It’s provincial budget time again, and this year’s budget is being presented under a thick veil of speculation and uncertainty, largely because of a new government to the south.
Even before the threat of tariffs landed on Alberta’s doorstep, the finance minister was suggesting there would likely be cuts across most, if not all, ministries. Budget decisions, especially cuts, are rarely simple, but many of them have been unnecessary.
Recent moves from the government have either 1) granted benefit for a few, or 2) increased costs for many.
The committee that oversees MLA compensation, living allowances, and caucus funding, which is largely UCP members, voted to give themselves a big raise, far higher than an independent consultant recommended. They also changed the formula for caucus budget, adding $1,000,000 to their political staff budget.
Clearly, the government knows the cost of living has gone up, which makes some of the following cuts a lot tougher to accept:
• Income supports like Alberta Works, Child Benefits, and AISH are no longer indexed to inflation.
• Funding was cut to three reputable organizations supporting adults with disabilities.
• They stopped providing coverage to children and seniors for partial eye exams and several other optometry services.
• They are raising the cap on car insurance hikes from 3.7 percent to 15 percent over two years.
• They refuse to improve the poverty wages of educational assistants.
• They removed local decision making from homelessness agencies during a housing and affordability crisis.
• They almost pulled funding for Calgary’s low-income transit pass, until they realized it was bad press.
Unfortunately, this list is far from exhaustive. If you’ve been impacted by cuts, please reach out. These are certainly trying times, and you don’t have to manage them alone. Your Calgary-Currie team is here to help.
MLA – Calgary Currie Janet Eremenko proudly serves the following Communities: Bankview, Currie, Glenbrook, Glendale, Killarney-Glengarry, Richmond-Knob Hill, Rosscarrock, Rutland Park, Scarboro, Scarboro/Sunalta West, Shaganappi, Spruce Cliff, Sunalta, Westgate
