Alberta
Red Deer Mayor Veer appointed Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of 41 Signal Regiment
November 30, 2020
Mayor Veer appointed Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel with the Canadian Armed Forces
(Red Deer, Alberta) – Nominated by the Commanding Officer of 41 Signal Regiment, and signed off by the Minister of National Defence; The City of Red Deer congratulates Mayor Tara Veer on her recent appointment to Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel by the Canadian Armed Forces in recognition of her work in the community, commitment to honouring military veterans, and local reservists.
“I am extremely honoured to have been given the distinguished appointment of Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel with the Canadian Military,” said Mayor Veer. “I am eager to serve in this position, in conjunction with my public duties. The sacrifices of our Canadian Armed Forces and the many veterans that served our country are what have allowed me to serve our community as Mayor. Past and present heroes in the Canadian Armed Forces have made our country what it is today. They are the reason for the freedoms Canadians enjoy today.”
“Mayor Veer has been a dedicated supporter of local troops and I know she will bring the to same dedication to our Squadrons in Edmonton and Calgary as well. I am delighted with her appointment as Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of 41 Signal Regiment and am excited about the enthusiasm and profile that she brings to this important role in the Canadian Army Reserve.”
Honorary Colonel Lloyd Lewis, 41 Signal Regiment
“Mayor Veer’s remarkable career and contributions to Red Deer will certainly be an inspiration to all of our soldiers with her demonstrated ‘service before self’, leadership, and boundless energy. The soldiers of 41 Signal Regiment are truly honoured to welcome Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel Veer to our ranks.”
Lieutenant-Colonel Steven Flavel, Commanding Officer, 41 Signal Regiment
Honoraries are a tradition going back more than a century in the Canadian Armed Forces. They are typically prominent private citizens who volunteer to act as advocates for their regiments, communities and guardians of regimental traditions and histories. The first Honorary Colonel appointment in Canada was that of Lieutenant-Colonel the Honorable J.M. Gibson, a Provincial Secretary in the Ontario Government. He was appointed as Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel to the 13th Battalion of Infantry in 1895.
Early in the 20th century in Canada, Sir Robert Borden described the practice of appointing Honoraries as “of greatest advantage to the Militia to be able to enlist the interest and sympathy of gentleman of position and wealth by connecting them to Regiments.”
That sentiment remains true today. The Honorary is seen to be the guardian of regimental traditions and history, promoting the regiment’s identity and ethos and being an advisor to the Commanding Officer on virtually all issues excluding operations.
“As an Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel, I will endeavor to foster ‘esprit de corps’ and support the 41 Signal Regiment and its leadership, and work to develop and strengthen the ties between our local military and communities, businesses, and industry throughout Alberta,” said Mayor Veer. “I will fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to me, which include providing a link between the local and provincial Squadrons and the community, and raise the public profile of the Regiment with utmost pride. Thank you to the Canadian Armed Forces for this honour.”
This honorary position builds upon and aligns with Mayor Veer’s role in the community as ambassador and advocate for the needs of the region.
“This is also a recognition for our community, and I share this with the people of Red Deer as I continue to advocate for the betterment of Red Deer for our citizens,” Mayor Veer continued.
The appointment is effective immediately, and is a three year term. A formal installation ceremony will be planned soon pending provincial health protocols.
41 Signal Regiment has squadrons in Red Deer, Edmonton and Calgary.
Click to learn more about the appointment process.
Click for more information about 41 Signal Regiment.
Six stories from local soldiers who have deployed internationally in the past year
Alberta
Alberta government should create flat 8% personal and business income tax rate in Alberta
From the Fraser Institute
By Tegan Hill
If the Smith government reversed the 2015 personal income tax rate increases and instituted a flat 8 per cent tax rate, it would help restore Alberta’s position as one of the lowest tax jurisdictions in North America
Over the past decade, Alberta has gone from one of the most competitive tax jurisdictions in North America to one of the least competitive. And while the Smith government has promised to create a new 8 per cent tax bracket on personal income below $60,000, it simply isn’t enough to restore Alberta’s tax competitiveness. Instead, the government should institute a flat 8 per cent personal and business income tax rate.
Back in 2014, Alberta had a single 10 per cent personal and business income tax rate. As a result, it had the lowest top combined (federal and provincial/state) personal income tax rate and business income tax rate in North America. This was a powerful advantage that made Alberta an attractive place to start a business, work and invest.
In 2015, however, the provincial NDP government replaced the single personal income tax rate of 10 percent with a five-bracket system including a top rate of 15 per cent, so today Alberta has the 10th-highest personal income tax rate in North America. The government also increased Alberta’s 10 per cent business income tax rate to 12 per cent (although in 2019 the Kenney government began reducing the rate to today’s 8 per cent).
If the Smith government reversed the 2015 personal income tax rate increases and instituted a flat 8 per cent tax rate, it would help restore Alberta’s position as one of the lowest tax jurisdictions in North America, all while saving Alberta taxpayers $1,573 (on average) annually.
And a truly integrated flat tax system would not only apply a uniform tax 8 per cent rate to all sources of income (including personal and business), it would eliminate tax credits, deductions and exemptions, which reduce the cost of investments in certain areas, increasing the relative cost of investment in others. As a result, resources may go to areas where they are not most productive, leading to a less efficient allocation of resources than if these tax incentives did not exist.
Put differently, tax incentives can artificially change the relative attractiveness of goods and services leading to sub-optimal allocation. A flat tax system would not only improve tax efficiency by reducing these tax-based economic distortions, it would also reduce administration costs (expenses incurred by governments due to tax collection and enforcement regulations) and compliance costs (expenses incurred by individuals and businesses to comply with tax regulations).
Finally, a flat tax system would also help avoid negative incentives that come with a progressive marginal tax system. Currently, Albertans are taxed at higher rates as their income increases, which can discourage additional work, savings and investment. A flat tax system would maintain “progressivity” as the proportion of taxes paid would still increase with income, but minimize the disincentive to work more and earn more (increasing savings and investment) because Albertans would face the same tax rate regardless of how their income increases. In sum, flat tax systems encourage stronger economic growth, higher tax revenues and a more robust economy.
To stimulate strong economic growth and leave more money in the pockets of Albertans, the Smith government should go beyond its current commitment to create a new tax bracket on income under $60,000 and institute a flat 8 per cent personal and business income tax rate.
Author:
Alberta
Province to stop municipalities overcharging on utility bills
Making utility bills more affordableAlberta’s government is taking action to protect Alberta’s ratepayers by introducing legislation to lower and stabilize local access fees. Affordability is a top priority for Alberta’s government, with the cost of utilities being a large focus. By introducing legislation to help reduce the cost of utility bills, the government is continuing to follow through on its commitment to make life more affordable for Albertans. This is in addition to the new short-term measures to prevent spikes in electricity prices and will help ensure long-term affordability for Albertans’ basic household expenses.
Local access fees are functioning as a regressive municipal tax that consumers pay on their utility bills. It is unacceptable for municipalities to be raking in hundreds of millions in surplus revenue off the backs of Alberta’s ratepayers and cause their utility bills to be unpredictable costs by tying their fees to a variable rate. Calgarians paid $240 in local access fees on average in 2023, compared to the $75 on average in Edmonton, thanks to Calgary’s formula relying on a variable rate. This led to $186 million more in fees being collected by the City of Calgary than expected.
To protect Alberta’s ratepayers, the Government of Alberta is introducing the Utilities Affordability Statutes Amendment Act, 2024. If passed, this legislation would promote long-term affordability and predictability for utility bills by prohibiting the use of variable rates when calculating municipalities’ local access fees. Variable rates are highly volatile, which results in wildly fluctuating electricity bills. When municipalities use this rate to calculate their local access fees, it results in higher bills for Albertans and less certainty in families’ budgets. These proposed changes would standardize how municipal fees are calculated across the province, and align with most municipalities’ current formulas.
If passed, the Utilities Affordability Statutes Amendment Act, 2024 would prevent municipalities from attempting to take advantage of Alberta’s ratepayers in the future. It would amend sections of the Electric Utilities Act and Gas Utilities Act to ensure that the Alberta Utilities Commission has stronger regulatory oversight on how these municipal fees are calculated and applied, ensuring Alberta ratepayer’s best interests are protected.
If passed, this legislation would also amend sections of the Alberta Utilities Commission Act, the Electric Utilities Act, Government Organizations Act and the Regulated Rate Option Stability Act to replace the terms “Regulated Rate Option”, “RRO”, and “Regulated Rate Provider” with “Rate of Last Resort” and “Rate of Last Resort Provider” as applicable. Quick facts
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