28 General definitions
(a) "Act" means an Act of the Legislature and includes an
Ordinance of the North-West Territories in force in Alberta;
(b) "adult" means a person 18 years of age or older;
(b.1) "adult interdepende nt partner" means an adult
interdependent partner as defined in the Adult
Interdependent Relationships Act;
(b.2) "adult interdependent relationship" means an adult
interdependent relationship as defined in the Adult
Interdependent Relationships Act;
(b.3) "ALSA regional plan" mean s a regional plan as defined in
the Alberta Land Stewardship Act;
(c) repealed 2006 c9 s12;
(d) "bank" means a bank named in Schedule I or II of the Bank
Act (Canada);
(e) "civil enforcement agency " means a civil enforcement
agency under the Civil Enforcement Act;
(f) "civil enforcement bailiff" m eans a civil enforcement bailiff
appointed under the Civil Enforcement Act;
(g) "civil enforcement procee dings" means civil enforcement
proceedings as defined in the Civil Enforcement Act;
(h) "commencement", when used with reference to an
enactment, means the time at which that enactment comes
into force;
(i) repealed 2002 c30 s17;
(j) "Court of Appeal " means the Court of Appeal of Alberta;
(j.1) "Court of Justice" means the Alberta Court of Justice;
(k) "Court of King's Bench" means the Court of King's Bench
of Alberta;
(l) "credit union" means a credit union incorporated under the
Credit Union Act;
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(m) "enactment" means an Act o r a regulation or any portion of
an Act or regulation;
(n) "enforcement creditor" mean s an enforcement creditor as
defined in the Civil Enforcement Act;
(o) "enforcement debtor" mean s an enforcement debtor as
defined in the Civil Enforcement Act;
(p) "Executive Council" means the Executive Council of
Alberta;
(p.01) "father" means a parent who is a male person;
(p.1) "former adult interdepende nt partner" means a former adult
interdependent partner as defined in the Adult
Interdependent Relationships Act;
(q) "Gazette" means The Alberta Gazette;
(r) "Government" o r "Government of Alberta" means His
Majesty in right of Alberta;
(s) "Government of Canada" means His Majesty in right of
Canada;
(t) "Governor General " means the Governor General of Canada
and includes the Administrator of Canada;
(u) "Governor General in Council" means the Governor
General acting by and with the advice of, or by and with the
advice and consent of, or in conjunction with, the King's
Privy Council for Canada;
(v) "Great Seal" means the Great Seal of the Province;
(w) "Her Majesty", "His Majes ty", "the Queen", "the King",
"the Crown" or "the Sovereign" means the Sovereign of the
United Kingdom, Canada and His other realms and
territories, and Head of the Commonwealth;
(x) "holiday" includes
(i) every Sunday,
(ii) New Year's Day, Alberta Family Day, Good Friday,
Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day,
Remembrance Day and Christmas Day,
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(iii) the birthday or the day f ixed by proclamation for the
celebration of the birthday of the reigning sovereign,
(iv) December 26, or when that date falls on a Sunday or a
Monday, then December 27,
(v) any day appointed by proclamation of the Governor
General in Council or by proclamation of the Lieutenant
Governor in Council for a public holiday or for a day of
fast or thanksgiving or as a day of mourning, and
(vi) with reference to any particular part of Alberta, the day
in each year that may by proclamation of the Lieutenant
Governor in Council be appointed as a public holiday for
that part of Alberta for the planting of forest or other
trees;
(y) "justice" means a justi ce within the meaning of the
Provincial Offences Procedure Act;
(z) "lawyer" means an active member of The Law Society of
Alberta;
(aa) "Legislative Assembly " or "Assembly" means the
Legislative Assembly of Alberta;
(bb) "Legislature" means the Li eutenant Governor acting by and
with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly;
(cc) "Lieutenant Governor" means the Lieutenant Governor of
the Province of Alberta and includes the Administrator of
the Province of Alberta;
(dd) "Lieutenant Governor in Council" means the Lieutenant
Governor acting by and with the advice of, or by and with
the advice and consent of, or in conjunction with, the
Executive Council;
(ee) "loan corporation" means a loan corporation registered
under the Loan and Trust Corporations Act;
(ff) "medical examiner" means a medical examiner appointed
under the Fatality Inquiries Act;
(gg) "Metis settlement" me ans a settlement corporation
established under the Metis Settlements Act or the
geographic area of a settlement corporation, depending on
the context in which "Metis settlement" is used;
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(hh) "Metis Settlements Land Registry" means the Metis
Settlements Land Registry established under the Metis
Settlements Act;
(ii) "minor" means a person under the age of 18 years;
(ii.1) "mother" means a pare nt who is a female person;
(jj) "municipal police service" means a municipal police service
or a regional police service under the Police Act;
(kk) "municipality" means a city, town, village, municipal
district, specialized municipality, improvement district or
special area;
(ll) "oath" or "affidavit" inc ludes a solemn affirmation or
solemn declaration whenever the context applies to any
person by whom a solemn affirmation or declaration may be
made instead of an oath; and in similar cases the expression
"sworn" includes the expression "affirmed" or "declared";
(mm) "offence" means an offe nce punishable on summary
conviction;
(nn) "person" includes a corpor ation and the heirs, executors,
administrators or other legal representatives of a person;
(oo) "Personal Property Registry " means the Personal Property
Registry under the Personal Property Security Act;
(pp) "physician", or any similar word or expression implying
legal recognition of any person as a medical practitioner,
means a person who is a regulated member of the College of
Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta authorized to use the
title "physician" who holds a practice permit issued under
the Health Professions Act and who is not under suspension;
(qq) "police officer" means a police officer as defined in the
Police Act;
(rr) "police service" mean s a police service under the Police
Act;
(ss) "prescribed" means prescr ibed by or under the enactment in
which the word occurs;
(tt) "proclamation" means a proclamation of the Lieutenant
Governor under the Great Seal issued pursuant to an order
of the Lieutenant Governor in Council;
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(uu) "Province" means th e Province of Alberta;
(vv) "province", when used as me aning a part of Canada other
than Alberta, includes the territories;
(ww) "provincial analyst" means a person appointed by the
Minister of Justice as a provincial analyst;
(xx) repealed AR 75/2023;
(yy) "provincial judge" means a judge of the Court of Justice;
(zz) "Registrar of Land Titles" means the Registrar within the
meaning of the Land Titles Act;
(zz.1) "spouse" means the spo use of a married person;
(aaa) "statutory declar ation" or "solemn declaration" means a
solemn declaration made under section 18 of the Alberta
Evidence Act or section 14 of the Canada Evidence Act
(Canada);
(bbb) repealed RSA 2000 c16(Supp) s49;
(ccc) "territories", when used a s meaning the territories of
Canada, means the Northwest Territories, the Yukon
Territory and Nunavut;
(ddd) "treasury branch " means a branch referred to in section 10
of the ATB Financial Act;
(eee) "trust corporation" means a trust corporation registered
under the Loan and Trust Corporations Act;
(fff) "village" includes summer village;
(ggg) "will" means a w ill as defined in the Wills and Succession
Act;
(hhh) "writ of enforcement" m eans a writ of enforcement under
the Civil Enforcement Act;
(iii) "writ proceedings" means wr it proceedings as defined in the
Civil Enforcement Act;
(jjj) "writing", "written" or any similar term includes words
represented or reproduced by any mode of representing or
reproducing words in visible form.
(2) In an enactment,
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(a) "hereafter" shall be constru ed as referring to the time after
the commencement of the enactment containing that word;
(b) "herein" used in a section or part of an enactment shall be
construed as referring to the whole enactment and not to that
section or part only;
(c) "may" shall be construed as permissive and empowering;
(d) "must" is to be construed as imperative;
(e) "now" and "next" shall be c onstrued as referring to the time
of commencement of the enactment containing the word;
(f) "shall" is to be construed as imperative.
(3) In a regulation, a reference to "the Act" means the Act or Acts
under which the regulation is made.
RSA 2000 cI-8 s28;RSA 2000 cH-7 s146;
RSA 2000 c16(Supp) s49;2001 c28 s12;2002 cA-4.5 s46;
2002 c30 s17;2005 c13 s4(21);2005 c31 s28;2006 c9 s12;2006 c21 s26;
2007 c32 s1(35);2008 c34 s18;2009 cA-26.8 s80;2010 c16 s1(44);
2010 cW-12.2 s116;2013 c10 s34;2014 c8 s17;2016 c9 s28;2017 c22 s28;
AR 217/2022;2022 c21 s44;AR 75/2023