Provincial Issues to Consider Ahead of the Election
Our office often receives outreach from concerned citizens regarding a variety of issues that fall under the provincial government's purview. With the Alberta election scheduled for May 29, now feels like an ideal time to share information on a few provincial issues to consider before heading to the polls.
Affordable Housing
The housing crisis in Calgary has reached unprecedented levels over the last several years. Exacerbated by the pandemic, most of the social disorder and outreach calls we receive around homelessness, encampments, and rough sleeping are a direct result of the critical lack of affordable and deeply subsidized housing in our city. With nearly 3,000 Calgarians experiencing homeless and over 80,000 Calgarians on the waitlist for affordable housing, significant and rapid investment is needed by the province to help curtail this growing crisis.
Mental Health + Addiction Support
We often hear passionate requests for more, better, and faster evidence-based harm reduction services and mental health supports - regulated safe supply and decriminalization of drug possession for personal consumption, additional safe consumption sites, treating mental health and addiction as a public health issue (instead of a criminal one), and barrier-free wrap-around supports to help those dealing with complex trauma and mental health. Defunding life-saving harm reduction efforts while pushing abstinence-only and forced recovery models has been shown to cause increased harm, trauma, and fatal outcomes.
Emergency Response
Concerns around significant wait times for ambulances and emergency rooms, hospital capacity, staffing issues, and closures of ER’s in adjacent municipalities are issues we hear about often. The ongoing lack of financial investment and support for Alberta’s health services is a top-of-mind issue for many Calgarians. Adequate resources to genuinely and fully invest in public health care and efforts to recruit and maintain frontline health workers are desperately needed.
Schools, Education + the Alberta Curriculum
Overcrowded classrooms, unattainable and rising post-secondary tuition costs, bus driver shortages, threats of community school closures, inequitable public funds being allocated to private schools, and discontentment with the new K-6 curriculum - Calgarians are concerned about the symptomatic outcomes of the decades-long underfunding of our education systems. Alberta’s best future requires bold investment and thoughtful recommitments to all levels of education from our provincial counterparts.
AISH, Seniors Benefits + Alberta Income Supports
Alberta currently provides three major income support streams. We hear often that these supports are increasingly inadequate, particularly when compared to the rising cost of living throughout our province. The result of this underfunding has left many income support recipients living in poverty. Increases (indexed with inflation) to these support programs are urgently needed to ensure we are providing all Albertans with a living wage, and helping more people escape poverty.
If you are looking for information on the upcoming Alberta provincial election, including profiles and platforms for candidates in your riding, how to vote, or where your polling station is, visit Elections Alberta. If you are a first-time voter, you can pre-register to vote online or you are welcome to register when you arrive at your polling station on election day.