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As Albertans continue to enjoy the warmth of summer and explore our beautiful province, the Alberta government remains committed to its plan for economic recovery. With a substantially reduced deficit, Alberta is emerging from the global recession in one of the strongest financial positions in North America. The Government of Alberta is also following through on the Premier's vision of having the best performing publicly funded healthcare system in Canada with the announcement of the 2010-2013 Health Capital Plan. Nearly $520 million will be provided for a new regional hospital in Grande Prairie, which will include a state of the art cancer treatment center. |
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Opening of John Kwasek Park
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Ray Prevost, Ernie Isley-Mayor, Bill Slawuta, Leo Vasseaur, Kathryn Wiebe and Jerry Storchuk |
Great Canada Day celebration and the opening of John Kwasek Park. A great tribute to Canada and and a great man who chose Canada to become his home. Thanks to the Town and Ray Prevost for coming up with the idea to honor John Kwasek.
A beautiful celebration of the Lefebvre family residing in the Cold Lake for 100 years was held on Canada Day. Congratulations!
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Canadian Regional Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Doug Elniski, MLA Edmonton Calder, Pearl Calahasen, MLA Lesser Slave Lake and myself at the Canadian Regional Conference in Regina from July 11 - 17, 2010. |
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Lakeland United Way Golf Tournament
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Earla Burger, Judy Nest, Cindy Stepanick, and Yvette Houle |
I attended the Lakeland United Way Charity Golf Tournament. It was a huge success, raising over $19,000. Huge thank you to Ajaz Quraishi for all the work you have done for Lakeland United Way and our community!
Thanks to everyone who came out to support this great cause!
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Lakeland Seniors Games
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Metro Harasimiuk, Vic Kossowan, Ted Sluzarski, and Bill Bodnar |
Congratulations to Ray Prevost and his committee for a job well done in organizing the Lakeland Seniors Games here in Bonnyville. There were over 250 athletes and countless volunteers helping to make these games special for everyone. |
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LICA Fish Fry
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Robert Deresh, Ed Rondeau, Ajaz Quraishi, Donna Neufeld and John Croteau |
LICA celebrated their 10th Anniversary serving our region by hosting a wonderful fish fry on July 7, 2010.
Keep up the good work! |
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Premier's Citizenship Award
Alexandra Wagner was chosen from 160 winners of the Premier's Citizenship Award. Alexandra received a medal as well as $5,000 for their personal development and general education. Congratulations Alexandra. It was an honor to be at the celebration at Government House.
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Alberta's 2009-10 deficit down to $1 billion
2009-10 Annual Report Highlights
- Alberta posted a $1-billion deficit in 2009-10, $3.7 billion lower than forecast at budget.
- The reduced deficit is due to relatively flat expense and increased revenue.
- Revenue was $35.7 billion, $4 billion higher than forecast at budget, mainly due to higher oil sands and oil royalties, investment income and corporate income tax revenue.
- Expense was $36.7 billion, $303 million higher than forecast at budget. The increase was mainly due to higher disaster and emergency expense, partly offset by lower operating expense.
Tight controls on spending and higher-than-expected revenue helped reduce Alberta's 2009-10 deficit to $1 billion - less than a quarter of the original estimate of $4.7 billion.
Revenue from oil and oil sands royalties, investment income and corporate income tax were all significantly higher than forecast in Budget 2009 while expense was up only slightly due mainly to assistance for disasters and emergencies. The resulting lower deficit means less will be drawn from the Sustainability Fund, which stood at $15 billion at March 31, 2010. (The Heritage Fund is not the Sustainability Fund, and will not be used to cover the deficit).
While the 2009-10 deficit is considerably smaller than expected, Alberta's revenue picture in the current fiscal year remains highly uncertain, with natural gas prices low, and oil prices, financial markets and the Canadian dollar fluctuating on a daily basis. As a result, there is no reason at this time to expect any improvement in the forecast deficit of $4.7 billion for 2010-11.
The Alberta government has a clear plan for a strong economic recovery. An important part of The Way Forward is maintaining support for programs and services Albertans need most, such as health care, education and safe and vibrant communities. For more information on the plan visit Alberta.ca. |
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Health Capital Plan Phase One highlights 22 facilities
Health facility projects in several medium-sized cities and rural locations are moving ahead in Phase One of the Government of Alberta's 2010-13 Health Capital Plan. The plan will be rolled out in 2 phases and features commitments to accelerate expansion in priority capacity areas and keep critical ongoing projects on track.
Altogether, 22 facility projects in 15 communities are included in Phase One of the Health Capital Plan. These projects reflect more than $1.4 billion in total provincial support. That total covers the planning, design and construction process of these projects. Phase One also includes an additional $1 billion for facility maintenance, facility transition initiatives, and technology and equipment purchases and replacement.
A few of the highlights from Phase One of the Health Capital Plan include:
- $200 million (approx.) total provincial support for redevelopment of the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, which will begin immediately. This total includes $43.5 million out of the 2010-13 Plan, which is an increase of $33.5 million from the 2009-12 Plan in order to accelerate the project.
- Phase One of the redevelopment will include renovations to create additional ambulatory treatment space.
- Planning and preparations for the larger redevelopment will continue. That redevelopment will focus on improvements to ambulatory care, maternity services, emergency department and operating rooms. Construction is anticipated to begin in Summer 2011 and conclude in 2013.
- $108 million to build a new health centre in Edson. This total includes $73 million allocated out of the 2010-13 Plan, which is an increase of $70 million from the 2009-12 Plan in order to build a new facility rather than upgrading the current facility. Construction is anticipated to start in Spring 2012 and be completed in Spring 2014.
- The health centre will be built on a new site to provide health care services and programs to meet the needs of the community, including acute care, emergency and outpatient services. Community care services (such as mental health, addictions treatment, newborn follow up, etc.) will be consolidated and expanded.
- $90 million to build a new health centre in High Prairie to replace the existing complex and the J.B. Wood Nursing Home. The $90 million includes an increase of $26.2 million to reflect the new estimate for the total cost of the project. $31.6 million in funding is provided in the 2010-13 Plan. Construction is anticipated to begin in Spring 2011 and be completed in Spring 2013.
- The new High Prairie Health Centre will be built on a new site and will include a wide range of health services such as acute care, continuing care and community health programs.
- $520 million to build a new regional hospital in Grande Prairie, which will include a state-of-the-art cancer centre. This funding will provide:
- a 200 acute-care bed regional hospital built on a new site near the Grande Prairie Regional College;
- the Grande Prairie Cancer Centre project, complete with two cancer radiation vaults; and
- a health workforce training component in partnership with the Grande Prairie Regional College.
- Soil testing and site work will begin as soon as possible. Construction of the new hospital is anticipated to begin in 2011 and some health care services at the new facility should be available by late fall 2014.
- Renovations already underway at the existing Queen Elizabeth II hospital, where about 150 beds are currently in use, will continue.
The 3-year Health Capital Plan also includes an additional $375 million for vaccines, health system development, diagnostic imaging strategy and electronic health records.
Phase Two of the 2010 - 2013 Health Capital Plan will include details of projects in Calgary and Edmonton that are part of the 3 year plan.
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Premier's Council for Economic Strategy invites Albertans to help shape our future
Albertans have a history of looking ahead, planning for the long term and determining what must be done now to ensure prosperity and success in the future. The Premier's Council for Economic Strategy is continuing that tradition and inviting Albertans to contribute their thoughts.
The Council, established in July 2009, consists of 12 individuals from around the globe with strong ties to Alberta and Canada, and diverse experience in business, academics, government and not-for-profits. They've been asked by Premier Ed Stelmach to provide their expert views on what actions must be taken in the next few years - not just by government, but by organizations in every sector and by individual Albertans - to ensure that future generations enjoy opportunity and success.
Their conversations to date have led to the development of a discussion paper that poses six questions. Throughout the summer, the council is inviting Albertans to help shape their thinking in these areas:
- What must Alberta do to earn a global reputation as a responsible energy producer and natural resource steward?
- How can we ensure the Alberta of the future has a robust, stable economy and fiscal position?
- What steps can Alberta take to create new wealth through knowledge and innovation?
- How do we ensure we have the healthy, skilled and engaged citizens needed to drive innovation and sustain prosperity?
- How do we ensure Alberta's urban and rural communities are vibrant, supportive and inclusive?
- How can Alberta engage more strategically with the rest of Canada and the world?
To contribute your thoughts on any or all of these topics, please visit the Premier's Council for Economic Strategy. |
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Provincial aid helps Thorhild recover from spring fires
The County of Thorhild will receive $10 million under the Alberta government's Municipal Wildfire Assistance Program to help recover from severe wildfires in May. The fires resulted in significant emergency operation and fire suppression costs for the municipality.
The wildfires affected thousands of acres of land forcing the municipality to declare a state of local emergency. The $10 million in provincial funding will be used to help the County of Thorhild with the cost of emergency operations as well as their reclamation efforts.
The Municipal Wildfire Assistance Program is a province-wide program delivered by Municipal Affairs through the Alberta Emergency Management Agency and Sustainable Resource Development.
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