Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press

The chief of staff to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is defending a business class flight he charged to taxpayers, citing a health condition that increases his risk of blood clots.

The flight in question was a return flight he took from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Calgary earlier this year when he accompanied Smith to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The CBC reported this week that the two-day stop in Florida for Smith, Anderson and two others cost Alberta taxpayers about $10,000, with Anderson's flight home billed at nearly $3,000 alone.

Alberta's government says three children are in intensive care in hospital after contracting measles.

A health ministry spokesperson declined to disclose their ages, citing privacy concerns.

At a news conference Monday, Dr. Sunil Sookram, Alberta's interim chief medical officer of health, said there have been no deaths.

Sookram said the risk of getting the highly contagious disease in Alberta is at its greatest point in almost 30 years.

The idea of Alberta opting out of the Canada Pension Plan isn't moving ahead — at least for now.

Premier Danielle Smith says she won't be putting the creation of a provincial pension plan to a referendum any time soon.

"I'm not seeing that there's an appetite to put it to the people at the moment," Smith told reporters at an unrelated press conference Thursday.

"I have said that I would put it to the people if I saw evidence they wanted to vote on it (but) I'm not seeing that at the moment."

A judge has granted Alberta's government its request to question the former head of the provincial health authority about confidential emails she is accused of keeping and sharing without permission, including to media.

The government's request was made last month when it filed for an injunction in the high-profile lawsuit launched by Athana Mentzelopoulos, the former chief executive of Alberta Health Services.

Alberta's transportation minister is calling on the province's two major cities to remove bike lanes from key roadways, prompting critics to say the government is overstepping and making an issue out of nothing.

Devin Dreeshen says he's trying to avoid clashes with the government's goal of expanding road networks, as he blames bike lanes for traffic congestion and obstructing work to build the infrastructure needed for Alberta's growing population.

Alberta's United Conservative Party says it has expelled former infrastructure minister Peter Guthrie from caucus over his repeated criticism of the government's handling of the health-care contract scandal.

Guthrie gave up his ministerial position in February over concerns about government contracts and has been sitting as a backbencher for his Airdrie-Cochrane riding.

His pushback against Premier Danielle Smith also led the caucus to suspend him from voting in caucus matters.

Alberta is seeking a new chief medical officer of health as the government says Dr. Mark Joffe's contract has expired.

Health Minister Adriana LaGrange's office said in an email Tuesday that Joffe's contract expired a day prior. It said an interim replacement is to be announced shortly and a search for a permanent replacement has begun.

Joffe was serving in the role on an interim basis after Premier Danielle Smith's government followed through on its 2022 commitment to fire Dr. Deena Hinshaw, who held the position throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says Alberta's measles outbreak isn't dire enough for the province's top public health doctor to address the public, despite mounting calls for the government to do more to stop the spread.

Alberta Health Services announced seven new cases of the highly infectious disease Tuesday, bringing the province's confirmed case total to 43 since early March. Cases have been reported in all five provincial health zones.

Alberta's nurses union has signed a four-year contract with the province after months of bargaining and mediation.

The United Nurses of Alberta says the new deal will see over 30,000 nurses across the province receive pay increases of about 20 per cent by 2028.

The union says the agreement also includes job security protection, as Alberta overhauls its health-care system, as well as assurances for staffing levels.

It says the agreement signifies the value of nurses and brings a "difficult" round of bargaining to an end.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she expects some major industries, including those in her province, won't face new tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Smith told reporters Tuesday that things could change, but she thinks food production and oil and gas won't be targeted under Trump's new tariff plan, which is set to be announced Wednesday.