Alberta separatism is all over the news — but is it an emerging threat or just a rehash of the many separatist waves that hit Western Canada in the past? This article examines the history of separatism and so-called western alienation, and argues that it's never been a real threat, but rather a tool used by governing parties to win concessions for their friends and distract from their own policy failures.

Underfunding education, privatizing health care, and relying on deregulated, private electricity generation are just a few of the UCP policy choices deepening the affordability crisis in the province. In Alberta, private market interests always come first. Helping struggling Albertans, apparently, isn’t even part of the list.

Alberta's Budget 2026 brings deficits, instability, and strained infrastructure and services despite obvious solutions. Why do we keep punching ourselves in the face?

Extractive corporations and the wealthy were the clear winners in the recent federal budget, with struggling Canadians and the environment sitting squarely on the losers' side. But Carney could’ve chosen a different path — one that is centred on the well-being of people and our one and only planet.

With teachers having been legislated back to the classroom and schools now operating as usual, it is important to see the Back to School Act, and its use of the notwithstanding clause, in its broader context and talk about the consequences of its passage on workers, unions, and labour relations in Alberta and Canada. 

The drug-poisoning crisis in Alberta continues unabated, after nearly a decade of record numbers of deaths. Fatalities are the most tragic and visible consequence, but the prevalence of a toxic drug supply also creates ripple effects that impact families, communities, and the health-care workers who seek to mitigate harm, provide care, save lives, and assist the grieving.

The Alberta government has justified its new protocols for distribution of COVID-19 vaccines by claiming they will minimize wastage, save money, and prioritize the most vulnerable. In this blog, Parkland Institute research manager Rebecca Graff-McRae reflects on her personal experiences with trying to access vaccines, and debunks the government's claims.

The language of “parental rights” is being used by vocal conservative groups to push political agendas that threaten the inclusiveness and integrity of Alberta’s public education system. In this article, researcher Heather Ganshorn traces the movement’s ideological roots, documents its growing influence, and highlights its links to the agenda of privatization. See what's at stake in upcoming school board elections and why we should care.

As Albertans prepare for the first teacher strike in nearly 25 years, it is important for parents, educators, and education stakeholders to reflect on where we are and how we got here. In this open letter, parent, teacher, and doctoral candidate Ian Doktor highlights that it is not just about wages, and details the years of disrespect, underfunding, and bad decisions by the Alberta government that are at the heart of the current impasse.

When we as Albertans look back on what the labs rollercoaster has cost us — the hundreds of millions wasted, the generational damage to our health-care workforce, the erosion of trust in the delivery of a vital service — all of it may be dwarfed by the long-term damage being wrought to our health-care system in its name.