Public health orders

To protect the health and safety of Albertans, public health orders can be legally-enforced and fines issued for violations.

  • Minimum mandatory 14-day isolation for returning international travellers or close contacts of people with confirmed COVID-19.
  • Minimum mandatory 10-day isolation for confirmed cases of COVID-19 and people with symptoms that are not related to a pre-existing illness or health condition: cough, fever, shortness of breath, runny nose or sore throat.
  • Restrictions on gatherings and restricted services are legally enforceable and subject to fines.
  • New operational protocols, including limited visitation, are enforceable for all auxiliary hospitals, nursing homes, designated supportive living and long-term care facilities, seniors lodges and any facility in which residential addiction treatment services are offered.
  • New outbreak standards are in place for operators, managers and staff at all congregate health settings, including all auxiliiary hospitals, nursing homes, designated supportive living and long-term care facilities, seniors lodges and facilities in which residential addiction treatment services are offered.

Submit a violation complaint

Chief Medical Officer of Health orders, amendments and exemptions

Schools, daycares, preschools and day camps

  • Order 18-2020 – permits attendance at daycares, out-of-school care and post-secondary institutions, provided persons adhere to public health measures and guidance. This Order applies throughout the province of Alberta, with some exceptions within the cities of Calgary and Brooks (May 14, 2020)
  • Order 19-2020 – permits attendance at daycares, out-of-school care and post-secondary institutions, provided persons adhere to public health measures and guidance. This Order applies within the cities of Calgary and Brooks (May 14, 2020)
  • Order 01-2020 – prohibited attendance at early childhood service programs, daycares, out-of-school care, preschool programs, post-secondary institutions and other educational settings in Alberta (March 16, 2020)

Gatherings and services

  • Order 18-2020 – permits attendance at certain locations and places, including retail businesses, restaurants and museums, provided persons adhere to public health measures and guidance. This Order applies throughout the province of Alberta, except within the cities of Calgary and Brooks (May 14, 2020)
  • Order 19-2020 – permits attendance at certain locations and places, including retail businesses and museums effective May 14; and restaurants, hair salons and others effective May 25, provided persons adhere to public health measures and guidance. This Order applies within the cities of Calgary and Brooks (May 14, 2020)
  • Order 20-2020 – permits attendance of up to 50 people in a group, in an outdoor location, provided persons adhere to public health measures and guidance (May 15, 2020)

Exemptions and modifications to orders 18-2020 and 19-2020

Note: Orders 01-2020, 18-2020, 19-2020, 20-2020, and exemptions and modifications above, apply despite any provision in the following Records of Decision:

Non-essential health services

  • Order 16-2020 – amends Order 07-2020 to allow the resumption of non-essential health services to Albertans (May 3, 2020)

Isolation requirements and measures for airports, including passenger screening

Visitor restrictions

  • Order 14-2020 – limits guest visitation at health care facilities in Alberta, including all long-term care, licensed supportive living and residential addiction treatment facilities (April 28, 2020)
    • Note: Order 14-2020 rescinded Order 09-2020, which rescinded Order 03-2020

Health care facility requirements

  • Order 10-2020 – includes restrictions on movement of staff members for health care facilities in Alberta (April 10, 2020)
    • Note: Part 2 has been replaced by Order 23-2020 (Operational and outbreak standards) (May 25, 2020); and Residential addiction treatment service facilities are now covered in Order 13-2020 (April 28, 2020)
  • Order 23-2020 – includes updated operational and outbreak standards for long-term care and licensed supportive living facilities in Alberta (May 25, 2020)
    • Note: these updates replace the operational and outbreak standards appended to Order 10-2020 (which rescinded Orders 06-2020 and 08-2020).

Residential addiction treatment service facilities

  • Order 13-2020 – outlines updated operational and outbreak standards for residential addiction treatment service facilities (April 28, 2020)

Ministerial orders

Businesses, public bodies and non-profits

  • Ministerial order no. SA: 009/2020 (Service Alberta) – allows flexibility for businesses, public bodies, non-profits and other groups to remain compliant with legislation. Modifications are related to legislative requirements related to time, location, distance, access to information and collection of utility payments (April 9, 2020)

Child care program licence holders

  • Ministerial order no. 04/2020 (Children's Services) – exempts holders of a child care program licence from the fee usually required to renew the licence, during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic (April 7, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 05/2020 (Children's Services) – temporarily suspends limitation periods from March 17, 2020 to June 1, 2020, for the specific provisions set out in Appendix A (May 13, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 06/2020 (Children's Services) – allows day care, out-of-school care and innovative child care programs to re-open under health guidelines. Also allows regulatory requirements to be varied by the statutory director, to allow for mixed-ages in child care programs (May 20, 2020)
    • Note: this ministerial order rescinds and replaces Children's Services ministerial order 03-2020

Community and social services

  • Ministerial order no. 11/2020 (Community and Social Services) – suspends the requirement in Section 4(1) of the Protection Against Family Violence Regulation for an application for an emergency protection order to be made in person, and allows for applications to be made by telecommunication (April 7, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 15/2020 (Community and Social Services) – suspends the prohibition in Section 2.1(2)(b) of the Family and Community Support Services Regulation, to allow for direct assistance for food to be provided to individuals and families during the COVID-19 pandemic (April 14, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 16/2020 (Income Support) and Ministerial order no. 17/2020 (AISH) (Community and Social Services) – allows Income Support and Assured Income for Severely Handicapped (AISH) recipients who have lost work and income because of COVID-19 to exempt a portion of the federal government's Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), if they receive it. This means a portion of the CERB payment will not affect their provincial benefits (April 23, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 19/2020 (Community and Social Services) – temporarily suspends time limitations set out in legislation in response to the COVID-19 crisis. This order applies to appealing decisions on CSS programs. This ministerial order makes sure Albertans can exercise their rights when it is safe, and that those accessing and working with CSS programs have the flexibility they need. Appeals can still be filed. If proper isolation and physical distancing measures can be maintained—and all of the necessary steps taken for the appeal to be filed—a decision can be appealed. Once the period of public health emergency has passed, timelines will again proceed as normal. (May 4, 2020)

Employment standards and codes

  • Ministerial order no. 18/2020 (Labour and Immigration) – temporarily changes certain employment standards rules to help employers and employees adjust to rapidly-changing workplace conditions due to COVID-19, including a new job-protected leave for employees, scheduling flexibility, group termination notice requirements and a streamlined approval process for modifying employment standards rules (April 6, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 26/2020 (Labour and Immigration) – in respect of the Labour Relations Code and Employment Standards Code, this order applies to employers at a health care facility described in Chief Medical Officer of Health Order 10-2020, issued under section 29 of the Public Health Act, related to a) work for more than one employer; or b) work at more than one worksite (April 24, 2020)
    • Note: this ministerial order repeals and replaces ministerial order no. 22/2020
  • Ministerial order no. 21/2020 (Labour and Immigration) - modifies section 246 of the Occupational Health and Safety Code to add additional respiratory protective equipment as approved for required use at a work site (May 3, 2020)

Health

  • Ministerial order no. 612/2020 (Health) – modifies the Public Health Act, defining those subject to isolation/quarantine (March 25, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 614/2020 (Health) – permits the Department of Health and designated employees of the Chief Medical Examiner to use Alberta Netcare to access and use prescribed health information pertaining to COVID-related Fatalities, in order to disclose such information to the Chief Medical Examiner under the Fatal Inquiry Regulation  (March 30, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 615/2020 (Health) – this Order modifies sections 73(2) and 73(3) of the Public Health Act, such that section 73(2) is suspended, and section 73(3) increases fines for persons found in contravention of the section (April 2, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 616/2020 (Health) – establishes the Calgary Homeless Foundation and HomeSpace Society to provide services to operate Lakeview Signature Suites an an isolation centre to serve individuals experiencing homelessness or who are home insecure and who have tested positive for COVID-19 (April 4, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 625/2020 (Health) – modifies the Public Health Act to allow the Chief Medical Officer of Health to require a health care facility operator to provide information related to the purpose of restricting the movement of staff members among health care facilities (April 17, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 006/2020 (Health) – enables nurse practitioners to act as primary care providers in nursing homes, admitting and assessing residents, as well as offering follow-up care. Changes will also enable nurse practitioners and other qualified health professionals to prescribe medication and order treatments in nursing homes, according to their scopes of practice (April 24, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 629/2020 (Health) – this Order was created to support CMOH Order 10-2020. This Order allows the Chief Medical Officer to require an operator to disclose information about their staff members, so long as it is related to the purpose of 1) identifying potential impacts to home care staffing, and 2) developing options to address any potential gaps in workforce supply in this sector (April 28, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 630/2020 (Health) – this Order amends section 52.6(1) of the Public Health Act, such that there is legislated employment protections for individuals who are required to be absent under CMOH 10-2020, from the threat of termination, restriction, and discrimination by their employer or contractor (April 28, 2020)
    • Note: this Ministerial order repeals Ministerial order no. 624/2020 (Health)
  • Ministerial order no. 631/2020 (Health) – modifies the Communicable Diseases Regulation to allow additional health care practitioners to support medical officers of health and community health nurses under the Public Health Act, including COVID-19 related activities such as contact tracing (May 4, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 632/2020 (Health) – modifies the Public Health Act to authorize Alberta Health to share whether an individual named by a police service has received a COVID-19 test in the last 14 days, and if so, what the results of the test were. An individual’s results would only be shared where the individual deliberately tried to expose an officer to droplets by coughing or spitting at the officer and indicating they were COVID-19 positive (May 4, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 627/2020 (Health) – allows for provincial officers designated under the Public Health Act to undertake non-invasive health assessments and collect completed isolation questionnaires from passengers on arrival at the Edmonton and Calgary international airports from outside Canada. Also requires the airport authorities to provide the Chief Medical Officer of Health with information upon request regarding the specific measures an airport authority is taking to implement and report on the public health measures set out in CMOH Order 11-2020 (May 20, 2020)

Legal matters and proceedings

  • Ministerial order no. 27/2020 (Justice and Solicitor General) – suspends limitation periods and periods of time within which any step must be taken in any proceeding or intended proceeding, from March 17 to June 1, 2020, due to conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic (March 30, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 29/2020 (Justice and Solicitor General) – allows for a guarantor to appear before a lawyer and execute a guarantee by means of two-way video-conferencing, related to the Guarantees Acknowledgement Act and the Guarantees Acknowledgement Forms Regulation during the COVID-19 pandemic (May 8, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 39/2020 (Justice and Solicitor General) – modifies sections of the Personal Directives Act, the Powers of Attorney Act and the Wills and Succession Act during the COVID-19 pandemic, to account for circumstances where it is not possible or medically safe for a maker, donor or testator to physically attend before a lawyer and sign a personal directive or power of attorney in the presence of a witness or a will in the presence of two witnesses (May 15, 2020)

Public land access restrictions

  • Ministerial order no. 18/2020 (Environment and Parks) – establishes the Provincial Park and Recreation Area Access Restriction Order (March 27, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 20/2020 (Environment and Parks) – establishes the Public Land Access Restriction Order (March 30, 2020)
    • Note: this Ministerial Order rescinds and replaces Ministerial Order no. 19/2020

Reporting deadlines, requirements and document registration

Environment and Parks

Energy

  • Ministerial order no. 219/2020 (Energy) – suspends specific legislated reporting requirements for energy companies under the Coal Conservation Act, the Oil and Gas Conservation Act and the Oil Sands Conservation Act (April 6, 2020)

Justice and Solicitor General

  • Ministerial order no. 25/2020 (Justice and Solicitor General) – extends expiry dates for licences under the Security Services and Investigations Act, during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 27, 2020)

Service Alberta

  • Ministerial order no. SA: 008/2020 (Service Alberta) – temporarily allows the Land Titles Office to register documents that have been witnessed, sworn or affirmed by Alberta lawyers using two-way videoconferencing (April 2, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. SA: 009/2020 (Service Alberta) – allows flexibility for businesses, public bodies, non-profits and other groups to remain compliant with legislation. Modifications are related to legislative requirements related to time, location, distance, access to information and collection of utility payments (April 9, 2020)

Tenants and landlords – rental increases, payment plans, late fees, evictions

  • Ministerial order no. SA: 003/2020 (Service Alberta) – makes the Late Payment Fees and Penalties Regulation waiving late fees from April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020 (March 27, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. SA: 004/2020 (Service Alberta) – modifies the Mobile Home Sites Tenancies Act waiving late fees from April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020 (March 27, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. SA: 005/2020 (Service Alberta) – modifies the Residential Tenancies Act and the Mobile Home Sites Tenancies Act to establish payment plans (March 27, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. SA: 006/2020 (Service Alberta) – modifies the Residential Tenancies Act and the Mobile Home Sites Tenancies Act regarding rental increases (March 27, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 20/2020 (Justice and Solicitor General) – suspends the right to evict a person from residential premises where the breach is solely for failure to pay rent, utilities, or both due to circumstances beyond their control caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (March 27, 2020)

Transportation

  • Ministerial order no. 23/20 (Transportation) – temporarily modifies and suspends parts of the Traffic Safety Act, Drivers' Hours of Service Regulation, Commercial Vehicle Dimension and Weight Regulation, Commercial Vehicle Certificate and Insurance Regulation, and Vehicle Inspection Regulation (April 2, 2020)
  • Ministerial order no. 24/20 (Transportation) – temporarily suspends parts of the Railway Regulation, Industrial Railway Regulation, and Heritage Railway Regulation (April 2, 2020)

Public Health Disease Management Guidelines

Orders in council

  • O.C. 80/2020 (Health) – declaring a state of public health emergency (March 17, 2020)
  • O.C. 64/2020 (Labour and Immigration) – changes to leave from work requirements due to COVID-19 (March 17, 2020)
  • O.C. 99/2020 (Municipal Affairs) – municipal council meeting changes so as to avoid exposing persons to COVID‑19 (March 26, 2020)

Bills and legislation