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Alberta

Alberta activates contingency mail delivery plan

Published

11 minute read

Alberta’s government has a plan to ensure critical government mail continues to be delivered during the service interruption at Canada Post.

In response to the service disruption at Canada Post, Alberta’s government is taking steps to ensure critical mail between Albertans and the government continues to flow.

Starting Tuesday, Nov. 19, mail can be accepted from Albertans at designated Alberta government offices across the province to ensure it reaches the proper destination. No stamps are required. The full list of designated buildings is available on Alberta.ca.

Albertans who receive mail from the provincial government will receive a notification by email or phone indicating where and when they can pick-up/drop-off their mail. Alberta’s government will never ask for personal information over the phone or for anyone to click on a link in an email. Non-critical mail will be held by the originating department until Canada Post mail service resumes.

Some departments are participating in a Canada Post program to deliver social-economic cheques once a month during the disruption. Many departments that issue cheques also offer direct deposit. For more information, or to inquire about signing up for direct deposit, Albertans should contact the government department that issues the payment.

Additional information will be posted online as it becomes available.

Quick facts

  • Only critical mail can be delivered to the general public during a work interruption. Non-critical or promotional mail should not be sent during this time.
  • Ministries must arrange for staff serving the public to accept and forward critical mail from Albertans to the appropriate government recipients.
  • Critical mail is material that must reach its intended recipient to avoid health, safety, financial or other significant harm to Albertans, significant risk or loss to government, or legislative non-compliance and that cannot be delivered expediently by courier, fax, electronic or other means.
  • Canada Post employees will deliver federal and provincial government socio-economic cheques one day per month during a work interruption.
  • Additional information will be posted on Alberta.ca as it becomes available.

Related information

 

Government mail drop locations – Effective November 19

City / Town Drop Point Address
Airdrie Agricultural Centre 97 East Lake Ramp NE, Airdrie, AB T4A 0C3
Athabasca Jewell Building #2, 3603 – 53 St., Athabasca, AB T9S 1A9
Barrhead AFSC 4924 50 Ave, Barrhead, AB T7N 1A4
Blairmore Provincial Building 12501 – Crowsnest Pass Provincial Building, Blairmore, AB T0K 1E0
Bonnyville Provincial Building P.O. Box 5244, 4904 – 50 Ave., Bonnyville, AB T9N 2G4
Brooks Provincial Building 220 – 4 Ave. W, Brooks, AB T1R 1C6
Calgary West Direct Express Bay 30, 333 28 Street NE, Calgary, AB T2A 7P4
Camrose AFSC P.O. Box 5000, 4910 – 52 St., Camrose, AB T4V 2V4
Canmore Provincial Building 3rd Floor, 800 – Railway Ave., Canmore, AB T1W 1P1
Cardston Provincial Building 576 – Main St., Cardston, AB T0K 0K0
Caroline Alberta Highway Services Yard P.O. Box 160, Caroline, AB T0M 0M0
Castor Alberta Health Services 4911 – 50 Avenue Castor, AB T0C 0X0
Claresholm Provincial Building P.O. Box 1650, 109 – 46 Ave. W, Claresholm, AB T0L 0T0
Coaldale RCMP Detachment 705 – 19A Avenue, Coaldale, AB T1M 1A7
Cochrane Provincial Building 2nd Floor, 213 – 1 St. W, Cochrane, AB T4C 1A5
Cold Lake AB Supports #408 6501B – 51 Street, Cold Lake, AB T9M 1P2
Consort Provincial Building 4916 – 50 St., Consort, AB T0C 1B0
Drayton Valley Provincial Building 5136 – 51 Ave., Drayton Valley, AB T7A 1S4
Drumheller Riverside Centre 180 – Riverside Centre, Drumheller, AB T0J 0Y4
Edmonton MSV Building 12360 – 142 Street NW, Edmonton, AB T5L 2H1
Edson Provincial Building 111 – 54 St., Edson, AB T7E 1T2
Evansburg Health Centre 5525 – 50 St., Evansburg, AB T0E 0T0
Fairview AARD #213, 10209 – 109 St., Fairview, AB T0H 1L0
Falher AFSC 701 – Main St., Falher, AB T0H 1M0
Foremost Provincial Building 218 – Main St., Foremost, AB T0K 0X0
Fort MacLeod Fort MacLeod Healthcare Centre P.O. Box 520, 744 – 26 St., Fort MacLeod, AB T0L 0Z0
Fort McMurray Provincial Building 9915 – Franklin Ave., Fort McMurray, AB T9H 2K4
Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre Bag 10, 7802 – 101 St., Fort Saskatchewan, AB T8L 2P3
Fort Vermilion Ranger Station 5001 46 Ave Fort Vermilion, AB T0H 1N0
Fox Creek Ranger Station 201 Kaybob Drive, Fox Creek, AB T0H 1P0
Grande Prairie Provincial Building 10320 – 99 St., Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6J4
Grimshaw AFSC 5306 – 50 Street, Grimshaw, AB T0H 1W0
Hanna Provinical Building 401 – Centre St., Hanna, AB T0J 1P0
High Level Provincial Building 10106 – 100 Ave., High Level, AB T0H 1Z0
High Prairie Provincial Building 5226 – 53 Ave., High Prairie, AB T0G 1E0
High River Spitzee Crossing Building 124 – 4 Avenue SW, High River, AB T1V 1M3
Hinton Hinton Training Centre 1176 – Switzer Dr., Hinton, AB T7V 1V3
Innisfail Eastgate Mall Bay 11, 4804 – 42 Ave., Innisfail, AB T4G 1V2
Killam Killam Mental Health Clinic 4811 – 49 Ave., Killam, AB T0B 2L0
Lac La Biche Health Centre 9503 – Beaver Hill Rd., Lac La Biche, AB T0A 2C0
Lacombe AFSC 5718 – 56 Ave., Lacombe, AB T4L 1B1
Lamont AFSC 5014 – 50 Ave., Lamont, AB T0B 2R0
Leduc Provincial Courthouse 4612 – 50 St., Leduc, AB T9E 6L1
Lethbridge Provincial Building 200 – 5 Ave. S, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4L1
Lloydminster Provincial Building 5124 – 50 St., Lloydminster, AB T9V 0M3
Manning Environment and Parks #400, 2nd Street SW, Manning, AB T0H 2M0
McLennan Kirkland Building P.O. Box 326, 205 – 1 St. E, McLennan, AB T0H 2L0
Medicine Hat Provincial Building #1-106, 346 – 3 St. SE, Medicine Hat, AB T1A 0G7
Morniville Provincial Building 10008 – 107 St., Morinville, AB T8R 1L3
Olds Provincial Building 5030 – 50 St., Olds, AB T4H 1S1
Peace River Provincial Building Bag 900, 9621 – 96 Ave., Peace River, AB T8S 1T4
Pincher Creek Provincial Building 782 – Main St., Pincher Creek, AB T0K 1W0
Ponoka Provincial Building P.O. Box 4426, 5110 – 49 Ave., Ponoka, AB T4J 1S1
Provost Provincial Building 5419 – 44 Ave., Provost, AB T0B 3S0
Red Deer Provincial Building 4920 – 51 St., Red Deer, AB T4N 6K8
Rimbey Provincial Building 2nd Floor, 5025 – 55 St., Rimbey, AB T0C 2J0
Rocky Mountain House Provincial Building 2nd Floor, 4919 – 51 St., Rocky Mountain House, AB T4T 1B3
St. Albert Provincial Building 30 – Sir Winston Churchill Ave., St. Albert, AB T8N 3A3
St. Paul Provincial Building 5025 – 49 Ave., St. Paul, AB T0A 3A4
Sedgewick Flagstaff Building 4701 – 48 Ave., Sedgewick, AB T0B 4C0
Sherwood Park Centre Plaza 190 Chippewa Road, Sherwood Park, AB T8A 4H5
Slave Lake Government Centre 101- 3rd Street SW, Slave Lake, AB T0G 2A4
Smoky Lake Provincial Building 2nd Floor, 108 – Wheatland Ave., Smoky Lake, AB T0A 3C0
AB Tree Improvement P.O. Box 750, 59162 – R.R. 155, Smoky Lake, AB T0A 3C0
Spirit River AFSC 4202 – 50 Street, Spirit River, AB T0H 3G0
Spruce Grove Provincial Building #1, 250 – Diamond Ave., Spruce Grove, AB T7X 4C7
Stettler Provincial Building 4705 – 49 Ave., Stettler, AB T0C 2L0
Stony Plain Provincial Building 4709 – 44 Ave., Stony Plain, AB T7Z 1N4
Strathmore AFSC 325 – 3 Ave., Strathmore, AB T1P 1B4
Sundre Ranger Station P.O. Box 519, 127 – 1 St. NW, Sundre, AB T0M 1X0
Taber Provincial Building 5011 – 49 Ave., Taber, AB T1G 1V9
Three Hills AFSC 128 – 3 Avenue, Tofield, AB T0M 2A0
Tofield Provincial Building 5024 51 Ave , Tofield, AB T0B 4J0
Ukrainian Village Ukrainian Village c/o 8820 – 112 St., Edmonton, AB T6G 2P8
Valleyview Provincial Building 5102 – 50 Ave., Valleyview, AB T0H 3N0
Vegreville Haverhill Building 5121 – 49 Street E, Vegreville, AB T9C 1S7
Vermilion Provincial Building P.O. Box 30, 4701 – 52 St., Vermilion, AB T9X 1J9
Vulcan AFSC 104 Centre Street E, Vulcan, AB T0L 2B0
Wainwright Provincial Building #4, 810 – 14 Ave., Wainwright, AB T9W 1R2
Westlock Provincial Building 2nd Floor, 10003 – 100 St., Westlock, AB T7P 2E8
Wetaskiwin Provincial Building 5201 – 50 Ave., Wetaskiwin, AB T9A 0S7
Whitecourt Provincial Building 5020 – 52 Ave., Whitecourt, AB T7S 1N2
Youngstown Special Areas 404 – 2 Ave , Youngstown, AB T0J 3P0

Alberta

Low oil prices could have big consequences for Alberta’s finances

Published on

From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill

Amid the tariff war, the price of West Texas Intermediate oil—a common benchmark—recently dropped below US$60 per barrel. Given every $1 drop in oil prices is an estimated $750 million hit to provincial revenues, if oil prices remain low for long, there could be big implications for Alberta’s budget.

The Smith government already projects a $5.2 billion budget deficit in 2025/26 with continued deficits over the following two years. This year’s deficit is based on oil prices averaging US$68.00 per barrel. While the budget does include a $4 billion “contingency” for unforeseen events, given the economic and fiscal impact of Trump’s tariffs, it could quickly be eaten up.

Budget deficits come with costs for Albertans, who will already pay a projected $600 each in provincial government debt interest in 2025/26. That’s money that could have gone towards health care and education, or even tax relief.

Unfortunately, this is all part of the resource revenue rollercoaster that’s are all too familiar to Albertans.

Resource revenue (including oil and gas royalties) is inherently volatile. In the last 10 years alone, it has been as high as $25.2 billion in 2022/23 and as low as $2.8 billion in 2015/16. The provincial government typically enjoys budget surpluses—and increases government spending—when oil prices and resource revenue is relatively high, but is thrown into deficits when resource revenues inevitably fall.

Fortunately, the Smith government can mitigate this volatility.

The key is limiting the level of resource revenue included in the budget to a set stable amount. Any resource revenue above that stable amount is automatically saved in a rainy-day fund to be withdrawn to maintain that stable amount in the budget during years of relatively low resource revenue. The logic is simple: save during the good times so you can weather the storm during bad times.

Indeed, if the Smith government had created a rainy-day account in 2023, for example, it could have already built up a sizeable fund to help stabilize the budget when resource revenue declines. While the Smith government has deposited some money in the Heritage Fund in recent years, it has not created a dedicated rainy-day account or introduced a similar mechanism to help stabilize provincial finances.

Limiting the amount of resource revenue in the budget, particularly during times of relatively high resource revenue, also tempers demand for higher spending, which is only fiscally sustainable with permanently high resource revenues. In other words, if the government creates a rainy-day account, spending would become more closely align with stable ongoing levels of revenue.

And it’s not too late. To end the boom-bust cycle and finally help stabilize provincial finances, the Smith government should create a rainy-day account.

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Alberta

Governments in Alberta should spur homebuilding amid population explosion

Published on

From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill and Austin Thompson

In 2024, construction started on 47,827 housing units—the most since 48,336 units in 2007 when population growth was less than half of what it was in 2024.

Alberta has long been viewed as an oasis in Canada’s overheated housing market—a refuge for Canadians priced out of high-cost centres such as Vancouver and Toronto. But the oasis is starting to dry up. House prices and rents in the province have spiked by about one-third since the start of the pandemic. According to a recent Maru poll, more than 70 per cent of Calgarians and Edmontonians doubt they will ever be able to afford a home in their city. Which raises the question: how much longer can this go on?

Alberta’s housing affordability problem reflects a simple reality—not enough homes have been built to accommodate the province’s growing population. The result? More Albertans competing for the same homes and rental units, pushing prices higher.

Population growth has always been volatile in Alberta, but the recent surge, fuelled by record levels of immigration, is unprecedented. Alberta has set new population growth records every year since 2022, culminating in the largest-ever increase of 186,704 new residents in 2024—nearly 70 per cent more than the largest pre-pandemic increase in 2013.

Homebuilding has increased, but not enough to keep pace with the rise in population. In 2024, construction started on 47,827 housing units—the most since 48,336 units in 2007 when population growth was less than half of what it was in 2024.

Moreover, from 1972 to 2019, Alberta added 2.1 new residents (on average) for every housing unit started compared to 3.9 new residents for every housing unit started in 2024. Put differently, today nearly twice as many new residents are potentially competing for each new home compared to historical norms.

While Alberta attracts more Canadians from other provinces than any other province, federal immigration and residency policies drive Alberta’s population growth. So while the provincial government has little control over its population growth, provincial and municipal governments can affect the pace of homebuilding.

For example, recent provincial amendments to the city charters in Calgary and Edmonton have helped standardize building codes, which should minimize cost and complexity for builders who operate across different jurisdictions. Municipal zoning reforms in CalgaryEdmonton and Red Deer have made it easier to build higher-density housing, and Lethbridge and Medicine Hat may soon follow suit. These changes should make it easier and faster to build homes, helping Alberta maintain some of the least restrictive building rules and quickest approval timelines in Canada.

There is, however, room for improvement. Policymakers at both the provincial and municipal level should streamline rules for building, reduce regulatory uncertainty and development costs, and shorten timelines for permit approvals. Calgary, for instance, imposes fees on developers to fund a wide array of public infrastructure—including roads, sewers, libraries, even buses—while Edmonton currently only imposes fees to fund the construction of new firehalls.

It’s difficult to say how long Alberta’s housing affordability woes will endure, but the situation is unlikely to improve unless homebuilding increases, spurred by government policies that facilitate more development.

Tegan Hill

Director, Alberta Policy, Fraser Institute

Austin Thompson

Senior Policy Analyst, Fraser Institute
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