Albertans Deserve Better

People in Sherwood Park are frustrated at the United Conservative Party government’s obsession with separatist schemes like pulling out of the Canada Pension Plan and replacing the RCMP. The UCP didn’t campaign on this in 2023, and most Albertans reject it, because we love Canada, and because it’s a colossal waste of money.

The world order is changing and I for one want to strengthen Canada, not spend any time or energy enabling people to break up our country. We have serious issues to tackle in Alberta, ones that truly fall under the jurisdiction of the provincial government. Let’s get to work building a better Alberta and focusing the incredible power and resources of the Alberta provincial government on the issues people in Sherwood Park have raised with me this summer.

Looming Teacher Strike - Teachers are fighting for better learning conditions in complex, overcrowded classrooms. With a province-wide strike possible October 6, expect political posturing. The UCP government may try to spin the truth and turn families against teachers. But facts matter: Alberta funds education at the lowest rate per student in Canada. As the saying goes, money talks, and I do not understand why the provincial government is so determined to short change our kids and the future of this province.

Cruel AISH Clawback - Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) is legislated poverty-level income for some of the most vulnerable members of our community. The UCP has adopted a policy to deduct the new federal Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) payments, dollar-for-dollar, from the amount sent to AISH recipients. I have not met a single person in Sherwood Park that thinks this is fair. It is unhelpful and needs to be reversed as soon as possible. Strong disability benefits don’t just support individuals, they stabilize families and in turn benefits local economies. Cutting these supports creates ripple effects of hardship that strain families, health care, social services, and communities, costing society far more in the long run. It’s such a concerning issue that we hosted a town hall specifically about disability support on September 17.

Life Leases Debacle remains unresolved - Imagine selling your home and then waiting years to be paid — that’s the reality for hundreds of Alberta families caught in failed life lease agreements. In Sherwood Park, former residents of Bedford Village or their estates are still waiting. Some claims are over four years old, with amounts from $250,000 to $500,000, yet the UCP government refuses to act against the private operator holding onto other people’s money.

Coal mining in the Rockies - Since 1976, provincial government policy protected the Eastern Slopes of the Canadian Rockies from coal mining. Without any notice to Albertans, the UCP scrapped that policy in 2020. Their choice rightfully sparked widespread public backlash and in 2022 the UCP re-instated a modified coal mining moratorium. The coal mining companies are suing Albertans for our government’s decisions and it is going to cost Albertans hundreds of millions.. We have already agreed to pay one of the five companies suing us $143 million. This money could have been used for teachers, educational assistants, nurses, schools or hospitals. Instead it’s going out of the province to foreign owned companies.

Alberta is something that we make. We could just as easily make it better, and make it differently. The trajectory for our province is not inevitable. We can change course. Better is possible and good governance matters. We just need a competent, ethical provincial government.