Local MLAs and candidates react to provincial budget

“Our government is securing Alberta’s future by making record investments in education. We are increasing education funding by almost $2 billion over the next three years. This unprecedented investment in education addresses rising enrolment growth in schools and combats the affordability and inflation crises facing parents and school authorities. It also delivers on Education’s mandate, including priorities such as addressing gaps in mental health and wellness support for our youth, addressing learning loss and the increasing complexity of learning needs, and strengthening choice in education to ensure parents are able to select the path they feel will best help their children reach their full potential,” she said in her message.

She said the education’s budget will reach an all-time high of over $8.8 billion in 2023-24, an increase of over $430 million, or over five per cent from the previous year. With this budget, she said the education system will spend over $44 million each day that students are in school.

To address the rising cost of living, she says the government is providing targeted increases to areas they believe will have the most impact such as:

More than $820 million over the next three years to hire additional teachers and classroom support staff, so school authorities can manage class sizes and the growing number of students.
$126 million over three years for school authorities to add staffing supports to complex classrooms to give students focused time and attention. She said the funding will enhance experiences and have positive effects on students’ personal and social development.
School authorities will receive $80 million over the next three years to address increased costs from rising inflation pressures on utilities, insurance and supplies.
School authorities will be given an additional $414 million over the next three years to support school busing improvements and address rising costs like insurance, fuel and driver training. She said the support for student transportation will ensure more children and students are eligible for government funded transportation and will save families millions of dollars in fees. Under the new funding model, K-6 students residing 1 km or further from their school will be eligible for funding and Grades 7-12 students residing 2 km or further will be eligible for funding.

“Implementing new Kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum continues to be a priority for Alberta’s government. We continue to make investments in curriculum implementation with $47 million in 2023-24 to support teacher professional learning opportunities and the acquisition of quality teaching and learning resources, which are both critical to successful implementation. The new curriculum has a renewed focus on literacy, numeracy and practical skills that give students a strong foundation of essential knowledge to support future learning and prepare youth for the jobs of tomorrow,” she said in her message.

LaGrange addressed that the government is also committing $110 million over the next three years to support students experiencing academic challenges and create school environments to support student well-being and mental health. She said the continued funding will provide $50 million over two years for the 60 mental health pilot projects underway and the addition of 20 more recently approved projects. As well, she stated targeted funding of $40 million in 2023-24 will provide additional learning loss support, continue to fund the mental health pilot projects in schools, and ensure children and students can access specialized assessments by qualified professionals.

She added that Base Instruction and Supports and Services grant rates will be increased to help school authorities manage enrolment growth and inflationary cost pressures.

“Alberta’s government is committed to providing new and modernized schools that provide state-of-the-art learning spaces for today’s students and help address growing classroom needs for years to come. This includes investing $2.3 billion over three years to increase the number of schools in growing communities, continue work on previously announced projects, maintain existing schools and support collegiate school and public charter school infrastructure,” she wrote in her message.

LaGrange concluded her message stating she will provide more information on capital projects later this week and Deputy Minister Andre Tremblay will send an email to school authorities with additional information. She said further details will be provided in early March with the release of the updated Funding Manual for School Authorities.

“I would like to express my gratitude for your tremendous commitment to Alberta’s students and the education system. Thank you all for the work you do to make Alberta’s education system world class,” she wrote to school districts.

While they did not touch upon education, local Alberta NDP candidates focused on other aspects of the 2023 Alberta Budget.

RED DEER-SOUTH CANDIDATE MICHELLE BAER

NDP candidate for Red Deer-South Michelle Baer said she considers the budget “fraudulent”.

“It looks to me like this has been designed to buy people’s votes ahead of the election, and then dump the costs that are really coming after the election has closed,” she said.

“We don’t see any budgeting in here for what we would consider Danielle Smith’s worst and most expensive ideas. And we don’t see her focusing on what the real priorities are for Alberta families. When I’m on the doors and talking to people, what I hear is that they’re worried about health care and affordability. What we see is a plan for Alberta families to have the most expensive summer ever. The NDP have an actual plan that in less than 100 days will ensure Albertans have a choice.

“The other thing we don’t see in here is any reflection of the plan to give away billions of dollars to oil companies, which she’s been proposing in the last few weeks. So we don’t see those liabilities. That’s why we say this is a fraudulent budget; the liabilities are hidden, her risky plans are hidden. We’re just seeing the rosy numbers that honestly just seem like she’s pulled them out of thin air.

READ: Oil well cleanup program listed as ‘key objective’ in Alberta’s pre-election budget

“When we talk about GDP growth or employment growth, her forecasts are way higher than any private sector would forecast. And in some cases, she’s using figures that are double what the private sector forecasts are projecting. So it’s just a little bit too good to be true.

“I’d say that the best news about this is that her first budget is likely going to be her last budget. It is so bereft of any true support for Albertans. That is the writing on the wall.”

RED DEER-NORTH CANDIDATE JAELENE TWEEDLE

NDP candidate for Red Deer-North Jaelene Tweedle said she does not see much progress being made in the budget overall.

“If you look at health care, which is the top thing I hear about on the doors from Red Deerians, this budget doesn’t even account for inflation growth and population growth over the last four years; it’s $1.4 billion short. There’s no money to get shovels in the ground for the hospital. I just think that we have a clear choice moving forward with a government that is stable and competent, and can actually take care of Albertans and what their concerns are, or a UCP government that seems preoccupied with their own concerns,” she said.

“Danielle Smith has come in and made no secret about plans to move towards an Alberta pension plan, a provincial police force, and a number of things that no Albertan ever voted for. Those seem rather conveniently not addressed in the budget.”

Regarding the Red Deer Hospital expansion which was given $321 million from 2023-26 in the budget, Tweedle said the UCP has done lots of planning over the past four years but no work has moved forward.

“When you see in the budget projections of what should have been spent past this year … they forecast that this year, they would see $78 million (spent) in the planning phase. In this budget, we see only $21 million. So I don’t know where that other $57 million has gone. It was already targeted to be spent on planning, but it isn’t in this budget that we see today.”

Tweedle also discussed inflation, claiming that part of the impact that families have felt from increased costs was from cuts the UCP made four years ago, including de-indexing Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), and seniors and family benefits.

“Those families have been in the hole ever since. The UCP, now reversing that decision right before an election, doesn’t make up for the harm that it’s caused. And the supports going forward — like the $100 per month affordability payments — I don’t think it’s any coincidence that they disappear right after the election. I don’t see any sincere thought on the UCP’s part that this is really about easing pressures on families and easing the pressures of affordability and inflation. To me, it seems like way too little, way too late, and an attempt to buy votes at the last minute.

“I’m hoping that very soon, we will see a new government come into power; one that is focused on people and the priorities that I know Michelle and I hear on doorsteps every day, I didn’t hear anything addressed in the budget today that really made me think ‘Okay, tonight when I go knock on doors, I can tell Albertans there’s a plan from this government’.”

rdnewsNOW reached out to UCP MLA for Red Deer-South Jason Stephan who could not respond in time for publishing.

by Alessia Proietti and Josh Hall

Local MLAs and candidates react to provincial budget

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