On March 8th spring session began with the Speech from the Throne. I’m honoured to have been entrusted by my colleagues in caucus and by our new Alberta Party Leader Mr. Stephen Mandel to serve as leader in the Legislature. It’s my hope that my experience as a legislator can help us capitalize on our increased presence in the house.
This session I’ve been able to speak to in the Legislature about the budget, more funding for EMS, government impact on non-profit organizations, access to quality education, employment and income supports, petrochemical diversification, with much more to come. Regarding the budget, in the absolute best-case scenario, Albertans will have endured years of deficit and be looking at an accumulated debt of $100 billion by the time this government balances. If there are even a few hiccups along the way, we can expect the date for balance to be pushed back even further and even more debt to be piled up on Albertans behalf. This plan is just not good enough.
Calgary-South East will be getting two new schools, to go along with the fifteen we have seen since I was elected in 2012. Mahogany will be getting a K-4 public school, and Auburn Bay has been approved for design funding for a 5-9 middle school. I will continue to advocate for schools on the board capital plans, and make sure that our communities remain a priority. It was exciting to have the new principal of the Joane Cardinal-Schubert High School drop by our office. This new public high school will be opening in Seton during the Fall of 2018 and will be home to students from Douglas Glen, Douglasdale, McKenzie Lake, McKenzie Towne, New Brighton, Copperfield, Auburn Bay, Mahogany, Cranston and Seton.
As a father and as a community representative, I wanted to mention two constituents in Calgary-South East: Rowan and Noah. Baby Rowan suffered a terrible accident while in vacation with her family in Mexico and is recovering. Noah passed away after an accident in Florida. My thoughts are with both families and my heart goes out to them. The Auburn Bay Community joined together through the tragedy of Noah to raise funds for the family, and it was just incredible to see the togetherness and support of this community. A few years ago, my thoughts were with Ethan Nielson after he was struck by a car in the community of Cranston. Last month I got to attend a fundraiser as his family gives back to the people who helped him. The constituents in our communities are outstanding and inspirational.
