Weekly Roundup - Aug 7, 2026
Top Federal Stories
Alberta's proposed West Coast Pipeline is set to become the first project to move through the fast-track process created by the Building Canada Act. A notice published on August 1st has started the 30-day waiting period wherein Ottawa can consult with the government of Alberta. Once the period closes, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc can sign the order that formally places the pipeline on the fast-track list. Dozens of other projects are waiting with the Major Projects Office, but none has made the list yet.
In Ottawa, CUPE Local 8125, the union representing approximately 4400 WestJet flight attendants, reached a tentative agreement with the company on Monday, one day into a walkout that halted flights nationwide. The deal raises pay for pre-takeoff work and widens the range of duties that qualify for compensation. The quick settlement spares the Liberals a call on whether to invoke section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, which would have allowed the Canadian Industrial Relations Board to send attendants back to work without separate legislation. Ottawa used this tool during the Air Canada flight attendants' strike last fall, though the union ignored it. Polling from Abacus Data showed strong public support for the attendants. Members of CUPE 8125 have 30 days to ratify the agreement.
Prime Minister Carney spent Wednesday in Toronto, appearing with Mayor Olivia Chow to announce roughly $2.7 billion for 18 housing projects over three years. The funding is expected to produce over 5,600 new rental units, with at least 1,800 earmarked as affordable or rent-controlled housing. About 4,500 of those units are slated to start construction this year.
Even as the dog days of summer set in and Albertans check out on vacation, the Government of Alberta finds itself facing scrutiny on one of its signature economic bets.
Public skepticism about Alberta's aggressive push into AI data centre development has thrust the Smith government into damage control mode. Hundreds of protesters gathered on a rainy long weekend to voice their concerns over Meta's plan to construct a $13 billion data centre in Sturgeon County. In defence of the government’s efforts to attract AI investments to the province, Minister of Technology and Innovation Nate Glubish is taking the case directly to constituents through a series of town halls. In-person meetings are scheduled for Ponoka on August 19, Sturgeon County on August 20, and Grande Prairie on September 11, with Premier Smith set to join a virtual session on August 27. The government is framing the events as consultation, though Meta's development permit is already approved and construction is underway. Meanwhile, the Alberta NDP launched its own listening tour, kicking things off in St. Albert on Tuesday, August 4, with subsequent events planned for Red Deer on August 12 and an online session on August 19
The controversy reflects growing public concern about the impacts of large data centres on Alberta's water supply and electricity prices, as well as broader questions about who captures the benefits of such massive investments. July 2026 polling from Leger shows Albertans split on the issue; 44 per cent of respondents would not support the construction of a new data centre near their home, while 41 per cent would.
On a separate front, the province a took enforcement action against unsafe trucking operators this week. Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen announced his ministry has shut down more than a dozen fraudulent trucking schools and companies known as “chameleon carriers” who use tactics such as changing names or relocating across jurisdictions to evade regulation. One such company found to be using deceptive practices was Conquer Transportation Inc., the carrier involved in a fatal collision in Manitoba back in May. According to the government’s investigation, the company engaged in deliberate non-compliance and received $16,500 in administrative penalties as well as having its Safety Fitness Rating downgraded to Unsatisfactory, rendering them unable to operate in Alberta. Minister Dreeshen characterized the enforcement push as part of the government's "vigilant oversight" of carriers and driver training schools, citing ongoing concerns about bad actors, misclassified drivers, and fraudulent driver training operations across the province. Since October the ministry has issued 443 administrative penalties, removed 20 companies from Alberta roads, and blocked 40 chameleon carriers from obtaining safety fitness certificates. The problem, however, extends beyond Alberta's borders. Manitoba's transportation minister has been pressing since June for a national database so provinces can flag carriers whose certification has been pulled elsewhere. The Insurance Bureau of Canada has echoed Manitoba's calls, while federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon has signalled Ottawa is prepared to support the creation of such a database.
Top Ontario Stories
Premier Doug Ford called byelections in three ridings on Wednesday, with voting set for September 3. Scarborough Southwest, vacant since February when New Democrat Doly Begum resigned to run federally for the Liberals, has been called alongside byelections in York–Simcoe, left open by Caroline Mulroney in June, and Hamilton East–Stoney Creek, where Sport Minister Neil Lumsden’s retirement took effect on August 4. While the Progressive Conservative majority is not in question, the byelections will be a test of whether this summer’s controversies have moved votes.
Scarborough Southwest is the closest of the three, with Progressive Conservative Noor Tarun facing New Democrat community organizer Fatima Shaban and Liberal Ahsanul Hafiz. The more revealing contest though may be in Hamilton, where the New Democrats have nominated Monique Taylor, who held Hamilton Mountain from 2011 to 2025, against Progressive Conservative Jeff Beattie, a sitting Hamilton city councillor. Hamilton East–Stoney Creek was a New Democrat seat from its creation in 2007 until Lumsden took it in 2022, and a strong showing there would be the opposition’s first evidence that voters are tiring of the Ford government. York–Simcoe remains among the safest Progressive Conservative ridings in the province.
This week, Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy announced spending reviews of eight of the province’s largest agencies: Metrolinx, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, Supply Ontario, Legal Aid Ontario, and Agricorp. The reviews begin this summer and will examine governance, productivity, and financial management. Bethlenfalvy confirmed the government has given each agency a savings figure but declined to say what those figures are.
The opposition is calling the timing of these reviews suspect. NDP Leader Marit Stiles allowed that Metrolinx, with more than 120 vice-presidents, warrants scrutiny, but questioned why the review was arriving now. Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser connected the timing of the review to the reversed $29-million jet purchase and to the byelections called the same morning.
On wildfires, the operational picture is improving while the political one is not. The latest provincial report counts 114 active fires in northwestern Ontario, with only 17 not under control, down from 159 active fires at the end of July. Thunder Bay 36, the largest wildfire in Ontario’s recorded history, still burns across more than 301,000 hectares. More than 7,250 square kilometres have burned in total this season surpassing the record set in 2021. Against these startling figures, demands for accountability have hardened. Stiles, ONDP Deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa, Thunder Bay–Superior North MPP Lise Vaugeois, and Ontario Public Service Employees Union President JP Hornick joined First Nations leaders in Thunder Bay on to demand a full public inquiry. Independent scrutiny is also taking shape: Auditor General Shelley Spence confirmed on July 31, after a request from the Ontario Liberals, that her office is auditing the Ministry of Natural Resources’ wildland fire management, with the report due in 2027. Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris has committed only to reviewing the government’s work once the season ends. The Ford government will continue to face pressure for answers on this, as well as on spending accountability, when the House returns on October 27.
The New West Team is ready to guide clients through this uncertain time in Canadian politics.
