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200 plus homeless people will find shelter in former Stony Plain Road hotel

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From the City of Edmonton

Temporary emergency shelter opens its doors

The new 24/7 temporary emergency shelter funded by the City of Edmonton and operated by Tallcree Tribal Government in partnership with Jasper Place Wellness Centre (JPWC) will open its doors today.
The shelter, located in a former hotel at 15540 Stony Plain Road in the city’s west end, will accommodate 209 individuals experiencing homelessness when fully operational. The first of 59 private rooms will open, with a phased opening of 150 congregate living spaces throughout the remainder of January and February. Until the congregate living spaces are available, the site will be referral based only.
“Every single Edmontonian deserves access to a safe and warm space and that is exactly why this City Council prioritized funding this shelter,” said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. “We are grateful to Tallcree Tribal Government and Jasper Place Wellness Centre for working with us to provide Edmontonians with a safe place to stay during this winter as we continue to support individuals transitioning to long term solutions like permanent supportive housing.”
People accessing the shelter will have a safe, warm place to sleep, receive daily meals and have access to health services, harm reduction support, case management support and be connected with a housing support worker who will help them find longer term housing.
“Jasper Place Wellness Centre is excited to collaborate with Tallcree Tribal Government and the City of Edmonton on this important project,” said Taylor Soroka, JPWC’s co-founder and vice president of strategy. “This space will provide unhoused Edmontonians with safety, services and a pathway to permanent housing.”
“We know that many First Nation People are experiencing homelessness,” said Tallcree Tribal Government Chief Rupert Meneen. “Tallcree Tribal Government is pleased to work with Jasper Place Wellness Centre and the City of Edmonton to address this urgent need, connecting First Nation people, and others in need, to culturally appropriate interventions and services in a safe environment. By doing so, we’ll achieve better outcomes for all.”
The City of Edmonton is providing $7.5 million from the financial stabilization reserve to fund the emergency shelter.
Homeward Trust’s By Name List indicates that more than 2,750 Edmontonians are experiencing homelessness. About 1,250 of those individuals are primarily sleeping in emergency shelters or outdoors each night.
The Government of Alberta funds 622 permanent shelter spaces year round in Edmonton. For the winter months, the Government of Alberta is funding 450 additional shelter spaces for winter 2022/23 and winter 2023/24, increasing overnight shelter capacity in Edmonton to 1,072 spaces during the winter months. The additional spaces at the City-funded shelter will increase capacity to 1,281 spaces.
The City-funded shelter is expected to remain open until May 31, 2023

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Alberta

Carney government should end damaging energy policies amid separatist sentiment in Alberta

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From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill

Following last month’s Liberal election victory, and after a decade of damaging federal policies by the Trudeau government, some Albertans are calling for a referendum on separation. While Premier Danielle Smith said she does not support separation she “will honour” the referendum process. And according to a recent poll, more than one-third of Albertans are open to leaving Canada. But whether or not the referendum actually happens, one thing is clear—Albertans have reason to be frustrated with confederation.

In our current system, Ottawa collects taxes from people and businesses across the country then transfers that money to Canadians for federal and national programs including the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and employment insurance. Albertans contribute disproportionately to this system thanks to the province’s relatively high rates of employment, higher average incomes and younger population.

For example, from 1981 to 2022 (the latest year of available data), Albertans’ net contribution to the CPP—meaning the amount Albertans paid into the program over and above what retirees in Alberta received in CPP benefit payments—was $53.6 billion. British Columbia was the only other province where workers paid more into the CPP than retirees received in benefits—and Alberta’s contribution was six times greater than B.C.’s contribution.

On equalization—Canada’s transfer program aimed at ensuring each province can provide comparable levels of public services—Alberta has not received payments since 1964/65. In 2022 (the latest year of available data), the federal government spent $21.9 billion on equalization while 13.5 per cent of total federal revenue came from Alberta, which means Alberta taxpayers contributed an estimated $3.0 billion to the equalization program that year—while receiving no payments.

More broadly, Alberta’s total net contribution to federal finances and national programs (that is, total federal taxes and payments paid by Albertans minus federal money spent or transferred to Albertans) was $244.6 billion from 2007 to 2022—more than five times more than the net contribution from British Columbians or Ontarians (the only other two net contributors) despite Alberta’s smaller population.

So that’s the reality—Alberta massively overcontributes to federal and national programs. But that’s not necessarily a problem, in and of itself. The problem is that despite Alberta’s outsized importance within Canada, Albertans have faced a barrage of federal policies that disproportionately and negatively impact the province including Bill C-69 (which imposes complex, uncertain and onerous review requirements on major energy projects), Bill C-48 (which bans large oil tankers off B.C.’s northern coast and limits access to Asian markets), an arbitrary cap on oil and gas emissions, numerous “net-zero” targets, and so on.

On the campaign trail, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to keep the emissions cap and Bill C-69 (which opponents call the “no more pipelines act”). Yet in a recent interview with CTV, Carney said he will “change things at the federal level that need to be changed in order for projects to move forward” adding that he may eventually remove both the emissions cap and Bill C-69.

That would be welcomed news in Alberta, which continues to punch above its economic weight despite federal policies that prevent the province from reaching its full economic potential. And any policies that restrict Alberta ultimately limit prosperity in Canada.

Albertans may soon face a referendum on separation. The rest of Canada should understand why so many Albertans are frustrated with the status quo. Federal policies specifically target their province’s energy industry despite their disproportionate contribution to the federation. It’s time to undo these federal policies, for the benefit of all Canadians.

Tegan Hill

Director, Alberta Policy, Fraser Institute
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Alberta

It’s not just Alberta flirting with western separatism now

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From the Preston Manning Substack

In this podcast, journalist Brian Lilley speaks to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, Liberal pollster Dan Arnold, and former Federal Opposition Leader Preston Manning.

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