Alberta Regulation 70/2026 amends the Designated Trades and Restricted Activities Regulation under the Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Education Act and introduces changes to Alberta’s skilled trades framework, particularly for electricians and several construction-related trades. The regulation modernizes trade definitions, clarifies restricted activities, updates apprenticeship terminology, and creates a formal separation between construction electrician and industrial electrician branches within the electrician trade.

A major change is the restructuring of the electrician trade into two distinct branches: the construction electrician branch and the industrial electrician branch. Schedule 1 is revised to formally define electrician as a trade that includes both branches. This division reflects the increasingly specialized nature of electrical work across residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial environments. The regulation also adds a definition for the Apprenticeship Education and Industry Training Programs Regulation, ensuring consistency between apprenticeship administration rules and restricted activity requirements.

The amendments significantly expand and clarify the definition of construction electrical systems. These systems now explicitly include power generation, photovoltaic systems, distribution systems, grounding and bonding systems, lighting, HVAC-related electrical components, communication and fibre optic systems, fire alarms, security systems, signal systems, cathodic systems, metering systems, storage batteries, and related equipment. Restricted activities within the construction electrician branch include preparing, installing, altering, repairing, troubleshooting, inspecting, commissioning, maintaining, operating, and energizing these systems. The revised wording establishes a much broader and more technologically current description of electrical work.

The regulation also specifies who may legally perform restricted activities within the construction electrician branch. Eligible individuals include certified tradespeople, endorsed workers, registered apprentices, applicants awaiting journeyperson certification approval, student trainees, and participants in recognized equivalent training programs operating under mentorship and supervision requirements. Cross-trade activity provisions are also updated to permit workers from other designated trades to perform overlapping restricted activities where equivalent training exists.

A completely new framework is introduced for the industrial electrician branch. The regulation defines industrial electrical systems in similar detail but focuses specifically on industrial structures and industrial operations. The amendments identify restricted activities involving industrial electrical systems, including installation, repair, troubleshooting, commissioning, operation, and energizing.

Alberta (70/2026) May 5, 2026
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