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Alberta

$8.6 billion committed: Province to fund up to 30 new schools and 8 modernizations in each of next 3 years

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Alberta’s government is committing $8.6 billion to complete and open 200,000 new student spaces across the province in the next seven years.

Alberta’s population is growing exponentially as more people from across Canada and around the world choose to make the province their home. This rapid growth is causing strain on the Kindergarten to Grade 12 education system, with student enrolment increasing at historic rates.

To keep up with fast-rising student enrolment, Alberta’s government is committing $8.6 billion through the new School Construction Accelerator Program. This program will create more than 200,000 new and modernized spaces for students to learn, grow and reach their full potential. Starting in Budget 2025, Alberta’s government will kick-start up to 30 new schools and as many as eight modernizations and replacement schools every year for the next three years.

“Every student deserves a quality education in a school that can meet their learning needs and set them on a path to success in the future. As hundreds of thousands of people are choosing to make Alberta their home, we are responding by funding and building the schools our fast-growing communities need. As we build, we’re asking school boards and municipalities to work with us so we can get shovels in the ground as quickly as possible.”

Danielle Smith, Premier

The Calgary Metropolitan Area and Edmonton Metropolitan Region, along with other communities across the province, have been feeling the pressures of strong student growth and aging school infrastructure. The School Construction Accelerator Program will result in 50,000 new or modernized student spaces over the next three years – and more than 150,000 new and modernized spaces over the following four years. In total, the School Construction Accelerator Program will mean approval for up to 30 new school projects and as many as eight new modernization and replacement projects every year over the next three years. In addition to the school projects, 20,000 new student spaces will be delivered through modular classrooms over the next four years.

“We are investing in the future of our province. Through our commitment to kick-start 30 new schools each year over the next three years, we are delivering new student spaces across the province and in our fastest-growing communities for students to learn, grow and reach their full potential.”

Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education

“I look forward to working with my ministry and industry partners to build the schools Albertans need and ensuring that each project is as unique as the students who use them. School builds, modernizations and renovations support tens of thousands of jobs across the province. As Alberta communities continue to grow, this announcement will allow us to meet demands for spaces faster and more efficiently, all while creating jobs and boosting our local and provincial economies.”

Pete Guthrie, Minister of Infrastructure

The School Construction Accelerator program also takes immediate action to speed up the construction of schools by enabling school projects to be approved in-year for their next stage in the construction process without having to wait for the next budget cycle. This means all previously approved school projects currently in the planning and design stages can move forward to the next stage as soon as they are ready to do so. Through this change, 10 previously announced priority school projects are now approved for the next stage of project delivery, including six moving to full construction.

“We appreciate the government’s recognition that there is an urgent need to provide additional learning spaces for CBE students. CBE families are looking forward to new schools in their growing communities and modernizations to address aging infrastructure. Thank you to the Premier and the Government of Alberta for this much-needed investment.”

Patricia Bolger, board chair, Calgary Board of Education

“Edmonton Public Schools is grateful for the province’s funding for school infrastructure. This crucial support will help us meet urgent needs and positively affect our students and families.”

Julie Kusiek, board chair, Edmonton Public Schools

The population growth has not only increased pressure in the public and separate school system but has increased demand for publicly funded charter programming and space needs. Public charter schools play an important role in Alberta’s education system by offering unique programming to students focused on a learning style, teaching style, approach or pedagogy not already being offered by school boards where the charter is located. As part of this accelerated program, Alberta’s government will add 12,500 new charter school student spaces over the next four years through a Charter School Accelerator pilot program.

“The Association of Alberta Public Charter Schools is elated by this historic capital announcement. It will help ensure that more families and students can access the excellent programming our public charter schools offer for generations to come.”

Joanne Higgins, president, The Alberta Association of Public Charter Schools (TAAPCS)

Independent schools offer specialized learning supports as well as religious and cultural programming to support parental and educational choice. Alberta’s government will continue to explore opportunities for a school capital pilot program for non-profit independent schools to broaden learning options for Alberta families.

Quick facts

  • The School Construction Accelerator Program will deliver more than 200,000 new and modernized student spaces.
    • Previously approved school projects and modular classrooms will create about 50,000 new and modernized student spaces over the next three years.
    • The program will create about 150,000 additional new and modernized student spaces. This includes:
      • more than 100,000 new student spaces
      • more than 16,600 modernized student spaces
      • more than 20,000 student spaces in new or relocated modular classrooms

Alberta

Danielle Smith confirms Alberta will introduce bill to ban men from competing in women’s sports

Published on

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Proposed legislation would apply to ‘all competitive women’s and girls’ sports and all provincial sporting organizations as well as in our schools and postsecondary competitive sporting divisions,’ the Alberta premier said.

Alberta will soon introduce a law that bans gender-confused men from competing in women’s sports, Premier Danielle Smith announced.

“As it pertains to women and girls in competitive sports, proposed legislation will be tabled that prohibits individuals born biologically male from competing against women and girls in competitive sporting competitions,” Smith said earlier in the week in an announcement on her X account.

The new law will mean that women and girls in the province will be protected from having to compete against biological men who claim to be women in all sporting scenarios.

Smith, who leads the ruling United Conservative Party (UCP), said the new law will apply to “all competitive women’s and girls’ sports and all provincial sporting organizations as well as in our schools and postsecondary competitive sporting divisions.”

Smith noted that her government would “support the formation of additional” and possibly transgender-only “coed and recreational divisions so that all athletes have as many opportunities as possible to compete in their sport of choice.”

Smith said that before her new bill is tabled in the legislature she is looking to “depoliticize the discussion and focus on the well-being of the children and youth most affected by these policies.”

Earlier in the year, she said her government was looking to bring forth legislation banning gender-confused men from competing in women’s sports.

Alberta’s new law prohibiting men from competing in women’s sports comes after studies have repeatedly revealed that gender-confused males have a considerable advantage over women in athletics.

Indeed, a recent study published in Sports Medicine found that a year of transgender hormone drugs results in “very modest changes” in the inherent strength advantages of men.

The news of the new bill also comes as the UCP looks to November to bring forth a resolution that calls on the government to introduce a law protecting “female spaces” for biological females and their children.

The UCP under Smith wants to bring forth laws focusing on parental rights as well as protecting Albertans’ general rights.

As reported by LifeSiteNews, part of Smith’s new bill would allow parents to opt their children into sexual education lessons rather than opt them out.

LifeSiteNews recently reported on forthcoming legislation to be introduced by the UCP that includes a provision that would cement parental rights as a “God-given right,” with the goal to prevent government overreach into parents raising kids.

It is expected that the UCP government will introduce its new “Bill of Rights” this fall. The bill contains a slew of pro-freedom proposals, including enshrining the “right to life” into law from “conception, gestation in the womb.”

The bill also includes a section that guarantees each citizen has the “right” to medical “informed consent” as well as the “right” to “refuse vaccinations.”

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Alberta

Danielle Smith hits back at Liberal ‘gender’ minister who attacked Alberta’s pro-family legislation

Published on

From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

The Alberta premier fact-checked pro-LGBT Minister of Women and Gender Equality Marci Ien’s condemnation of pro-family legislation, pointing out that children who undergo irreversible gender surgeries and drugs suffer from the repercussions for life.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith blasted a Liberal minister for spreading the false claim that legislation will hurt gender-confused kids.

In an Oct. 1 exchange on X, formerly known as Twitter, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith fact-checked  pro-LGBT Minister of Women and Gender Equality Marci Ien’s condemnation of pro-family legislation, pointing out that children who undergo irreversible gender surgeries and drugs suffer from the repercussions for life.

“Premier Smith is doubling down on her plans to target trans youth,” Ien had written. “She says this conversation is only for ‘adults.’ That’s because she knows that if she listened to the people affected by these policies, she would have to face how many kids she is hurting.”

“Do you mean like listening to children going through this, @MarciIen?” Smith questioned, linking to a National Post article highlighting the pain and regret by detransitioners who made irreversible decision to take drugs and surgeries to change their bodies as young teens.

Later, Smith doubled down on her stance, saying, “In Alberta, we believe children should wait until adulthood before making physical changes to their body.”

“Furthermore, we believe in the rights of loving parents to be meaningfully engaged with their children’s education when sensitive issues are taught,” she continued. “And women and girls deserve the opportunity to compete fairly and safely in female-only divisions.”

Smith’s new legislation, which will take effect later this month, far surpasses other provinces in its protection of children and would make Alberta’s parental rights laws the strongest in the country.

Licensed doctors are prohibited from performing sex-change surgeries on youth under age 18 in Alberta. Puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones will be prohibited for minors under the age of 16 unless the minors have already begun taking those drugs.

Those “born biologically male” will be prohibited from competing against women and girls in competitive sports. Parental opt-in will be required for “each instance” a teacher wishes to discuss gender identity, sexual orientation, or human sexuality.

Parental notification is required for “socially transitioning” a student — that is, changing a student’s given name or pronouns. Unfortunately, 16- and 17-year-olds are still allowed to decide to change their name or pronouns in school, but parents must be notified.

While Smith has received severe backlash from LGBT activists, she revealed in February that the new legislation was a result of hearing of the horrors that took place at the U.K.’s Tavistock Centre, the National Health Service’s “gender clinic” for children who believe they are “transgender.”

In 2019, the clinic was exposed for approving “life-changing medical intervention” for children and teens “without sufficient evidence of its long-term effects.” Shortly after, the clinic was forced to shut down.

Smith was especially touched by the story of Keira Bell, who was given puberty blockers and testosterone injections by the Tavistock clinic and underwent a double mastectomy at age 20. She now “very seriously regrets the process” and has joined a lawsuit against the clinic.

Unfortunately, Bell’s story is not unique, as overwhelming evidence reveals that those who undergo so-called “gender transitioning” are more likely to commit suicide than those who are not given irreversible surgery. A Swedish study found that those who underwent so-called “gender reassignment” surgery ended up with a 19.2 times greater risk of suicide.

In fact, in addition to asserting a false reality that one’s sex can be changed, transgender surgeries and drugs have been linked to permanent physical and psychological damage, including cardiovascular diseasesloss of bone densitycancerstrokes and blood clotsinfertility, and suicidality.

Indeed, there is proof that the most loving and helpful approach to people who think they are a different sex is not to validate them in their confusion but to show them the truth.

A new study on the side effects of transgender “sex change” surgeries discovered that 81 percent of those who had undergone “sex change” surgeries in the past five years reported experiencing pain simply from normal movement in the weeks and months that followed — and that many other side effects manifest as well.

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