Thread by @CupeAB

Thread: A bad budget from a bad government.

Alberta’s 22-23 budget is a master class of deception & gaslighting. It pretends to have a lot of good news, but page after page signals hardship for the province.

#alberta #ableg #abpoli #yyc #yeg #edmonton #calgary #yql

2. The UCP are claiming this is a good news budget because it forecasts a small surplus for the coming fiscal year. The surplus is 100% based on high gas & oil prices, which are not in the control of any government.
#alberta #ableg #abpoli #yyc #yeg #edmonton #calgary #yql

3. ECONOMY
A balanced budget does not equal a healthy economy. Alberta has a 9% unemployment rate. Calgary has the highest unemployment rate among major cities.

#alberta #ableg #abpoli #yyc #yeg #edmonton #calgary #yql

4. Kenney and the UCP promised 50,000 new jobs. They are currently 138,000 jobs behind that pace.

#alberta #ableg #abpoli #yyc #yeg #edmonton #calgary #yql

5.POWER BILLS
Despite record high bills, the UCP's offered no relief for power or gas prices. The budget talks about possible gas rebates NEXT year, but only if gas rises over $6.50/gj, a price they admit probably won’t happen.

#alberta #ableg #abpoli #yyc #yeg #calgary #yql

6. K-12

There are 1,000 fewer teachers funded by the government than when the UCP took over in 2019. This year alone, there will be 554 fewer teachers than last year.

#alberta #ableg #abpoli #yyc #yeg #edmonton #calgary #yql

7. There will be $117 million in new school fees and school taxes.

#alberta #ableg #abpoli #yyc #yeg #edmonton #calgary #yql

8. MUNICIPAL PROJECTS/TRANSIT

The UCP is cutting $1 billion from municipal capital projects. They are even walking away from matching funds being offered from the Federal government for transit projects.

#alberta #ableg #abpoli #yyc #yeg #edmonton #calgary #yql

9. HEALTH
Health funding in #Alberta is $100m behind inflation from the start of the Kenney term. And remember, the system had extra costs due to the pandemic. If you include a COVID recovery plan, there’s almost $1B less than 21-22.

#ableg #abpoli #yyc #yeg #edmonton #calgary

10. The promised new Red Deer Hospital? Forget about it. The UCP budgeted only $139 million over the next three years. The cost of the hospital will be $1.8 billion, at this pace it won’t open for almost 40 years.

#alberta #ableg #abpoli #yyc #yeg #reddeer #calgary #yql

11. POST SECONDARY
There have been $690 million in cuts since UCP took office.

This year, tuition will increase by 10%.

#alberta #ableg #abpoli #yyc #yeg #edmonton #calgary #yql

12. Once again, Jason Kenney and the UCP are not being honest with Albertans. They deceive us about the state of the economy, and the mismanagement of public services we depend upon.

#alberta #ableg #abpoli #yyc #yeg #reddeer #calgary #yql

13. There is a little over a year before the next election. Let’s hope Albertans can survive until then. #alberta #ableg #abpoli #yyc #yeg #reddeer #calgary #yql