Hello Chestermere! It was nice to see so many of you out this weekend on our paths, and in the parks. There were many having BBQs and enjoying your back yards for the first time this year as we get a taste of milder weather. As we recover from the shock of our Governments budget last week both federal and provincial, and as we see the President of the USA reversing Obama-era climate legislation, the world seems to be changing faster than most of us can keep up. Make sure you take in that beautiful spring air, because as we have watched this government systematically introduce policy that dismantles the values and the fabric of Alberta, the President of the USA is dismantling US policy. This will ultimately help Albertans get back into the driver’s seat with our energy sector. I wonder how the Alberta Government is going to try and take credit for this one? Oh yes, I guarantee that they will use the words social license and the infamous Climate Leadership Action Plan? Well I would prefer to give credit where credit is due, and thank the private sector for investing in this pipeline and in Alberta. This is not just an 8-12 billion dollar investment into Canadian prosperity, but thousands of direct and indirect jobs for Canadians and Americans. It will bring in just under 11 billion dollars in manufacturing to Ontario, a well as billions to Albertans, and 830,000 barrels of oil a day will move through this pipeline. We need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and get ours to market to compete globally. We produce the best and cleanest oil in the world. The environmentalists will be gearing up for a big fight, but they have lost their momentum. Pipelines are the safer, cleaner alternative to rail and we will be able to sell at full price. That is a true environmental and economic win-win situation.
on the approval of a permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline, clearing the Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know.” — Daniel J. Boorstin. “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” — Sydney J. Harris.
In education, the Government is not on your side. Education is being used as a source of divisive politics and our kids are the ones that will pay the price. The Government did not approve any new schools for Chestermere-Rockyview. Chestermere and surrounding areas are busting at the seams and we have had a 30% increase in population since 2011. We have one K-9 school on the unfunded list, and I will continue to make sure the Government feels the pressure to adequately house the students in the growing populations of our beautiful communities. We are demanding transparency on how the Government prioritizes their choices in new builds and modernizations, and I have demanded to understand the Government’s definition of “site ready” in terms of start times for building. This area of Chestermere and the Rocky View municipality are actually in need of 8 critical school builds. These are not just asks, but necessary for the growth we are experiencing. We are also not going to let up on the secrecy around the curriculum rewrite, and the lack of transparency around testing and what is best for our children. You elect your local school boards and the people who represent you in education at the provincial level. Please remember that you are in the power seat when it comes to education. Parental involvement has never been more important. You are your children’s first and primary educators, so do not back down!
Parental involvement means you have the power to help make the decisions as to how your child is educated. We are an inspired and resilient people, and you are certainly my inspiration This Government will use every divisive tactic in the book to turn communities and families against each other to gain control and justify their “Nanny State” intervention in local decision-making. I will fight everyday to make sure we maintain the best public schools, and independent schools so that parents have choice in education.
Let’s debunk the myths around private and independent school funding and focus on the fact that we have the best in both worlds in this province and that is what will help us achieve the best results. I would like to quote Mark Milke from the Fraser Institute to give you a sense of the numbers.
“Problem: One is not likely to produce critical thought and independent minds in such settings, in a one-size-fits-all education system.
Independent schools save the province money. That’s because per-student taxpayer funding for private schools (for the base instruction rate) ranges from 60 to 70 per cent of the money available to public schools.
Here’s the math in Alberta. In 2014/15, 631,089 students were enrolled in the public school system, with another 29,400 students in independent schools. To figure out how much the latter saved the province, one must first calculate costs in the public system. Here, I include instruction, operations and maintenance and student transportation expenses. Add those up and divide by the number of students and the per student cost last year was $10,874. In contrast, the per-student cost (to taxpayers) for independent schools was just $5,150, because parents pay school instruction fees to have their kids in those alternative schools. If all the children enrolled in independent schools last year instead attended public schools, the extra cost to the province’s education budget would have been $168 million. Add in the previous four years of savings (2010/11 to 2014/15 inclusive) and the total is $750 million. That’s the money the provincial government saved by having tens of thousands of students enrolled in something other than public schools.”
A big shout out to Chestermere’s own Derek James From, staff lawyer with the Canadian Constitution Foundation who spoke at the Calgary Action Forum this past weekend. He believes in free trade……..between provinces! What a concept! Protectionist provincial governments who restrict your choice create only one loser: you, the consumer.
Please come out on April 8th to meet with Brian Jean. He will be touring our entire constituency and we hope to see you at some informal meet and greets as he works to bring conservatives together to be ready to win in 2019. We have the itinerary posted on Facebook. As always we love to hear from you.
