Red Tape Reduction Statutes Amendment Act, 2024

Summary#

• Bill 16 is an omnibus “red tape reduction” bill. It updates many Alberta laws to remove outdated rules, simplify processes, and shift some decisions from agencies to ministers.

• It modernizes traffic tickets and court processes, changes liquor, cannabis, and lottery oversight, restructures public library governance, cancels a planned new college for counselling professions, and repeals old or temporary laws.

• Key changes:

  • Lets tickets and court notices be sent and managed online; allows virtual court; extends the deadline to lay many tickets from 6 to 12 months.
  • Gives the Minister, not the AGLC Commission, the power to set wholesale liquor and cannabis prices and mark‑ups, and to run provincial lotteries.
  • Reshapes library law (keeps municipal and intermunicipal boards; removes “community libraries” and “federations”); updates records and FOIP references.
  • Repeals earlier provisions that would have created a College of Counselling Therapy of Alberta and restricted the use of the title “psychotherapist.”
  • Enables time‑limited road and vehicle pilot projects that can temporarily override normal rules; clarifies grazing lease calculations; repeals several older acts.

What it means for you#

• Drivers and vehicle owners

  • You can receive violation tickets and court notices by email or an approved online portal. You can also attend some matters by phone or video.
  • The time limit to lay many provincial tickets increases from 6 months to 12 months.
  • If you give an electronic address, courts may use it. If your address changes, you must update the court within 14 days after you are served.
  • The province can run road or vehicle pilot projects (for example, testing new tech). During a pilot, different rules can apply in a set area and time.

• People who buy liquor, cannabis, or lottery products

  • Wholesale prices and mark‑ups for liquor and cannabis sold to licensed retailers will be set by the Minister. Retail prices may change as a result.
  • The Minister can conduct and manage provincial lotteries (not only the AGLC).
  • Gaming facilities must check “date of birth” (not just “age”). Minors are clearly banned from gambling; staff must refuse entry or ask them to leave where minors aren’t allowed.

• Liquor and cannabis businesses

  • Expect minister‑set wholesale prices/mark‑ups; the AGLC must charge what the Minister sets.
  • The Minister can require some AGLC board policies to get ministerial approval first.
  • Cannabis licensees must ensure staff meet qualifications in regulations and AGLC policies (not only check against a disqualification list).
  • Relationship rules among suppliers, licensees, AGLC, and others can be set by regulation.

• Library users and boards

  • Municipal and intermunicipal library boards continue. “Community libraries” and “federation boards” are removed from law.
  • Library boards can store minutes and bylaws electronically. FOIP definitions are updated to reflect the new structure.
  • Day‑to‑day service for patrons should be unchanged; governance and naming are modernized.

• People seeking counselling or mental health services; counsellors

  • The prior plan to create a new College of Counselling Therapy of Alberta is cancelled in law.
  • The restriction on who may use the title “psychotherapist” tied to that plan is removed. Titles and regulation remain as under existing colleges and laws.

• Income support recipients

  • The law updates how “core essential” payments are set when an adult in the household is in a hospital or a type A continuing care home. For some households, the amount will adjust under the Act’s indexing rules.

• Ranchers and land leaseholders

  • Grazing capacity is clarified: one “animal unit” is a 1,000‑lb cow with or without an unweaned calf up to 6 months old. This may affect grazing calculations and fees.

• Rural power co‑ops and landowners

  • Old rural electrification loan laws are repealed. Related cross‑references move to the Rural Utilities Act. Surface rights wording is updated accordingly.

• Businesses and investors

  • The Red Tape Reduction Act now requires “no net increase” in the total number of regulatory requirements. If a new rule adds requirements, government must cut others. Annual public reporting is required.
  • Minor governance changes to Alberta’s investment attraction agency (board resignations to the Minister; removal of a deputy minister attendance rule).

• Commercial tenants and landlords

  • The temporary Commercial Tenancies Protection Act (from 2020) is repealed. This removes an inactive, pandemic‑era law.

Expenses#

Estimated annual cost: No publicly available information.

• The bill does not include a fiscal note. Most changes are administrative or shift decision‑making authority. Any costs or savings would depend on future regulations, prices, and pilots.

Proponents' View#

• It cuts red tape by removing outdated laws, simplifying rules, and requiring no net increase in regulatory requirements across government.
• Digital tickets and virtual court make it faster and easier to deal with traffic matters, and should reduce backlogs.
• Letting the Minister set liquor and cannabis mark‑ups and manage lotteries improves accountability and policy alignment.
• Library law is modernized to match how boards actually operate, with clearer roles and electronic record‑keeping.
• Traffic safety pilots allow Alberta to test innovations (like new tech or road designs) in a controlled, time‑limited way.
• Cleaning up old statutes (e.g., COVID‑era tenancy law, rural electrification loans) reduces confusion.

Opponents' View#

• Centralizing liquor, cannabis, and lottery decisions with the Minister could invite political interference and create price instability for retailers and consumers.
• Extending the ticketing deadline to 12 months and relying on electronic notices may be unfair to people who miss messages or lack internet access.
• Virtual proceedings can disadvantage people without devices, reliable service, or comfort with technology.
• Cancelling the planned counselling therapy college and removing the “psychotherapist” title restriction may reduce clarity and protection for patients about who is regulated.
• Removing “community libraries” and “federations” from law could weaken collaboration or service supports in some regions.
• Pilot projects that can override other traffic laws raise concerns about safety, transparency, and accountability during trials.