As we ring in the New Year I wanted to look back on 2017 and seven ways your government has been working to make life better for all Albertans.
- Across the province, 22 pilot Early Learning and Childcare Centres received funding to demonstrate the importance and viability of $25-a-day child care in Alberta. They will offer almost 1,300 affordable, quality child care spaces and respond to a number of gaps in the existing child care system, including affordability, diverse needs of children and flexible hours for parents.
- Since May 2015, 68 new schools, 4 additions, 19 replacement schools, and 37 modernizations—creating over 50, 000 new school spaces for students—have been completed. And the extended tuition freeze for post-secondary education means that a student starting their studies in September 2018 will save about $1,500 in tuition costs over four years.
- Government has achieved $300 million toward its goal of $400 million of savings in 2017-18 from administrative efficiencies such as managing vacancies and discretionary costs, program demand adjustments and one-time savings around capital grants.
- Alberta’s Climate Leadership through its energy efficiency program, has installed free energy-efficient products in over 150,000 households. Revenue from the carbon levy was reinvested to construct the Green Line which will create more than 12,000 direct jobs and over 8,000 supporting jobs as well as reduce GHG emissions by 30,000 tonnes annually. In August, because of our world-leading environmental policies, we began the construction on the Line 3 replacement pipeline.
- Albertans earning minimum wage are better able to make ends meet after the minimum wage increase to $13.60/hr in October, and changes to the Workers’ Compensation Act and Occupational Health and Safety Act will better protect Alberta workers.
- Alberta’s new Provincial Affordable Housing Strategy is investing $1.2 billion over five years to improve 70,000 housing units and construct an additional 4,100 units by 2021. This new strategy will also give families new tools to help stabilize their finances and find a safe home.
- My personal highlight was introducing my first piece of legislation in the House that would bring Henson Trust legislation to Alberta!
Cheers to a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2018 for all.
~ Brian
