Good Afternoon,

Welcome to the Alberta Party's weekly digest, a round-up of news and information for Alberta Party members.

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Leader's Update

Update from Jacquie Fenske

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

Innovation doesn’t necessarily have to include the shiniest, most advanced new technology. One thing I love about the Alberta Party is that we try to achieve balance, and in innovation this means taking new ideas and pairing them with workable, tried and true methods.

As you know, the Party has carved out a niche in Alberta politics talking about rail in Alberta. We were the first to advocate for the Alberta to Alaska rail line. We have called for a network of conventional passenger rail to link Edmonton and Calgary, and all the smaller communities in between. I’ve talked to people in Montana who are looking to do the same in their neck of the woods, and maybe one day, link their system with ours.

So while some were excited by the new Memorandum of Understanding to develop a high-speed rail link between Edmonton and Calgary, I was disappointed. Experts agree conventional rail makes more sense - it is cheaper, it can link smaller communities, and could be built much faster.

The Alberta Party is all about taking great ideas and putting them into action, not just pie-in-the-sky thinking. It’s what I love most about the Party.

Keep being you,

Upcoming Events

August 4 at 5 pm, SW Constituency Associations AGM — Livingston Macleod, Highwood, Banff Kananaskis

RSVP to Attend

Big Listen Events:

The Shadow Cabinet Ministers are hosting regular Big Listen Events all summer and we would love your help in filling them with as many non-members as possible. The events are purposefully small to make sure people have great discussions and make connections. You can help by inviting people you know that may be interested.

So please share this event with your friends and encourage them to come too! Watch for future sessions in-person and online throughout the summer.

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All Alberta Party events are listed on the events page.

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Count me in!

This Week in Alberta

Nurse Pay Cuts

In a set of bizarre press releases, the Minister of Finance thanked nurses for their hard work responding to COVID, boasted about leading the country in catching up on surgery backlogs and then, essentially, told nurses to be thankful they have job security and to take a three percent pay cut. AHS is looking to bring costs down, something that is needed, but cannot be done on the backs of frontline workers. The Alberta Party has proposed numerous ways to reduce healthcare costs, including cutting management positions left vacant for more than a year, increased regional authority, and reducing redundancies between AHS and Alberta Health.

Cabinet Shuffle

Premier Kenney announced a cabinet shuffle this week that was more of an expansion of government. There is always a lot of chatter following a cabinet shuffle. Usually criticizing the lack of skills a new minister may have, or the behind the scenes reasons for appointments. This time the backlash also stems from doing it the day after telling nurses they are getting a pay cut. If these expansions were included in the recent budget, the costs to setting up a new ministry, or three, would already be accounted for.

Keystone XL Lawsuit

Determined to throw good money after bad, the UCP have decided to join TC Energy in a lawsuit against the United States for cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline. While the Alberta Party was disappointed that the Biden Administration cancelled the pipeline, our province needs to move forward. An Alberta Party government would fund research and development in alternative and emerging industries, which would reduce our reliance on oil and gas.

Education Report

The Atkinson Foundation released its latest Early Childhood Education Report for 2020. Alberta ranks the lowest in Canada across five different benchmarks of quality. The benchmarks cover governance, funding, access, learning environment and accountability. Alberta historically has scored in the lowest category compared with other provinces and territories. This makes the current government's decisions to reduce funding, accreditation and access through their budgets and policy decisions even more insensitive. Improving the entire Early Childhood system is a priority for the Alberta Party. We proposed and budgeted for establishing a new ministry to oversee this work in the last election. This is an investment for the future of all Albertans.

Vaccine Uptake

Some good news this week that more than 50% of eligible Albertans have received two doses of a COVID vaccine. This is a big milestone. Thank you to everyone who has received a vaccine in the last few months. If you are looking to get a vaccine, there are many clinics and pharmacies across Alberta. If you are not sure who to contact, call 811 or visit the AHS website to book online.

Want to see the latest Alberta Party news before Sunday? Check out our news page throughout the week for updates.

Interesting Read

How long does the average millennial have to work and save to buy a home in Canada? And how does that compare to earlier generations? This long read from Global News outlines just how dramatic the economic reality has changed in Canada.

Have you seen a great article or video about stories the Alberta Party should cover? Send your links to [email protected] to include them in future Digests.

Government Feedback

Coal Policy Engagement

Share your thoughts on the province’s approach to coal development:

https://www.alberta.ca/coal-policy-engagement.aspx

Child and Youth Well-Being Review

An expert advisory panel will explore ways to best support the well-being of children and youth impacted by COVID:

https://www.alberta.ca/child-and-youth-well-being-review.aspx

Get Involved with the Party

Reach out to Tristan who leads the Volunteer Engagement Team for opportunities within the party to volunteer.

• Become a monthly donor
• Sign up to volunteer
• Join our Shadow Cabinet Feedback Group
• Join your Constituency Association

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If you have any questions or concerns, you can get in touch by replying to this email or using the button below.

See you next week,

Alberta Party Team