Hello Chestermere! Happy New Year, Happy Lohri, Pongal, Sankranti, Maha Shivratri and Happy Lunar New Year, Year of the Metal Rat. We honour these joyous occasions in our communities and hope and pray for everyone’s continued blessings and prosperity as we head into a New Year. I am so honoured to have been invited to so many wonderful celebrations and festivals in various communities across Alberta, to have tried some amazing food, and to experience first hand the colour, the festivities and the taste of the many cultures that are the beautiful tapestry of Alberta.
Chestermere-Strathmore is home to a wide variety of agriculture and agri-business. We even have a shrimp farm! Are you involved in agriculture as a producer, agribusiness, student, 4-H member, academic or home gardener? Whatever your interest, I want to hear from you! The Government has launched a Farmer Led Research Engagement. We want to hear from stakeholders about your priorities for agricultural research. This could be anything from, for example, pure research on the life cycle of Club Root, initiatives to develop plants that are better adapted to our climate to ideas on private sector partnerships to advance technology, to complete “blue-sky” ideas. Agriculture is a huge and growing part of our economy and we want to build on our many strengths. Please join me and representatives from Alberta Agriculture and Forestry on Friday January 24, 2-4 PM at the West Room, Strathmore Civic Centre, 102 Brent Boulevard, Strathmore. For further information check out the ad in this week’s Anchor. To register, visit https://www.alberta.ca/farmer-led-research-engagement.aspx and scroll down to the Strathmore link, call my office at 403-962-0126, or email me at Chestermere.Strathmore@assembly.ab.ca. We are committed to tailoring our agriculture research to meet your needs.
You have certainly heard of the Fair Deal Panel that is touring the province to get your input on a better deal for Alberta within Canada. Please watch for an upcoming announcement next week on my Fair Deal Town Hall, coming soon.
Alberta government has declared Red Tape Reduction Awareness Week. It has been amazing to see how many submissions have come from all of you to our website at CutRedTape.Alberta.ca. We have had over 4500 submissions, we have held town halls, and we are so grateful for your help in identifying how we can cut red tape. We have some great momentum, and our goal is to cut red tape by 1/3, and in doing so help in getting our folks back to work. We need to inspire our job creators, innovators and all Albertans and reducing the regulatory burden is one of the ways to create a fast-flowing economy. We look forward to continued discussions and reducing the red tape burden on our businesses, job creators and every Albertan together. Thank you to Associate Minister Grant Hunter for his great work on this important initiative.
The province launched its Support Our Troops program in 2014 and Albertans have responded strongly – purchasing nearly 45,000 plates since then. This public support has resulted in almost $2.5 million raised for Support Our Troops. The Canadian Armed Forces official charitable cause is operated by Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services. Support Our Troops provides financial support and assistance to military members and families who make Alberta their home.
I want to personally thank Minister Nate Glubish and our Military Liaison Brad Rutherford for their work on supporting our troops through the specialty licence plate program. Canadian Armed Forces representative Sean N. Cantelon, who is the CEO of the Canadian Forces for Morale and Welfare Services was able to share and express their thanks for this campaign.
“The men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces provide a tremendous service to our province, country and the international community and it is difficult to find ways to express our appreciation to them and their families for their service and sacrifice. This program enables Albertans to show their support in a small, but meaningful way. It is inspiring to see these plates on so many Alberta vehicles, knowing the significant difference these donations have made to the lives of military families.”
Nate Glubish, Minister of Service Alberta
“There is no higher form of public service than to risk one’s life in defence of our country or in maintaining public safety. Albertans share a great pride in our military members and so does our government. We are proud to support the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families with the Support Our Troops licence plate program, which provides funding for an array of important services. I encourage all Albertans to participate in this valuable program.”
Brad Rutherford, MLA for Leduc-Beaumont, liaison to the Canadian Armed Forces
“We truly appreciate the Province of Alberta’s endorsement and support of this program, which serves as an excellent role model for other provinces who are putting in place similar programs.”
Sean N. Cantelon, CEO, Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services
Funds raised from the Support Our Troops specialty licence plate program help current and former members of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families in Alberta through organizations that provide support for children’s programs, scholarships, family assistance, veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and other initiatives.
As always, we love to hear from you.
