Alberta’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors may take effect, forcing families to consider relocating.

Transgender children and families in Alberta are preparing to relocate as a provincial law banning gender-affirming care for minors under 16 may be enforced using the notwithstanding clause, overriding court rulings. The law, which restricts puberty blockers and hormone therapy, has sparked a legal challenge, with a temporary injunction currently in place. Families fear irreversible physical changes and mental health harm, with one seven-year-old boy at risk of undergoing female puberty. Some children may be grandfathered in, but uncertainty looms. The government claims the law protects future decision-making, while critics call it harmful and discriminatory.