Alberta wildfire situation: Update 3

As of Saturday afternoon, more than 24,000 individuals have been evacuated from communities throughout north and central Alberta.

Those evacuated due to wildfires are asked to register at local reception centres or at emergencyregistration.alberta.ca.

Current situation

Alberta has declared a provincial state of emergency. Visit Alberta.ca/emergency for information or call 310-4455.
Mandatory evacuation orders are in effect for the following areas. Please check alberta.ca/emergency or download the Alberta Emergency Alert mobile app for complete information:
- Parts of Brazeau County. Evacuees should register in Edmonton at the Expo Centre, Hall C, at 7515 118 Avenue.
- Parts of Northern Sunrise County.
- Parts of Mackenzie County. Evacuees should register at the High Level Rural Hall.
- The entire Town of Rainbow Lake. Evacuees should register in High Level at the High Level Arena, at 10101 105 Avenue.
- Fox Creek, Little Smoky and surrounding areas. Evacuees should register at the Allan and Jean Millar Centre, at 58 Sunset Boulevard in Whitecourt.
- Parts of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation and the Municipal District of Greenview. Evacuees should register at Memorial Hall, 4808 50 Street in Valleyview.
- Parts of the County of Grande Prairie. Evacuees should register at the Bonnets Energy Centre, 10017 99 Avenue, Grande Prairie.
- Parts of Big Lakes County. Evacuees should register at Elks Rodeo Hall on Highway 749.
- Parts of Lac Ste Anne County. Evacuees should register at the Mayerthorpe Diamond Centre, at 4184 54 Street.
- Parts of Yellowhead County, including the Town of Edson.
- The communities of Whitefish River and Aitkameg. Evacuees should register at the Town of Slave Lake office, at 10 Main Street, Slave Lake.
- The Hamlet of Entwistle. Evacuees should register at Wabamun Jubilee Hall, at 5132 53 Avenue in Wabamun.
- Parkland County and the Hamlet of Entwistle. Evacuees should register at Wabamun Jubilee Hall at 5132 53 Avenue in Wabamun.
Residents of the following areas should be prepared to evacuate on short notice:
- The Grovesdale area of the Municipal District of Greenview
- The area west of Beaverdam Provincial Recreation Area and east of the Bighorn Dam, including the hamlet of Nordegg.
- Parts of the County of Grande Prairie, including Pipestone Creek area.
- The town of High Prairie.
- Parts of Wetaskiwin County.
Sixteen declared states of local emergency and two band council resolution include:
- Big Lakes County
- Brazeau County
- County of Grande Prairie
- Clear Hills County
- Clearwater County
- Drayton Valley
- Town of Edson
- MD of Fairview
- Town of High Prairie
- Northern Sunrise County
- East Prairie Metis Settlement
- Saddle Hills County
- Lac St. Anne County
- Parkland County
- Rainbow Lake
- Yellowhead County
- The Little Red River Cree Nation (Fox Lake) has declared a band council resolution
- Whitefish Lake First Nation has declared a band council resolution

Information for evacuees

Evacuees should register at the reception centre identified for their community so staff can quickly assist them and connect them with the resources they need.
Evacuees with special needs who are unable to stay in an evacuation centre can request emergency financial assistance to cover hotel accommodations.
- Special needs could include having a disability, a medical condition or other family needs.
- Apply for emergency financial assistance by visiting an Alberta Supports Centre or calling the Income Support Contact Centre at 1-866-644-5135. Information is also available through the Alberta Supports Contact Centre at 1-877-644-9992.
Albertans affected by wildfires, including evacuees, can access supports by calling the Alberta Supports Contact Centre at 1-877-644-9992.
- The centre is open from 8:15 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends.
The Income Support Contact Centre is also available 24-7 and provides emergency financial assistance. It can be reached at 1-866-644-5135.

Fire bans and other restrictions

Unusually warm, dry weather and strong winds mean it is easier for a wildfire to start and spread.
As a result of these conditions, the entire province is under a fire ban. No open burning is allowed, including backyard fire pits inside the Forest Protection Area. Alberta Parks and many municipalities and communities have ordered their own bans and restrictions. For more information, visit Albertafirebans.ca.
A provincial off-highway vehicle restriction is also in place, which means the recreational use of off-highway vehicles on public land, including on designated OHV trails, is prohibited.

Wildfire activity updates

There are currently 110 active wildfires in the Forest Protection Area, 37 of which are classified as out of control.
- Information on all wildfires is on the Alberta Wildfire dashboard and the Alberta Wildfire app.

Travel

There are multiple road closures and advisories for north and central Alberta.
Visit 511.alberta.ca for up-to-date information on road closures and travel advisories.

Health

Alberta Health Services is supporting the evacuation of the Drayton Valley Hospital.
- Patients will be moved to Rocky Mountain House and Edmonton hospitals.
Edson Healthcare Centre has been fully evacuated with patients/continuing care residents and families being notified of new location of all patients and continuing care residents.
Evacuation of the Fox Creek Health Centre is currently underway.
- AHS continues to work in providing care in the community to transport residents to other facilities in Alberta and Edmonton.
EMS and zones continues to be fully engaged to ensure safe transport and care of all patients/residents. Other zones and provincial programs are assisting with reception centres, and ensuring availability of spaces/equipment as needed.
Alberta Health Services is deploying mobile air quality monitoring, as multiple communities are reporting high levels of smoke and ash residue.
Residents affected by the wildfires who have health care-related questions and are looking for up-to-date information about the wildfires or health care resources, should visit the Alberta Health Services Wildfire Resources webpage.
For non-emergency health advice, including information on their health care options, residents should call Health Link at 811.

Justice

Due to the wildfire evacuation of Evansburg, Evansburg court sittings on Monday, May 8 have been relocated to Stony Plain.
The Drayton Valley circuit court is within the Town of Drayton Valley’s evacuation order. The next sitting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 16.

Agriculture and livestock

Agricultural societies may have room for livestock evacuated from wildfire areas: Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies.
Evacuated farmers and ranchers:
- can contact the wildfire resource line at 310-4455 with agriculture and livestock related questions.
- should register at the reception centre identified for their community so staff can quickly assist them and connect them with the resources they need.
- may need re-entry permits if they want to go back into an evacuated area to check on livestock, and should check with their municipality before entering.

Alberta Emergency Alerts

For up-to-the-minute Alberta Emergency Alert information, visit Alberta Emergency Alert.
Albertans are encouraged to download the Alberta Emergency Alert mobile app, which immediately pushes all alerts out to subscribers.

Related Topics:#AlbertaStateOfEmergency #AlbertaWildfires feature

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Alberta introduces bill banning sex reassignment surgery on minors

Published on November 2, 2024

Todayville

Alberta Conservative Premier Danielle Smith followed through on a promised bill banning so-called ‘top and bottom’ surgeries for minors.

Alberta Conservative Premier Danielle Smith made good on her promise to protect kids from extreme transgender ideology after introducing a bill banning so-called “top and bottom” surgeries for minors.

“It is so important that all youth can enter adulthood equipped to make adult decisions. In order to do that, we need to preserve their ability to make those decisions, and that’s what we’re doing,” Smith said in a press release.

“The changes we’re introducing are founded on compassion and science, both of which are vital for the development of youth throughout a time that can be difficult and confusing.”

Bill 26, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2024 “reflects the government’s commitment to build a health care system that responds to the changing needs of Albertans,” the government says.

The bill will amend the Health Act to “prohibit regulated health professionals from performing sex reassignment surgeries on minors.”

It will also ban the “use of puberty blockers and hormone therapies for the treatment of gender dysphoria or gender incongruence” to kids 15 and under “except for those who have already commenced treatment and would allow for minors aged 16 and 17 to choose to commence puberty blockers and hormone therapies for gender reassignment and affirmation purposes with parental, physician and psychologist approval.”

Alberta Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange, the bill’s sponsor, said the province’s legislative priorities include “implementing policy changes to continue our refocusing work, position our health care system to respond to pressures and public health emergencies, and to preserve choice for minors. These amendments reflect our dedication to ensuring our health care system meets the needs of every Albertan.”

Earlier this year, the United Conservative Party (UCP) provincial government under Smith announced she would introduce the strong pro-family legislation that strengthens parental rights, protecting kids from life-altering, so-called “top and bottom” surgeries as well as other extreme forms of transgender ideology.

With Smith’s UCP holding a majority in the provincial legislature, the passage of Bill 26 is almost certain.

While Smith has done far more than predecessor Jason Kenney to satisfy social conservatives, she has been mostly soft on social issues such as abortion and has publicly expressed pro-LGBT views, telling Jordan Peterson that conservatives must embrace homosexual “couples” as “nuclear families.”

This weekend, thousands of UCP members will gather for the party’s annual general meeting, where Smith’s leadership will be voted on along with many other pro-freedom and family policy proposals from members. Smith is expected to pass her leadership review vote with a large majority.

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Alberta court upholds conviction of Pastor Artur Pawlowski for preaching at Freedom Convoy protest

Published on November 1, 2024

Todayville

From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

Lawyers argued that Pastor Artur Pawlowski’s sermon was intended to encourage protesters to find a peaceful solution to the blockade, but the statement was characterized as a call for mischief.

An Alberta Court of Appeal ruled that Calgary Pastor Artur Pawlowski is guilty of mischief for his sermon at the Freedom Convoy-related border protest blockade in February 2022 in Coutts, Alberta.

On October 29, Alberta Court of Appeal Justice Gordon Krinke sentenced the pro-freedom pastor to 60 days in jail for “counselling mischief” by encouraging protesters to continue blocking Highway 4 to protest COVID mandates.

“A reasonable person would understand the appellant’s speech to be an active inducement of the illegal activity that was ongoing and that the appellant intended for his speech to be so understood,” the decision reads.

Pawlowski addressed a group of truckers and protesters blocking entrance into the U.S. state of Montana on February 3, the fifth day of the Freedom Convoy-styled protest. He encouraged the protesters to “hold the line” after they had reportedly made a deal with Royal Canadian Mounted Police to leave the border crossing and travel to Edmonton.

“The eyes of the world are fixed right here on you guys. You are the heroes,” Pawlowski said. “Don’t you dare go breaking the line.”

After Pawlowski’s sermon, the protesters remained at the border crossing for two additional weeks. While his lawyers argued that his speech was made to encourage protesters to find a peaceful solution to the blockade, the statement is being characterized as a call for mischief.

Days later, on February 8, Pawlowski was arrested – for the fifth time – by an undercover SWAT team just before he was slated to speak again to the Coutts protesters.

He was subsequently jailed for nearly three months for what he said was for speaking out against COVID mandates, the subject of all the Freedom Convoy-related protests.

In Krinke’s decision, he argued that Pawlowski’s sermon incited the continuation of the protest, saying, “The Charter does not provide justification to anybody who incites a third party to commit such crimes.”

“While the appellant is correct that peaceful, lawful and nonviolent communication is entitled to protection, blockading a highway is an inherently aggressive and potentially violent form of conduct, designed to intimidate and impede the movement of third parties,” he wrote.

Pawlowski was released after the verdict. He has already spent 78 days in jail before the trial.

Pawlowski is the first Albertan to be charged for violating the province’s Critical Infrastructure Defence Act (CIDA), which was put in place in 2020 under then-Premier Jason Kenney.

The CIDA, however, was not put in place due to COVID mandates but rather after anti-pipeline protesters blockaded key infrastructure points such as railway lines in Alberta a few years ago.