Hello Chestermere and Strathmore readers. Think about where you were 2 or even 3 weeks ago. You may have been planning a vacation, or a wedding, or helping out at your local school or food bank, knowing that the coronavirus was looming, but not really understanding what was coming. The question that was on all of our minds at a personal level, and all levels of government is how do you respond? We knew about social distancing fairly quickly and washing our hands fairly quickly, and believe it or not, this is still the most important thing you can do. If we put our energy into it now, we will save lives, and help the healthcare system cope with our sick. I want to thank AHS, and the Ministry of Health, Minister Tyler Shandro, our Premier, the opposition, and especially Dr. Hinshaw who has been such a calming and sane voice through all of this. We have been ahead of the curve, testing more than anywhere in the free world. If you have been having a difficult time accessing services, we are very sorry for any delays, but as you can imagine the program is having to adapt to the enormous volume. Please be patient and keep trying. If you are having any issues please email us and we will help you in any way that we can.
I would like to unpack some of the tax relief and other important announcements that have been made to help all of us get through the COVID-19 crisis. The government is deferring corporate income tax balances until August 31 along with instalment payments. We have also frozen education property taxes at the 2019 levels and that will put approximately 87 million dollars back into the hands of households and businesses. Along with this we are also deferring education property tax payments for businesses for 6 months leaving $458 million so that businesses can help their employees, and continue to pay rent and other operations.
Premiums for workers compensation payments have been deferred for the private-sector employers until 2021, and some will be eligible for a rebate if they have already paid 2020 premiums. This is specifically for small and medium sized businesses. Finally, we have also deferred utility payments for homes, small commercial users, and farms for 90 days so that no one has to worry about being able to turn on the lights.
New programs to assist individuals and businesses are being announced daily. Please go to www.Alberta.ca for provincial updates and https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/economic-response-plan.html for federal programs. For Municipal information:
Chestermere: https://www.chestermere.ca/
Strathmore: https://strathmore.ca/en/index.aspx
Rocky View: https://www.rockyview.ca/
Wheatland: https://wheatlandcounty.ca/
My Office: Chestermere.Strathmore@assembly.ab.ca 403-962-0126
I want to say thank you. I want to thank the frontline healthcare workers who are risking their and their family’s health to take care of us. I want to thank the cashier at the grocery store. I want to thank the butchers, bakers, and produce people. I want to thank the people who unload the trucks, stock the shelves and work all night to clean the store. I want to thank the farmers, plant workers, and truck drivers who are growing, processing, and delivering the supplies we rely on. I want to thank all the businesses that are staying open to serve us and I want to thank those who must close for your sacrifice. I want to thank our local media for keeping us informed. I want to thank those of you who are shopping for a senior or simply calling them for a chat. And most of all I want to thank all of you who are listening to the advice of our health leaders and taking the measures necessary to beat this horrible disease. Please be patient as you try to connect with the services we have put in place to assist you. We are working to expand capacity as fast as possible. We are all in this together, united against this enemy, and again, I thank you. Sending you all big virtual hugs!
