I possibly can,” Jean said. ● The driver involved in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, pled ​ ​ ​ guilty to all 29 charges — including 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death and 13 ​ charges of dangerous driving causing bodily harm — in a Saskatchewan courtroom Tuesday. ○ In July, Transportation Minister Brian Mason announced an overhaul of trucking ​ ​ ​ regulations in response to the crash between the semi-trailer truck driven by ​ Sidhu and the bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos hockey team. ○ The province will bring in new mandatory entry-level training programs for all drivers looking to get a Class 1 or Class 2 licence. Those drivers will also need to take a new “enhanced knowledge and road test” beginning in March. ○ The province also stopped issuing temporary safety fitness certificates to commercial vehicle drives as of January 1. Safety fitness certificates must now be renewed every three years. ○ Alberta Transportation suspended the licence of Sidhu’s employer, Adesh Deol Trucking Ltd., following the crash. ○ In a year-end interview with AB Today, Premier Rachel Notley called the bus ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ crash Alberta’s low point of 2018. ● A gay Calgary Catholic teacher penned an op-ed in the Calgary Herald calling on the ​ ​ ​ ​ Calgary Catholic School Board to improve the working environment for LGBTQ+ staff, saying many fear for their employment. ○ In December, Education Minister David Eggen said he would review Catholic ​ ​ schools’ employment contracts after concerns were raised over the inclusion of religious covenants. ● Rallies in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en nation in B.C. were held in Edmonton and Calgary on Tuesday — two of more than 50 held in cities around the world. ○ On Monday, RCMP began enforcing a court order against members of the First Nation, who oppose Trans Canada Corporation’s Coastal GasLink pipeline, which would ship fracked natural gas to the coast through unceded Wet’suwet’en territory. ○ Mounties dismantled a checkpoint set up by the nation’s Gidimt’en clan, arresting 14 people in the process. News briefs – Governmental Nominations for Alberta Order of Excellence open ● The government opened up nominations for the Alberta Order of Excellence Awards. Up ​ ​ to 10 people will receive the province’s highest honour in 2019. Nominations will be accepted until February 15. AB Today is written by Catherine Griwkowsky, reporting from Alberta's legislative press gallery. What did you think of this Daily Report? What else would you like to see here? Email [email protected] and let us know. ​ ​ Copyright © 2018 Queen’s Park Today. It is a violation of copyright to distribute this newsletter without permission. .