Investing in schools

By Leela Sharon Aheer Chestermere-Strathmore MLA

Congratulations to the many organizations in our riding that have received grants and have worked so hard to leverage your hard-earned taxpayer dollars to help build capacity in our communities. I want to highlight Synergy and their recommended application in the area of restorative justice. 

I am happy to report that there will be new funding coming for charter schools and support for collegiate programs. Alberta has a great history of school choice and has been the driver of excellent education from public to private. Two billion dollars are being invested over the next three years to support new school projects, including the new school in Langdon. A big thank you thank to Al Schule from Rocky View County, our trustee Shelley Kinley and Chrissy Craig for their incredible work and advocacy for this new and needed school.

I hope that Rocky View will be able to resolve the service hook-up issues as soon as possible so we can get to work on this project. We have been working on this school as a community, riding and division for many years, and I fully expect a resolution to the issues. $29 million of your hard-earned taxpayer dollars have been allocated to this important project. Just for clarity – school capital projects do not include funds to pay for uniquely high fees imposed by municipalities. I look forward to seeing this through.  

On April 1, we will be implementing some help to ease the pain at the pump. We will be scrapping the collection of the provincial fuel tax. 

Finally, it has been a privilege for me to serve you. I have been all over our riding for events, to mourn together, celebrate together, town halls, concerts, visiting local businesses, farms and organizations that do so much to build our communities. It is time to build and it is time to heal. Let’s take care of each other and move forward with what we have learned. Thank you to all of you who contribute. You are the reason I get up every day. 

As always, we love to hear from you.

(Leela Sharon Aheer is the MLA Elect for Chestermere-Strathmore)