Alberta
Premier Danielle Smith’s first budget adds health and education spending and forecasts a $2.4 billion surplus
Budget 2023 forecasts a surplus of $2.4 billion in 2023-24 and reflects the government decisions to invest in Alberta’s future and provide security for Alberta families and communities.
“Fiscal responsibility matters. It’s been key to achieving our strong fiscal standing and will be essential for sustainable program delivery in the future. In Budget 2023, we continue our commitment to paying down debt all while continuing to position our economy for growth and invest in the top priorities of Albertans.”
Growing jobs and the economy
Budget 2023 advances the province’s already successful Alberta at Work initiative, investing a further $176 million in 2025-26 to help Albertans build their skills and find jobs, and assisting employers in their search for workers in existing and emerging sectors.
A $111-million increase over three years will add seats to expand enrolment in areas with the highest student demand, including non-trade construction, energy, technology and business. Alberta’s government is committed to removing barriers in order to attract highliy skilled professionals and job-creating entrepreneurs to Alberta.
Investments in aviation and aerospace, agri-food manufacturing and $24.5 million this fiscal year to the Alberta Technology and Innovation Strategy will enhance emerging and innovative technologies, drive economic diversification and attract even more venture capital investments to build on successive record-breaking years. A $54-million per year increase in funding for the Alberta Petrochemicals Incentive Program starting in 2025-26 will support Air Products’ clean hydrogen facility – and continue to make Alberta a global leader in petrochemical production, bring long-term investments and create thousands of construction jobs.
Transforming health care to meet Albertans’ needs
Alberta’s government is setting a new record for spending in health care this year by committing an additional $965 million in operating expense in 2023-24 for the Ministry of Health to continue to build a stronger health-care system for Albertans. This funding will ensure the government can take the urgent action needed to improve ambulance response times, decrease emergency room wait times, reduce wait times for surgeries and attract more front-line health workers to deliver the care patients expect and deserve.
Budget 2023 includes $158 million this year to attract, recruit and train more doctors and nurses to work across the province, with a focus on family physicians for rural areas. Alberta’s primary health-care system is being strengthened and modernized with a record $2 billion over three years. Another $196 million over three years will strengthen emergency medical services and $3.1 billion over three years will modernize and expand health facilities across Alberta, including the Red Deer Regional Hospital and expanding capacity for operating rooms in 15 communities to complete more of the surgeries Albertans are waiting for. An additional $529 million in capital maintenance and renewal funding will be used to keep facilities operational and a further $732 million in self-financed investment will add to health infrastructure.
Supporting Albertans, students and families
With $2.3 billion in affordability measures in 2023-24, $1.5 billion in 2024-25 and another $1.8 billion in 2025-26, Alberta’s government is keeping more money in the pockets of Albertans and continues to provide a helping hand to those in need. New relief measures will save post-secondary students about $18 million each year with lower interest rates for student loans. Adoptive families will have access to more subsidies and tax breaks to make adoption more feasible. Workers in the social services sector will see their wages increased by 10 per cent, so they can continue to provide compassionate services to people with complex needs, those experiencing homelessness or family violence. Albertans will also receive a larger tax credit when they donate to their favourite charities to lend a helping hand.
An increase of $1.8 billion for education will help Alberta’s young people succeed and thrive in smaller classes. This increase will support the hiring of up to 3,000 education staff, including teachers, educational assistants, bus drivers and school support staff to give students the focused time and attention they need to succeed in their studies.
The government is also investing $59.3 million in 2023-24 to create thousands more licensed child-care spaces as part of opening a total of 68,700 new spaces by the end of March 2023, increasing access and choice so parents can go to school, work and participate in the economy. Affordability grants to child-care operators and subsidies for parents will further lower the cost of child care, with the Alberta federal-provincial child-care agreement already reducing fees by an average of 50 per cent in 2022 for young children.
Keeping Albertans and communities safe
All Albertans, families and children have the right to safety and security in their homes, at school, at work and in their communities, no matter where they live.
Budget 2023 keeps communities safe by increasing collaboration between first responders and community partners and increasing access for vulnerable populations to recovery-oriented mental health and addiction supports and services.
- $12.5 million in 2023-24 will support the expansion of therapeutic living units within provincial correctional facilities to help inmates access recovery-oriented treatment and recovery programs. This is a joint investment between Mental Health and Addiction and Public Safety and Emergency Services.
- $65 million over the next three years will strengthen First Nations policing to address the unique needs of their communities and members. This will secure new policing positions and the creation of another First Nations police service in addition to the Lakeshore Regional Police Service, the Blood Tribe Police Service and Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service.
- $20 million over three years is committed to combat human trafficking and ensure necessary resources are provided to survivors and victims.
The province will review options for delivering policing services with the objective of improving the safety and security of Albertans and their property.
Committing to responsible fiscal management
Budget 2023 secures Alberta’s future by staying true to responsible fiscal management and spending hard-earned tax dollars wisely to support Albertans today and tomorrow.
A new fiscal framework would require all future Alberta governments to balance their annual budgets, with certain exceptions, and use any surpluses to first pay down debt and save for the future before investing in one-time initiatives.
Taxpayer-supported debt is being reduced by $14.8 billion between 2021-22 and 2023-24, and the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund is growing by $5.7 billion between 2021-22 and 2025-26. This will bring taxpayer-supported debt to $78.3 billion at the end of 2023-24, and saves Albertans estimated $260 million in this fiscal year and $551 million in 2023-24.
Mandating balanced budgets and tying operating expense increases to population growth and inflation would help control spending to prevent what could be temporarily high resource revenue being used to increase spending in an unsustainable way. Spending decisions instead would be focused on not only meeting the needs and priorities of Albertans but also on continuing to drive change, innovation and improvement of vital services and programs.
Revenue
- In 2023-24, total revenue is estimated to be $70.7 billion, which is $5.4 billion lower than the forecast for 2022-23. Commodity prices are expected to soften due to fears of a looming global recession, while investment income is expected to recover well after dropping in 2022-23.
- Revenue is expected to remain above $70 billion in following years. The revenue forecast for 2024-25 is $71.7 billion and for 2025-26 is $72.6 billion.
- In 2023-24, corporate income tax revenue is estimated at $5.9 billion, down 7.8 per cent from 2022-23, largely due to declining commodity prices.
- Non-renewable resource revenue is estimated to be $18.4 billion in 2023-24, down from the highest-ever resource revenue of $27.5 billion forecast in 2022-23.
Expense
- Total expense in 2023-24 is $68.3 billion, which is $2.6 billion more than the forecast for 2022-23.
- Total expense is expected to be $69.7 billion in 2024-25 and $71.2 billion in 2025-26.
Surplus
- A surplus of $2.4 billion is forecast for 2023-24 compared with $10.4 billion in 2022-23.
- Surpluses of $2 billion and $1.4 billion are forecast for 2024-25 and 2025-26, respectively.
Economic outlook
- In 2022, real gross domestic product (GDP) rose by an estimated 4.8 per cent, which is lower than the budget forecast of 5.4 per cent. The softer growth reflects the impact of higher interest rates and prices on consumer spending and residential investment. Even so, real GDP fully recovered from the COVID-19 downturn and surpassed the 2014 peak in 2022.
- In 2023, real GDP is expected to grow by 2.8 per cent, up slightly from the 2.7 per cent growth forecast at mid-year.
Energy and economic assumptions, 2023-24
- West Texas Intermediate oil (USD/bbl) $79.00
- Western Canadian Select @ Hardisty (CND/bbl) $78.00
- Light-heavy differential (USD/bbl) $19.50
- Natural gas (CND/GJ) $4.10
- Convention crude production (000s barrels/day) 497
- Raw bitumen production (000s barrels/day) 3,345
- Canadian dollar exchange rate (USD/CDN) $76.20
- Interest rate (10-year Canada bonds, per cent) 3.60
Budget 2023 secures Alberta’s bright future by transforming the health-care system to meet people’s needs, supporting Albertans with the high cost of living, keeping our communities safe and driving the economy with more jobs, quality education and continued diversification.
Alberta
Alberta introduces bill banning sex reassignment surgery on minors
From LifeSiteNews
Alberta Conservative Premier Danielle Smith followed through on a promised bill banning so-called ‘top and bottom’ surgeries for minors.
Alberta Conservative Premier Danielle Smith made good on her promise to protect kids from extreme transgender ideology after introducing a bill banning so-called “top and bottom” surgeries for minors.
“It is so important that all youth can enter adulthood equipped to make adult decisions. In order to do that, we need to preserve their ability to make those decisions, and that’s what we’re doing,” Smith said in a press release.
“The changes we’re introducing are founded on compassion and science, both of which are vital for the development of youth throughout a time that can be difficult and confusing.”
Bill 26, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2024 “reflects the government’s commitment to build a health care system that responds to the changing needs of Albertans,” the government says.
The bill will amend the Health Act to “prohibit regulated health professionals from performing sex reassignment surgeries on minors.”
It will also ban the “use of puberty blockers and hormone therapies for the treatment of gender dysphoria or gender incongruence” to kids 15 and under “except for those who have already commenced treatment and would allow for minors aged 16 and 17 to choose to commence puberty blockers and hormone therapies for gender reassignment and affirmation purposes with parental, physician and psychologist approval.”
Alberta Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange, the bill’s sponsor, said the province’s legislative priorities include “implementing policy changes to continue our refocusing work, position our health care system to respond to pressures and public health emergencies, and to preserve choice for minors. These amendments reflect our dedication to ensuring our health care system meets the needs of every Albertan.”
Earlier this year, the United Conservative Party (UCP) provincial government under Smith announced she would introduce the strong pro-family legislation that strengthens parental rights, protecting kids from life-altering, so-called “top and bottom” surgeries as well as other extreme forms of transgender ideology.
With Smith’s UCP holding a majority in the provincial legislature, the passage of Bill 26 is almost certain.
About the proposed law, Smith said that her government believes it is “vitally important to preserve the time” kids have as a “youth.” She added that she believes this is so kids can “gain sufficient amount of knowledge, experience, and perspective so that you can fully understand who you are, who you want to be and what opportunities you may want to have as an adult before making permanent life-altering decisions related to your body.”
While Smith has done far more than predecessor Jason Kenney to satisfy social conservatives, she has been mostly soft on social issues such as abortion and has publicly expressed pro-LGBT views, telling Jordan Peterson that conservatives must embrace homosexual “couples” as “nuclear families.”
This weekend, thousands of UCP members will gather for the party’s annual general meeting, where Smith’s leadership will be voted on along with many other pro-freedom and family policy proposals from members. Smith is expected to pass her leadership review vote with a large majority.
Alberta
Alberta court upholds conviction of Pastor Artur Pawlowski for preaching at Freedom Convoy protest
From LifeSiteNews
Lawyers argued that Pastor Artur Pawlowski’s sermon was intended to encourage protesters to find a peaceful solution to the blockade, but the statement was characterized as a call for mischief.
An Alberta Court of Appeal ruled that Calgary Pastor Artur Pawlowski is guilty of mischief for his sermon at the Freedom Convoy-related border protest blockade in February 2022 in Coutts, Alberta.
On October 29, Alberta Court of Appeal Justice Gordon Krinke sentenced the pro-freedom pastor to 60 days in jail for “counselling mischief” by encouraging protesters to continue blocking Highway 4 to protest COVID mandates.
“A reasonable person would understand the appellant’s speech to be an active inducement of the illegal activity that was ongoing and that the appellant intended for his speech to be so understood,” the decision reads.
Pawlowski addressed a group of truckers and protesters blocking entrance into the U.S. state of Montana on February 3, the fifth day of the Freedom Convoy-styled protest. He encouraged the protesters to “hold the line” after they had reportedly made a deal with Royal Canadian Mounted Police to leave the border crossing and travel to Edmonton.
“The eyes of the world are fixed right here on you guys. You are the heroes,” Pawlowski said. “Don’t you dare go breaking the line.”
After Pawlowski’s sermon, the protesters remained at the border crossing for two additional weeks. While his lawyers argued that his speech was made to encourage protesters to find a peaceful solution to the blockade, the statement is being characterized as a call for mischief.
Days later, on February 8, Pawlowski was arrested – for the fifth time – by an undercover SWAT team just before he was slated to speak again to the Coutts protesters.
He was subsequently jailed for nearly three months for what he said was for speaking out against COVID mandates, the subject of all the Freedom Convoy-related protests.
In Krinke’s decision, he argued that Pawlowski’s sermon incited the continuation of the protest, saying, “The Charter does not provide justification to anybody who incites a third party to commit such crimes.”
However, defence lawyer Sarah Miller pointed out that that Pawlowski’s sermon was protected under freedom of speech, an argument that Krinke quickly dismissed.
“While the appellant is correct that peaceful, lawful and nonviolent communication is entitled to protection, blockading a highway is an inherently aggressive and potentially violent form of conduct, designed to intimidate and impede the movement of third parties,” he wrote.
Pawlowski was released after the verdict. He has already spent 78 days in jail before the trial.
Pawlowski is the first Albertan to be charged for violating the province’s Critical Infrastructure Defence Act (CIDA), which was put in place in 2020 under then-Premier Jason Kenney.
The CIDA, however, was not put in place due to COVID mandates but rather after anti-pipeline protesters blockaded key infrastructure points such as railway lines in Alberta a few years ago.
-
Business1 day ago
Premiers fight to lower gas taxes as Trudeau hikes pump costs
-
Alberta2 days ago
Heavy-duty truckers welcome new ‘natural gas highway’ in Alberta
-
Alberta2 days ago
Alberta Bill of Rights Amendment, Bill 24 – Stronger protections for personal rights
-
Alberta2 days ago
Another Blow To The Carbon Tax
-
MAiD2 days ago
Quebec set to take euthanasia requests in advance, violating federal law
-
Economy2 days ago
One Solution to Canada’s Housing Crisis: Move. Toronto loses nearly half million people to more affordable locations
-
Economy2 days ago
Gas prices plummet in BC thanks to TMX pipeline expansion
-
Addictions1 day ago
‘Our Liberal Government Is Acting Like A Drug Lord’: A Mother’s Testimony