Alberta legislation pitched to protect provincial priorities could slow down grant funding and allow federal money to be spent elsewhere, say officials representing rural municipalities and faculty members at post-secondary institutions. Bill 18, which was introduced by Premier Danielle Smith last week, would require the provincial government to approve all federal funding to provincial entities. That would include federal money going to cities, towns and universities across Alberta. "I simply can't see how it helps anybody in the province," said Dan O'Donnell, a professor at the University of Lethbridge and the president of the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations.