Out of the deep freeze

By Leela Sharon Aheer Chestermere-Strathmore MLA

Hello Strathmore! I hope you enjoyed this last week of melting snow, mucky cars, and quite frankly a break from the -30 weather that we were subjected to in the last few weeks. I wanted to share with you an exciting upcoming event in our back yard. We are counting down the days to the Alberta Winter Games that will be held next door in Airdrie, Canmore and Calgary. The games are held between Feb. 14-17 and you can also be a sponsor and a volunteer as well as attending the games. Please check out the Alberta Winter Games page at albertasport.ca. Let’s show our Alberta spirit and make sure that we experience these games and support our top young athletes.
You have heard I am sure about our Red Tape Reduction Initiative. The previous government layered regulation after regulation on our province. We committed in our platform to fix this as we want to see Alberta’s businesses and individuals building prosperity and enjoying life rather than filling out unnecessary forms. This is paying off as, in the words of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business when discussing their latest Red Tape Report Card: “No province improved more than Alberta, jumping from an F last year to a B- this year.” B- is good but we want an A+. Forestry and construction are a huge part of our economy and I would like to chat about an announcement made as part of Red Tape Reduction Awareness Week.
Thank you to Municipal Affairs Minister Kaycee Madu for this initiative. Alberta will issue a notice allowing early use of tall wood or mass timber (also known as laminated wood or engineered wood) construction for up to 12 storeys in time for the upcoming construction season. This is based on technical provisions developed for the next edition of the National Building Code. British Columbia, specifically Vancouver, along with Europe and the United States already allow for this, and Alberta will be allowing this province wide. The forestry industry and land developers have been looking to government to make these changes as mass timber products are safe, and as Minister Madu has stated, will meet all the important safety standards. This should increase affordability and create jobs. Current Alberta and national building codes allow wood building construction for up to six storeys, but the next edition of the National Building Code, anticipated for the end of 2020, will allow for up to 12 stories of wood construction coated or covered with fire-resistant material. Sprinkler systems will be required as well. Fire-safety specialists, structural engineers, architects, scientists and builders have all been consulted, and there is a huge potential for growth as demand for this type of lumber is on the increase. To date, CutRedTape.Alberta.ca has received more than 4,500 submissions, and all of our ministries are currently analyzing the regulatory burden imposed on Albertans and businesses, modernizing regulation requirements, processes, forms and policies, and eliminating those that are unnecessary.
I am excited to announce that I will be hosting a Fair Deal Town Hall. As you know, the Fair Deal Panel has been touring Alberta getting input from Albertans as part of our platform commitment to you. The venues generally have sold out almost instantly and as your representative I need to hear from you firsthand on the best way to make confederation work for Alberta. Please join me at the Cheadle Hall, centrally located in the constituency, on Feb. 8 from 10 a.m. until noon. One or more provincial panel members will join me. Please come on out and make your voice heard. To register, email me at chestermere-strathmore@assembly.ab.ca. For further information on the Fair Deal initiative visit www.fairdeal.ca.
As always, I 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)