• Judge rejects Rebel News bid to expedite ad finance complaint versus Forever Canadian

  Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
  Date: 2026-09-22 21:22:40.0
  Tags: [Alberta, Governance, Justice, Finance]

  Alberta Court of King's Bench Justice Christopher Simard rejected an expedited legal bid by the media outlet Rebel News against Election Commissioner Paula Hale and Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure regarding alleged referendum finance rule violations by Thomas Lukaszuk's Forever Canadian campaign. Rebel News argued that Elections Alberta should immediately address its July 24 complaint concerning unrecorded contributions and spending ahead of the October 19 referendum. The court ruled that the expedited litigation schedule proposed for October 14 and 15 was unworkable under existing statutory investigation frameworks, which permit the election commissioner up to one year to conclude investigations and restrict disclosure of ongoing files.

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• Data shows severe weather, not injuries, behind spike used to justify Alberta's no-fault auto insurance move: lawyers group

  Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
  Date: 2026-09-21 22:14:38.0
  Tags: [Alberta, Finance, Justice]

  The Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association (ACTLA) has disputed the Government of Alberta's justification for shifting to a no-fault auto insurance system, known as the Care-First model, effective January 1. While the United Conservative government and the Alberta Auto Insurance Rate Board (AIRB) project that the new system will lower private passenger vehicle premiums by roughly $297 to $400 annually and reduce litigation costs, ACTLA argues that data actually show a sharp drop in claim costs from $1,825 in 2024 to $1,398, attributing the previous year's spike to severe weather events like the August 2024 Calgary hailstorm rather than uncontrolled injury claims. Critics contend the reform strips injured Albertans of their civil rights to seek court compensation, leaving them subject to private insurance policies, though the Ministry of Finance maintains the policy will deliver reliable and sustained savings.

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• Alberta government and lawyers explore expanding litigation under new auto insurance model

  Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
  Date: 2026-09-16 15:38:39.0
  Tags: [Alberta, Justice, Public Safety, Finance]

  The Alberta government's Treasury Board and Finance Ministry is in discussions with personal injury lawyers regarding the potential expansion of litigation rights under the new "care-first" auto insurance model scheduled to take effect in January 2027. Under the current proposed framework, court access is restricted to cases where at-fault drivers are convicted of Criminal Code offenses and select major infractions under Alberta's Traffic Safety Act, while the Alberta Auto Insurance Rate Board projects average savings of $297 per vehicle. Personal injury lawyer Mark McCourt and the Insurance Bureau of Canada, represented by vice president Aaron Sutherland, have raised competing concerns that expanding litigation could either further erode victim rights or substantially diminish driver savings and potentially cause rate increases.

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