News
Severe Thunderstorm & Tornado Warnings- Sunday 5:23 PM
Conditions exist for Tornados in the region. Keep alert and keep your eyes on the sky. Have a plan and get ready to execute it if needed.
Alerts for: Red Deer – Ponoka – Innisfail – Stettler
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
5:23 PM MDT Sunday 09 July 2017
Severe thunderstorm warning in effect for:
- Lacombe Co. near Eckville
- Red Deer Co. near Spruce View and Red Lodge Prov. Park
- Red Deer Co. near Sylvan Lake and Stephansson House
At 5:20 p.m. MDT, Environment Canada meteorologists are tracking a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing very strong wind gusts, up to ping pong ball size hail and heavy rain.
This line of severe thunderstorms is located from 15 km west of Caroline to 5 km west of Eckville and is moving east at 15 km/h.
Take cover immediately, if threatening weather approaches. Large hail can damage property and cause injury. Remember, severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes.
Severe thunderstorm warnings are issued when imminent or occurring thunderstorms are likely to produce or are producing one or more of the following: large hail, damaging winds, torrential rainfall.
Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to [email protected] or tweet reports using #ABStorm.
3:29 PM MDT Sunday 09 July 2017
Heat Warning in effect for:
- Camrose Co. near Bashaw and Meeting Creek
- City of Red Deer
- Co. of Paintearth near Halkirk and Big Knife Prov. Park
- Co. of Stettler near Big Valley
- Co. of Stettler near Botha and Gadsby
- Co. of Stettler near Byemoor and Endiang
- Co. of Stettler near Donalda
- Co. of Stettler near Stettler Nevis and Rochon Sands
- Flagstaff Co. near Forestburg and Galahad
- Lacombe Co. near Clive Alix and Mirror
- Lacombe Co. near Eckville
- Lacombe Co. near Lacombe Blackfalds and Bentley
- Ponoka Co. near Ponoka and Maskwacis
- Red Deer Co. near Elnora Lousana and Delburne
- Red Deer Co. near Penhold Innisfail and Bowden
- Red Deer Co. near Pine Lake
- Red Deer Co. near Spruce View and Red Lodge Prov. Park
- Red Deer Co. near Sylvan Lake and Stephansson House
A long period with maximum daily temperatures reaching near 29C or above and minimum overnight temperatures near 14C continues.
There will be some relief from the heat on Monday.
Residents of and visitors to these regions are advised to take the following precautions to protect themselves, their families and their neighbours:
– Consider rescheduling outdoor activities to cooler hours of the day.
– Take frequent breaks from the heat, spending time outdoors at your house or at cooled public buildings (including malls or indoor pools).
– Drink plenty of water and other non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated beverages to stay hydrated.
– Do not leave any person or pet inside a closed vehicle, for any length of time.
Monitor for symptoms of heat stroke or heat exhaustion, such as high body temperature, lack of sweat, confusion, fainting, and unconsciousness. Particular vigilance is urged for vulnerable individuals, including children, seniors, individuals with pre-existing lung, heart, kidney, nervous system, mental health or diabetic conditions, outdoor workers, as well as those who are socially isolated.
For more heat health advice, including for vulnerable individuals, visit www.ahs.ca/heat.
Heat warnings are issued when very high temperature or humidity conditions are expected to pose an elevated risk of heat illnesses, such as heat stroke or heat exhaustion.
Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to [email protected] or tweet reports using #ABStorm.
Watches
4:16 PM MDT Sunday 09 July 2017
Severe thunderstorm watch in effect for:
- Camrose Co. near Bashaw and Meeting Creek
- City of Red Deer
- Co. of Paintearth near Halkirk and Big Knife Prov. Park
- Co. of Stettler near Big Valley
- Co. of Stettler near Botha and Gadsby
- Co. of Stettler near Byemoor and Endiang
- Co. of Stettler near Donalda
- Co. of Stettler near Stettler Nevis and Rochon Sands
- Flagstaff Co. near Forestburg and Galahad
- Lacombe Co. near Clive Alix and Mirror
- Lacombe Co. near Eckville
- Lacombe Co. near Lacombe Blackfalds and Bentley
- Ponoka Co. near Ponoka and Maskwacis
- Red Deer Co. near Elnora Lousana and Delburne
- Red Deer Co. near Penhold Innisfail and Bowden
- Red Deer Co. near Pine Lake
- Red Deer Co. near Spruce View and Red Lodge Prov. Park
- Red Deer Co. near Sylvan Lake and Stephansson House
Conditions are favourable for the development of dangerous thunderstorms that may be capable of producing damaging wind gusts, damaging hail and heavy rain.
Severe thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon over parts of Alberta. There is the potential for some of these storms to produce a tornado. If conditions throughout the day become increasingly favourable for tornado development, some of these watches may be upgraded to a tornado watch.
Thunderstorm watches may expand to the south and east this afternoon as storms develop.
Very large hail can damage property, break windows, dent vehicles and cause serious injury. Very strong wind gusts can damage buildings, down trees and blow large vehicles off the road. Remember, severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes.
Severe thunderstorm watches are issued when atmospheric conditions are favourable for the development of thunderstorms that could produce one or more of the following: large hail, damaging winds, torrential rainfall.
Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to [email protected] or tweet reports using #ABStorm.
From the Fraser Institute
By Alex Whalen and Tegan Hill
Back in the summer at a meeting in Halifax, several provincial premiers discussed a lawsuit meant to force the federal government to make changes to Canada’s equalization program. The suit—filed by Newfoundland and Labrador and backed by British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta—effectively argues that the current formula isn’t fair. But while the question of “fairness” can be subjective, its clear the equalization program is broken.
In theory, the program equalizes the ability of provinces to deliver reasonably comparable services at a reasonably comparable level of taxation. Any province’s ability to pay is based on its “fiscal capacity”—that is, its ability to raise revenue.
This year, equalization payments will total a projected $25.3 billion with all provinces except B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan to receive some money. Whether due to higher incomes, higher employment or other factors, these three provinces have a greater ability to collect government revenue so they will not receive equalization.
However, contrary to the intent of the program, as recently as 2021, equalization program costs increased despite a decline in the fiscal capacity of oil-producing provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. In other words, the fiscal capacity gap among provinces was shrinking, yet recipient provinces still received a larger equalization payment.
Why? Because a “fixed-growth rule,” introduced by the Harper government in 2009, ensures that payments grow roughly in line with the economy—even if the gap between richer and poorer provinces shrinks. The result? Total equalization payments (before adjusting for inflation) increased by 19 per cent between 2015/16 and 2020/21 despite the gap in fiscal capacities between provinces shrinking during this time.
Moreover, the structure of the equalization program is also causing problems, even for recipient provinces, because it generates strong disincentives to natural resource development and the resulting economic growth because the program “claws back” equalization dollars when provinces raise revenue from natural resource development. Despite some changes to reduce this problem, one study estimated that a recipient province wishing to increase its natural resource revenues by a modest 10 per cent could face up to a 97 per cent claw back in equalization payments.
Put simply, provinces that generally do not receive equalization such as Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan have been punished for developing their resources, whereas recipient provinces such as Quebec and in the Maritimes have been rewarded for not developing theirs.
Finally, the current program design also encourages recipient provinces to maintain high personal and business income tax rates. While higher tax rates can reduce the incentive to work, invest and be productive, they also raise the national standard average tax rate, which is used in the equalization allocation formula. Therefore, provinces are incentivized to maintain high and economically damaging tax rates to maximize equalization payments.
Unless premiers push for reforms that will improve economic incentives and contain program costs, all provinces—recipient and non-recipient—will suffer the consequences.
Authors:
National
Liberals, NDP admit closed-door meetings took place in attempt to delay Canada’s next election
From LifeSiteNews
Pushing back the date would preserve the pensions of some of the MPs who could be voted out of office in October 2025.
Aides to the cabinet of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that MPs from the Liberal and New Democratic Party (NDP) did indeed hold closed-door “briefings” to rewrite Canada’s elections laws so that they could push back the date of the next election.
The closed-door talks between the NDP and Liberals confirmed the aides included a revision that would guarantee some of its 28 MPs, including three of Trudeau’s cabinet members, would get a pension.
Allen Sutherland, who serves as the assistant cabinet secretary, testified before the House of Commons affairs committee that the changes to the Elections Act were discussed in the meetings.
“We attended a meeting where the substance of that proposal was discussed,” he said, adding that his “understanding is the briefing was primarily oral.”
According to Sutherland, as reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, it was only NDP and Liberal MPs who attended the secret meetings regarding changes to Canada’s Elections Act via Bill C-65, An Act to Amend the Canada Elections Act before the bill was introduced in March.
As reported by LifeSiteNews before, the Liberals were hoping to delay the 2025 federal election by a few days in what many see as a stunt to secure pensions for MPs who are projected to lose their seats. Approximately 80 MPs would qualify for pensions should they sit as MPs until at least October 27, 2025, which is the newly proposed election date. The election date is currently set for October 20, 2025.
Sutherland noted when asked by Conservative MP Luc Berthold that he recalled little from the meetings, but he did confirm he attended “two meetings of that kind.”
“Didn’t you find it unusual that a discussion about amending the Elections Act included only two political parties and excluded the others?” Berthold asked.
Sutherland responded, “It’s important to understand what my role was in those meetings which was simply to provide background information.”
Berthold then asked, “You nevertheless suggested amendments to the legislation including a change of dates?”
“My role was to provide information,” replied Sutherland, who added he could not provide the exact dates of the meetings.
MPs must serve at least six years to qualify for a pension that pays $77,900 a year. Should an election be called today, many MPs would fall short of reaching the six years, hence Bill C-65 was introduced by the Liberals and NDP.
The Liberals have claimed that pushing back the next election date is not over pensions but due to “trying to observe religious holidays,” as noted by Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen.
“Conservatives voted against this bill,” Berthold said, as they are “confident of winning re-election. We don’t need this change.”
Trudeau’s popularity is at a all-time low, but he has refused to step down as PM, call an early election, or even step aside as Liberal Party leader.
As for the amendments to elections laws, they come after months of polling in favour of the Conservative Party under the leadership of Pierre Poilievre.
A recent poll found that 70 percent of Canadians believe the country is “broken” as Trudeau focuses on less critical issues. Similarly, in January, most Canadians reported that they are worse off financially since Trudeau took office.
Additionally, a January poll showed that 46 percent of Canadians expressed a desire for the federal election to take place sooner rather than the latest mandated date in the fall of 2025.
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