Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says his government will do whatever it takes to rescue the province from an oil price collapse and he wants the federal government to step up as well. “This is not just about Alberta. As Alberta goes, so goes the national economy,” Kenney said in Calgary on Monday, after markets closed with cratering oil prices threatening to drain billions of dollars from the province’s bottom line. “Albertans, even in our times of economic trial, have been contributing $20 [Read more]

KAHNAWAKE, Que. - A blockade in the Mohawk community of Kahnawake that has halted rail traffic south of Montreal for more than three weeks is being dismantled. The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake confirmed the move today, praising the dedication of the protesters. The blockade was erected Feb. 8 in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs after the RCMP moved into Wet'suwet'en territory in northern British Columbia to enforce an injunction against a blockade erected by pipeline [Read more]

VICTORIA - Police say five people have been arrested following a protest at the British Columbia legislature. Victoria police say the five were taken into custody at about 9 p.m. Wednesday and each faces a charge of mischief. Police say there were no injuries in the arrests and they alleged the protesters called for others to surround the legislature building. They say officers were "actively obstructed" and because of the size of the crowd, it took several hours for the protesters to [Read more]

VICTORIA - B.C. Premier John Horgan questions what is being achieved by ongoing protests at the legislature, but he won't ask dozens of people camped at the building's ceremonial gates to leave. Horgan made the comments following a rally today by University of Victoria students who walked out of classes to attend the gathering in support of Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs. About 250 students were at the legislature to support the campers who say they will stay until pipeline company Coastal [Read more]

CALGARY - Alberta's top court is allowing a dozen submissions to be heard from advocacy groups and First Nations in the province's constitutional challenge to Ottawa's revamped environmental assessment rules Alberta's United Conservative government has argued no new pipelines would be built under the Impact Assessment Act, part of the contentious Bill C-69. It filed its challenge to the Alberta Court of Appeal last fall asking whether Ottawa was within its authority in imposing the new [Read more]

VANCOUVER - A Wet'suwet'en elected councillor says she has "high hopes" that internal conflict over governance issues and a pipeline can be resolved respectfully but she's also concerned some members will not have a chance to participate in the decision on a proposed deal. Karen Ogen-Toews, a councillor of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation, said six elected councils have historically been excluded from negotiations over land rights and she hopes all Wet'suwet'en people have their say before [Read more]