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Alberta

Province caps tuition increases and reduces student load interest rate to make post-secondary education more affordable

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Making post-secondary education more affordable

Alberta’s government is taking action to improve affordability, address inflation and make tuition more stable and predictable for Alberta’s post-secondary students.

Alberta’s economy has recovered strongly, but students are struggling to keep up with the increased cost of living. Alberta’s government is committed to ensuring post-secondary education remains accessible and affordable for all Albertans. That’s why Advanced Education is providing post-secondary students with new, targeted affordability supports.

As part of Budget 2023, government plans to improve affordability for post-secondary students by:

  • Capping domestic tuition increases at two per cent across an institution in 2024-25 and for future academic years.
  • Reducing interest rates on student loans to the prime rate,  which will help reduce the cost of borrowing for both current and future Alberta student loan borrowers.
  • Doubling the student loan interest-free grace period from six months to 12 months to give students more time to find gainful employment without having to worry about student loan payments.
  • Increasing the thresholds for the Repayment Assistance Plan to $40,000 from $25,000 so more students can benefit from the program.

In addition, Alberta’s government is providing additional funding to increase the Alberta Student Grant by $225 per month for each eligible student during the 2022-23 loan year.

“High inflation has made life more expensive for all Albertans, including post-secondary students. These new measures will help all students deal with higher costs during these challenging times.”

Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Advanced Education

Alberta’s government recently provided the largest inflation relief package in Canada, with significant broad-based and targeted supports. These actions ensure post-secondary students also receive targeted affordability supports.

“These new affordability measures for students are an important addition to our Affordability Action Plan, and underscore our commitment to students and to keeping Alberta affordable.”

Matt Jones, Minister of Affordability and Utilities

More than 10,000 low-income students receive this funding. The funding boost to the Alberta Student Grant means eligible students willreceive up to a total of $475 per month.

This additional per month funding will be retroactive, meaning students will receive the additional $225 per month effective the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year in the form of a lump sum payment. Students receiving this additional funding from the Alberta Student Grant will be notified by Alberta Student Aid in March. They should also receive the additional funding from student aid during this time.

“This announcement marks the implementation of longstanding requests from student leaders around affordability. On behalf of Alberta’s students, it is great to see increased efforts to ensure that post-secondary is more accessible and affordable for all.”

Samantha Scott, chair, Council of Alberta’s University Students

“Students have been struggling with the rising costs of attending post-secondary. We are happy to see student voices being heard and steps being taken to address affordability.”

Janmejay Rao, co-chair, Alberta Graduate Provincial Advocacy Council

Alberta’s government is committed to ensuring post-secondary education is accessible and affordable. These measures will ease the impact of inflation so post-secondary students can focus on their education and worry less about paying the bills. They will also make it easier for student loan borrowers to make their loan payments and effectively transition into the workforce.

This is a news release from the Government of Alberta.

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Alberta

Red Deer Justice Centre Grand Opening: Building access to justice for Albertans

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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.”

Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice and Attorney General

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.”

Ritu Khullar, chief justice of Alberta

“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.”

Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services

“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.”

Martin Long, Minister of Infrastructure

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.
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Alberta

Made in Alberta! Province makes it easier to support local products with Buy Local program

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Show your Alberta side. Buy Local.

When the going gets tough, Albertans stick together. That’s why Alberta’s government is launching a new campaign to benefit hard-working Albertans.

Global uncertainty is threatening the livelihoods of hard-working Alberta farmers, ranchers, processors and their families. The ‘Buy Local’ campaign, recently launched by Alberta’s government, encourages consumers to eat, drink and buy local to show our unified support for the province’s agriculture and food industry.

The government’s ‘Buy Local’ campaign encourages consumers to buy products from Alberta’s hard-working farmers, ranchers and food processors that produce safe, nutritious food for Albertans, Canadians and the world.

“It’s time to let these hard-working Albertans know we have their back. Now, more than ever, we need to shop local and buy made-in-Alberta products. The next time you are grocery shopping or go out for dinner or a drink with your friends or family, support local to demonstrate your Alberta pride. We are pleased tariffs don’t impact the ag industry right now and will keep advocating for our ag industry.”

RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation

Alberta’s government supports consumer choice. We are providing tools to help folks easily identify Alberta- and Canadian-made foods and products. Choosing local products keeps Albertans’ hard-earned dollars in our province. Whether it is farm-fresh vegetables, potatoes, honey, craft beer, frozen food or our world-renowned beef, Alberta has an abundance of fresh foods produced right on our doorstep.

Quick facts

  • This summer, Albertans can support local at more than 150 farmers’ markets across the province and meet the folks who make, bake and grow our food.
  • In March 2023, the Alberta government launched the ‘Made in Alberta’ voluntary food and beverage labelling program to support local agriculture and food sectors.
  • Through direct connections with processors, the program has created the momentum to continue expanding consumer awareness about the ‘Made in Alberta’ label to help shoppers quickly identify foods and beverages produced in our province.
  • Made in Alberta product catalogue website

 

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