Projects on the go as your MLA

The air these days is definitely a little crisper and now that the kids are back in school, our household, like so many of yours, has become a flurry of after school activities and routine. This was my first summer as your MLA and I can’t thank you enough for welcoming me with open arms. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity of meeting so many families and hearing in more detail about the issues that affect this region. During the election I made a promise to you – that I would be accessible and accountable to you. That’s a promise I intend to keep. It’s important to me to hear directly from you what issues are important to you. All too often in the past the Provincial Government has simply set an agenda and spent their term following through on that agenda. That’s not how I want my time in office to be. My roots are here and I want to spend my time working for you. With that in mind I want to take a few minutes to let you know some of the things I’ve been working on.
As a father, children’s safety is close to my heart. The new Sarah Thompson school in Langdon is in desperate need of a sidewalk and I’ve been lobbying the province to try to get the funding. The Province is currently saying “No,”saying this is a county issue. While this is true, I held out hope that in the interest of child safety the Province would choose to review this particular case again.
We were able to make a positive change where the school is concerned however. I was at a town hall recently with Reeve Rolly Ashdown and somebody pointed out that the school zone signs are not placed far enough from the school. Well, I went to work the next morning with a priority to do what we had to do to have them moved. After a little research, and a couple of phone calls and emails to the County, the wheels are in motion. The signs will be moved in the next week or so. Good on the County for following through.
Sadly there was some troubling school news from Langdon too. Over the weekend a portable classroom attached to Langdon school burnt down. The fire has been deemed suspicious and it has raised the issue of policing in the community. Langdon doesn’t have its own detachment. It is served by Strathmore RCMP. I have talked to many residents about their concerns and will do all I can to make sure their needs are met. They do have a wonderfully committed group who has started a citizens on patrol group to help and indications are they are having a positive impact.
In Chestermere, I’m still pushing to have the Province follow up on its commitment to remove the left hand turn access from Paradise Road to the Trans Canada. As you are no doubt aware, this has been the scene of some horrific crashes, and we’ve been told the left turn access will be taken away by the end of the year. While an inconvenience for some, in the interest of public safety, I’m hearing from many people who want this project completed. I have spoken with the developer Mattamy Homes and am optimistic they will complete the necessary work sooner than later.
We are also slated to have the sod turned on a new school in Chestermere this fall. A new K-9 school will be built in Kinniburgh. It is scheduled to open in September 2014. As one of the fastest growing communities in the Country, it is important we have the schools to meet the needs of our growing population. Know that I will always be first in line to lobby to make sure the needs of our fine community are met.
There are many more issues in all corners of our riding that we are working to help people with. And on the Provincial front, we are busy also. The Legislature convenes on the 23rd of October, and my Wildrose colleagues and I are busy preparing to hold government accountable. There have been countless financial scandals again this summer and early fall, and as Albertans we deserve answers. I’ll be back and forth to Edmonton a lot in the weeks ahead, but I will always be present and available here. My office is open in Chestermere Plaza and you can call or email me anytime.
Take care, and hope to talk to you soon.