Alberta will be the first province to make all police services wear body cams.
On Tuesday, March 14, 2023, the Government of Alberta made the announcement – a move made to increase trust between police and communities.
“Mandating police to wear body-worn cameras is a transformational decision that will ensure all interactions with officers are objective,” said Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis.
“Whether living in large cities or smaller rural communities, Albertans have the right to feel safe and have the trust that police will assist and be fair in doing so.”
Watch the press conference.
The province is partnering with the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police (AACP) to develop the mandate and standards required to implement body cams provincewide, as well as working out the costs and logistics. This includes conversations with front-line police officers, municipal police services and three self-administered Indigenous police services.
“AACP looks forward to receiving the details of the body-worn camera mandate to support transparency and further build trust within our communities and welcomes the opportunity to work together to support this,” said Dean LaGrange, vice-president of AACP and chief of the Camrose Police Service.
The body-worn cameras are small cameras worn on a law enforcement’s chest or head without limiting mobility to record interactions with the public. The cameras have microphones and internal data storage to save video footage. This will make it easier to review interactions with police services, and promote accountability for all parties.
The aim is to position the province as a role model for safe and secure communities across North America.
Red Deer-North constituents with questions, concerns or comments can reach out to the local constituency office via the form on the contact page or by phoning (403) 342–2263.
A student transportation investment by Alberta’s government will help more students take the bus.
Through Budget 2023, a total of $414 million over three years will support transportation improvements and keep education affordable and accessible.
This is in response to feedback from parents, school authorities and others in addressing rural ride times, inflationary pressures and rising costs for parents.
“More than 300,000 students and their families rely on student transportation services every school day and we take that responsibility seriously,” said Minister of Education and Red Deer-North MLA Adriana LaGrange.
“With the changes we are making and our increased investment through Budget 2023, the student transportation system will be safer to students, more affordable for families, and provide enhanced funding for our school authority partners.”
Saving families money
About 80,000 additional students will be eligible for provincial transportation funding through new regulatory changes. This equates to more than $20 million in savings for parents across the province.
47,000 of those students are currently paying a fee to use bus services and will become eligible for provincial support.
Eligibility distance lowered
Starting Sept. 1, 2024, Grade 1-6 students living a minimum of one kilometre away from their designated school will be eligible for government-funded busing services. Those in Grade 7-12 must live two kilometres away, measured by the shortest driving route.
Currently, students must live at least 2.4 kilometres from their school.
Lowering the distance eligibility will enable almost 33,000 more students to get to school safely on a school bus. About 20,000 of those students will be able to use buses already in service and not at capacity, especially in rural areas.
Approximately 250 additional bus routes will be needed to accommodate the remaining 13,000 students in both urban and rural areas.
School authorities may choose to implement these changes sooner, in the 2023-24 school year, with the investment outlined in Budget 2023.
Cost and inflationary pressures
Student transportation funding will also address cost and inflationary pressures for schools and bus contractors.
Funding will be provided for an additional 100 bus routes for rural students, which will shorten ride times by nine per cent. Driver training funding will increase and support 1,250 drivers, including 350 new drivers and increase the driver work force by six per cent.
The Fuel Price Contingency Program will also continue into 2023-24. The program helps schools address high fuel costs and protect bus services. This saved school authorities $8.5 million in the 2021-22 school year, $16.5 million in the 2022-23 school year, and is projected to save $23.5 million in the 2023-24 school year.
“School boards face pressures from rising costs due to inflation, fuel, wages and insurance, in addition to the challenges of recruiting, training and retaining school bus drivers,” said Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) President Marilyn Dennis.
“ASBA is pleased to see targeted transportation funding aimed at helping to offset these challenges and looks forward to continued collaboration with the government on the implementation of the transportation framework.”
Student Transportation Task Force
Funding increases and regulatory changes build on the work of the Student Transportation Task Force.
The task force was created in May 2020 and brought together the education system, transportation industry representatives and MLAs to examine the future of student transportation in Alberta. The funding increases in Budget 2023 are part of the third and final phase of the action plan to address the task force’s recommendations.
Red Deer-North constituents with questions, concerns or comments can reach out to the local constituency office via the form on the contact page or by phoning (403) 342–2263.
Anyone looking to send comments directly to the Minister of Education is asked to contact the Office of the Minister of Education at education.minister@gov.ab.ca or (780)427-5010.
Alberta’s government will invest $200 million to expand post-secondary health care programs through Budget 2023.
This includes $72 million over three years to create more than 3,400 new seats in post-secondary health care programs. A total of $113 million will go towards adding 100 residency training spaces for doctors who have recently graduated, particularly in rural areas and specialist fields.
“Through the Health Workforce Strategy and the many other actions we’re taking, Alberta will build a strong, resilient and sustainable health workforce where its workers are supported to succeed as they provide expert care to improve the lives of Albertans,” said Minister of Health Jason Copping.
The Health Workforce Strategy lays the foundation for a resilient and sustainable health care system that provides Albertans with access to a health home – along with the workforce to deliver health services they need today.
The announcement, made on Monday, March 13, 2023 is just part of that strategy and efforts to address health care challenges through Budget 2023.
Other investments include:
Investing $30 million in health care program expansion to create about 1,800 new seats over the next three years in nursing, health care aide and paramedicine programs.
Investing almost $20 million to create 120 new physician seats at the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta.
Funding will also help increase the number of rural physicians in Alberta in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
Investing $113 million over three years for medical residency positions to add 100 residency training spaces and fund compensation for academic physicians instructing medical students.
Investing $22 million to upskill internationally educated nurses by creating new bridging programs and expanding seats at existing bridging programs to add 1,500 new spaces.
Investing $14 million over two years for the targeted recruitment of internationally trained nurses from the United States and the United Kingdom.
“This investment in our medical schools is a direct investment in the health of Albertans,” said Dr. Brenda Hemmelgarn, the dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta.
“These dollars will train new physicians, increase opportunities for medical residents and support those who train them, ensuring world-class care in every corner of the province.”
When it comes to the health care seat expansion, publicly funded post-secondary institutions will be invited to submit proposals in health-related programs. Programs could include registered nurses, health care aides, licensed practical nurses, nursing coordinators and supervisors, paramedical occupations and other medical technologists and technicians.
It is expected the number of physician seats available will increase by 58 per cent over 10 years, with more than $2 million in investments already made at the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary.
The physician training expansion investment, meanwhile, is part of the Academic Medicine and Health Services Program, which ensures physicians affiliated with Alberta’s faculties of medicine are fairly compensated for providing patient care along with work related to research, innovation, education, administration, and leadership.
Once the seat expansion is fully realized, Alberta will licence more than 100 additional physicians annually who will be ready to practise.
These investments build on last year’s targeted enrolment expansion, which added 2,500 new seats in health-related programs.
Red Deer-North constituents with questions, concerns or comments can reach out to the local constituency office via the form on the contact page or by phoning (403) 342–2263.
Alberta set a new record with full-time jobs in a February.
Almost two million Albertans have full-time jobs, according to Statistics Canada’s February 2023 Labour Force Survey – the most the province has seen in its history. Nearly 11,000 of that are Albertans that gained new full-time jobs in February.
Minister of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development Brian Jean said this builds off strong job growth in January.
“Alberta’s government continues to set the foundation for job creation – building a business environment that promotes investment and economic growth. Employment in the province is expected to grow at a solid pace this year,” he said in a statement.
“Employers are making progress filling vacant full-time positions as workers migrate to Alberta to find good-paying jobs with higher wages than the rest of the country.”
The unemployment rate also fell to 5.8 per cent in February, down from 6.0 per cent in January.
Alberta’s government is aiming to carry this momentum forward, focusing on even more job creation and diversification through Budget 2023.
Red Deer-North constituents with questions, concerns or comments can reach out to the local constituency office via the form on the contact page or by phoning (403) 342–2263.
Alberta’s government is now accepting grant applications for Alberta Culture Days 2023 events.
This year’s festival, which highlights cultural programs and showcases local talent, will take place Sept. 1-30.
Up to $10,000 grants are available to help eligible community organizations offset the cost of planning and hosting events. Applications close March 17.
“It’s a great pleasure to announce that grant applications for Alberta Culture Days are officially open,” said Minister of Culture Jason Luan. “Each September, Alberta celebrates talent, community spirit and our diverse cultures. I encourage all community organizations to apply for a grant to help host their event during this month-long celebration.”
Alberta Culture Days, which is part of the national Culture Days, features events across the province celebrating all things culture, from food events, to tours through farms and historic sites. Community organizations are encouraged to host free public events.
In 2022, more than 3,000 free events were held in more than 500 communities, with 3.8 million attendees across the country.
There are three different grant categories:
Feature celebration sites, which offer at least three days of programming in September and are eligible for grants of up to $10,000.
Host celebration sites, which offer at least two days of programming in September and are eligible for grants of up to $5,000.
Pop-up celebration sites, which offer at least one day of programming in September and are eligible for grants of up to $1,000.
Grant criteria, as well as reporting information and forms needed to apply are available online.
Selected applicants will be notified in June.
Red Deer-North constituents with questions, concerns or comments can reach out to the local constituency office via the form on the contact page or by phoning (403) 342–2263.
