Good Morning,

Welcome to the Members’ Weekly Digest, a newsletter that summarises news, events and activities in one place for Alberta Party members. We hope you enjoy this special all-supporter issue of the digest!

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Update from Acting Leader Jacquie Fenske

Hear Jacquie’s take on the news this week in Alberta.

It was so heartening this week to see the demand for vaccines. I’ve gotten mine and I encourage everyone who can to sign up or line up - the quicker we roll up our sleeves, the quicker we can be back to normal.

The line ups portend good news - by the time you read this, over one million Albertans will have gotten a vaccine. It has been slow and there have been many supply issues, but we should take heart in the progress.

I was reminded this week how much our small businesses need us all to take this seriously. It has been over a year of closing, re-opening, new restrictions, supply challenges, and added costs.

I took some time this week to go a little bit west of Edmonton to show some support for some amazing small businesses. I heard a lot of stories, good and bad. And in the end I wound up with some gorgeous buys (see above!).

I wanted to share just one more little thing - my little herd of Speckle Park cattle grew this week as we started calving. Cuteness overload!

Stay Safe,

Stephanie Shostak at the Leader’s Breakfast

Leader’s Breakfast

Thank you to our Spring Leader’s Breakfast speakers Erin Diloreto (Organizer of Edmonton’s Silver Skate Festival) and Nadine Thiel.

Brenda Stanton then took us on a “You Gotta Eat Here’ tour of Alberta and highlighted some of Alberta’s hidden gems.

Connect with her for day and weekend tips as you plan future travels throughout Alberta.

Upcoming Events

April 27 at 7 pm, Let’s Talk about Water

Hosted by SW Alberta Super CA

RSVP to Attend

May 4 at 7 pm, Five Truths to Unlearn: Alberta’s Economy Post Pandemic with Todd Hirsch, ATB Economist

Hosted by Grande Prairie Constituency Association

RSVP to Attend

All Alberta Party events are listed on the events page.

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Count me in!

Tripling Our Fundraising, Thanks to You!

Elections Alberta released the Q1-2021 party donation totals yesterday. For your Alberta Party the report is very positive. During a pandemic, you—our members and supporters—nearly tripled your year-over-year quarterly donations, from just over $17,000 in Q1-2020 to more than $48,000 in Q1-2021. Thank you!

We are celebrating this growth, but as the reports show, we have a long way to go and a short time to do it - including a leadership campaign this fall, preparation for the next provincial election, building up our constituency resources, finding and nominating candidates, and meeting Albertans in whatever way we can.

With your help, your Alberta Party can continue to grow and show Albertans there is a viable alternative for their vote, but we need your assistance. Our 2021 fundraising goal is ambitious - $500,000.

We can achieve it with your support. Can you help propel us forward with a:

One-time Donation

Or a continuing:

Monthly Donation

And, because engagement builds engagement, can we ask you to also send this request to two friends that you think are also searching for a viable political alternative for their province?

Thank you for your continued support.

Troy Wason
Alberta Party Executive Director

This Week in Alberta

Last year was the deadliest year on record for drug related deaths. This week, government data showed the opioid problem is not going away. There were 228 more opioid related deaths in the first two months of 2021.

The Kenney government has ignored the opioid epidemic and actively undermined anti-harm initiatives by targeting safe consumption sites.

More work needs to be done to reduce deaths, and key to that is providing more mental health supports. The Alberta Party has been a strong voice on this issue and we will remain one.

Data from ATB show the number of businesses in Alberta has dramatically declined. From February to December 2020, Alberta lost 5,507 businesses.

There has been some growth in new startups since then, but we remain behind. Every lost business is a family devastated or life savings wiped out. It means job losses and devastated communities.

Business losses highlight the importance of a stable investment environment, access to cash, supports for innovation, and infrastructure spending to enable a prosperous environment for business.

The Alberta Party has a plan to help Alberta businesses thrive - Rebuilding Alberta is the Alberta Party framework for growth.

Alberta’s municipalities have been ignored by governments of all stripes. There have been ten different Municipal Affairs Ministers in ten years; the current government is on their third.

Mayors, Reeves, and Councillors are the elected representatives closest to the people they serve. And municipalities are the order of government most willing to find pragmatic strategies to improve communities.

The province must work with them to build a great future for all Albertans. Municipal bonds, increasing autonomy, and empowering communities to be innovative are all ideas that could help.

Read the full Alberta Party statement here

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Interesting Read

Kevin Page is the former Parliamentary Budget Officer and now heads a think tank dedicated to the study of government budgets and fiscal analysis.

The federal budget, as always, produces a lot of commentary and political posturing, but Page’s analysis is always worth reading and is analytical, thorough, and, non-partisan.

Public Engagement

Here are some ways to give the government feedback through their public engagement online.

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See you next week,

Alberta Party Team

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A short note on donations: While other parties have their vested interests and PAC support, we depend on donors like you to build a better option for Alberta. Can you help? It only takes a minute and whatever you can afford will make a difference to the future of our province—even if it’s just $2. Before you go, please make a contribution today. Thank you.