ECA Review - 2024-03-07

8 M arch 7'24 HANNA/CORONATION/STETTLER, AB. ECA REVIEW
More money for drought, disaster contingency
Cont’d from Pg 2
Those challenges are addressed in
this Capital Plan, a visible win for UCP
MLAs outside of Edmonton and
Calgary, but it comes at a cost.
It is no coincidence that the construction
of the new South Edmonton
Hospital has been put on hold
indefinitely.
Everyone needs a school
Alberta’s education system will
receive an additional $393 million – a
bump of 4.4 per cent, year-over-year.
Public and separate school divisions
will see increases (including funding
to support booming student populations),
but a significant portion of new
funds will be allocated to supporting
private school development, ($24 million
in new funds over three years).
Additional funds will also go to
charter schools.
Teachers, school divisions, unions
and others will loudly argue that those
funds be invested directly into the
existing public and separate systems.
Funding for new schools is a question
mark. As always, the needs exceed
the demands. Expect further
announcements to find out who gets a
school and who has to wait.
Decarbonization efforts
Budget 2024 expects Alberta’s industrial
carbon pricing system to raise
$539 million dollars.
The Budget commits a quarter of
every dollar over $100 million to the
Alberta Carbon Capture Incentive
Program. It will cover 12 per cent of
capital costs for new Carbon Capture,
Utilization and Storage (CCUS) plants.
The Budget is critical of Ottawa for
delays in rolling out their own program
to incent investment and to
ensure Alberta can achieve carbon
neutrality by 2050.
Alberta’s go-it-alone commitment to
CCUS will be used as evidence that
Ottawa is not acting in good faith
despite their claims to the contrary.
Arts and culture
For the first time in decades, the
Government of Alberta has committed
to restore funding to the Alberta
Foundation for the Arts, promising $30
million over the next three years.
The government will also allocate
$17 million over three years for the
transformation of Arts Commons and
Calgary’s Olympic Plaza, a cause
championed by Arts Commons for
over a decade.
Edmonton’s Winspear secures $9
million for its capital campaign, while
Glenbow’s revitalization, backed by a
$40 million Budget 2020 commitment,
maintains its position as a core piece of
the province’s capital plan.
Surprisingly, Budget 2024 positions
the UCP-led Government as perhaps
the most arts-friendly government in
years.
Disaster season
Alberta is experiencing its worst
drought in decades, and with little
snow in most of the province this
winter, anxieties are high this year
over having sufficient water for irrigation,
industry, and communities.
The Government has responded
with $500 million more in disaster contingency.
Another $125 million over
five years has been set aside for
drought mitigation. $19 million has
been allocated for a Water Availability
Strategy.
Large-scale agricultural disaster
still represents a significant threat to
the province’s surplus – especially
with a crop insurance fund depleted
over the last three years, rising costs
for reinsurance, and the possibility of
ad hoc disaster assistance.
Seeking dollars, cents
With the government’s modest
increases to spending, corresponding
new revenue sources shouldn’t be
Police vehicle rammed
Cont’d from Pg 3
“We are pleased to be announce yesterday’s
arrest, but are ever reminded
of the tragic loss of life. Our thoughts
remain with the victim’s family and
friends that have been affected.”
Despite this arrest, the investigation
is still ongoing. As this
investigation evolves the charges are
subject to change. Additional updates
may be forthcoming.
Background
On Feb. 24, 2024, at approximately 9
p.m., Beaumont RCMP located a
person suspected of theft, in a parked
15-foot cube moving truck, at a business
on 50 Street in Beaumont.
When members approached the
truck and attempted an arrest, one
male driver and one female passenger
rammed into a police vehicle and fled
the scene at a high rate of speed.
Patrols were initiated to find the
truck and, a short time later, it was
observed on 50 Street and Highway 814
in Beaumont at a high rate of speed.
Meanwhile, 36 pt. Edmonton Police
R
To participate in our
Salute to Agriculture
R 72 pt.
R 200
ISSUE Mar. 14
East Central Alberta
EVIEW
pt.
Service’s (EPS) Air One Helicopter
was notified and provided its location
to RCMP members. Multiple surrounding
RCMP detachments,
including Leduc and Strathcona,
responded to assist.
As the truck was driving into
Edmonton, a tire deflation device was
deployed by RCMP, disabling multiple
civilian vehicles. Consequently, an
adult female exited one of the civilian
vehicles and was fatally struck by the
suspect truck. The truck failed to stop
and continued driving into Edmonton.
The suspect vehicle then collided
with another civilian vehicle, leaving
an adult male in serious non-lifethreatening
condition. The truck was
located at 50 Street and 22 Avenue in
southwest Edmonton.
Further investigation revealed that
the driver of the truck, an adult male,
then proceeded to steal a parked 2020
Honda Civic at a nearby convenience
store. This vehicle contained a child
who was safely recovered and reunited
with his family a short time later.
Coronation • 403-578-4111
Stettler • 403-740-2492
surprising. Budget 2024 changes the
fee to register real estate on the Land
Titles system: property transfers
(charged $2 for every $5,000 of value) or
new mortgages (charged $1.50 for every
$5,000 of value) are now set to harmonize
at $5 per $5,000 of value, adding
hundreds of new fees to real estate
transactions in Alberta.
The environmentally conscious also
get nickel-anddimed.
They’ll
pay a new annual
EV tax of $200.
The more traditional
sin taxes
also increase,
with smokers and
vapers bearing
the brunt of this
year’s changes.
Beware the
ides of March
Budget 2024 is
fiscally prudent
but even the most
careful budgets
are subject to
shocks beyond
the control of
legislators.
As always,
Alberta revenues
depend on strong
oil prices, which
cannot be
guaranteed.
The wildfire
season, drought,
and world affairs
can all impact
revenues and
expenses.
Labour negotiations
are a major
• Dentures
We Offer Out of
• Partials
Ho, DD
David Ho, DD
Office
Appointments to
Implant
• Dentures
of
• • Dentures
We We Offer Offer Out Out
Out of of of
of
• • Partials
Senior Office
Office Lodge
• Partials Relines/Repairs
Residents
Office to to to
• Appointments to
• Implant Dentures Appointments to
• Implant • Dentures
Senior Lodge
Lodge
• Relines/Repairs
Senior Residents
Lodge
• Call Relines/Repairs Now For Residents
Your Call FREE
Now For For
Call
Your
Consultation!
Your Now
FREE
FREE For
Consultation!
Your FREE
Consultation!
Registration Deadline
is March 28th!
Consultation!
Stettler
David Ho, DD
Denture CliniC
Come see see us us at at our NEW Location
Come 4828 4828 4828 see 50th 50th
us us Street, at at our Stettler, NEW Alberta
Alberta
Location
4828 50th
403-742-2351
Street, Stettler, Alberta
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9am 9am –– 4pm 4pm
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9am – 4pm
Come see us at
403-742-2351
Caring our NEW Location
Office Hours: For You Monday-Friday and Your 9am Smile
– – 4pm
Caring 4828 50th For Street, You and Stettler, Your Alberta Smile
Caring For You and Your Smile
403-742-2351
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9am – 4pm
Caring For You and Your Smile
HEARING
LOSS & COGNITION
SEMINAR
A catered lunch by The Grazing
Board will be served after
the event!
April 10th, 2024
10:30am - 11:30am
question mark in 2024, and every year
comes with an element of uncertainty.
2024 is no exception.
New West Public Affairs is a national
public affairs firm headquartered in
Calgary, supporting clients across
Alberta, the prairies, Ontario and in
Ottawa with a full-range of government
relations, public affairs, communications,
and advisory services.
Canalta Jurassic Hotel
1103 AB-9, Drumheller, AB T0J 0Y0
Call the clinic at 403-856-2626
to reserve a spot for you and a loved one.