Just a few weeks ago, the Historical Society of Alberta (HSA) was discussing its upcoming plans as though it was an ordinary meeting.
However, the entire future of the organization now seems in doubt. Alberta’s 2026 budget is set to remove all provincial funding for the HSA.
“As part of Budget 2026, the funding for the HSA is being completely eliminated — not just reduced, not just as a temporary measure, but completely eliminated and highly unlikely to ever be restored,” said HSA president Lorien Johansen.
It really was a blindside for the volunteer-run organization.
“There was no indication that the phone call I was going to get was, ‘Yeah, sorry, no more money.’”
The HSA was founded in 1907 by Alberta’s first premier, Alexander Rutherford. Since then, it has persevered through some of the most trying times in recent human history.
“The HSA has survived both world wars, it has survived pandemics, it has survived recessions,” said Johansen.
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The group was expecting to receive $76,000 from the province this year, but now that number is zero.
Johansen says the amount would have been microscopic when added to the multi-billion-dollar deficit, yet it would have gone a long way toward history-keeping in Alberta.
“It’s not just the articles, it’s not just the publications — it’s the filmmaking, it’s the preservation of ethnic stories of people who built the province.”
Beyond history, there is concern this may even snowball and negatively affect an industry that brought in more than $15 billion last year.
“When things like the HSA start to fall away, we will start to see the impacts to that,” said Erin Crane, CEO of Tourism Lethbridge.
The HSA says tourists come to Alberta for the culture, history, stories and more. That view is shared by industry experts like Crane.
“The stories (the HSA) tells, the information they provide, it is imperative to us being able to tell those stories to visitors and bring them into our community.”
Alberta’s Ministry of Arts, Culture and the Status of Women sent a statement to Global News saying they aren’t going to abandon history, but the budget was a challenge this year.
“Although we face a tough budget, Alberta’s government is committing more than $55 million to support the provincial archives, historic sites and heritage grants,” said Juliana Rodriguez, press secretary for the Ministry of Arts, Culture and the Status of Women.
The statement continues, saying several organizations will continue to be supported and the HSA can still apply for grant funds.
“This includes maintaining annual funding for the Alberta Museums Association and the Archives Association of Alberta — supporting training, programs and services for heritage organizations across the province. Other heritage non-profit organizations, including the Historical Society of Alberta, are welcome to apply for grants of up to $75,000 through the Community Initiatives Program.”
However, the HSA says this could truly be the end if funding isn’t restored.
“History and the collection and preservation of it is not something you can defer for a year and hope the momentum is there when you pick it up in a year.”
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