Celebrating Canada

By Leela Sharon Aheer Chestermere-Strathmore MLA

Happy Canada Day! I hope you had a chance to enjoy the company of great neighbours and friends this past weekend. I came a little late to the party, as I was in Edmonton for the citizenship celebrations before I made it to Strathmore for the festivities. I really wanted to catch the watermelon eating contest, and if anyone has some great pics, please send them to us and we will post them on our Facebook page. Thank you to all the sponsors, volunteers and organizers who bring these events to life, and a special shout out to my constituency assistant Peter Tindall for representing our office.
I want to chat about the government of Alberta annual report which outlines the past fiscal year. “Yikes” is the word that comes to mind when you see the previous government’s overspending. I’m certain that you are not surprised. The total debt skyrocketed to $80.8 billion which is more than a 65 per cent increase over the previous year. This is not sustainable. We have a responsibility to take a hard look at Alberta’s fiscal health and be responsible with how the government spends your precious and hard-earned tax dollars. I am looking forward to seeing the results of the MacKinnon panel which is taking a deep dive into our fiscal situation to better understand how to spend thoughtfully and with compassion and consideration for the people of Alberta. Our investment income was $500 million below projections, and the debt was higher which translates to zero growth to Alberta’s revenues. Somehow the previous NDP government still managed to grow expenses by $8 billion. Albertans deserve better than having this debt. We are aiming for balance, and we will work hard to get Alberta there.
Next, the crude-by-rail fiasco. What a mess! Our government has chosen to deal with this by working with the private sector, not by creating a government-owned crude-by-rail program. We are working with CIBC Capital Markets and the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission to have the private sector take this project over. This is how it will work: CIBC will advise on the divestment of the project to make sure you, as the taxpayer, get fair value for the investment. This process will hopefully be finished this fall. The NDP signed a $3.7 billion contract just before the last election, one of the largest expenditures in Alberta’s history. This was to lease railcars, and for a mere three years. We will get this program back on track (no pun intended) so that we can get value for our dollars. We have relaxed some of the curtailments and Alberta is now producing 3.74 million barrels per day, and we are hopefully heading towards exiting the production limitations in the near future.
I also wanted to update you on the Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT) for Class 1 and 2 drivers. Class 1 and 2 drivers who got their commercial driver’s licence between Oct. 11, 2018 and Feb. 28, 2019 must pass the MELT knowledge road test before March 1, 2020, while school bus drivers, farmers and farm workers can apply for an extension to comply. Our government extended the deadline for school bus drivers and farmers to become MELT certified to July 31, 2020 for school bus drivers and Nov. 30, 2020 for farmers and farm workers. Several impacted stakeholders communicated their concerns with the NDP’s rushed implementation of MELT and fast approaching deadline. Unfortunately, the NDP ignored concerns from several groups that MELT deeply impacts, such as school bus drivers and the farming industries who need more time to adjust to the MELT requirements or they would have faced a serious shortage of drivers. Our government is committed to consulting with farmers and school bus drivers to create a robust driver training system in place that works for industry and that is safe.
Here are some of the changes that are coming with respect to getting rid of unnecessary red tape. One of the first changes you will see is with AISH. We will be automatically enrolling AISH recipients who have turned 65 into seniors’ financial assistance programs. This will remove stress and excess paperwork, and it will speed up the process. Previously, seniors had to apply for provincial seniors’ benefits. This is unnecessary red tape as the government has the required information. These changes remove barriers and improve access to services. This summer, department staff will begin adjusting processes and communicating with AISH recipients about the transition.
Last but definitely not least, Private Members Bill 201 received royal assent this past week. MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk put forward Bill 201 to protect our students who require an EpiPen, ensuring that all Alberta schools have them on the premises. They are now mandatory in schools staring in the winter of 2020. The bill gives more legal protections to teachers and helps create safer schools for our students with severe allergies. Congratulations Jackie and thank you for advocating for our kids.
My assistant Pete tells me he expects to have phone service in our Strathmore office this week. Until then, call 403-207-9889 or email Chestermere.Strathmore@assembly.ab.ca. We love to hear from you.
(Leela Sharon Aheer is the MLA Elect for Chestermere-Strathmore, Minister of Status of Women and Minister of Culture and Multiculturalism)