Hello Chestermere-Strathmore:
I am so excited to see pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns appearing as we head towards our first COVID Halloween, making things scarier than usual. I know you have heard it a thousand times, so here is a thousand and one: please keep safe distances, wear a mask, and wash your hands!
Here is some well thought-out advice from our Top Doc: The first is to try and trick or treat within your family and cohort groups in your own community. Make sure costumes can be worn with non-medical masks, and keep a distance of 2 meters. This will make handing candy out fun and creative, so I look forward to seeing and hearing about some of the neat ways you will accomplish this for your little pumpkins. All candy should be pre-packaged, and let us all do our best to limit community transmission. This is a collective responsibility for all of us and we can have fun and remain vigilant at the same time.
I love Alberta oil and gas, and it is the largest single subsector of Canada’s national economy. During previous times of economic uncertainty, it has been Alberta’s oil sector that kept our economy afloat and guided us through the storm. While the roots of our economic challenges in 2020 differ greatly from what we faced in 2008, the fact remains that a strong Canada requires a prosperous Alberta.
Our incredible Energy Minister Sonya Savage will stop setting monthly oil production limits to allow producers to utilize available pipeline capacity and this will create jobs through creating the right economic conditions for predictability and we need that to attract investors into this amazing province. This curtailment will be lifted by December, but we will extend the regulatory authority to curtail oil production through December 2021, we do not plan on resuming production limits at a time when sources of crude oil production remain offline as a result of COVID-19. This along with the completion of long-awaited pipelines that we have fought tirelessly for – including Keystone XL, the Trans Mountain expansion and Enbridge Line 3 – will enhance Alberta’s permanent ability to balance production and takeaway capacity, ensuring our resources are exported at full value.
Getting a driver’s license is a significant milestone, critical to the lives and livelihoods of Albertans, and this shouldn’t be challenged by limited road test availability. To provide Albertans with quicker access to road tests, our government has re-privatized driver exams for class 4, 5 and 6 licenses.
Returning to a privately-run model will restore a system which Albertans used for years with confidence. Albertans will be able to book passenger vehicle road tests directly with local registry agents or through a new online system starting Dec. 1 for tests to be conducted after Jan. 5, 2021. Registry agents will be able to hire or contract driver examiners directly.
For the latest information on COVID-19, visit alberta.ca/covid19.
As always, we love to hear from you!
Sincerely,
Leela Sharon Aheer
