Thomas Lukaszuk says legitimate grievances with Ottawa need fixing—but breaking up the country isn't the answer Thomas Lukaszuk is spending a lot of time in his 33-year-old motorhome these days. The former Alberta cabinet minister and founder of Forever Canadian is touring the province with a messag...

The case for—and against—poisoning prairie ground squirrels On March 30, 2026, the federal government reversed a ban on strychnine and allowed Alberta and Saskatchewan to resume poisoning Richardson's ground squirrels under an emergency exemption until 2027. Richardson's ground squirrels are a famil...

A proposed Alberta oil pipeline would pass through Jasper National Park, reviving questions about industrial development in one of Canada's most protected landscapes. According to Alberta's submission to the federal Major Projects Office , roughly seven per cent of the West Coast Oil Pipeline would ...

The Alberta government says it will be looking into alternative ways for municipalities to finance critical infrastructure without raising taxes. While visiting Jasper on June 23, the province's Municipal Affairs Minister, Dan Williams, announced the creation of a new minister’s council. The council...

The Jasper Municipal Library Board is warning that provincial legislation could impose additional costs on libraries while paving the road to censorship. Matthew Cairns, secretary for the Jasper Library Board, said that Bill 28—which the government says will keep children from accessing graphic sexu...

Residents of Yellowhead are urging their fellow Albertans to say no to coal mining in the Rockies. For weeks, canvassers with the Water Not Coal citizen initiative  have been collecting signatures, petitioning their fellow Albertans to join their collective voice and demand the government prohibit n...

West Yellowhead MLA Martin Long says he does not support Alberta’s separation from Canada. Long, who was appointed as Alberta’s Minister of Infrastructure last February, explained his position during a brief interview with The Jasper Local on Thursday, March 5. “What I’ve said is I support a strong ...

PLUS: Council contemplating where to find $776,000 for serviced RCMP lot UPDATE 3/3/26: This story has been updated to include comments received from Minister Ellis' office The Municipality of Jasper could pay nearly $1.2 million annually for RCMP policing by 2030-31, according to preliminary estima...

With its All Seasons Resort Act , the Alberta Government is skirting due process, ignoring public opinion and putting wildlife in the crosshairs, writes Mark Bradley—all to build a flagship resort in Kananaskis Country able to host 9,000 people per day . Late last year, the Government of Alberta des...

GoA's South-Athabasca sub-regional plan represents another nail in the caribou coffin Alberta’s caribou are once again taking a back seat to industry. On December 17, the Government of Alberta released a draft of a caribou management plan for the South Athabasca sub-region , a 38,000 km-sq area of l...

Two retired Jasper educators were braving the cold in the name of Alberta’s public school system this past weekend. On Sunday, former principal and recently-retired school board trustee, Dale Karpluk, stood alongside retired language arts and social studies teacher, Sandy Cox, outside of the Jasper ...

For the second time in a month that has seen only four school days, Jasper students walked out of school in support of their teachers. After taking strike action on October 6, yesterday approximately 51,000 educators were forced back to work by the Alberta Government . Jasper students rallying for e...

Jasperites Janet Frechette and Pam Wilson were among dozens of Forever Canadian campaign supporters in Edmonton who witnessed "a historic victory" on Tuesday (October 28). As the throngs broke out in spontaneous renditions of O' Canada, campaign leader Thomas Lukaszuk and an army of volunteers prese...

Alberta Government invokes Notwithstanding Clause to impose a collective contract and shield it from court challenges for the duration of the four-year term The Alberta government has overridden the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and is forcing Alberta teachers back to work on Wednesday (Oc...

Driving from Lake Louise to Jasper last week, Forever Canadian petitioner Thomas Lukaszuk came around the famous “big bend” in the Icefields Parkway.  As the road’s incline steepened, the vintage RV he’s been travelling the province in—a 1992 motorhome dubbed the Unity Bus—crawled up the long hill. ...

The union representing striking teachers in Alberta say educators have tabled a reasonable offer to the province and that it’s now up to the Danielle Smith government to end the labour dispute. “The responsibility to end this disruption lies squarely with the government,” Alberta Teachers Associatio...

Teachers and public education supporters from across the region banded together in Jasper yesterday (Thursday, October 9) to demonstrate solidarity in their ongoing labour strife with the provincial government. Teachers walked off the job Monday amid stalled negotiations. Wearing “Red for Ed” clothi...

When Alberta teachers voted nearly 90 percent against the government’s latest contract offer, the message was clear: the deal does not meet the needs of our classrooms or our students. Yet, within hours, the Government of Alberta released a press release painting itself as the rational adult in the ...

Jasper students walked out of school in solidarity with their teachers today (Thursday, October 2). About 100 students participated in a walk-out demonstration October 2 to show support for their teachers. // Bob Covey Just after 2 p.m., approximately 100 elementary, junior high and high school stud...

Teachers reject province's proposal; October 6 strike action looms Alberta teachers have overwhelmingly rejected the Government of Alberta’s latest contract offer. On Monday, September 29, nearly 90 per cent of the 51,000-strong Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) membership voted against the tentati...