Alberta premier Danielle Smith has sent a mandate letter to several ministers asking them to prioritize tackling issues related to inflation and the “affordibility crisis.”
“Affordability is the primary challenge facing Albertans today, and as a government we will ensure that Alberta families are able to manage through this storm by taking decisive action in the coming weeks and months.”
“Alberta’s economy remains strong, but many middle- and lower-income families, seniors and vulnerable Albertans are struggling to even heat their homes and feed their families. With these mandate letters, our message to Albertans is clear: help is on the way,” said Smith in a Nov. 9 release.
Mandates
The premier requested immediate action from Matt Jones, the minister of affordability and utilities, on such things as addressing the rising cost of utility payments, and a review of the province’s electricity pricing system, “with the goal of reducing transmission and distribution costs.”For minister of education Adriana LaGrange, Smith had a number of mandates, including additional supports to schools for youth mental health, adding significant numbers of educational assistants in classrooms to address learning loss and special needs students, increase new schools in areas as needed, and get more colleges online across the province.
Rebecca Schulz, minister of municipal affairs, has been directed, among other things, to review the Education Property Tax “to assist municipalities with retaining more funding for local priorities, and to continue to reduce red tape and the time required for permit approval, “to create a more attractive business investment environment.”
Smith also named improving health services in the provinces a priority including “prompt and efficient” ambulance response, “substantive improvements” to emergency services, and clearing surgical backlogs. She also identified services for homelessness, mental health and addiction as priorities.
In his mandate letter, Nixon was also instructed to continue to address affordable housing, expand seniors care facilities and lodges to keep up with growth and increased demand, and significantly strengthen food banks across the province. The premier also noted that the policies of Nixon’s department and the department of mental health and addiction must align with a recovery-oriented system of care.
Smith indicated that she intends to continue to work with the federal government on the child care agreement.
Smith also said in her letter that she expects cabinet ministers “to remain united and determined in the face of a federal government that no longer treats its partners in Confederation as equals.”
“We must proactively protect Albertans from continued federal government overreach, including hostile economic policies that landlock our provincial resources, that chase billions in investment and thousands of jobs from our province, and that are detrimental to the short-term and long-term prosperity of Albertans,” she said.
