Rajeev Sharma

Edmonton (Rajeev Sharma): Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Environment and Protected Areas Minister Grant Hunter have welcomed the federal government’s decision to scrap its electric vehicle mandate, calling the move a significant win for Albertans and a reversal of a policy the province had strongly opposed. In a joint statement, Smith and Hunter said Alberta had consistently argued that the federal EV policy would raise costs for consumers and businesses while placing additional pressure on provincial electricity infrastructure. The Alberta government had previously identified the federal EV mandate among nine federal laws and policies it considered harmful to the province’s…

Calgary (Rajeev Sharma): A major investigation into illegal lending practices targeting consumers in Alberta has resulted in several guilty pleas, financial penalties and court-imposed restrictions, following allegations of excessive interest rates, harassment and intimidation. The province’s Consumer Investigations Unit (CIU) began probing the activities in 2025 after receiving complaints from consumers. Investigators found that some Quebec-based businesses were presenting themselves as legitimate lenders while allegedly offering loans at unlawful rates and using aggressive methods to recover money from borrowers. Authorities also uncovered the use of Telephony Denial of Service (TDoS) attacks. The technique was allegedly used to flood telephone systems…