Albertans are planning to hit Edmonton's streets today to support — or protest — Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg's visit. Climate Justice Edmonton has announced that the 16-year-old Stockholm student will join a march from a downtown Edmonton park to a climate rally at the Alberta legislature. A group of oil and gas supporters is planning a counter-rally at the same time. United We Roll, the group that organized a pro-pipeline convoy to Ottawa in February, says its members are [Read more]

EDMONTON - A group oil and gas supporters is planning a counter-rally when Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg shows up at the Alberta legislature. Glen Carritt, who organized the United We Roll convoy that travelled to Ottawa in February, says a similar convoy will start in Red Deer, Alta., on Friday morning and make its way to Edmonton. Carritt says the trucks are expected to arrive at the legislature at noon, when a climate rally is to begin with 16-year-old Thunberg. He says [Read more]

The Canadian Gas Association says building renewable electricity capacity to replace just half of Canada's current fossil fuel-generated energy could increase national costs by as much as $1.4 trillion over the next 30 years. In a report, it contends that growing electricity's contribution to Canada's energy mix from its current 19 per cent to about 60 per cent will require an expansion from 141 gigawatts today to between 278 and 422 GW of renewable wind, solar and storage capacity by [Read more]

The Alberta government won't seek out a meeting with teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, but Environment Minister Jason Nixon said he hopes the Swedish girl takes time to learn about the province's oil and gas industry. "I think when you look at some of Miss Thunberg's comments, she doesn't understand our province, that she doesn't understand the reality that to accomplish climate change goals worldwide, we need Alberta as part of that solution," Nixon told reporters Tuesday. "We have [Read more]

EDMONTON - Alberta's energy war room is now on a legal footing and will soon be up and running. Energy Minister Sonya Savage told the legislature the war room is now incorporated and will be formally titled the Canadian Energy Centre. Savage says the centre will focus on improving the reputation of Alberta's oil and gas sector and challenging those it believes are delivering misinformation. She announced it will be run by Tom Olsen, a former journalist and a United Conservative [Read more]

EDMONTON - Alberta is moving to set up a new Crown corporation to help Indigenous groups invest in major natural resource projects. The United Conservatives have introduced a bill that says the government would put up $1 billion, along with technical and financial advice, to backstop the Crown. Premier Jason Kenney says it would be a new way of doing business with First Nations. He says it would focus on partnerships led by the arms-length Crown agency rather than [Read more]

CALGARY - The latest regulatory battle concerning a cross-border energy pipeline has broken out between two branches of the federal government. The Canada Energy Regulator has fired off a warning letter to the Canada Border Services Agency over "non-compliance" with its pipeline regulations. The complaint concerns a natural gas line that connects to a CBSA customs building on the Canada-U.S. border about 30 kilometres south of the community of Climax, Sask. Because the "pipeline" runs [Read more]

A government investigation concludes the former head of the Alberta Energy Regulator grossly mismanaged public funds in a scandal that has left taxpayers about $2.3 million out of pocket. The findings were announced by Alberta's auditor general Doug Wylie, public interest commissioner Marianne Ryan and ethics commissioner Marguerite Trussler. The investigation revolved around the activities of Jim Ellis and other executives with the energy regulator between 2017 and 2018. A report says [Read more]