LAWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

OHS Enforcement

Nov 1: Alberta Compliance Alert: New regulations take effect authorizing the government to charge companies that get hit with administrative monetary penalties for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), environmental, employment standards, and other regulatory offences a 20% late fee if they don’t fully pay on time.

Action Point: Find out about the current Administrative Monetary Penalty rules for OHS violations across Canada.

New Laws

Sep 16: Separating from Canada would cost Alberta between $50 billion to $170 billion in the first five years depending on the smoothness of the transition, according to an independent report from the University of Calgary. These costs are in addition to separation’s impact on the province’s economic growth and fiscal position. Albertans will vote on the separation referendum on October 19.

Emergency Response

Sep 25: Alberta issued new School Critical Emergency Standards requiring school boards to create emergency management frameworks that address emergency planning, threat and hazard identification, standard response protocols, staff training, communication, drills and exercises, supports for affected individuals, and post-incident reviews. While the vast majority of Alberta schools have strong core safety practices in place, a recent review found inconsistencies and gaps across the province.

Action Point: Preparing for emergencies is a legal requirement that can save countless lives, not just at schools but all workplace settings. Use the OHS Insider template to create a legally sound Emergency Preparedness & Response Policy for your workplace.

First Aid

Sep 29: Alberta published its revised list of officially approved first aid training agencies and courses for purposes of complying with OHS first aid requirements for the three-month period from October 1 to December 31, 2026.

Action Point: Find out how to implement an effective First Aid Compliance Game Plan at your workplace.

Infectious Illness

Oct 5: Albertans can now book appointments online with local pharmacies for annual immunizations against fall respiratory viruses like influenza, RSV, influenza, and COVID-19. Appointments can also be scheduled with public health clinics by calling 811. The province recently expanded vaccination eligibility.

Action Point: Find out how to use the OHSI Infection Exposure Control Plan to protect workers from infectious illness.

Transportation Safety

Sep 28: The federal government agreed to support Alberta’s high-speed rail project connecting the Calgary-Red Deer-Edmonton corridor. Alberta will launch a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) process inviting private-sector proponents to submit proposals for a downtown Calgary-Red Deer-downtown Edmonton high-speed rail project that also includes service to the province’s two largest airports and the City of Airdrie.

New Laws

Sep 30: Alberta extended the deadline for residents to apply for the one-time $100 Alberta Energy Rebate for an additional month, to October 31. Eligible two-adult households can receive $200 in flexible relief that can be used for any household need. Families may also benefit from additional $100 rebates for each eligible adult family member or child age 18 or older living in the same home.

New Laws

Oct 1: Alberta suspended the full provincial fuel tax, effective through the end of the year. The government says the measure will save families 13 cents per litre on gasoline and diesel each time they fill up. As of Sept. 21, retail gas prices in Alberta averaged at 175.5 cents per litre, the lowest in Canada.

New Laws

Sep 4: Alberta launched a new online portal that businesses can use to report how tariffs and counter-tariffs are directly affecting their operations, jobs, and growth. The government will use the data in determining how best to respond to the tariffs and support businesses in the province.

Action Point: Find out about the 7 steps to take to ensure U.S. tariffs don’t compromise your OHS program.

New Laws

Sep 14: The Governments of Alberta, Northwest Territories, and Saskatchewan agreed to work together to advance large-scale nuclear reactors, small modular reactors, and microreactors. The new memorandum of understanding establishes a framework for collaboration and information-sharing on nuclear generation technologies.

Training

Oct 9: This is the final day for companies to apply for Alberta Industry Skills Grant (AISG) funding for training projects in sectors facing skills shortages, including aviation, aerospace, construction, and technology. Alberta has allocated $5.5 million for the AISG in 2026-27.

New Laws

Sep 15: The Governments of Canada and Alberta announced $24.8 million in joint funding for two projects to bring high-speed Internet access to 1,833 households in rural and remote communities across the province. This funding is part of an existing agreement between the governments. Currently, 98.1% of households in Alberta have access to high-speed Internet.

Privacy

Sep 24: Debate continues on Bill S-209, to restrict young persons’ access to online porn. In addition to banning organizations from making pornographic material available to young persons on the Internet, the legislation authorizes designated enforcement agencies to take steps to prevent pornographic material from being made available to young persons on the Internet.

Action Point: Find out more about how privacy laws affect workplace safety.

New Laws

Oct 1: From now through November 19, Alberta communities and organizations seeking to boost regional economic growth can apply to the Northern and Regional Economic Development (NRED) program for grants ranging from $10,000 to $300,000 per project lasting as long as three years. The program provides up to 50% of total eligible project costs—75% for projects led by Indigenous communities.

Environmental

Sep 30: Alberta announced plans to introduce Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act amendments that would increase penalties for illegal dumping from $10,000 to $100,000 for individuals and from $100,000 to $1 million for corporations. Courts would also have the authority to impose jail sentences of 30 days to 6 months for convictions. The legislation will also strengthen oversight of large waste facilities.

Environmental

Oct 1: Alberta became the first province in Canada to ban solar panels from landfills, effective today. There’s also a new environmental fee of $14 for each new solar panel supplied in the province. Alberta will also operate a solar panel recycling program, which is important given that the province has the second-largest installed solar capacity in Canada, with over 95% of the solar panels currently installed expected to reach the end of their lives by 2045.

CASES

Fall Protection: Prime Contractor Fined $318,000 for Deadly Roof Fall

A worker on a roof replacement project got killed after falling through the roof to the floor below and were fatally injured. The prime contractor was fined $318,000 after pleading guilty to failing to ensure effective coordination of fall protection [Arbutus Landscaping Inc. The victim’s employer was also convicted of an OHS violation and will be sentenced in September [Arbutus Landscaping Inc., Govt. Press Release, August 25, 2026].

Action Point: Don’t let something like this happen on your watch! Find out how to implement a legally sound Fall Protection Compliance Game Plan at your site.

Machine Safety: Failing to Safeguard Rotating Lathe Results in Operator’s Death & $217,000 Fine

A machine operator suffered life-ending injuries after getting pulled onto the rotating work piece of a manual machine lathe. The victim’s employer pled guilty to failing to provide safeguards to protect a worker at risk of coming into contact with moving parts of machinery or equipment and was fined $217,000 [Rylex Machine & Supply Ltd., Govt. Press Release, September 17, 2026].

Action Point: Find out how to prevent these kinds of injuries and OHS fines by implementing a legally sound Machine Guarding Compliance Game Plan at your workplace.

Workers’ Compensation: Seeing Suicidal Coworker’s Corpse Isn’t a Traumatic Incident

A worker goes to the home of a missing co-worker to check if he’s okay. Upon arriving, he’s told that the coworker committed suicide. He goes inside to find information for the coworker’s family and sees the dead body. He later submits a workers’ compensation claim for the psychological injury he suffers as a result. The WCB denies the claim, finding that the incident, while no doubt highly distressing, didn’t qualify as a traumatic incident under the agency’s psychological injury benefits coverage rules—he neither witnessed the suicide nor discovered the body after it happened. And he continued working for 10 more years after the incident. The worker appeals but the Alberta court finds the decision reasonable and refuses to overturn it [Fewer v Alberta (Workers Compensation Board), 2026 ABKB 652 (CanLII), September 15, 2026].

Action Point: Historically, workers’ compensation didn’t cover psychological injuries unless they arose from discrete traumatic events. But the rules have expanded to include gradual onset psychological injury, such as continued workplace bullying or abuse. Find out about workers’ compensation coverage of gradual onset and traumatic mental stress across Canada.