Connect with us

Alberta

Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announces nearly 25,000 new and upgraded spaces for Alberta students

Published

12 minute read

Investing in new schools, modernized spaces

Alberta’s government is investing $2.3 billion over the next three years, for new and modernized classrooms.

Budget 2023 supports 58 projects, which includes 13 full construction projects, 20 design, 14 planning and 11 pre-planning projects. In total, there will be nearly 25,000 new and additional spaces for students across Alberta – 9,400 new spaces and more than 15,500 student upgraded spaces. This includes approximately 4,500 new and upgraded spaces in Calgary, 4,100 in Edmonton and 16,300 for the rest of the province.

“Alberta’s young learners are the community and business leaders of tomorrow. They need the right spaces to gain the tools and skills needed to prepare for their bright futures. By investing in our schools, we’re investing in our students while at the same time creating more jobs and supporting the local economy.”

Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Education

This investment in education infrastructure includes:

  • $372 million for construction and design projects:
    • 10 new schools
    • 16 replacement schools
    • seven modernizations
  • $4 million to support planning activities such as site analysis and scope development for 14 projects
  • $1 million to pre-plan 11 conceptual projects that are anticipated to become high-priority needs for school jurisdictions
  • $1 billion to continue work on previously announced projects
  • $300 million over three years in school authority self-directed capital projects
  • $279 million to support the maintenance and renewal of existing school buildings through the Capital Maintenance and Renewal Program
  • $171 million to support public charter school infrastructure, including investment for a charter hub in Calgary
  • $43 million to fund facility upgrades for successful collegiate school applicants
  • $93 million for the modular classroom program to address urgent space needs across the province

“The Alberta government is investing in critical infrastructure projects that include upgrading and building high-quality schools to ensure Albertans can send their children to schools in their local communities. Our focus is on ensuring these projects are delivered on time, on budget and where they’re needed.”

Nathan Neudorf, Minister of Infrastructure

The availability of suitable sites has been one of the biggest roadblocks causing delays to school projects. That’s why, through Budget 2023, Alberta’s government is creating a new School Planning Program that will serve as a transparent “pipeline” for upcoming school projects to begin as soon as formal construction funding is approved. Fourteen school projects will begin planning and site development through this new program while a further 11 projects will receive pre-planning funding to assist with developing scope options.

The planning program will allow for the further development of project scope and site investigation work. It will also help to clarify potential risks and identify mitigating strategies and costs. The goal is to provide school boards with the resources they need to remove barriers and better position the project for design consideration and construction approval in future budget cycles, which is expected to reduce costs and minimize schedule disruptions and delays.

“The Calgary Catholic Board of Trustees is grateful for the capital projects announced for the Calgary Catholic School District, which includes full funding for the K-9 school in Nolan Hill to serve this rapidly growing community. We anticipate receiving the full construction funding for the Rangeview high school and Chestermere K-9 school as soon as possible, after the design process is completed. These projects need urgent attention given the critical need for school infrastructure and CCSD’s high utilization rate in these communities. CCSD appreciates the pre-planning commitment towards the construction of the K-9 school in Redstone, the addition/enhancement of Bishop McNally High School and the construction of a new west-end high school.”

Cathie Williams, board chair, Calgary Catholic School District

“On behalf of CBE students and their families, we thank the Government of Alberta for the capital plan announcement. These extraordinary and timely investments in infrastructure are vital to support student learning opportunities within our system.”

Laura Hack, board chair, Calgary Board of Education

“This is an exciting day for Elk Island Public Schools, for the community and especially for students of both École Campbelltown and Sherwood Heights Junior High. A modern, well-equipped and efficient building will allow us to continue to offer the quality education students need to succeed in the classroom and will help ease the growth pressures we are facing in Sherwood Park.”

Trina Boymook, board chair, Elk Island Public Schools

Quick facts:

  • Full construction funding activities include construction and post-occupancy review.
  • Design funding activities include the preparation of construction tender documents such as drawings and specifications.
  • Planning funding activities include site analysis and scope development activities.
  • Pre-planning funding allows a conceptual project to define scope elements, programming priorities and includes activities such as community engagement.
  • To support the decision-making process for delivering infrastructure projects, the Ministry of Infrastructure passed the Infrastructure Accountability Act in December 2021. This act outlines how the province prioritizes projects for the annual capital plan.
  • As legislated by the act, the government also published Building Forward: Alberta’s 20-Year Strategic Capital Plan in December 2021, providing a blueprint for long-term infrastructure investment and development in Alberta.
  • The government’s budget decisions are made in accordance with the act and are guided by the strategic capital plan to ensure future capital investments benefit Albertans.
  • Government partners, such as municipalities and school boards, will also be able to plan for capital funding knowing the long-term direction of government.

Budget 2023 school projects – full construction funding (13):

Community School division Project type/Name
Airdrie Conseil scolaire FrancoSud new secondary school
Calgary Calgary Board of Education modernization of John G. Diefenbaker High School
Calgary Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School Division new K-9 school in Nolan Hill
Edmonton Conseil scolaire Centre-Nord solution for École Michaëlle-Jean and École Gabrielle-Roy
Edmonton Edmonton Public School Board new K-9 school in Edgemont
Lethbridge Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Separate School Division new K-6 school in west Lethbridge
Lethbridge Conseil scolaire FrancoSud École La Vérendrye gym project
Okotoks Christ the Redeemer Catholic Separate School Division replacement of École Good Shepherd School
Penhold Chinook’s Edge School Division replacement of Penhold Elementary School
Raymond Westwind School Division new high school
Sherwood Park Elk Island School Division solution for Sherwood Park
Valleyview Northern Gateway School Division solution for Valleyview
Waskatenau Lakeland Roman Catholic Separate School Division replacement of Holy Family
Catholic School

Budget 2023 school projects – design funding (20):

Community School division Project type/Name
Airdrie Rocky View School Division new K-8 school in southwest Airdrie
Barrhead Pembina Hills School Division modernization and rightsizing of Barrhead Composite High School
Blackfalds Red Deer Catholic Separate School Division new K-5 school
Bow Island / Burdett Prairie Rose School Division solution for Bow Island and Burdett
Breton Wild Rose School Division modernization and rightsizing of Breton High School and demolition of Breton Elementary School
Brooks Grasslands School Division replacement of Brooks Junior High School
Chestermere Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School Division new K-9 school
Calgary Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School Division new high school in Rangeview
Edmonton Edmonton Catholic Separate School Division solution for Rundle Heights
Edmonton Edmonton Public School Board new junior/senior high school in Glenridding Heights
Fort McMurray Conseil scolaire Centre-Nord replacement of K-12 École Boréale
Lac La Biche Northern Lights School Division replacement of Vera M. Welsh School
Leduc Black Gold School Division modernization of École Corinthia Park School
Mallaig St. Paul School Division replacement of École Mallaig School
Medicine Hat Medicine Hat Roman Catholic Separate School Division replacement of St. Francis Xavier School
Nanton Livingstone Range School Division solution for Nanton
Red Earth Creek Peace River School Division replacement of Red Earth Creek School
Spruce Grove Parkland School Division replacement of Spruce Grove Composite High School
Taber Horizon School Division modernization of the W.R. Myers and D.A. Ferguson schools
Wainwright Buffalo Trail School Division replacement of Wainwright School

Budget 2023 – School Planning Program projects (14):

Community School division Project type/Name
Airdrie Rocky View School Division new grades 9-12 school
Calgary Calgary Board of Education modernization of Annie Gale School
Calgary Calgary Board of Education new high school in Cornerstone
Coalhurst Palliser School Division modernization of Coalhurst High School
Donnelly High Prairie School Division G. P. Vanier School
Edmonton Edmonton Catholic Separate School Division new K-9 school in Heritage Valley Cavanagh
Edmonton Edmonton Public School Board new K-6 school in Rosenthal
Edmonton Edmonton Public School Board new elementary school in Glenridding Heights
Fort McMurray Fort McMurray School Division modernization of Westwood Community High School
Grande Prairie Peace Wapiti School Division new high school north of Grande Prairie
Lethbridge Lethbridge School Division modernization of Galbraith Elementary School
Okotoks Foothills School Division new high school
Stettler Clearview School Division modernization and addition at Stettler Middle School
Strathmore Golden Hills School Division replacement of Westmount School

Budget 2023 – Pre-Planning Program projects (11):

Community School division Project type/Name
Calgary Calgary Board of Education modernization of A.E. Cross School
Calgary Calgary Board of Education modernization of Sir John A. Macdonald School
Calgary Calgary Board of Education new Saddle Ridge middle school
Calgary Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School Division new elementary school in Redstone
Calgary Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School Division addition at Bishop McNally High School
Calgary Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School Division new west Calgary high school
Chestermere Rocky View School Division new K-9 school
Cochrane Rocky View School Division new K-5/K-8
Edmonton Edmonton Catholic Separate School Division new north K-9 school
Edmonton Edmonton Public School Division new junior high school in Pilot Sound/McConachie
Red Deer Red Deer Public Schools new northeast middle school

This is a news release from the Government of Alberta.

Follow Author

Alberta

Median workers in Alberta could receive 72% more under Alberta Pension Plan compared to Canada Pension Plan

Published on

From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill and Joel Emes

Moving from the CPP to a provincial pension plan would generate savings for Albertans in the form of lower contribution rates (which could be used to increase private retirement savings while receiving the same pension benefits as the CPP under the new provincial pension), finds a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

“Due to Alberta’s comparatively high rates of employment, higher average incomes, and younger population, Albertans would pay a lower contribution rate through a separate provincial pension plan while receiving the same benefits as under the CPP,” said Tegan Hill, director of Alberta policy at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Illustrating the Potential of an Alberta Pension Plan.

Assuming Albertans invested the savings from moving to a provincial pension plan into a private retirement account, and assuming a contribution rate of 5.85 per cent, workers earning the median income in Alberta ($53,061 in 2025) could accrue a stream of retirement payments totalling $454,741 (pre-tax)—a 71.6 per cent increase from their stream of CPP payments ($264,968).

Put differently, under the CPP, a median worker receives a total of $264,968 in retirement income over their life. If an Alberta worker saved the difference between what they pay now into the CPP and what they would pay into a new provincial plan, the income they would receive in retirement increases. If the contribution rate for the new provincial plan was 5.85 per cent—the lower of the available estimates—the increase in retirement income would total $189,773 (or an increase of 71.6 per cent).

If the contribution rate for a new Alberta pension plan was 8.21 per cent—the higher of the available estimates—a median Alberta worker would still receive an additional $64,672 in retirement income over their life, a marked increase of 24.4 per cent compared to the CPP alone.

Put differently, assuming a contribution rate of 8.21 per cent, Albertan workers earning the median income could accrue a stream of retirement payments totaling $329,640 (pre-tax) under a provincial pension plan—a 24.4 per cent increase from their stream of CPP payments.

“While the full costs and benefits of a provincial pension plan must be considered, its clear that Albertans could benefit from higher retirement payments under a provincial pension plan, compared to the CPP,” Hill said.

Illustrating the Potential of an Alberta Pension Plan

  • Due to Alberta’s comparatively high rates of employment, higher average incomes, and younger population, Albertans would pay a lower contribution rate with a separate provincial pension plan, compared with the CPP, while receiving the same benefits as under the CPP.
  • Put differently, moving from the CPP to a provincial pension plan would generate savings for Albertans, which could be used to increase private retirement income. This essay assesses the potential savings for Albertans of moving to a provincial pension plan. It also estimates an Albertan’s potential increase in total retirement income, if those savings were invested in a private account.
  • Depending on the contribution rate used for an Alberta pension plan (APP), ranging from 5.85 to 8.2 percent, an individual earning the CPP’s yearly maximum pensionable earnings ($71,300 in 2025), would accrue a stream of retirement payments under the total APP (APP plus private retirement savings), yielding a total retirement income of between $429,524 and $584,235. This would be 22.9 to 67.1 percent higher, respectively, than their stream of CPP payments ($349,545).
  • An individual earning the median income in Alberta ($53,061 in 2025), would accrue a stream of retirement payments under the total APP (APP plus private retirement savings), yielding a total retirement income of between $329,640 and $454,741, which is between 24.4 percent to 71.6 percent higher, respectively, than their stream of CPP payments ($264,968).

 

Tegan Hill

Director, Alberta Policy, Fraser Institute
Joel Emes

Joel Emes

Senior Economist, Fraser Institute
Continue Reading

Alberta

Alberta ban on men in women’s sports doesn’t apply to athletes from other provinces

Published on

From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

Alberta’s Fairness and Safety in Sport Act bans transgender males from women’s sports within the province but cannot regulate out-of-province transgender athletes.

Alberta’s ban on gender-confused males competing in women’s sports will not apply to out-of-province athletes.

In an interview posted July 12 by the Canadian Press, Alberta Tourism and Sport Minister Andrew Boitchenko revealed that Alberta does not have the jurisdiction to regulate out-of-province, gender-confused males from competing against female athletes.

“We don’t have authority to regulate athletes from different jurisdictions,” he said in an interview.

Ministry spokeswoman Vanessa Gomez further explained that while Alberta passed legislation to protect women within their province, outside sporting organizations are bound by federal or international guidelines.

As a result, Albertan female athletes will be spared from competing against men during provincial competition but must face male competitors during inter-provincial events.

In December, Alberta passed the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act to prevent biological men who claim to be women from competing in women’s sports. The legislation will take effect on September 1 and will apply to all school boards, universities, as well as provincial sports organizations.

The move comes after studies have repeatedly revealed what almost everyone already knew was true, namely, that 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.

Additionally, male athletes competing in women’s sports are known to be violent, especially toward female athletes who oppose their dominance in women’s sports.

In February, Andres ranted about why men should be able to compete in women’s competitions, calling for “the Ontario lifter” who opposes this, apparently referring to powerlifter April Hutchinson, to “die painfully.”

Interestingly, while Andres was suspended for six months for issuing death threats, Hutchinson was suspended for two years after publicly condemning him for stealing victories from women and then mocking his female competitors on social media. Her suspension was later reduced to a year.

Continue Reading

Trending

X