MLA report October 29

Hello Chestermere! This has been quite an eventful week.  By the time you read this article, the Federal election will be over.  It has been a true honour representing you as your provincial representative, and I am hopeful that no matter the outcome, we will make sure that Alberta is recognized for the amazing prosperity and quality of life that we help provide to our fellow Canadians because of our ethical and responsible resource stewardship.  No matter who prevails, it is vital that Canadians realize that pipelines are our pathway to prosperity and that we should not politicize something that helps us to build our roads, schools and hospitals.  
I was so happy to see so many of you out at the Lions annual pumpkin patch.  We had such a wonderful time watching all the kids, both big and small, wander around the magical pumpkin patch that seems to just appear over night.  We caught some great moments on camera with many of you.  Good luck with your pumpkin carving.  A real highlight was attending the first Diwali party of the season held by the Multicultural Youth Council of Chestermere.   Thank you to our Deputy Mayor Yvette and to Joanne who leads the file on Inclusion and Diversity for the City of Chestermere, Shama from Spice Radio, and to the volunteers and organizers who helped us to celebrate. The food was wonderful, the entertainment was fantastic, and best of all the we enjoyed the company of family and friends.  Diwali is one of the most wonderful festivals celebrated in India, celebrating the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. The “festival of lights” is observed on the day of “Amavasya” or new moon as the harvest draws to a close and is associated with wealth and happiness.
Congratulations to Chestermere’s Streetscape Committee who created the “Honour our Veterans” banner program, honouring those who have served or are currently serving in the Canadian, Allied or Commonwealth Forces.  What a beautiful and amazing way to honour those who keep Canada “Strong and Free”.  
We will be releasing our first budget this week on October 24th, and we look forward to sharing our vision with you. There are going to be some tough choices that need to be made to get Alberta’s multibillion-dollar budget deficits back into balance in four years and prevent punishing future debt interest payments which would place the burden on our children. We will be “challenging” municipalities, school boards and hospital administrators to reduce spending.  The budget is taking time to prepare because it will be the foundation of a four-year fiscal plan to eliminate the largest per-capita deficit in Canada. As always, we love to hear from you!