Hello Chestermere! As I write this I am thinking of an email I received. If you are interested at looking into some of the latest government programs there is one (http://open.alberta.ca/publications/9781460124215) that was created to help employers to learn about new initiatives for creating jobs. Most of us have been trying to advise the government that having a province that is competitive and stable is the way to help Albertans put Albertans back to work. Create an environment that is conducive to investment and innovation, and jobs will follow fairly closely behind. Things like Carbon taxes, increased minimum wage and policies that hinder our ability to move and develop our resources is probably not the best solution. I digress. When you go to this site, and this comes from a person who actually went to the site seeking some knowledge as to what the government had to offer, he was a little confused by what he read there, and the email he received from the government. The email that he received came back with the heading “Resources to help you deal with letting staff go”. It goes on to say that we are in difficult times and then lists various resources to deal with job loss and letting your staff go. Just a quick refresher, the site was set up to showcase initiatives for creating jobs. The government has to remember that the tax dollars they are spending are yours. Are they good stewards of your tax dollars? Look at the PPA lawsuit, the Climate Change Plan advertisements, and these “programs” and consider that to add insult to injury they want to force taxpayers to support political parties with rebates of the parties’ campaign expenses. Remember, when you donate to a political party it is YOUR CHOICE. You do so because you support their policies and candidates. You WON’T have a choice if the government has their way. The parties will receive your tax dollars whether you support them or not. My Wildrose colleague MLA Scott Cyr called this proposal “obscene”, “offensive”, and “disingenuous”. He was being kind. He asked: “With provincial coffers in crisis and thousands of Albertans out of work, why should political parties get taxpayer dollars?” The government sees this as a priority over employment, healthcare, and education. This is not what we do when a government is running record deficits. It’s not what we should EVER do. Let us know what you think.
While government policy may make you gnash your teeth together, there are organizations like Bikers Against Child Abuse that work tirelessly to provide advocacy to vulnerable youth up to the age of 17 years and 364 days of age. These amazing people help the kids and their families navigate the justice system when they have faced abuse. These courageous kids (referred to as Heros by the bikers) and the men and women who advocate for them are truly amazing people. I was honoured to attend their fund raiser this past weekend. Another bunch of heroes are the Dogs With Wings Society. They train and supply assistance dogs, and these puppies are something else. They provide everything from companionship for special needs and disabled folks, to being able to pull off socks and shoes and place dirty laundry in the machine allowing a person to live somewhat independently. This past week has been declared Assistance Dog Week, and thank you to Candice Laws for inviting me to attend their demonstration. This is another wonderful volunteer driven organization that makes me proud to be an Albertan. As always, we love to hear from you.
