CBC News poll looks at Alberta's political leaders, top issues for Albertans and separation

A new poll commissioned by CBC News provides a fresh look at how Albertans feel about matters like separation, provincial political leaders and issues such as inflation and health care. The survey was conducted by Trend Research under the direction of Janet Brown Opinion Research. The CBC's Bryan Labby spoke with Janet Brown about the poll's findings.

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Yahoo

an hour ago

• Yahoo

Alberta babies have been born with measles due to outbreaks, worrying doctors

As the province's measles case count approaches 1,000, health experts are raising the alarm about Alberta babies who are being born already infected with the virus. The provincial government has confirmed cases of congenital measles, which can lead to severe complications, including death, have already occurred as a result of this year's outbreaks. Pregnant Albertans are also testing positive. "Fewer than five cases of congenital measles have been reported in Alberta in 2025. In each case, the mother was not immunized. Information on whether the infants were born prematurely is not available," an official with Primary and Preventative Health Services said in an email. "To date, there have been 20 confirmed cases of measles in pregnant individuals. Fewer than five have been hospitalized due to the infection." The Alberta government does not publish this information publicly. CBC News asked for the data after Ontario reported a premature baby, born infected with measles, died. That province has reported seven cases of congenital measles since mid-October. When CBC News asked for more detailed data, an official said the province limits the release of information when case numbers are very small for privacy reasons. The data was up-to-date as of June 12. No measles deaths have been reported in Alberta since the outbreaks began this year. As of June 14, a total of 85 Albertans had been hospitalized due to the infection, including 14 intensive care unit admissions. By midday Thursday, the province's total measles case count had climbed to 996. Pregnant individuals are at higher risk of complications from measles. "We're extremely concerned about the potential for exposures for unimmunized mothers, in particular during pregnancy, given that there is an increased risk for premature birth and complications that are pretty significant for the mother," said Dr. Amber Reichert, an Edmonton-based neonatologist. "There is an extremely high risk to either pregnancy loss or potentially an early birth or potentially the babies becoming infected as well." A recent editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal warned of these serious consequences. Premature birth itself comes with risks, including underdeveloped lungs and babies requiring breathing support. In addition, pregnant people can get very sick from a measles infection, often due to pneumonia. "There is a ten-fold higher risk of death when a person who is pregnant gets measles," said Dr. Eliana Castillo, an obstetrician and clinical associate professor in the department of medicine at the University of Calgary. Congenital measles occurs when the mother passes the infection along in the final two weeks of pregnancy and the baby is born infected, according to Castillo. It can spark severe complications in the infant, including brain inflammation and even death, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Those babies can be very, very sick," said Castillo. Ontario announced earlier this month that a premature baby born with congenital measles had died. The infant's mother was unimmunized. At the time, health officials said measles was a "significant contributing factor" to the premature death but that the baby also had other serious health problems. In addition to a fever and rash, babies with congenital measles can be born with other symptoms, including inflammation of the liver, physicians are warning. "They potentially could also present with pneumonia or potentially have an infection around the brain, which is called encephalitis," said Reichert. If the baby is born early — and has congenital measles — there is a higher risk of serious lung disease due to the immaturity of their lungs, she added. And beyond the immediate health concerns, there are several potential and serious long-term consequences, including a rare but debilitating neurological illness that manifests years later. Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is a virus that hides in the brain for years. It eventually flares up, triggering brain inflammation and causing children or young adults to lose the ability to move and speak. In nearly all cases patients die. According to Reichert, the risk of this complication is believed to be higher when a baby is born with measles or is infected early in infancy. "It's a devastating consequence because it really isn't treatable," said Reichert. Babies can also experience immune system impacts that leave them more highly susceptible to illness, Castillo said. Measles is highly contagious and health officials have warned that given low immunization rates in parts of the province, official case counts are the tip of the iceberg and there are likely more cases going unreported. It's a major worry for physicians. "Everyone is concerned this is going to be happening for months at a time," Castillo said, adding that as case counts rise, so too do the chances that more babies will be infected and potentially face life-altering or life-threatening complications. She's concerned that Albertans don't fully understand the risks that go along with pregnancy and measles. "We have not had a concerted public health response, particularly to raise awareness about how serious it can be for babies and pregnant individuals," she said, adding she's glad the province shared the data it did when requested by CBC News. "But again they're not in the public domain. And that makes it very, very hard because we haven't had the concerted effort to raise awareness … and give people the tools to make decisions." CBC News asked the province if it will publish this information moving forward, but did not hear back prior to publication time. Reichert wants Albertans to understand the risks and she's urging everyone to ensure that they and their children are immunized to protect both themselves and others around them who may not be able to be immunized. Mothers who are immunized pass antibodies on to the fetus during pregnancy, offering protection during a baby's first few months of life. The measles vaccine (MMR) is not generally recommended during pregnancy in Canada. Pregnant Albertans who are unimmunized and have been exposed to measles and infants under six months of age are among the high risk groups who may be offered immune globulin, a short-acting antibody medication that can protect against the virus. It must be given within six days of exposure. According to the province, 52 people have received it including 37 infants since the outbreaks began in March. The province did not say how many of the adults were pregnant. Alberta is also offering an early and extra dose of the measles vaccine to babies as young as six months living in the harder hit south, central and north zones.

Hamilton Spectator

2 hours ago

• Hamilton Spectator

Government alerted to no sexually graphic material so far in rural school libraries

No examples of potentially age-inappropriate content from Alberta's rural school libraries had landed on the education minister's desk by Tuesday morning. During a roundtable with about 20 reporters and other rural media representatives, Demetrios Nicolaides confirmed that the examples of graphic content the government was alerted to originated from four books in Edmonton and Calgary school libraries. But their existence nonetheless suggests that there's a standards gap when it comes to explicit material that could end up in the hands of children, he maintained. 'It's almost an impossibility to be able to know the full extent of the content of the vast majority of books that are published in any environment,' said Nicolaides, the member for Calgary-Bow. 'So these are ones that we do know of, of course, that were brought to our attention.' Regardless, don't expect the government to go through each library's collection, said Nicolaides, whose portfolio expanded May 16 to include childcare. 'How school boards have their libraries vet or sort content will probably be left up to them.' The UCP set up the roundtable to answer questions about the move towards provincial standards for school libraries in the selection and management of materials with sexual content. Explicit depictions of sexual and other acts in four graphic novels or graphic memoirs — books in comic-strip format — prompted the province to announce that it's investigating the idea of developing standards. The books were found in school libraries open to children in kindergarten and up. Feedback suggests that many school boards are comfortable with an overall standard being set, Nicolaides said, providing they retain control of acting on the province's direction through their own policies. 'That's probably the direction we'll go because there are a lot of nuances. We'll establish the 'what' — what we're trying to do, what we intend to do.' But the 'how' will stay with boards, allowing them to apply their 'unique circumstances, unique schools and unique dynamics' to the provincial direction. Nicolaides announced consideration of the new standards May 26, which the government backed up with an online survey of Albertans' thoughts on the issue. The survey closed June 6 and by Tuesday results were still being 'collected and collated,' Nicolaides said. Sexual depictions in the four books include masturbation, oral sex, pornography use and petting. Mentions of self-harm, sexual abuse and suicide are also present. The books were in libraries visited by students in kindergarten and higher grades, the government said. All four are coming-of-age books written by Americans and based upon their authors' life experiences. Three of them directly reflect experiences in the LGBTQ2S+ community. After hearing about the roundtable, the NDP maintained that the UCP is diverting attention from its own performance. 'This government continues to fund education at the lowest level in the country, leaving schools overcrowded and understaffed,' said Amanda Chapman, the opposition's shadow minister of education. 'Instead of addressing the urgent issues in our classrooms — like overcrowding, staffing shortages and Alberta's position as the lowest funder of education per student in the country — the Minister of Education is focused on staging political distractions,' Chapman said in an emailed statement. 'What's more troubling is the pattern we're seeing from this government: decisions made behind closed doors, performative consultations that offer no real clarity, and a consistent refusal to be upfront with Albertans about what they've heard and how policies will be rolled out.' Decisions on school library content should lie not with politicians but with teachers and library professionals. 'In many cases, there aren't even librarians available to make these decisions, let alone enough teachers or educational assistants to support our kids,' said Chapman, the member representing Calgary-Beddington. 'Albertans deserve a government that is transparent, ethical and competent — one that trusts experts to do their jobs and gives them the resources to do them well.' Nicolaides doesn't foresee a need for new legislation. Any standards the government creates will come into being through ministerial order. How or whether the standards apply to every age or grade range hasn't been determined. Nicolaides stopped well short of endorsing the four books, but he did say that sexually graphic content can be important for some ages and groups in some situations. 'Our major concern is around age appropriateness,' he said. Explicit books 'can be helpful resources to individuals who have a particular experience or have particular questions. And I don't have any concern with any kind of topic or subject being made available in school libraries.' Many school boards already have policies around content. Potential new requirements would be consistent across the province and would apply to public, separate, francophone, public charter and independent schools. A new standard would not affect materials in Alberta's municipal public libraries, including 55 of them located in schools. 'Those could be uniquely challenging scenarios,' Nicolaides said. He said he's talked the issue over with Dan Williams, the new minister of municipal affairs, but not in any depth. The Peace River representative was appointed May 26, after the last minster. Ric McIver, accepted the position of speaker of the legislative assembly. 'We have had some conversations, because he is interested in understanding a little bit more about what we're doing,' said Nicolaides. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

Business Wire

a day ago

• Business Wire

UCP Needs to Listen to Albertans and Leave the Canada Pension Plan Alone: CUPE

EDMONTON, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A survey of 93,000 Albertans conducted by the provincial government has a very clear message: don't touch the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). The results were released by the government after a lengthy request for information by the Edmonton Journal. CUPE Alberta President Raj Uppal says she was not surprised the survey showed 63% opposition to leaving the CPP, and only 10% support for an Alberta plan. 'There is no case for leaving the CPP,' said Uppal. 'An Alberta plan would cost more, and deliver weaker investment returns and smaller pensions.' Uppal called on the UCP government to abandon all plans to take Alberta out of the Canada Pension Plan. 'I know Danielle Smith likes to flirt with separatists, but the Canada Pension Plan is one of the strongest reasons for Alberta to remain in Canada. The Premier needs to abandon this idea and stop threatening the retirement security of Albertans.' :clc/cope 491