Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her latest meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney has inspired optimism and he is demonstrating a "real shift" from the previous Justin Trudeau-led Liberals.

Speaking in Edmonton on Thursday, she said she understands why Albertans might feel the rug has been pulled out from them several times before, but she's committed to diplomacy.

"I found more common ground with the prime minister when I met with him yesterday than I have in any meeting with a prime minister," she said.

With a provincewide teachers strike looming, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says their union has a stark choice between heftier pay hikes and more teachers. 

Smith suggests they can have one or the other, but they can’t have both.

Smith made the comments today to reporters when asked about stalled contract talks between her government and the Alberta Teachers’ Association, the day after the union set a strike date of Oct. 6.

Alberta has offered wage hikes starting at 12 per cent over four years, with a promise to hire 3,000 teachers over three years.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is expected to reiterate her policy demands face-to-face with Prime Minister Mark Carney Wednesday while he's in Edmonton to meet with his Liberal caucus.

Smith, on her weekend call-in radio show, says she's looking for "real movement" on nine federal policies she says have "pummeled" Alberta's economy and wellspring oil and gas industry.

Her wish list includes scrapping the greenhouse gas emissions cap and re-writing Bill C-69, long labelled the "no more pipelines act" by her government.

While the Alberta government is urging teachers to get back to the bargaining table to get out of an ongoing stalemate, their union says the province needs to move beyond reiterating a deal that teachers have already rejected.

Finance Minister Nate Horner is encouraging teachers to take a closer look at the latest offer, which he says shows respect for teachers.

"We've never left the table," Horner said in an interview Monday.

"We think this is a fair deal. We think this is a good deal."

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservative government says it will fight hard to defend a court challenge to its school pronoun law.

“Alberta’s government will vigorously defend our position in court,” Heather Jenkins, press secretary to Justice Minister Mickey Amery, said in a statement after two LGBTQ+ advocacy groups officially filed the court challenge last week.

Jenkins stressed the legislation was introduced to strengthen ties between parents and their child’s education.

Former Alberta politician Thomas Lukaszuk is a man on a not-so-lonely mission to keep Canada from splitting.

"This has become a full-time job. I'm very passionate about this," the former Progressive Conservative deputy premier said in Edmonton last week.

As people trickled in and out of a local legion, a table full of volunteers helped them officially put their name to Lukaszuk's cause.

"When we get to 300,000 signatures, believe it or not, this will be the biggest petition in the history of Canada," said Lukaszuk.

An Alberta taxpayers advocate is applauding the provincial government's latest expense disclosure policy.

Premier Danielle Smith's government says it's reverting to its previous rules after critics from across the political spectrum accused it of dodging responsibility.

It's also promising to re-post eight years' worth of expense receipts that were deleted from its website.

In a partial policy reversal, Alberta's government said Tuesday it will cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccinations for health-care workers.

Maddison McKee, spokesperson to Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange, said in an email that COVID-19 vaccine coverage will be extended to all health-care workers this fall under the first phase of the province's vaccination rollout.

"Immunization will remain voluntary," said McKee.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government is again shifting its expense disclosure policy after critics from across the political spectrum accused her of dodging responsibility.

In early August, the province quietly published new rules axing a requirement for Smith, her ministers, senior staff and deputy ministers to publicly post receipts for expenses over $100. 

Marisa Breeze, press secretary to Finance Minister Nate Horner, said in a Tuesday email that cabinet has directed Horner to see that the previous expense posting policy is reinstated -- but with a tweak.

Health experts, advocates and unions are sounding the alarm over Alberta’s plan for paid COVID-19 shots, calling it concerning and confusing.

On Monday, two months after the province announced it was adding a fee, it opened online pre-ordering for the vaccine. Albertans still need to book appointments for the shots, starting in October.