The party states, as matters of principle, that:
– it believes that human beings are a part of nature, and not separate from it.  Whatever humans do to the web of life, we do to ourselves
– the evolutionary creativity and continued productivity of Earth and its regional ecosystems require the continuance of their key structures and ecological processes. Pollution of air, sediments and water, along with exploitive extraction of inorganic and organic constituents, weaken ecosystem integrity

The party further states that:
– the province stands at a moment of crisis. The latest reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have stated in no uncertainterms that we must act immediately if we are to have any chance at mitigating the worst effects of climate change
– Manitobans want to embrace a clean, green economy without delay, with realistic planning decisions that prepare us for the carbon-free future.  They are looking for a party they can trust to take action
– its climate strategies are integrated into every area of our platform. It seeks to promote a shift in consciousness and guide Manitobans towards practices that promote the flourishing of people a swell as the planet
– through innovative policy, Manitoba can be positioned for an energy future that is robust, sustainable, clean and affordable

In order to address the climate crisis, the party advocates:
– creating greenhouse gas reductions to be achieved by 2030, 2040, 2045 and 2050, taking into consideration input from stakeholders and the public
– incorporating climate targets into budget reporting to ensure that climate policy goals and budget policy goals work together

Energy & Resources
The party advocates:
– to support the transition away from fossil fuels, investing in Green energy, transportation and agriculture
– protecting and managing provincial natural ecosystems in ways that reduce overall emissions

Sustainability
The party states, as a matter of principle, that:
– it promotes the precautionary principle – look before you leap — economic regulatory activity should considerthis adage when reviewing a practice or product which potentially posesa significant threat of harm to human health or the environment

To strengthen industry regulations and support sustainable commercial development, the party advocates:
– supporting only commercial development and operations that demonstrate a strong commitment to preserving and protecting ecosystems
– strengthening and enforcing regulations that serve to stop pollutionfrom all sources, with a focus on mining and fossil fuel operations
– improving the Made-in-Manitoba Climate &Green Fund and the Expert Advisory Council, by (i) refocusing the priority of the Made-in-Manitoba Climate & Green Fund on funding climate mitigation and adaptation measures; (ii) providing the Expert Advisory Council with specific year-end greenhouse gas reduction targets to achieve; (iii) esnuring that the advisory council develops the most cost effective measures to achieve year-end targets; and requiring the advisory council to release a report every second yearon the progress being made to reach the targets that have been set

To promote sustainable energy and efficiency, the party advocates:
– increasing the energy efficiency of homes and other buildings by: (i) establishing incentive programs to ensure that Manitoba’s existing buildings are properly insulated; (ii) changing building codes to ensure that all new buildings meet super-efficiency insulation standards, and include small-scale renewable micro-generators; (iii) halting the expansion of natural gas services for residential heating; and (iv) exploring alternative, renewable options to natural gas heating, such as geothermal and electric

Conservation
The party states that:
– Manitoba’s natural ecosystems have been taken for granted for many years, and their existence has become threatened as a result. For example, 70 percent of Manitoba’s wetland habitats have already been drained,damaged or destroyed as a result of agricultural and urban development
– failure to conserve wetlands has resulted in increased flooding, greater greenhouse gas emissions,and more nutrient run-off into our waterways
– the province’s natural ecosystems are a vital part of its infrastructure that protects against flooding, mitigates climate change, and sustains the provincial economy

To ensure that Manitoba’s ecosystems are preserved for futuregenerations, the party advocates:
– preventing further pollution to Manitoba’s lakesand rivers, by: (i) working cooperatively with the City of Winnipeg and the federal government to upgrade Winnipeg’s sewage treatment system to prevent diluted raw effluent from being spilled into the Red River; and (ii) mandating strengthening and enforcement of manure management regulations for hog barns, chicken barns and feedlots in the Red River Basin to eliminate manure run-off
– restoration of Manitoba’s wetlands and protection of the health of provincial waterways, by: (i) creating a grant program for farmers to move ponds and wetlands around their land for convenient farming, as long as the water is retained; (ii) using tax incentives to encourage the replacement of the natural water retention capacity where potholes and sloughs have been removed; (iii) protecting government owned wetlands and prohibit further wetland drainage; and (iv) ensuring that all public right of ways, including ditches, road allowances, lagoons and drainage ditches, preserve as much natural wetland habitat as possible
– preserving and restoring Manitoba’s boreal forests, by:  (i) in consultation with Indigenous communities having claim to territory through traditional occupation and/or use, identifying areas to be preserved and protected for hunting, fishing and gathering purposes; requiring that all woodland operations, including logging, be done in a way that ensures the regeneration of the affected forest; ending clear-cutting in provincial parks, and promoting healthy reforestation projects
– banning harmful resource extraction methods, including: (i) the mining of peat lands, which are the filter for Lake Winnipeg; (ii) fracking, in order to prevent contamination of ground waterwith toxic chemicals; and (iii) uranium mining and exploration

The party states that:
– the six principles of the Global Green movement include commitment to ecological wisdom and sustainablity
– human beings are part of the natural world
– it respects the specific value of all forms of life
– it recognizes the limited scope for the material expansion of society within the biosphere and the need to maintain biodiversity through the sustainable use of renewable resources
– with ecological wisdom and sustainability two key Green principles, environmental protection lies at the heart of Green Party thinking

The party advocates:
– beefing up every aspect of environmental protection and weaving environmental criteria into other policy areas whenever appropriate; for example, urging that ecosystem boundaries be included as a mandatory consideration when provincial electoral boundaries are redrawn
– keeping and maintain all existing parks and protected areas in the Alberta Parks System
– continuing to expand the Alberta Parks system to fulfill the goal of protecting areas of significant ecological value
– supporting Ecotourism as defined by the International Ecotourism Society

Environmental Bill of Rights
The party advocates adoption of an Environmental Bill of Rights (EBoR) for the province of Alberta
– because laws can be passed more quickly than constitutions amended, the party would enact an EBoR first as a statute and then, later, move for it to be added to the provincial constitution
– and notes that although much research and consultation would have to be done before the final wording of the EboR was decided, it would advocate inclusion of at least the following:

1. a right of Albertans to a “healthy and ecologically balanced environment,” including a duty on the part of the government of Alberta to protect the environment under its jurisdiction for the benefit of both present and future generations
   2. the definition of “a healthy and ecologically balanced environment” would be stringent, such as “an environment of a quality that protects human and cultural dignity, health and well-being and in which essential ecological processes are preserved for their own sake, as well as for the benefit of present and future generations.”
2. the definition of “environment” would be all-encompassing, such as “the components of the Earth,” including a) air, land and water, b) all layers of the atmosphere, c) all organic matter and livin g organisms, d) biodiversity within and among species, and e) the interacting natural systems that include the above mentioned components
3. a guarantee that neither Indigenous people nor other Albertans would lose any of the legal rights or legal remedies they already have to protection of the environment
4. a specification that it must be interpreted (by the courts and all others) consistently with existing and emerging principles of environmental law, including but not limited to a) the precautionary principle, b) the polluter-pay principle, c) the principle of sustainable development, d) the principle of intergenerational equity, and e) the principle of environmental justice.”
5. a clear specification of means by which Albertans could force the government to comply with provincial environmental law, including the EBoR itsel, including the right to go to the courts to protect the environment by bringing an environmental protection action against the Government of Alberta for failing to fulfill its duties as trustee of the environment; failing to enforce an environmental law; or violating the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment.

Climate Change
The party states that:
– it recognizes that climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity
– it supports the creation of a climate change strategy at the provincial level that would determine mitigation and adaptation strategies for Alberta, and implement those strategies

The party advocates:
– making adaptation to climate change an integral part of all government decision-making
– where communities suffer damage from extreme weather and other climate related events, ensuring that such communities are rebuilt in such a way as to minimize the likelihood that they suffer the same sort of damage again in the future
– working with municipal governments to amend the Municipal Government Act so as to ensure the principles of adaptation to climate change are followed by municipal governments throughout the province
– production of accurate floodplain maps for the province, including projected changes 25 years in the future

Carbon tax
The party advocates:
– imposition of Carbon Taxes on all hydrocarbons, at levels sufficient to discourage consumption of them, and implementation of equivalent taxation of other sources of greenhouse gas emissions insofar as evolving technology for monitoring makes it practically possible to do so
– such a Carbon Tax price level will Include a plan for defined annual escalations over five year horizons; be based on the intention that the pricing plans will be regularly reviewed to balance achieving required reductions in emissions with the intention of being consistent with the efforts of the developed world in general
– use of revenue from the Carbon Tax to offset the impact of the Carbon Tax on lower income individuals; fund research and development of sustainable technologies and governance; pay down debt or add to the Heritage Fund; and reduce taxation from other sources
– action to revise, improve, and reincorporate the Carbon Competitive Incentive Regulation (CCIR) legislation that creates industry standards, based on product and technology for allowable levels of GHG emissions, to create a common ‘best practice’ benchmark for industry participants upon which all GHG costs or credits available are calculated for their facility
– implementation of global carbon price on shipping and aviation fuels, including consultion with and urging the federal government to take up the policy in international fora and negotiations, and other mechanisms

Species, Diversity, & Wildlife
The party advocates:
– amendment of the Animal Protection Act to include wildlife
– banning of trophy hunting
– recognition of the Cambridge Declaration of Consciousness, which declares in part that “non-human animals have the neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and neurophysiological substrates of conscious states along with the capacity to exhibit intentional behaviours,” and use of the declaration to guide other related policies
– banning the use of Compound 1080, Strychnine and Sodium Cyanide are banned as means to kill any wildlife
– banning the culling of wolves for any reason, and abolishing any version of the current “Alberta Wolf Management and Control Plan,” which has inhumanely culled over 2500 wolves

Energy & Resources
Carbon Fuels & Pipelines
The party advocates:
– recognition of climate change as a serious threat to humanity globally
– recognition of Alberta’s ethical obligation to contribute to the solution of climate change
– an orderly transition from dependence on fossil fuel exploitation to reliance on the full range of renewable energy sources available in the province, including wind, solar power and geo-thermal
– the fastest possible retirement of Alberta’s coal- burning electricity plants
– a moratorium on development of additional tar sands projects until the impacts of existing and approved projects on the environment, infrastructure and society are assessed and an overall development policy is created
– immediate and permanent rescission and ban on coal leasing, and on the licensing of coal exploration, coal development, and coal mining in the entire province of Alberta on both Crown and freehold lands
– a permanent ban coal land leasing, as well as the licensing of coal exploration and/or development, including above or below ground and using any technique of extraction
– promotion of the idea that the province should live within its existing pipeline means and thus opposes the approval and construction or expansion of any pipeline the purpose of which is to transport bitumen production from Alberta
– improved governmental monitoring of all pipelines.  Although the matter is largely within the jurisdiction of the federal government, the party supports the tightening up of all laws and regulations concerning the transport by train of bitumen production and all other hydrocarbons and dangerous goods
– a thorough independent review of the economics of the Northwest Upgrader project and, if so indicated, the termination of provincial participation in it
– termination of government funding for carbon capture and sequestration
– abolishment of the privately incorporated Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) and creation of two publicly owned and operated review boards:  an energy development review board; and an environmental assessment review board.  These boards shall consist of independent and qualified experts working with communities and Indigenous peoples to ensure that proper environmental assessment and public consultations are conducted in the public interest. These boards will act with the authority of The Alberta Government and will have enforcement and respect for full public accountability
– research into power storage technology that would make intermittent alternative power sources more viable, for exa mple, technology that  would store excess wind power for use when the wind is not blowing
– phasing out the use of coal for electric power generation, with the goal of complete elimination by 2030
– replacing coal generation with renewable power, improved efficiency, small-scale cogeneration, demand response, and natural gas peaking capacity
– introduction of laws and regulations that would create a level playing field for geothermal energy, both for heating and for generation of electricity. In particular, the Green Party of Alberta government will support creation of a licensing system for geothermal wells
– setting a goal of a 50% renewably powered grid by 2030, and providing economic incentives for the transition through a combination of carbon taxes, feed-in tariffs, tax incentives, and regulation
– re-envision the Alberta electricity grid to give preference to decentralized power minimizing the need for long-distance transport from large, centralized power plants
– recognizing that the Alberta grid is relatively isolated, support for the development of an interconnected national grid
– banning of large scale use of crop land, forest and other vegetation for conversion to bio-fuels
– government subsidies, based on income, to offset or pay for installation costs for home based renewable energy technology
– immediate implementation of feed-in tariffs. A Green Party of Alberta government will require power companies to compensate customers for their power input at a substantial premium over the cost they pay for their power and to guarantee such arrangements for a term of 10 years
– strong support for renewable energy, especially solar power, including immediately construction of solar power stations
– requiring developers/builders to offer optional solar packages to all new home buyers
– protection of other values, during the move away from carbon-based energy sources to benign renewables, other values must also be protected, including bio-diversity and the agricultural land needed for food security
– resolving that the province’s overall renewable energy strategy be designed to take into account the mix of available local energy sources
– promoting research and development of  geothermal energy in Alberta, either through the creation of a Crown corporation analogous to AOSTRA or through a much stronger emphasis on geothermal research at Alberta Innovates
– much more rigorous regulation of the oil and gas industry, including application of the following principles:
1. The precautionary principle: a project should not be approved unless the evidence presented by the company proposing the project shows that the sustainability of Alberta’s ecosystems will not be threatened by it;
2. Strict enforcement of the laws regulating the industry is essential: penalties for infractions must be large enough to change the way companies do business and stop-work orders should be used as often as necessary to achieve compliance;
3. The polluter must pay: the costs of pollution, reclamation and restoration must be paid over the life of a project and not put off until the end of it (as by then the companies involved may no longer exist or have the funds to pay them);
4. The regulatory process must be fully transparent;
5. The public, including public-interest advocacy groups, should have the right to greater participation in the regulatory process.
– amening federal bankruptcy law to give priority to discharging a bankrupt entity’s obligations to reclaim and restore uneconomic industrial sites before dispersing any funds to other creditors
– topping up the Orphan Well Fund by an amount sufficient to eliminate its backlog of well-sites requiring abandonment and reclamation, and to recover these costs by means of a surcharge on PNG (petroleum and natural gas) and bitumen royalties
– banning multi-stage, high pressure hydraulic fracturing in Alberta
– requiring that the concentrations and compositions of all additives to frack fluids be made available on a public data base and easily accessed by legal land description
– requiring require groundwater testing of all public and private water wells within an eight kilometer radius of each multi-stage, high pressure, hydraulic fracked well, including testing for all additives in the frack fluid used in that well, and making results of such testing must be made publicly available and easily accessed by legal land description
– requiring ongoing monitoring and public disclosure and reporting of all monitoring results of all multi-stage, high pressure, hydraulic fracked wells to determine and stop any leaks of contaminants into air, soil, or water

Water
The party advocates:
– immediately reinstatement of the pre-2009 Navigable Waters Protection Act
– adherence with the 1969 Master Agreement on Apportionment and the Prairie Provinces Water Board
– affirming that all water in the Province of Alberta is, and should remain, the property of the Crown, to be managed for the common good
– while the Crown may grant licences for the use of water, this does not, and should not, grant title to the water itself
– affirming that that water, being essential to life, is more than a simple commodity and may not be bought and sold as such
– recognizing that the needs of licensees may change over time, allowing the Crown to permit the transfer of water licences in whole or in part, subject to conditions to protect the public interest and promote conservatio
– review of existing water licences at least every 20 years in order to adapt to climate change, future water needs, and First Nations rights, and allowing increased public participation in the granting of water licences
– affirming the right of the Crown to rescind or restrict existing licences where water is being used wastefully
– endorsing the July 28, 2010 United Nations resolution recognizing the human right to safe clean drinking water and sanitation, as a foundational principle of water policy
– assessing and regulating the density of all linear developments (roads, utility corridors, pipelines, railways, power lines, telecom infrastructure, right of ways, etc.) within provincial watersheds in order to minimize the harm associated with or resulting from these interventions
– designation of riparian reserve margins for all waterways according to size of the stream/river, the fish etc., bordered by protective management areas in accorance with specific guidelines
– improvement of surface and ground water surveys to generate regional modeling of water resources, and making survey data and modeling results available and actively distributed to interested parties and the general public in the form of Open Data
– completion of a water management plan that identifies and enforces a science based Ecosystem Base Flow (EBF) for all major Alberta rivers at a low—flow threshold
– in view of the increasing demands on water from oil sands development, giving the lower Athabasca region and the Athabasca River should have first priority for water source modeling and the establishment of an Ecosystem Base Flow (EBF)
– restructuring the Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program for use as a comprehensive and scientifically robust monitoring system compatible with and integrated with regional water modeling
– where supported by data from an enhanced water quality monitoring system, vigorous action to stop water source pollution, including but not limited to:  1. pollution of water bodies by runoff of agricultural chemicals; 2. aquifer contamination by feedlot effluent; 3. physical or chemical contamination of water and watersheds by industrial, mining, oil and gas, or forestry operations; and 4. use of recreational vehicles

Sustainable Development
The party states recognizes the limited scope for the material expansion of society within the biosphere and the need to maintain biodiversity through the sustainable use of renewable resources

The party advocates:
– ensuring that all government policy is guided by the Party’s six guiding principles. Where choices must be made between material standard of living and quality of life for future generations, future generations should have priority
– requiring all-new construction buildings, as of 2030, to be “net-zero” for GHG emissions
– creation of community-owned renewable energy projects
– creation of mechanisms for financing cooperative businesses
– encouraging transition of existing businesses into cooperative businesses when the alternative is closure
– managing the move to renewables with consideration for local social conditions and with as much engagement, buy-in and participation of local communities as possible

Eastern slopes
The party advocates:
– requiring management of the Rocky Mountains’ eastern slopes landscape to focus on protection of the headwaters of rivers
– creation of an eastern slopes conservation authority
– drastic reduction of the area over which off-road vehicles can be used in the eastern slopes, and would strict enforcement of laws and regulations on their use
– assessment and regulation of the density of all linear developments (roads, utility corridors, pipelines, railways, power lines, telecom infrastructure, right of ways, etc.) in order to minimize their negative impact on watershed health

Soil conservation
The party advocates:
– protection and improvement of soil health, in order to ensure the soil’s ability to sequester carbon, harbour biodiversity, help prevent drought and flooding, and increase food nutrition, through various measures, including: crop development programs or cropping systems that maintain soil health in a sustainable manner; initiatives that help to prevent erosion and soil degradation; targets to address threats to soil health, including acidification, biodiversity loss, compaction, contamination, salinization/sodification, nutrient imbalance, sealing, organic carbon loss and erosion; assistance to farmers to implement regenerative soil conservation practices in order to enable long-term, stable food-raising conditions
– holding corporations responsible for reclamation and rehabilitation of the fossil fuel sites that have been impacted through their operations
– a review current obligations for remediation to re-evaluate if the dedicated financial devices are sufficient to the task
– where dedicated financial devices are insufficient, Governmental pursuit of means to remedy the situation
– incorporation of Project Drawdown’s principles and solutions to guide policy development that is ecologically and economically sustainable and draws down the levels of greenhouse gases to preindustrial levels as quickly and effectively as possible
– since energy efficiency is the cheapest, easiest and quickest way to drastically reduce energy consumption, support for initiatives to facilitate it, for example, requiring all homes to have an energy efficiency rating at point of sale or resale

Electric vehicle rebate
The party advocates:
– establishment of an EV rebate comparable to that of Quebec, British Columbia, and Ontario, available within a term of 2 years with such term being open to extension by the legislature

Agriculture
The party advocates:
– ensuring that a resilient food system is a main provincial priority. A resilient food system is one that is biodiverse, decentralized, decarbonized and regenerative; based on local production and processing, small and medium organic farms, and co-operatives and local markets, including farmers markets
– an immediate ban on the use of all neonicotinoid anywhere they would be considered dangerous to the health of bees
– dialogue with farmers and ranchers to assist them in shifting to an agroecological system, meaning farming in harmony with nature, in order to create a resilient food system that strengthens food security and sovereignty, enables sustainable farmer livelihood, supports rural economies, and helps to resolve the climate and biodiversity crises
– subsidies, tax breaks and other financial incentives for agroecological practices, including but not limited to maintaining and planting shelterbelts, protecting wetlands, conserving native-grass prairie, regenerative soil practices, non-industrial no-till methods, use of natural fertilizers that benefit both crops and soil, complex crop rotation and inter-cropping, and by assisting farmers and ranchers who wish to obtain organic or regenerative organic certification
– assistance for all producers to certify under the existing Alberta Environmental Farm Plan process and to continue applying the prescribed environmental protection measures
– establishing priorities for agricultural research focusing on sustainable soil use and cropping practices
– recognition of the harm synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers present to the environment, other species and human health
– providing a subsidy to farmers to support transitioning to organic/permaculture, agroecology and other sustainable agricultural practice
– immediate funding for publicly available and transparent research into the long term effects of agrochemical weed control, including the effects on human health, soil microflora, nutrient retention, and soil erosion

Forestry
The party advocates:
– sustainable conduct forest management practices that prioritize the ecological services of forests in water retention and management, air purification and cleaning, and maintaining species diversity
– treating the economic values of timber extraction, food foraging reserves, and recreational use of as important secondary considerations
– prescribed burning as a forest management tool. Prescribed fire is the knowledgeable and controlled application of fire to a specific land area to accomplish planned resource management objectives. These fires are managed in such a way as to minimize the emission of smoke and maximize the benefits to the site
– implementation of a public education program to inform Albertans about the benefits of prescribed burning, and how a return to it benefits forest
– banning the practice of clear-cutting of forests
– phasing out all logging practices that do not meet standards of sustainability and preservation of forest ecosystems
– banning use of glyphosate and other herbicide chemicals by the forestry industry when the primary motivating factor is to increase the production efficiency of the forest and deter small, low intensity fire generation
– prioritizing species diversification in Alberta’s managed and unmanaged forests

The party states that it believes:
– the environment should be kept safe and productive to support an acceptable quality of life for the people of Alberta
– we must protect our natural resources while enabling Albertans to enjoy the economic and recreational benefits of nature
– that each stage of the manufacturing, resource development and consumption processes must assume its own share of responsibility for its environmental impacts
– it is the duty of those using our natural resources to fund pertinent reclamation projects and otherwise safeguard those resources
– environmental protection must be a synergistic process with consumer and industry buy-in

Soil & water
The party advocates:
– brining about the removal or neutralization of soil and water contaminants already released in Alberta
– stopping, treating, or controlling releases of contaminants currently occurring, and preventing or regulating future releases
– consolidating and reviewing existing provincial and federal laws, regulations, and guidelines, and will altering them to fit the needs of Alberta

Water & wetlands
The party advocates:
– improving water management practices and combatting overallocation to protect future supplies
– partnering with local environmental organisations to protect Alberta’s wetlands
– controlled grazing in forested areas to ensure natural wildlife habitats are preserved and to ensure Alberta’s prime ranch land is utilized instead
– taking measures to avoid the impairment or destruction of our natural resources and environment by excessive exploitation and use
– prioritizing habitat and ecosystem conservation rather that the preservation of individual species, with the exceptions of species that Albertans have an economic or cultural interest in preserving
– striving to manage our geological resources for the benefit of present and future Albertans

Project reviews
The party advocates:
– definition of disclosure requirements for potential review participants, along with harsh penalties for instances of noncompliance
– ensuring that beneficial effects of a project will be considered in the project review, rather than only adverse effects
– providing guidance to enable regulators to screen out projects with little hope of approval before the time and effort of taxpayers are wasted
– increased transparency about what is required in a project application, and design, construction, and operation of the project
– providing a clear framework for stakeholder consultation and compensation, to provide a consistent and predictable system for the applicant
– providing timetables for reviews and specifying actions that will be taken when deadlines are not met

Energy and Resources
Electrical Generation
The party advocates:
– continuing to promote the development of new coal and natural gas technologies
– opening new markets for our coal and natural gas services in developing countries
– encouraging innovation in the field of high efficiency combined cycle natural gas electrical generation technologies, ensuring they remain an inexpensive and reliable product for Albertan companies to market to developing countries.

Radiological Electrical Generation
The party advocates:
– ensuring that Alberta’s fissionable resources are used to produce new and valuable industries for Albertans
– evaluating and selecting Generation IV nuclear reactor designs for development that best suit the needs of Albertans, provide the cheapest electricity possible for Albertans and are made inherently safe using physical laws
– closing nuclear fuel cycle and ensuring state-of-the-art reprocessing technologies are developed in Alberta
– developing a nuclear engineering institute in Alberta

Oil and Gas
The party advocates:
– providing a new stable, consistent, and common sense set of industry regulations that will allow Albertans to invest with confidence in our oil and petrochemical industries
– decreasing processing times for project approvals by streamlining the approval process where applicable. In the absence of a breach of regulatory requirements or fraud, approval will not be revocable under normal circumstances
– ensuring that the approval criteria for projects remain consistent
– prohibiting foreign funded special interest groups from vexing industries and will ensuring that such groups are fined the full cost of delays
– helping Albertan oil and petrochemical companies gain access to adequate pipeline capacity to get their products to market
– encouraging technologies for safe and efficient oil and petrochemical transportation
– opening new markets for Albertan oil and petrochemicals in developing countries
– helping get Albertan natural gas to international markets
– engaging researchers and industries to find ways to convert normally wasted natural gas products into more economically valuable products
– eliminating the need for foreign gas product imports through the development of pertinent plant infrastructure where it is economically feasible
– encouraging research and feasibility studies into value-added and profitable carbon dioxide technologies, such carbon dioxide fracturing technology, to improve oil and gas well yields and to enable the exploitation of geothermal energy; water gas shift and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis processes, to create valuable chemicals out of carbon dioxide; and refrigeration technology utilizing carbon dioxide as the working fluid, to reduce our reliance on ozone damaging refrigerants

Mining
The party advocates:
– a review of mineralogical survey data to identify the top five (5) profitable resources, outside of oil, to leverage to develop new industries
– a review of existing mining industry regulation
– providing protection to businesses against new regulations and court challenges, ensuring regulatory requirements remain consistent, including immunity to lawsuits for the first five years of a mine’s operation if it is compliant with regulatory obligations
– ensuring that both private corporations and public sector industries are able to leverage Alberta’s rich lithium reserves
– encouraging growth of new industries surrounding lithium extraction, product development, and manufacturing

Agriculture
The party advocates:
– encouraging studies on holistic agriculture techniques and taking a results-based approach to economically and environmentally sustainable agriculture
– encouraging research into more efficient organic farming practices without harming conventional farming operations. Agribusinesses will be expected to take good care of the land they own and operate, to ensure it remains productive for future generations
– encouraging research into vertical farming and greenhouse technology
– ensuring that Alberta maintains a healthy bee population and encouraging the continued development of our apiculture industry
– promoting diversity in local agriculture to become self-sustaining as a country, with the goal of rendering agricultural imports unnecessary. This includes traditional agriculture (beef, poultry, swine, sheep, goats, grain, dairy, etc.) as well as greenhouses (non-traditional fruits and vegetables) and aquaculture
– providing an “Agricultural Education” online course to Alberta High School students, integrated with in person sessions and practical experience provided by famers who volunteer
– development of educational greenhouses and farms in each region of the province to encourage the development of a production-focused, entrepreneurial mindset in our youth
– promoting an “Alberta First” agricultural philosophy and striving to limit and regulate foreign investment in Albertan agribusinesses

Forestry
The party advocates:
– promotion of sustainable logging practices that preserve the natural structure and habitats of Alberta’s forests
– ensuring that reforestation activities mirror the land’s former natural condition
– encouraging the use of selective logging and cut blocks to decrease reforestation expenses and protect our forest’s natural environment
– changing the current leasing structure to allow the development of small forestry companies
– promoting an “Alberta First” forestry philosophy and will limit and regulate foreign investment in Alberta’s forestry-related industries.

Species & Diversity
The party advocates:
– development of a new fur industry as an environmentally sustainable alternative to synthetic materials
– opening of new markets for Albertan fur products internationally, while taking steps to prevent the overharvesting of furs
– leveraging the fur industry to preserve Albertan traditions in the modern area and to provide a strong incentive to preserve our forest environments and habitats
– leveraging the trapping industry to drive conservation efforts and research and reduce the need for costly aerial surveys

The party states that among its core values are commitments to:
– deliver prosperity and protect the environment
– safeguard the province’s precious air, water and land, including a commitment to battle climate change, and making polluters pay

Climate Change
The party states that:
– environmental protection is critical to protecting our way of life. It allows us to breathe clean air, drink clean water and grow healthy food, while protecting wildlife and ecosystems
– it is serious about environmental protection
– as the most environmentally-committed party in Alberta, it will protect Alberta’s local environments and play a leadership role in the fight against climate change
– since within 12 years irreversible climate change will begin harm every aspect of life and prosperity in Alberta, a modern climate change strategy has to be a twopronged approach: mitigation and adaptation: reducing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change
– since climate change is already a reality, the province must prepare for what that means, for humans and for nature

Mitigation
The party states that:
– economists agree that market-based approaches are the most cost-effective tool available to governments to address greenhouse gas emissions
– carbon taxes strike a balance between protecting our environment and protecting our economy, and reflect the true cost greenhouse gas emissions have on our economy, society, and environment

The party advocates:
– making the carbon tax revenue-neutral
– adopting enhanced rebates for low-income Albertans, and lowering income taxes, in an amount equal to the carbon tax Albertans will pay
– returning all carbon tax revenue to consumers and businesses
– full informing all Albertans on the progress being made in reducing carbon emissions
– introducing incentives to encourage Albertans to replace higher-polluting vehicles with cleaner forms of transportation
– calling for implementation of a national Clean Fuel Standard by examining the feasibility of an Electric and Hydrogen Vehicle Incentive Program and an Electric Vehicle Charging Incentive Program
– creating the business and regulatory environment to allow green initiatives like renewable energy to grow and thrive, including investment in research that helps make these projects more economical and exploring the feasibility of using more geothermal energy
– planting  trees in urban areas to improve air quality and absorb carbon, and to help keep communities cool by mitigating the heat-island effect in cities as our planet warms
– exploring other opportunities to make Alberta towns and cities more resilient in the face of climate change

Species, Diversity & Wildlife
The party advocates:
– creation of wildlife corridors to allow for the safe movement of animals, maintaining ecological integrity and increasing the viability of species at risk, particularly as as climate change forces species to migrate
– working with experts, conservation non-profits and other stakeholders to strengthen our conservation policies and preserve biodiversity, and putting an extra emphasis on protecting species at risk

Energy & Resources
The party states that:
– Alberta’s energy industry is the heart of its economy, and should be supported, not just for Albertans but for the environment

The party advocates:
–  balancing the environment and the economy by creating the most ethical and environmentally friendly oil possible so the world doesn’t turn to dirtier energy sources like coal
– ending government boondoggles in favour of a free-market approach, including establishing an independent panel of experts to review and make recommendations on any proposed future taxpayer-financed, value-added investment in the energy sector
– canceling a previous government’s costly and risky oil-by-railcar shipping plan.

Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion
– in order to diversify the province’s customer base in the most responsible way, completing the trans mountain pipeline expansion project, including proper and effective consultations with First Nations and meaningful accomodation of their concerns
– because the federal government cannot be trusted to get this right, demanding an interim report that details the federal government’s efforts to comply with the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision and the status of the consultation process with affected First Nations in Alberta and British Columbia

Bill C-69
– amendment of Bill C-69, in view of its deep flaws and the need to provide both regulatory certainty and socially-responsible investing
– joining with Alberta’s energy industry to demand specific amendments to this bill that balance economic, social and environmental concerns, including:
+ removal of project approval powers from the purview of the federal Environment Minister and depoliticizing approvals
+ modernizing and improving, not replacing, the National Energy Board, and retaining its well-established, extensively court-reviewed process and extensive jurisprudence;
+ considering positive aspects of national and regional growth, prosperity and competitiveness as public interest factors
+ embracing opportunities for Indigenous economic reconciliation; Increasing certainty around timeframes and clock stoppages
+ introducing innovative approaches to minimize timelines; and Establishing clear policy in the areas of climate change and Indigenous rights

Energy East Pipeline Project
The party states that:
– Canada needs greater energy independence and Alberta needs access to markets
– a pipeline east just makes sense

The party advocates:
– reigniting the Energy East pipeline project and replacing oil imports in eastern Canada with more ethical and environmentally-responsible made-in-Alberta oil.
– demanding that the federal government show national leadership and restart this important national infrastructure project

Amalgamating power market entities
The party states that:
– there currently exist six government agencies and committees involved in the power market, including the Alberta Electric System Operator, Alberta Utilities Commission, Utilities Consumer Advocate, Market Surveillance Administrator, Balancing Pool and Transmission Facility Cost

Management Committee
– these agencies cost over $175 million annually, and experts believes there is a significant overlap and redundancy in their roles, further exacerbated by a capacity market

The party advocates:
– amalgamating these entities to save consumer tens of millions of dollars a year

Renewable Energy
The party states that green initiatives like renewable energy represent an economic opportunity for Alberta

The party advocates:
– creating a business and regulatory environment to allow green initiatives like renewable energy to grow and thrive, including investment in research that helps make such projects more economical
– exploring the feasibility of more geothermal energy and congregation plants that convert excess energy into usable power

Water
The party advocates adopting a stronger conservation strategy for provincial water supplies and the Rocky Mountains Eastern Slopes, including:
– setting water quality and quantity as the highest priorities when considering any activities that affect headwaters
– funding all watershed councils to develop land use planning documents and developing land use plans based on their recommendations
– greater scrutiny of projects with large impacts on water usage
– implementing regulations and incentives to reduce the amount of freshwater used in fracking in favour of non-potable water
– implementing mandatory baseline groundwater testing and public reporting for oil and gas wells where hydraulic fracturing has been used
– opposing interbasin water transfers in all but the most extreme circumstances
– banning off-highway vehicles in areas where they compromise water supplies and habitat viability

Sustainable Development
The party states that fairness to future generations means finding a way to live sustainably today. We can’t pass the burden of short-term decision-making onto our children and grandchildren

Disaster preparedness and recovery
The party states that as the climate warms, Alberta will experience more extreme weather disasters including wildfires, droughts, and floods, but has historically underfunded Emergency Preparedness

The party advocates:
– budgeting more realistically for disaster recovery instead of relying on massive supplementary appropriations, using for example, including budgeting based on a rolling average of the previous five years
– requiring all Albertans who live or operate businesses in the floodway or flood fringe to have flood insurance, in the same manner that drivers are required to carry motor vehicle insurance
– pressuring the federal government to create overland flood insurance to cover all Canadians, as Canada is the only G7 country without such government-backed coverage
– legislating a requirement for the government to immediately release all independent, post-incident emergency response assessments as soon as they are received
– expanding protected areas from the current 15% of Alberta’s natural environments to cover 30% of Alberta by 2030. Protected areas can come in many forms and management structures
– building more wildlife crossings to combat habitat fragmentation, to move and prevent collisions between humans and animals
– protecting deer, elk and moose from chronic wasting disease and adopting appropriate measures to control and eliminate the potential for it to be transmitted to livestock and/or human populations
– banning clear cutting outright while working with the forestry industry to implement best practices for developing a strong and vibrant sector focused on sustainability and profitability. The practice of clear-cutting is extremely damaging for ecosystems, animal life, flood protection, and tourism
– working with municipalities to address urban sprawl and create more sustainable growth models.

Recycling
The party advocates:
– with China taking in less recycling product, changing Alberta’s recycling policy promptly, including expansion of electronics recycling to include small appliances and a host of other electronics that are currently ineligible
– implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) on select products, in order to add all the environmental costs of a product to its market cost
– elimination of the use of single-use plastics in Alberta by 2030, beginning by incentivizing industries to scale down their use of these materials immediately

Land use
The party advocates:
– establishing a new grazing lease protocol for the entire province based on the program established by the Municipal District of Taber
– strengthening provincial oversight of gravel extraction.

Reclamation of Oil and Gas lands
The party states that the Alberta Energy Regulator (“AER”) has estimated the long-term reclamation costs of Alberta’s oil and gas industry to be as high as $260 billion or more, but so far the province has collected a mere $1.6 billion from industry to deal with this clean-up liability

To protect taxpayers, our environment, and our sustainable domestic energy, the party advocates:
– implementing an “Oil Patch Cleanup Bond” to ensure polluters pay
– in addition, setting time limits on “suspended wells” to ensure non-producing wells aren’t left unreclaimed for decades and timelines for reclaiming well sites

Stewardship of Creation
The party states that it offers an alternative vision of the future based principles which include a conviction that ecological sustainability must permeate all economic and social policy. Meeting human material needs must not use more of Earth’s resources than can be renewed within each generation. Wastes produced in meeting needs must not endanger future generations’ rights to clean air, pure water and productive soil.  Life on Earth is best protected by ensuring biodiversity, requiring recognition of each species’ contribution to the planet’s health. Consequently, we have to view other species not as resources for human wants, but as respected members of Earth’s living family. Human economic security is assured by reducing consumption, and is achieved by conservation programs. Such policies will also contribute to intergenerational equity,

…and that during its recent term in office it:
– took a balanced approach, bringing Albertans together to show that a strong economy and a clean environment can – and must – go hand in hand
– introduced the Climate Leadership Plan, placing our energy economy in the ranks of the world’s most environmentally progressive energy producers while building support across Canada for pipelines.  The Climate Leadership Plan has supported more than 7,300 jobs so far. 20,000 more jobs are planned, with construction starting on Climate Leadership Plan projects and with innovation initiatives getting off the ground. Since the Plan’s implementation, Alberta’s greenhouse gas emissions have dropped 16% – the equivalent of three Metro Vancouvers
– took action to fund the Green Line, Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir and upstream flood mitigation infrastructure on the Bow River in Calgary, as well as the Valley Line in Edmonton, through the Climate Leadership Plan
– funded upgrades at schools, colleges, universities, and hospitals for projects that cut operating costs and emissions
– created Energy Efficiency Alberta, which has already saved Albertans $510 million through lower energy costs
– began phasing out coal-fired power, reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in Alberta, while implementing programs to ensure a just transition for workers and communities affected by the coal phase-out
– invested almost $40 million for low-cost solar programs for homes, businesses, First Nations, municipalities and farms
– invested over $200 million to reduce methane gas emissions
– created Castle Provincial Park and the world’s largest protected boreal forest

The party advocates:
– continuing to work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the Climate Leadership Plan, as part of an overall strategy to combat climate change
– meeting its goals of achieving a phase-out of coal generation by 2030, to add more renewable energy to the electricity system, and meeting a target of 30% of electricity generation by 2030
– achieving a 45% reduction in methane emissions by 2025
– keeping a firm cap on oil sands carbon emissions and working with industry to build upon its innovations to keep the industry strong and competitive
– building flood protection on the Bow River and complete the Springbank dam to protect Calgarians against a catastrophic flood
– employing the best science and prevention techniques to tackle the pine beetle infestation in an effort to slow and halt its movement eastward
– to give landowners more certainty, implementing clear timelines for when companies need to clean up their abandoned oil and gas wells and require them to justify delays in reclaiming sites, and implementing new corporate health measures on asset sales to prevent liability dumping as we continue to work with industry and the Orphan Wells Association to accelerate remediation of the orphan wells inventory
– developing a Clean Lakes Strategy to improve lake watershed management with a goal of reducing blue-green algae blooms and protecting vulnerable shorelines so Albertans can continue to enjoy our many lakes
– partnering with outdoor recreation groups to improve recreation infrastructure such as trails, staging areas and docks to create better access to Alberta’s wilderness areas
– multi-year, stable funding for watershed councils and land trust organizations so they can be more effective at protecting our water and vulnerable lands, and reducing barriers to the creation of land trusts to support voluntary land conservation across the province.

The party has provided no official statement regarding its policies or positions regarding:
– climate change
– species, diversity & wildlife
– energy & resources
– sustainable development

Stewardship of Creation

The party states that:
– a full life includes work that provides not only a living, but dignity. Therefore its first priority is to boost the economy and bring quality jobs back to Alberta
– however, “the good life” includes much more than material well-being
– while government can’t guarantee a good life, it has a central role in establishing many of the conditions for it like health, safety, education, and support for the vulnerable

To make life better for Albertans, the party advocates:
– protecting the environment through a common-sense conservation plan which recognizes that that recreation, economic use, and conservation can and should support each other
– providing thorough protection for Albertans’ property rights through new legislation and a review of all existing legislation

Climate Change
The party advocates, among its top 5 commitments
– repealing the carbon tax and suing the federal government if it tries to impose a carbon tax on Alberta
– standing up against the federal government and special foreign interests that are trying to block pipeine development, fighting for pipelines

The party states that:
– the world is grappling with the tension between our need for the carbon-based energy industry and a consensus that its emissions are directly contributing to climate change
– it is committed to responsible energy development and that includes action to mitigate greenhouse emissions and reduce their contribution to climate change
– in 2007, Alberta became the first jurisdiction in North America to bring in a form of carbon pricing for emitters with the Specified Gas Emitters Regulations (SGER).  It believes that restoring an updated version of the SGER model will produce better environmental and fiscal results than the carbon tax introduced by the a previous government.

The party advocates:
– bringing in a new Technology Innovation and Emissions Reductions (TIER) regime for large industrial emitters in Alberta effective January 1, 2020, including an improved system to manage emissions from Alberta’s large industries (including oil and gas and electricity generation) which are responsible for about 60% of Alberta’s greenhouse gas emissions
– under the new system, requiring existing facilities with emissions above 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (or equivalent), other than electricity generators, to meet an emissions performance target of reducing their emissions intensity by 10% (increasing by 1% per year) compared to their average performance, either by reducing facility emissions, purchasing credits from facilities that have exceeded their compliance targets, purchasing accredited offsets from emissions reductions occurring elsewhere in the Alberta economy, or paying into the TIER Fund at a rate of $20/tonne
– reducing the compliance price from $30/tonne to $20/tonne
– requiring large final emitters (LFEs) in the electricity sector to meet a “good-as-best-gas” performance standard, which means that over 60% of coal fired electricity emissions will be subject to compliance
– implementing a TIER Fund which will help companies reduce emissions with cleaner technology; the first $100 million in revenues and 50% of remaining revenues paid into the TIER Fund to be used for new and cleaner Alberta-based technologies that reduce carbon emissions even further, including new and improved oil sands extraction technology and supporting research and investment in carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS)
– using additional TIER funds will also support (i) reductions in Alberta’s deficit; and (ii) the energy “war room” that will share the truth about Alberta’s resource sector

Energy & Resources
Pipelines
The party states that:
– pipelines are how Alberta gets its oil and gas to market for sale, and that the lack of pipeline capacity causes the price for our oil to go down and prevents further investment
– it will pursue every possible pipeline project to get our oil and gas to market, including two stalled projects: Keystone XL and Trans Mountain, and fighting to re-start Energy East and Northern Gateway, and to complete Line 3; and support for every other proposed avenue of egress
– a previous government’s $3.7 billion contract to lease rail cars was one of the largest single expenditures in Alberta history, and unnecessary since the private sector was already expanding oil-by-rail capacity significantly

The party advocates:
– immediate filing a constitutional challenge to strike down the federal governments “No More Pipelines” Bill C-69 (should it become law) as a violation of Section 92 of the Constitution Act, which gives Alberta clear, exclusive jurisdiction over the production of oil and gas
– using “Turn off the Taps” legislation should provinces, including British Columbia, continue to obstruct the construction of pipelines
– buiding an interprovincial coalition of provinces which support jobs, pipelines, and our energy industry, making it a top issue in federal-provincial relations
– holding a referendum on removing equalization from the Constitution Act on October 18, 2021 if substantial progress is not made on construction of a coastal pipeline, and if Bill C-69 is not repealed

Sustainable Development
The party states that:
– a previous government introduced costly and unnecessary changes to the system, at a cost of billions of dollars
– EDC Associates estimates that a market-driven approach to renewables would add 1,566 megawatts of renewable power through 2030, without the need for any new taxpayer or consumer subsidies

The party advocates:
– ending subsidies after the Renewable Energy Program’s round 3
– asking the Auditor General of Alberta to conduct a special duty audit on losses incurred by a previous government on power purchase agreements held through the Balancing Pool
– immediate tender of a bid for a comprehensive independent assessment of the costs of the current Climate Leadership Plan
– consulting on whether Alberta should return to an energy-only market or create a capacity market, reporting back to Albertans within 90-days

Forestry
The party states that:
– Alberta’s forestry sector employs over 16,000 Albertans directly and another 23,000 indirectly
– provincial forest companies and workers are world leaders in sustainable forestry practices and in managing Alberta’s land base for future generations
– policies of a previous government are costly and threaten long-term timber supplies
– while it recognizes the federally mandated need to propose a caribou range protection plan, that plan must be done in close collaboration with all who are affected and must be based on science and common-sense conservation policies

The party advocates protecting, promoting, and partnering with Alberta’s forestry workers and companies to expand the sector’s economic opportunities at home and abroad, including:
– ensuring that forest companies have long-term access to a sustainable fibre supply with our Forest Jobs Guarantee, including current quotas and forest management agreements
– offesetting federal or court-ordered policies that inhibit access to fibre with access to an equal or larger area for forestry in the same region
– supporting environmentally sustainable forestry practices by working with Alberta’s forestry companies to optimize land management practices
– restoring funding for the fight against the mountain pine beetle by increasing funding by $5 million to $30 million annually
– defending Alberta’s forest sector and fighting for Alberta’s proper national share of trade-allocated export quotas
– directing Alberta’s foreign trade offices to work with forestry companies to improve export opportunities, especially in Asia
– immediate formation of a Caribou Range Task Force of local municipal governments, the Northwest Species at Risk Committee, forestry and other industries, Indigenous representatives, and habitat scientists to review the Alberta Caribou Draft Plan
– ensuring that that the province’s land use consultations and planning are completed before any new long-term decisions are made on habitat protection
– including Alberta’s forestry sector in our “fight back strategy” against foreign funded attacks on Alberta’s resources
– ensuring that the caribou range plan, and any other environment policies affecting the forestry industry, are subject to a comprehensive social-economic impact assessment

Conservation
The party states that:
– thanks in large part to the efforts of civil society, Alberta has a brilliant history of environmental stewardship
– tens of thousands of volunteers across Alberta help protect the natural environment together, making Alberta a world leader in conservation
– stewardship of our air, land, water, and wildlife is a moral obligation, as well as being supported by a strong economy

The party advocates implementing a Common-Sense Conservation Plan that recognizes that recreation, economic use, and conservation can and should support each other, including:
– introduction of an Alberta Trails Act to increase awareness about and encourage the sustainable use of trails, enhance trails and trail experiences, and protect trails for future generations
– increasing funding by 50% ($5 million) to the Alberta Land Trust Grant Program that conserves ecologically important areas, and preserving other program and policy priorities
– protecting creeks and streams on the Eastern Slopes by adding $1 million in funding (tripling provincial funding from $531,000) to the Alberta Riparian Habitat Protection Society’s “Cows and Fish” Program, while seeking matching funds from the private sector
– applying a mandatory $30 trail permit fee to Off-Highway Vehicles (OHV) and camping trailers to pay for restoring and creating OHV trails and preventing damage in Alberta’s great outdoors, and to hire additional enforcement officers
– implementing a balanced back country land use plan to ensure all Albertans can enjoy public lands and appreciate the wilderness
– reviewing Alberta Environment and Parks legislation to modernize it for the 21st century
– improving data collection on environmental outcomes relating to parks and public lands to ensure these lands meet the needs of Albertans in the 21^st century in an environmentally sustainable way
– ensuring that more department staff work in the outdoors and with local stakeholders, including facilitating visitor enjoyment of the back country and conducting environmental monitoring
– strengthening partnerships with non-profit park societies across Alberta, including setting aside $1 million over four years to pilot an expanded role with park societies
– ensuring that all major economic development proposals continue to be subject to mandatory environmental impact assessments
– ensuring that in the future, all major environmental protection proposals will be subject to mandatory social-economic impact assessments to allow the government to strike the appropriate balance between economic growth and environmental protection
– encouraging and increasing the use of development credits and conservation offsets in provincial development policy
– creating statutory tort action for adversely affected downstream private landowners, so they can more easily deal with illegal drainage of wetlands – specifically to address landowners whose property/crops are flooded/damaged because of a neighbour’s or government’s illegal drainage of adjacent wetland
– enforcing actions against “trespass farming”, i.e., protecting 66-foot-wide public right of ways against conversion to crops or drainage of ditches next to rural roads
– allocating $10 million over two years to create the Big Island Provincial Park along the banks of the North Saskatchewan River in Southwest Edmonton