At a Glance - May 3, 2023
Election Period Begins Monday
Pursuant to the province’s new fixed election date legislation, May 1st will officially kick-off Alberta’s general election period. Given that the writ period in our province lasts for 28 days, the actual election date will be set for Monday, May 29th. Both the United Conservatives and NDP are expected to run a full slate of 87 candidates province-wide; the Green Party currently sits with the third largest slate with 31 candidates at the time of writing.
It is expected that Alberta will once again elect a two-party government (though anything can happen in any given election). In order to form a majority government, the winning party must hold at least 44 seats in the Legislature. Edmonton is expected to remain an NDP strong hold while the UCP are likely to dominate rural Alberta. This leaves Calgary as the election battleground. There are also a number of seats in what is known as the “Edmonton Donut” that both parties will put significant effort into winning.
Deal in Principle Reached for New Calgary Arena
After years of negotiations and setbacks, a potential deal has been struck to build a brand new events centre in Alberta’s largest city. The agreement includes fiscal contributions from the provincial government, the City of Calgary, as well as the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation. The Calgary Stampede is also part of the deal, though their involvement is centred on land sales and transfers rather than monetary contributions.
The City of Calgary has the largest contribution in the deal coming in at $537.3 million, nearly the cost of the original project 18 months ago. The provincial government is kicking in $330 million. $300 million of that total will go towards mostly land and surrounding infrastructure costs, including the demolition of the Saddledome. The remaining $30 million will be used to fund 50% of the adjoining community rink. Finally, the CSEC will be responsible for $356 million of the deal ($40 million paid up front with the remainder paid over a 35-year period.)
Province Announces New Arrest Team
The provincial government has announced the formation of a new law enforcement team designed to arrest offenders with outstanding warrants. The Fugitive Apprehension Sheriffs Support Team (FASST) will assist police in arresting high-priority offenders and will include the hiring of 20 new positions. It is estimated that there were 4,200 violent offenders with outstanding warrants in the province as of February.
Recruitment will begin this fall with the team becoming operational in spring 2024.
Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services said in a statement that “with new funding in Budget 2023, Alberta is establishing this team to take away a threat that can affect any Albertan, regardless of the community they call home. FASST will play an essential role in arresting those who hurt others and ensuring that they see their day in court.”
UCP and NDP Make Personal Income Tax Promise
Both of Alberta’s vying for the opportunity to form the next government have announced that they will not increase personal income tax rates over the course of the next term in office. In what has become a UCP campaign tradition, Danielle Smith signed a large poster that read “no tax hike guarantee”. She also went one step further by promising that any future increase would require a referendum to pass. Later the same day, NDP leader Rachel Notley issued a similar promise. “When it comes to personal taxes, people can absolutely count on Alberta’s NDP to not raise those taxes at all in the next four years.”