With a new year comes many changes, including legislative ones.
The Gazette has put together a list of changes Albertans can expect to see on a federal and provincial level in the new year.
Carbon tax
Alberta’s carbon tax will change once again with 2020 ushering in an era of a federal carbon tax.
The carbon tax was imposed starting on Jan. 1 at $20 per tonne until April of this year, where it will rise to $30 per tonne. At the pump, gas prices have already begun to jump from where they sat leading up to New Year's Day, as the tax added roughly four cents to the price of a litre.
Albertans will be allowed to qualify for carbon tax rebates when they file their taxes and single adults or the first adult in a couple will be given $444, second adult in a couple or the first child of a single parent can get back $222, each child under 18 can receive $111 and a family of four can receive $888.
Alberta justice minister Doug Schweitzer has said the province will push back against the carbon tax and called the move a constitutional overreach by the federal government.
"This is the jurisdictional space of Alberta," Schweitzer said on New Year's Eve to reporters.
"We're not willing to cave on this."
Federal income tax changes
The amount most Canadians can earn without being taxed went up on Jan. 1 from $12,069 to $13,229.
That change was part of the Liberal government's federal re-election campaign. This number will rise over four years until it reaches $15,000 in 2023.
According to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Canadians will save $138 this year through their federal income taxes because of this change.
Canadians earning more than $150,473 annually will not be offered those savings.
Employment insurance premiums
On Jan. 1, employment insurance premiums for workers and employees officially saw a small decrease. The maximum EI contribution for an employee will drop by $3.48 to $856.36. An employer's maximum contribution will also drop by $5.41 to $1,198.90 per employee.
Divorce Act
Changes to divorce proceedings legislated in 2019 will kick in on July 1, 2020.
The changes mean divorce proceedings will prioritize the best interests of children in custody cases and address any family violence factors when deciding where the children should live.
The Divorce Act only applies to legally married couples who are pursuing a divorce; otherwise, provinces regulate common-law separations and unmarried couples who are splitting up.
Property changes
As of Jan. 1 of this year, the province has changed how property is divided up if unmarried partners part ways.
While the original rules applied to married partners, the changes will also apply to adult interdependent partners. The changes to the Matrimonial Property Act will clarify property division rules and alter when couples can enter into property division and ownership agreements.
