Watch: COVID-19 cases now across the province. Alberta reporting 18 new cases – totalling 74

COVID-19 update from the Province of Alberta, March 16

Aggressive public health measures continue to be implemented provincewide to limit the spread of COVID-19 and protect Albertans, as cases have now been identified in all zones across the province.

18 additional cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Alberta, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 74. Cases have now been identified in all zones across the province.
- 52 cases in the Calgary zone
- 18 cases in the Edmonton zone
- two cases in the Central zone
- one case in the South zone
- one case in the North zone
Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, is self-isolating at home with minor symptoms consistent with a common cold likely due to the long hours that she has been working in recent weeks. Her symptoms do not appear to be consistent with COVID-19. However, as Dr. Hinshaw plays an essential role in Alberta’s response to COVID-19, she has been tested today.
One Edmonton zone and one Calgary zone case have been confirmed to be the result of community transmission. These are the same two cases that were discussed yesterday.
Materials have been developed to assist travellers returning from outside Canada so they know what to do and how to self-isolate. These materials will be distributed at all airports in the province.
The Provincial Court of Alberta and Court of Queen’s Bench are limiting operations. Visits to all Alberta provincial correctional facilities and young offender centres are suspended until further notice.
Commercial carriers are essential to the supply chain and are not subject to the current 14-day self-isolation travel requirements. This is consistent with the air travel industry and other provinces, such as British Columbia.
All Alberta Parks recreation facilities, programs, events and bookings are closed to the public and/or cancelled.
Student attendance at schools is prohibited until further notice.
Post-secondary classes continue to be cancelled. Campuses remain open at this time.
All licensed child care facilities, out-of-school care programs and preschool programs are closed indefinitely.
All long-term care and other continuing care facilities are advised to limit visitation to essential visitors only.
Places of worship are no longer exempt from restrictions on mass gatherings.
Canadian Blood Services reminds Albertans that the need for blood donors remains strong, and it is safe to donate blood during COVID-19. To learn more, visit blood.ca.

Access to justice services

Family, professional and volunteer visits to all Alberta provincial correctional facilities and young offender centres are suspended until further notice. If defence counsel require an in-person meeting, they must contact the appropriate centre director. If families have questions about their loved ones, they should contact the centre director.

Current jury trials are proceeding; jurors are required to report to court. Any counsel or juror showing symptoms should contact the court to seek instructions from the presiding judge. Those who received a summons to attend jury selection between March 16 and May 31 are released and do not need to attend.

Legal Aid Alberta intake services at the Edmonton and Calgary courthouses are closed until further notice. To apply for Legal Aid services, call the Client Contact Centre at 1-866-845-3425, Monday to Friday between 8:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.

Traffic First-Appearance Centres are closed until further notice. Albertans can visit www.albertacourts.ca/pc/resources/pay-fines to pay traffic tickets.

Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench information: www.albertacourts.ca/qb/resources/announcements/covid-19-suspension-of-sittings.

Provincial Court of Alberta information: https://www.albertacourts.ca/pc/home.

Alberta law libraries information: https://lawlibrary.ab.ca/

Child care

All licensed child care, out-of-school care programs and preschool programs in Alberta are closed indefinitely. Approved day homes are exempt because they care for fewer than seven children at a time, including their own. Whether child care is being provided by day homes or by friends and family, enhanced sanitation practices are encouraged. This includes ensuring handwashing facilities or hand sanitizer are available and children and visitors are encouraged to wash their hands frequently.

Information for travellers

Travel outside of the country is not being recommended at this time. Given the rapid global spread of the virus, it is no longer possible to assess health risks for the duration of the trip.

Any traveller returning from outside of the country should self-isolate for 14 days, even if they are feeling well, and monitor for symptoms.

Any traveller who has returned before March 12 should closely monitor themselves for symptoms. If they experience symptoms, they should self-isolate immediately and call Health Link 811 for follow-up assessment and testing.

The Alberta government is working with Travel Alberta on a strategy to inform Canadians returning from the United States and Mexico about the need to self-isolate, and how to access medical care, if needed.

COVID-19-related information will be available for returning passengers at the international airports in both Edmonton and Calgary; tables with information sheets will be set up in the arrivals areas.

Quick facts

The most important measures that Albertans can take to prevent respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, is to practise good hygiene.
- This includes cleaning your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, avoiding touching your face, coughing or sneezing into your elbow or sleeve, disposing of tissues appropriately, and staying home and away from others if you are sick.
Anyone who has health concerns or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should complete an online COVID-19 self-assessment.
For recommendations on protecting yourself and your community, visit alberta.ca/COVID19.

Related Topics:COVID-19 Dr. Deena Hinshaw Province of Albeta

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Open letter to Ottawa from Alberta strongly urging National Economic Corridor

Published on February 21, 2025

Government of Alberta

Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen has issued a call to action to federal Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Anita Anand:

“Today I have posted an open letter to the federal minister of transport and internal trade, urging her and her federal colleagues to take action and advance investments in interprovincial mega-infrastructure projects that will ensure Canada is competitive and successful.

“Canada has been stuck in a situation where it cannot complete nation-building projects like the Canadian Pacific Railway that was completed in 1885, or the Trans Canada Highway that was completed in the 1960s. With the uncertainty of U.S. tariffs looming over our country and province, Canada needs to take bold action to revitalize the productivity and competitiveness of its economy – going east to west and not always relying on north-south trade. There’s no better time than right now to politically de-risk these projects.

“In a federal leadership vacuum, Alberta has worked to advance economic corridors across Canada. In April 2023, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba signed an agreement to collaborate on joint trade infrastructure networks meant to boost trade and economic growth across the Prairies. Alberta also signed a similar economic corridor agreement with the Northwest Territories in July 2024.

“Through our collaboration with neighbouring jurisdictions, we will spur the development of economic corridors by reducing regulatory delays and attracting investment. We recognize the importance of working with Indigenous communities on the development of major infrastructure projects, which will be key to our success in these endeavors.

“However, provinces and territories cannot do this alone. The federal government must play its part to advance the economic corridors that we need from coast to coast to coast to support our economic future. It is time for immediate action.

“To move forward expeditiously, I propose the establishment of a federal/provincial/territorial working group. This working group would be tasked with creating a common position on addressing the economic threats facing Canada, and the need for mitigating trade and trade-enabling infrastructure.

“We ask the federal government to join us in a new approach to infrastructure development that ensures Canada is productive and competitive for generations to come and generates the wealth that ensures our quality of life is second to none.”

Devin Dreeshen: Economic Corridors – Call for action

Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen has drafted an open letter with a call to action to federal Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Anita Anand.

Posted by

Devin Dreeshen

February 21, 2025

Canada’s wealth is based on its success as a trading nation. Canada is blessed with immense resources spread across a vast country. It has succeeded as a small, open economy with an enviable standard of living that has been able to provide what the world needs.

Canada has been stuck in a situation where it cannot complete nation‑building projects like the Canadian Pacific Railway that was completed in 1885, or the Trans Canada Highway that was completed in the 1960s. With the uncertainty of U.S. tariffs looming over our country and province, Canada needs to take bold action to revitalize the productivity and competitiveness of its economy – going east to west and not always relying on north-south trade. There’s no better time than right now to politically de-risk these projects.

A lack of leadership from the federal government has led to the following:

Inadequate federal funding for trade infrastructure.
- A lack of investment is stifling the infrastructure capacity we need to diversify our exports. This is despite federally commissioned reports like the 2022 report by the National Supply Chain Task Force indicating the investment need will be trillions over the next 50 years.
Federal red tape, like the Impact Assessment Act.
- Burdensome regulation has added major costs and significant delays to projects, like the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project, a proposed container facility at Vancouver, which spent more than a decade under federal review.
Opaque funding programs, like the National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF).
- Which offers a pattern of unclear criteria for decisions and lack of response. This program has not funded any provincial highway projects in Alberta, despite the many applications put forward by the Government of Alberta. In fact, we’ve gone nearly 3 years without decisions on some project applications.
Ineffective policies that limit economic activity.
- Measures that pit environmental and economic objectives in stark opposition to one another instead of seeking innovative win-win solutions hinder Canada’s overall productivity and investment climate. One example is the moratorium on shipping crude through northern B.C. waters, which effectively ended Enbridge’s Northern Gateway proposal and has limited Alberta’s ability to ship its oil to Asian markets.

In a federal leadership vacuum, Alberta has worked to advance economic corridors across Canada. In April 2023, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba signed an agreement to collaborate on joint infrastructure networks meant to boost trade and economic growth across the Prairies. Alberta also signed a similar economic corridor agreement with the Northwest Territories in July 2024. Additionally, Alberta would like to see an agreement among all 7 western provinces and territories, and eventually the entire country, to collaborate on economic corridors.

Through our collaboration with neighbouring jurisdictions, we will spur the development of economic corridors by reducing regulatory delays and attracting investment. We recognize the importance of working with Indigenous communities on the development of major infrastructure projects, which will be key to our success in these endeavours.

However, provinces and territories cannot do this alone. The federal government must play its part to advance our country’s economic corridors that we need from coast to coast to coast to support our economic future. It is time for immediate action.

Alberta recommends the federal government take the following steps to strengthen Canada’s economic corridors and supply chains by:

Creating an Economic Corridor Agency to identify and maintain economic corridors across provincial boundaries, with meaningful consultation with both Indigenous groups and industry.
Increasing federal funding for trade-enabling infrastructure, such as roads, rail, ports, in-land ports, airports and more.
Streamlining regulations regarding trade-related infrastructure and interprovincial trade, especially within economic corridors. This would include repealing or amending the Impact Assessment Act and other legislation to remove the uncertainty and ensure regulatory provisions are proportionate to the specific risk of the project.
Adjusting the policy levers that that support productivity and competitiveness. This would include revisiting how the federal government supports airports, especially in the less-populated regions of Canada.

To move forward expeditiously on the items above, I propose the establishment of a federal/provincial/territorial working group. This working group would be tasked with creating a common position on addressing the economic threats facing Canada, and the need for mitigating trade and trade-enabling infrastructure. The group should identify appropriate governance to ensure these items are presented in a timely fashion by relative priority and urgency.

Alberta will continue to be proactive and tackle trade issues within its own jurisdiction. From collaborative memorandums of understanding with the Prairies and the North, to reducing interprovincial trade barriers, to fostering innovative partnerships with Indigenous groups, Alberta is working within its jurisdiction, much like its provincial and territorial colleagues.

We ask the federal government to join us in a new approach to infrastructure development that ensures Canada is productive and competitive for generations to come and generates the wealth that ensures our quality of life is second to none.

Devin Dreeshen

Devin Dreeshen was sworn in as Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors on October 24, 2022.

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Published on February 19, 2025

Government of Alberta

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