Premier Danielle Smith and her Alberta Next panel heard broad support for a range of province-first proposals at an event in Fort McMurray on Aug. 26. Many of the nearly 250 people who came were there to express approval for its six proposals, including pulling out of the Canada Pension Plan and creating a provincial police force to replace the RCMP. The agenda was at times overshadowed by questions and criticism regarding ballooning classroom sizes, reduced local surgical beds, and a COVID-19 vaccine policy that will require most Albertans to pay out of pocket. (Aug. 27, 2025)