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Alberta

Alberta Sports Hall of Fame announces 2023 Inductees

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Introducing the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023!

The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame is excited to announce our Class of 2023. The inductees are:

Andrew Buckley- Football Athlete
Andrew is a Calgary born football legend. Moving from a star high school quarterback to a University of Calgary Dinos champion to decorated Calgary Stampeder. Buckley won 3 Canada West Championships with the Dinos and set numerous club records. Drafted 62nd overall to the Calgary Stampeders in 2015, Andrew played in both the 2016 and 2017 Grey Cups with the team before announcing his retirement from professional football in 2018.

Mike Johnson- Baseball Athlete
Born and raised in the Edmonton region, Mike has been involved with baseball for the majority of his life.  He played his amateur baseball in Sherwood Park, and provincially with Team Alberta before he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993.  His professional career spanned 17 years and included 5 seasons in the MLB with the Baltimore Orioles and the Montreal Expos, and stops overseas in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.  He was a prominent member of Team Canada in the Olympics in 2004 and 2008, and won a Pan Am gold medal in 2011.  Upon retirement, he has given back coaching locally in the Edmonton area, Team Alberta and with the Canadian Junior National Team.

Helen Upperton- Bobsleigh Athlete
Helen is a dedicated and influential force in the sport of bobsleigh in Canada helping elevate the women’s program to the status of international powerhouse. Over the course of her 11-year career as a bobsleigh pilot, her team shattered numerous international start and track records en route to winning over 25 World Cup medals including Canada’s first ever World Cup gold in Women’s Bobsleigh in St. Moritz, Switzerland. After a close 4th place finish at the 2006 Olympics, Helen piloted her team to an Olympic silver medal in Vancouver 2010.  She retired from competition following the 2012 season but continues to be involved as a coach, a mentor, and an award-winning broadcaster.

Cara Currie Hall- Multisport Builder
Cara is one of Canada’s premiere indigenous sports advocates, leaders, and builders who has dedicated her life to the recognition and advancement of indigenous sports provincially, nationally, and internationally.  She was a founding board member of the Indigenous Sport Council of Alberta, World Indigenous National Sports international, Aboriginal Sport Circle and the Alberta Sports Recreation Park & Wildlife Board. She has sat on the board for the Canadian Association of the Advancement of Women in Sport.  Cara was instrumental in the founding of the North American Ingenious Games and was the founder the National Aboriginal Coaching School. Her years of advocacy work on behalf of indigenous athletes has positively impacted the future of sports.

Allan Ferchuk- Multisport Builder
Allan Ferchuk has devoted over 50 years of his life to sport in Alberta, with a focus on its positive outcomes on community and post-secondary education development. Ferchuk has coached hockey, both men and women and multiple levels winning national men’s gold in 1977,79 and 80. He has served multiple voluntary leadership roles including President of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference and the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association and chair Hockey Development Canada. Allan was key to the introduction of women’s hockey and soccer into the Alberta Colleges. He has volunteered his time to many community efforts including director on the Board of 2019 Canada Winter Games and Chairperson of the prime Games legacy, Central Sport.

Greg Peterson- Football Builder
Greg Peterson truly embodies the sport of football. He was born and raised in Calgary and spent his entire minor football career playing in the Calgary minor football system.  After his college football career at Brigham Young University, he was drafted by the Calgary Stampeders and spent his entire nine years as a player with the Stampeders. In 1990 he was a CFL All Canadian All Star and in 1992 he was a Grey Cup Championship. Upon his retirement he spent more than 30 years coaching and managing amateur football in Calgary.   He was one of the initiators and a driving force in the multimillion-dollar construction of the three artificial turf fields, the stands, locker rooms, and amenities at Shouldice Athletic Park. He and Tony Spoletini were also the initiators and forces behind the construction of the indoor dome at Shouldice Athletic Park.  Rounding out his sports career he has served as the color commentator and analyst on the Calgary Stampeder radio broadcast for the past 26 years.

Lauralyn Radford- Multisport Builder
Red Deer native, Lyn Radford, has made a name for herself in the sporting community. She has dedicated her life to bringing world class sporting events to her community and rallying those around her into action to make these events a success. Some of the events she is responsible for include the 2004 & 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, 2006 Alberta Summer Games, 2013 inaugural Tour of Alberta Cycling race, and the 2019 Canada Winter Games. She is past board member of Speed Skating Canada and currently sitting as a board member of the Canada Game’s Council.

1991-1994 Olds Grizzlys- Hockey Team
The Taber Golden Suns moved to Olds and became the Grizzlys for the 1981-82 season and in their 10th season in Olds they won their first AJHL Championship. The first of 3 AJHL Championships in a row! The Olds Grizzlys remain as one of only 2 teams to win the AJHL Championship 3 years in a row, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94. Coached and managed by Bob Clark, Chris Stewart, and Cliff Murphy for all 3 championships.

Wilf Brooks- Achievement Award
One of Wilf’s strongest assets in community has been to use sport as a means for helping others achieve their goals.  Wilf has a passion for identifying community strengths and resources and leveraging these to benefit others.  Often navigating from his position in the local business community, Wilf has invested his energy, knowledge, and enthusiasm into countless initiatives over the past 60 years.  From one time pilot projects to enduring organizations, he is proud to have served in the following: collaborating in the founding of Sport Central, partnering in the creation of the Calling Lake Hockey program and development, and supporting countless initiatives with Hockey Alberta, sharing leadership of the ‘Rink of Dreams’ project.  A great deal of his learning came from time spent, focused in Calling Lake and other remote communities.

Mark Stephen- Bell Memorial Award
Mark Stephen’s voice is known to many as one of the voices of the Calgary Stampeders. Since 1996 Stephen has done play by play of Calgary Stampeder games with former Stampeder Greg Peterson to form the longest serving broadcast tandem in CFL history. Mark has also been the national broadcaster for four Grey Cup games. He also broadcast Calgary Roughnecks for Shaw TV, did play-by-play for the Triple-A baseball Calgary Cannons and the Western Hockey League Calgary Wranglers as well as various Calgary City High School Athletic Association games.

Dr. Marcus Dunsworth- Pioneer Award
Marcus Dunsworth was an amazing multisport athlete. He was a 14-time city of Edmonton Champion in Tennis and Handball. 14-time Provincial champion in Tennis, Football, Basketball, and track. Dunsworth was a 2-time Western Canada Tennis Champion, a two-time Western Canada Basketball Champion, and two-time Grey Cup finalist. To have accomplished all of this between 1918 and 1938 when travel and financial assistance to sports was difficult only goes to highlight his athletic abilities.

Before Post

The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame provides a family-friendly, interactive experience. You will be surprised by what you discover inside! Have fun, laugh, play and discover Alberta sports heroes together. The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame is an interactive, hands-on celebration of Alberta's sporting history. Our over 7,000 square feet of exhibit space includes a multisport area with virtual baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer; an adaptive sports area, including a 200 meter wheelchair challenge; a Treadwall climbing wall; the Orest Korbutt Theatre; the Hall of Fame Gallery; an art gallery displaying works by provincial artists, and much more. Our venue boasts a collection of over 17,000 artefacts of Alberta sports history and showcases many of these items in a number of displays. The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame also offers an education program, group activities, and a unique environment to rent for your birthday party, special event, corporate reception or meetings.

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Alberta

Alberta’s fiscal update projects budget surplus, but fiscal fortunes could quickly turn

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From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill

According to the recent mid-year update tabled Thursday, the Smith government projects a $4.6 billion surplus in 2024/25, up from the $2.9 billion surplus projected just a few months ago. Despite the good news, Premier Smith must reduce spending to avoid budget deficits.

The fiscal update projects resource revenue of $20.3 billion in 2024/25. Today’s relatively high—but very volatile—resource revenue (including oil and gas royalties) is helping finance today’s spending and maintain a balanced budget. But it will not last forever.

For perspective, in just the last decade the Alberta government’s annual resource revenue has been as low as $2.8 billion (2015/16) and as high as $25.2 billion (2022/23).

And while the resource revenue rollercoaster is currently in Alberta’s favor, Finance Minister Nate Horner acknowledges that “risks are on the rise” as oil prices have dropped considerably and forecasters are projecting downward pressure on prices—all of which impacts resource revenue.

In fact, the government’s own estimates show a $1 change in oil prices results in an estimated $630 million revenue swing. So while the Smith government plans to maintain a surplus in 2024/25, a small change in oil prices could quickly plunge Alberta back into deficit. Premier Smith has warned that her government may fall into a budget deficit this fiscal year.

This should come as no surprise. Alberta’s been on the resource revenue rollercoaster for decades. Successive governments have increased spending during the good times of high resource revenue, but failed to rein in spending when resource revenues fell.

Previous research has shown that, in Alberta, a $1 increase in resource revenue is associated with an estimated 56-cent increase in program spending the following fiscal year (on a per-person, inflation-adjusted basis). However, a decline in resource revenue is not similarly associated with a reduction in program spending. This pattern has led to historically high levels of government spending—and budget deficits—even in more recent years.

Consider this: If this fiscal year the Smith government received an average level of resource revenue (based on levels over the last 10 years), it would receive approximately $13,000 per Albertan. Yet the government plans to spend nearly $15,000 per Albertan this fiscal year (after adjusting for inflation). That’s a huge gap of roughly $2,000—and it means the government is continuing to take big risks with the provincial budget.

Of course, if the government falls back into deficit there are implications for everyday Albertans.

When the government runs a deficit, it accumulates debt, which Albertans must pay to service. In 2024/25, the government’s debt interest payments will cost each Albertan nearly $650. That’s largely because, despite running surpluses over the last few years, Albertans are still paying for debt accumulated during the most recent string of deficits from 2008/09 to 2020/21 (excluding 2014/15), which only ended when the government enjoyed an unexpected windfall in resource revenue in 2021/22.

According to Thursday’s mid-year fiscal update, Alberta’s finances continue to be at risk. To avoid deficits, the Smith government should meaningfully reduce spending so that it’s aligned with more reliable, stable levels of revenue.

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Alberta

Premier Smith says Auto Insurance reforms may still result in a publicly owned system

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Better, faster, more affordable auto insurance

Alberta’s government is introducing a new auto insurance system that will provide better and faster services to Albertans while reducing auto insurance premiums.

After hearing from more than 16,000 Albertans through an online survey about their priorities for auto insurance policies, Alberta’s government is introducing a new privately delivered, care-focused auto insurance system.

Right now, insurance in the province is not affordable or care focused. Despite high premiums, Albertans injured in collisions do not get the timely medical care and income support they need in a system that is complex to navigate. When fully implemented, Alberta’s new auto insurance system will deliver better and faster care for those involved in collisions, and Albertans will see cost savings up to $400 per year.

“Albertans have been clear they need an auto insurance system that provides better, faster care and is more affordable. When it’s implemented, our new privately delivered, care-centred insurance system will put the focus on Albertans’ recovery, providing more effective support and will deliver lower rates.”

Danielle Smith, Premier

“High auto insurance rates put strain on Albertans. By shifting to a system that offers improved benefits and support, we are providing better and faster care to Albertans, with lower costs.”

Nate Horner, President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance

Albertans who suffer injuries due to a collision currently wait months for a simple claim to be resolved and can wait years for claims related to more serious and life-changing injuries to addressed. Additionally, the medical and financial benefits they receive often expire before they’re fully recovered.

Under the new system, Albertans who suffer catastrophic injuries will receive treatment and care for the rest of their lives. Those who sustain serious injuries will receive treatment until they are fully recovered. These changes mirror and build upon the Saskatchewan insurance model, where at-fault drivers can be sued for pain and suffering damages if they are convicted of a criminal offence, such as impaired driving or dangerous driving, or conviction of certain offenses under the Traffic Safety Act.

Work on this new auto insurance system will require legislation in the spring of 2025. In order to reconfigure auto insurance policies for 3.4 million Albertans, auto insurance companies need time to create and implement the new system. Alberta’s government expects the new system to be fully implemented by January 2027.

In the interim, starting in January 2025, the good driver rate cap will be adjusted to a 7.5% increase due to high legal costs, increasing vehicle damage repair costs and natural disaster costs. This protects good drivers from significant rate increases while ensuring that auto insurance providers remain financially viable in Alberta.

Albertans have been clear that they still want premiums to be based on risk. Bad drivers will continue to pay higher premiums than good drivers.

By providing significantly enhanced medical, rehabilitation and income support benefits, this system supports Albertans injured in collisions while reducing the impact of litigation costs on the amount that Albertans pay for their insurance.

“Keeping more money in Albertans’ pockets is one of the best ways to address the rising cost of living. This shift to a care-first automobile insurance system will do just that by helping lower premiums for people across the province.”

Nathan Neudorf, Minister of Affordability and Utilities

Quick facts

  • Alberta’s government commissioned two auto insurance reports, which showed that legal fees and litigation costs tied to the province’s current system significantly increase premiums.
  • A 2023 report by MNP shows
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