It has been a whirlwind week for newly sworn in Drumheller-Stettler MLA Nate Horner.
    The new MLA has already gotten a taste for the duties of his role. Not only has he been crisscrossing the riding attending events during graduation season but has also taken his seat in the Legislature.
    “It has been a busy week,” he tells the Mail.
    The Swearing-in Ceremony was on Tuesday, May, 21. On Wednesday he was back in the Legislature for the Speech from the Throne, which officially opened the 30th Alberta Legislature.
    “The Throne Speech was definitely the highlight,” he said. “It was great and very consistent. Our campaign commitments, the pledges we made. Spring is a season of renewal and the spring session is going to be about renewal and it clearly outlined the commitment we made and our mandate.”
    On Thursday, he was impressed by the unanimous support from the Legislature during an emergency debate on federal Bills C-48 and C-69. These contentious bills would restrict oil tanker traffic on the B.C. coast and change the environmental approval process for large energy and transportation projects.
    “We want C-48 scrapped and C-69 scrapped, or ultimately amended,” he said. ‘It was spoken to by the opposition, but in the end, they did fully support it.”
    He says there is strong energy and he’s looking forward to getting down to work.
    “We are going to break into our committees more in the coming weeks,” he said.
    Some of the committees he is on include the Committee for Alberta’s Economic Future, the Committee for Private Bills, and the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing.
    “I am excited to get going,” he said, adding that his first member’s statement was on Tuesday, May 28.

    Canadian Utilities Limited (CU), an ATCO company, announced today it has entered into definitive agreements to sell its entire Canadian fossil fuel-based electricity generation portfolio to Heartland Generation Limited for aggregate proceeds of approximately $835 million, subject to customary closing adjustments.
    The sale concludes a strategic evaluation announced September 13, 2018.
    An agreement with Heartland Generation Ltd., an affiliate of Energy Capital Partners, includes 11 partly or fully owned natural gas-fired and coal-fired electricity generation assets located in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario, with a combined generating capacity of approximately 2,100 megawatts (MW).
    This includes the Sheerness generation facility.
    The sale is expected to close in the second half of 2019, subject to receipt of regulatory approvals and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. RBC Capital Markets and J.P. Morgan are acting as joint financial advisors to CU.
In a separate transaction, CU has entered into an agreement to sell its 50 per cent ownership interest in the 260 MW Cory Cogeneration Station, located outside Saskatoon, Sask., to SaskPower International.
    “These assets provide reliable and affordable energy to customers across Canada and I want to thank our employees for their commitment and dedication to operating these assets to the highest standards,” said Siegfried Kiefer, President & Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Utilities. “We are focused on building a globally diversified portfolio of energy-related infrastructure assets. Continually evaluating our business model and strategies ensures we are well-positioned to capture opportunities in markets at home and abroad.”
    “We are impressed by the portfolio’s high-quality assets and strong operating history. We look forward to partnering with the portfolio’s talented management team and employees and to continuing to provide a high level of service to the portfolio’s offtakers and customers,” said Tyler Reeder, Managing Partner, Energy Capital Partners.
    The sale agreements do not include ASHCOR Technologies, the Oldman River Hydro Facility, or international projects, which are being retained by CU.
    Following the closing of the sale agreements, CU will have approximately 250 MW of electricity generation assets located in Canada, Mexico and Australia.