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$30 million investment to help develop national transportation logistics hub at Red Deer Regional Airport

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News release from the Province of Alberta

Investing in the Red Deer Regional Airport

Budget 2023 is investing $30 million to expand the Red Deer Regional Airport, clearing the way to develop a national transportation logistics hub in central Alberta.

As Alberta’s government continues its focus on growing and diversifying the economy, an investment in the Red Deer Regional Airport will provide new opportunities in central Alberta. Improvements will support the development of a shipping and receiving hub in central Alberta and attract new investment opportunities to create high-paying jobs.

“Alberta’s airports play a critical role in strengthening and diversifying our economy by expanding access to markets, as we don’t have direct access to tidewater. This investment will allow additional aviation cargo and logistics services, which will not only provide new travel options and get more products to market but also create jobs and help attract new investment to central Alberta.”

Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors

The expansion will support the growth of rural communities in central Alberta while enhancing the safety of local residents and airport users by creating an additional emergency access to the airport and the Hamlet of Springbrook. This new funding builds on a $7.5-million grant from Alberta’s government in 2022-23 for the airport to repair and upgrade its runway.

“This is definitely exciting news. The Red Deer Regional Airport is situated along one of the busiest transportation hubs in the province. This expansion will provide huge economic benefits to central Alberta.”

Jim Wood, mayor, Red Deer County

“The city and county recognize the Red Deer Regional Airport as an economic catalyst. The city, as a joint appointer for the airport with the county, is working together to be a key logistics hub based on our prime location. Thank you to the Province of Alberta for their investments in central Alberta.”

Ken Johnston, mayor, City of Red Deer

“We are glad this government has recognized the unique opportunity the airport and central Alberta can play in expanding our economic impact through diversification. We already have a tenant looking to expand their business as a result of this positive development. By building the road north, we now have the opportunity to access the additional 220 acres, which we hope will bring in cargo, aircraft repair and other airline-related services. This expansion project will also result in a new passenger terminal allowing for 737 aircraft passenger service.”

Graham Ingram, chief executive officer, Red Deer Regional Airport

“Air Spray has partnered with the Red Deer airport for over 50 years. We are the largest business at the airport, employing over 150 highly trained aviation professionals. Air Spray is delighted with the news of this major investment at the Red Deer airport. This investment allows Air Spray to move forward with our expansion plans to add additional hangar space at the airport.”

Paul Lane, chief operating officer, Air Spray Airtankers

Funding through Budget 2023 will support north end road construction and civil works, including water sanitation, stormwater and fibre optics, to Township Road 374 to support new business opportunities for the north end land development. The development of the north end road will also create additional emergency access to the airport and will increase safety for the community as it continues to grow.

“As the MLA for Red Deer-North and as a resident of Red Deer, I know this expansion will be a welcomed addition for the community. This expansion will be an asset to the transportation corridor, as it will attract new passenger and cargo services, improve tourism and create jobs. I am happy to see further investments that will support our booming community.”

Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Education and MLA for Red Deer-North

“Centrally located on the dynamic Calgary-Edmonton corridor, the Red Deer Regional Airport enjoys great competitive advantages. This transformative $30-million capital investment for the airport will leverage those advantages, increasing the economic capacity of the airport, thereby increasing economic activity and prosperity in Red Deer and central Alberta.”

Jason Stephan, MLA for Red Deer-South

Budget 2023 secures Alberta’s future by transforming the health-care system to meet people’s needs, supporting Albertans with the high cost of living, keeping our communities safe and driving the economy with more jobs, quality education and continued diversification.

Quick facts

  • Alberta’s aviation and aerospace industries employ more than 18,000 people (2022, Statistics Canada).
  • These industries contributed $1.5 billion to the province’s GDP in 2021.
  • The province is home to three low-cost Alberta-based carriers – Lynx Air, Swoop and Flair Airlines.
  • Alberta’s government created the Strategic Aviation Advisory Council in 2020 to provide expert advice to government on how aviation and aerospace can increase economic development opportunities, expand markets and create jobs in the province.

This is a news release from the Government of Alberta.

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Alberta

Canadaā€™s postal service refuses to help with Trudeauā€™s gun ban buyback program: report

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From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

According to a report, Canada’s mail service notified the Trudeau government via a letter that it would not participate in the buyback scheme, citing safety concerns for its employees.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal government crackdown on legal gun owners through a buyback scheme has hit a major roadblock after Canada Post, a federal-run institution, signaled it will refuse to participate in scooping up thousands of legally purchased firearms at the bequest of the government.

According to government sources in a recent Radio-Canada report, the Trudeau Liberals were hoping Canada Post would help collect approximately 144,000 “assault” and “military-style” firearms that were recently banned by the government. Canada Post currently delivers guns via mail that are legally purchased to those with firearms licenses.

The inside source, who chose not to be named, noted that Canada Post notified the Trudeau government via a letter that it would not participate in the buyback scheme, citing safety concerns for its employees.

According to the source, Canada Post is still talking with the federal government, with one idea being to allow it to transport guns but not oversee getting them from their legal owners.

“It’s a challenge, but we do not think this jeopardizes our timetable or the government’s desire to move forward,” said one source, adding, “We want the discussions to continue.”

As for the Trudeau federal government, it continues to say that having Canada Post be involved in the gun buyback is the “most efficient” as well as “least costly” way to get the guns back from owners.

Trudeau’s gun grab was first announced after a deadly mass shooting in Nova Scotia in May 2020 in which he banned over 1,500 “military-style assault firearms” with a plan to begin buying them back from owners.

Late last year, the Trudeau government extended the amnesty deadline for legal gun owners until October 30, 2025. It should be noted that this is around the same time a federal election will take place.

The Canadian government’s controversial gun grab Bill C-21, which bans many types of guns, including handguns, and mandates a buyback program became law on December 14, 2023, after senators voted 60-24 in favor of the bill.

Alberta and other provinces promise to fight Trudeau’s gun grab tooth and nail

On the same day news broke that Canada Post said it would not participate in Trudeau’s gun buyback, Alberta chief firearms officer Teri Bryant last Wednesday issued a statement saying, “We urge the federal government to abandon this ill-advised program and meaningfully consult the provinces as we work to address the actual causes of firearms crime.”

“Canadians are still waiting for concrete details about the federal firearms confiscation program that has been in the works since 2020, and Canada Post’s refusal to participate in the federal government’s firearms ‘buy-back’ program is just one more example of how little forethought or engagement has gone into implementation of this program,” Bryant said.

Bryant noted that the buyback will not “significantly improve public safety” because it does not target those “involved in criminal activity and gun violence, and Albertans can be assured that our government will continue to advocate for our law-abiding firearms community.”

“We believe in a principled and informed approach to firearms policy that preserves public safety and recognizes the immense responsibility that comes with firearms ownership,” she noted.

Bryant observed that the federal confiscation program is not only causing uncertainty for many firearms businesses, but it is also “pulling attention and resources away from programs and initiatives that would help address public safety.”

“It is also undermining public confidence in the fairness of our entire firearms regulatory scheme,” she added.

Indeed, LifeSiteNews reported in February that despite Trudeau’s crackdown on legal gun owners, Statistics Canada data shows that most violent gun crimes in the country last year were not committed at the hands of legal gun owners but by those who obtained the weapons illegally.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, along with premiers from no less than four additional provinces, are opposed to C- 21.

Late last year, Smith promised she would strengthen the gun rights of Albertans because of Trudeau’s gun grab.

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Alberta

Alberta threatens to fight Trudeau government restrictions on Canadaā€™s plastics industry

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From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

“If the federal government refuses to abide by the constitution, we will take them to court again to defend our jurisdiction and the thousands of Albertans who work in the petrochemical sector”

Alberta has rejected the Liberal government’s “unconstitutional” federal plastics registry and production limit.

In an April 25 press release, Alberta’s Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz promised to take Liberal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault to court over his proposal to create a plastics registry, mandating companies to report their plastic production and implementation.

“If the federal government refuses to abide by the constitution, we will take them to court again to defend our jurisdiction and the thousands of Albertans who work in the petrochemical sector,” Schulz declared.

“This unilateral announcement is a slap in the face to Alberta and our province’s petrochemical industry, and the thousands of Albertans who work in it,” she continued.

Guilbeault’s plan, set to be implemented in September 2025, would mandate that businesses record how much plastic they place on the market in addition to the amount of plastic waste generated on their commercial, industrial, and institutional premises.

Companies would then report that amount to the federal government. The plan exempts small businesses which produce less than one tonne of plastic each year.

However, Schulz explained that the registry would negatively affect Alberta, as “plastics production is a growing part of Alberta’s economy, and we are positioned to lead the world for decades to come in the production of carbon neutral plastics.”

“Minister Guilbeault’s proposal would throw all of that into jeopardy and risk billions of dollars in investments. This includes projects like Dow Chemical’s net-zero petrochemical plant in Fort Saskatchewan, a $9-billion project that will create thousands of jobs,” she warned.

“If the federal government limits plastic production in Canada, other countries like China will just produce more. The only outcome that this federal government will achieve will be fewer jobs in Canada,” she explained.

Schulz’s statement comes after the November decision by the Federal Court to rule in favor of Alberta and Saskatchewan, declaring that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government overstepped its authority by classifying plastic as “toxic” and banning all single-use plastic items, like straws.

Essentially, the ruling overturned Trudeau’s 2022 law which outlawed manufacturing or importing plastic straws, cutlery, and checkout bags on the grounds of government claims that plastic was having a negative effect on the oceans. In reality, most plastic pollution in the oceans comes from a few countries, like India and China, which dump waste directly on beaches or in rivers.

The November ruling was only one of two recent court rulings that have dealt a blow to Trudeau’s environmental laws.

The second ruling came after Canada’s Supreme Court recently sided in favor of provincial autonomy when it comes to natural resources. The Supreme Court recently ruled that Trudeau’s law C-69, dubbed the “no-more pipelines” bill, is “mostly unconstitutional.” This was a huge win for Alberta and Saskatchewan, which challenged the law in court. The decision returned authority over the pipelines to provincial governments, meaning oil and gas projects headed up by the provinces should be allowed to proceed without federal intrusion.

The Trudeau government, however, seems insistent on defying the recent rulings by pushing forward with its various regulations.

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