Welcome to fall
By Leela Sharon Aheer Chestermere-Strathmore MLA
I hope you had a safe weekend navigating that forgotten white stuff that comes from the sky and wreaks havoc on the wonderful citizens of this province. Welcome to winter and to snow — ugh! Truthfully, I feel so lucky that we had the extended summer that we did, and I suppose I should not complain given the beautiful fall we just enjoyed!
Did you know that Jasper – right here in Alberta – is a Dark Sky Preserve? I love looking at the stars on a clear night and seeking out the Big Dipper (or Ursa Major), the Little Dipper, which contains the North Star (Polaris), Orion’s Belt, or if we are really lucky some dancing northern lights. In October, Jasper celebrates the night sky during the Annual Dark Sky Festival. It is the second largest Dark Sky Preserve in the world. A Dark Sky Preserve is a location that works really hard to keep light pollution to a minimum to really see and appreciate the night sky. If you are an amateur astronomer, love camping or hiking, and want to do some serious star gazing, this is a sure bet. We are all staying fairly close to home these days, and this is a wonderful way to see this amazing province of ours, shop local and contribute to our local economies.
If you go down Highway 93 – the Banff-Windermere Parkway – you will be travelling on one of the top 10 most scenic roads in the world. Our First Nations worked together with “the greatest land geographer that ever lived” – David Thompson – during the fur trade when this part of the world was being surveyed by European settlers. David Thompson was enthralled by the First Nation culture, their heritage and the distinct nature of their communities. Together they worked, surveyed and helped to understand the topography that would become the “wonder trail” as described by Arthur Oliver Wheeler who was the main surveyor of Highway 93 which was to be world renowned. American visitors to our province would come just to drive Highway 93 when it opened in 1941. This road was built during the Great Depression to get folks back to work in 1931, and in fact employed more than 2,000 folks at that time. The road was built by hand, pickaxe and shovel, and at that time unemployment was around 30 per cent. It took 10 years to build!
This week at the Legislature
Alberta’s government is partnering with Shad Canada to create more opportunities for Grades 10 and 11 students to take part in a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM), and entrepreneurship summer program. Through a four-year funding partnership, Shad Canada will expand recruiting to more high schools and provide bursaries to more female, Indigenous, and low-income students, as well as those who live in remote or rural areas. During the month-long program, 1,000 high school students across the country participate in seminars, labs and hands-on learning. Today’s students are the future drivers of Alberta’s economy. The partnership with Shad Canada will empower more high school students from all walks of life to explore their passions and develop their potential.
Did you know that our government is investing $10 million from the industry-funded Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund to support construction of Lacombe Biorefinery? A new, innovative facility that support up to 80 construction jobs and about 25 full-time jobs in Lacombe and Calgary. The Lacombe Biorefinery will be the first facility in the world to produce natural gas using BioRefinex thermal hydrolysis technology. Alberta is becoming a hub for projects that process waste while creating more value for key industries like livestock and farming, and substantially reduce emissions. The Biorefinery is one of many projects Alberta’s government is supporting through the TIER program that cement our commitment to diversification while creating good jobs when Albertans need them most.
Interested in giving your opinion on government spending priorities – as well as ideas about where to look for savings and strengthen the economy? Be sure to complete the online survey at alberta.ca/budgetconsultation.
As always, 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)