Alberta
Dane’s Lemonade Stand – Young Dirt Bike Enthusiast Raising Money for Autism Aspergers Friendship Society

As the city gears up for a scorching hot August Long Weekend, one young man is preparing to give back to his community. Dane, a 9-year-old from Calgary will be spending his long weekend helping OHV riders at Mclean Creek Provincial Recreation Area cool off for a good cause.
Dane and his family are heading out to Mclean Creek to camp, dirt bike, and to set up his lemonade stand, where he’ll be selling refreshments for $1 a cup to raise money for donation to the Autism Aspergers Friendship Society of Calgary (AAFS). “He just has the biggest heart,” says Maria, Dane’s mom, “He is the first one to help out when someone needs it.”
Dane was diagnosed with level two autism just over 3 years ago, and his family has been a member of AAFS for the last year. “They’re just amazing,” says Maria, “they give opportunities to these kids and really make them feel like they are a part of something.”
The idea for lemonade stand started when Dane, 7 at the time, told his mom he wanted to buy her a house. What originally began as a fun idea quickly became a very meaningful project for Dane. Seeing it as an opportunity to support her son’s creative ambitions and teach a valuable life lesson on the importance of giving back, they sat down together and decided AAFS would be the most suitable place to donate to.
AAFS launched in 2004 with the support of the Autism Calgary Association. The organization was founded to provide tailored social and recreational programs to kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) where they could be supported and understood, and flourish as members of the community.
AAFS facilitates a number of activity programs seven days a week, including sports, community outings, club nights, outdoor pursuits, and many more. Acting as a major resource for over 700 member families, AAFS believes in “placing faith in our youth, fostering their independence, and making a difference for those who need it most.”
After delaying this year’s lemonade stand during the early summer because of COVID-19, Maria says Dane can’t wait to get out to Mclean this weekend. “For him, the lemonade stand is the world,” she says, “anyone who knows him knows he loves camping, he loves dirt biking, and he loves his lemonade stand.”
If you’re heading out to Mclean this long weekend, bring a few extra dollars and swing by the lemonade stand to beat the heat and help Dane support a great local organization.
Pin for Dane’s Lemonade Stand
Update – August 5, 2020
An update from Dane’s mom Maria says the lemonade stand had a record year, raising a total of $346.90! “The weekend was hot and the guests who stopped by were kind, caring and compassionate,” says Maria.
Along with friends, family and riders, the Alberta OHV Trail Riders group contributed to the success of the stand by offering key chains to any member who made a donation of $10 or more.
For more stories, visit Todayville Calgary.
Alberta
Red Deer Justice Centre Grand Opening: Building access to justice for Albertans

The new Red Deer Justice Centre will help Albertans resolve their legal matters faster.
Albertans deserve to have access to a fair, accessible and transparent justice system. Modernizing Alberta’s courthouse infrastructure will help make sure Alberta’s justice system runs efficiently and meets the needs of the province’s growing population.
Alberta’s government has invested $191 million to build the new Red Deer Justice Centre, increasing the number of courtrooms from eight to 12, allowing more cases to be heard at one time.
“Modern, accessible courthouses and streamlined services not only strengthen our justice
system – they build safer, stronger communities across the province. Investing in the new Red Deer Justice Centre is vital to helping our justice system operate more efficiently, and will give people in Red Deer and across central Alberta better access to justice.”

Government of Alberta and Judiciary representatives with special guests at the Red Deer Justice Centre plaque unveiling event April 22, 2025.
On March 3, all court services in Red Deer began operating out of the new justice centre. The new justice centre has 12 courtrooms fully built and equipped with video-conference equipment to allow witnesses to attend remotely if they cannot travel, and vulnerable witnesses to testify from outside the courtroom.
The new justice centre also has spaces for people taking alternative approaches to the traditional courtroom trial process, with the three new suites for judicial dispute resolution services, a specific suite for other dispute resolution services, such as family mediation and civil mediation, and a new Indigenous courtroom with dedicated venting for smudging purposes.
“We are very excited about this new courthouse for central Alberta. Investing in the places where people seek justice shows respect for the rights of all Albertans. The Red Deer Justice Centre fills a significant infrastructure need for this rapidly growing part of the province. It is also an important symbol of the rule of law, meaning that none of us are above the law, and there is an independent judiciary to decide disputes. This is essential for a healthy functioning democracy.”
“Public safety and access to justice go hand in hand. With this investment in the new Red Deer Justice Centre, Alberta’s government is ensuring that communities are safer, legal matters are resolved more efficiently and all Albertans get the support they need.”
“This state-of-the-art facility will serve the people of Red Deer and surrounding communities for generations. Our team at Infrastructure is incredibly proud of the work done to plan, design and build this project. I want to thank everyone, at all levels, who helped make this project a reality.”
Budget 2025 is meeting the challenge faced by Alberta with continued investments in education and health, lower taxes for families and a focus on the economy.
Quick facts
- The new Red Deer Justice Centre is 312,000 sq ft (29,000 m2). (The old courthouse is 98,780 sq ft (9,177 m2)).
- The approved project funding for the Red Deer Justice Centre is about $191 million.
Alberta
CPP another example of Albertans’ outsized contribution to Canada

From the Fraser Institute
By Tegan Hill
Amid the economic uncertainty fuelled by Trump’s trade war, its perhaps more important than ever to understand Alberta’s crucial role in the federation and its outsized contribution to programs such as the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).
From 1981 to 2022, Albertan’s net contribution to the CPP—meaning the amount Albertans paid into the program over and above what retirees in Alberta received in CPP payments—was $53.6 billion. In 2022 (the latest year of available data), Albertans’ net contribution to the CPP was $3.0 billion.
During that same period (1981 to 2022), British Columbia was the only other province where residents paid more into the CPP than retirees received in benefits—and Alberta’s contribution was six times greater than B.C.’s contribution. Put differently, residents in seven out of the nine provinces that participate in the CPP (Quebec has its own plan) receive more back in benefits than they contribute to the program.
Albertans pay an outsized contribution to federal and national programs, including the CPP because of the province’s relatively high rates of employment, higher average incomes and younger population (i.e. more workers pay into the CPP and less retirees take from it).
Put simply, Albertan workers have been helping fund the retirement of Canadians from coast to coast for decades, and without Alberta, the CPP would look much different.
How different?
If Alberta withdrew from the CPP and established its own standalone provincial pension plan, Alberta workers would receive the same retirement benefits but at a lower cost (i.e. lower CPP contribution rate deducted from our paycheques) than other Canadians, while the contribution rate—essentially the CPP tax rate—to fund the program would likely need to increase for the rest of the country to maintain the same benefits.
And given current demographic projections, immigration patterns and Alberta’s long history of leading the provinces in economic growth, Albertan workers will likely continue to pay more into the CPP than Albertan retirees get back from it.
Therefore, considering Alberta’s crucial role in national programs, the next federal government—whoever that may be—should undo and prevent policies that negatively impact the province and Albertans ability to contribute to Canada. Think of Bill C-69 (which imposes complex, uncertain and onerous review requirements on major energy projects), Bill C-48 (which bans large oil tankers off B.C.’s northern coast and limits access to Asian markets), an arbitrary cap on oil and gas emissions, numerous other “net-zero” targets, and so on.
Canada faces serious economic challenges, including a trade war with the United States. In times like this, it’s important to remember Alberta’s crucial role in the federation and the outsized contributions of Alberta workers to the wellbeing of Canadians across the country.
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