At a Glance - November 16, 2022
Alberta to Re-Index Benefit Payments
Three years after the decision to de-index Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), the provincial government has officially signaled that it will reverse that decision. In Premier Danielle Smith’s mandate letter to Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services Jeremy Nixon, she gave the direction for him to “ensure income supports, such as AISH and the senior’s benefit, are adjusted for inflation on a go forward basis.”
Although the specific details have yet to be released, it does not appear that re-indexation will be retroactively applied to 2019. The press secretary for the ministry indicated that there are no plans to change the benefits’ eligibility requirements. Since the benefits’ were deindexed, the consumer price index had increased by 11.5 per cent.
Danielle Smith Wins Byelection
On November 8th, voters in Brooks – Medicine Hat elected Premier Danielle Smith as their next MLA, earning 54.5 per cent of the popular vote. Shortly after the end of the UCP leadership race, incumbent MLA Michaela Frey announced that she would immediately resign her seat in order for Smith to run in the riding.
“This is our declaration that Alberta is worth fighting for. And make no mistake: from what you saw from the results today, we certainly have a fight ahead of us.”
NDP candidate Gwendoline Dirk finished second with 26.7 per cent while Alberta Party leader Barry Morishita rounded out the podium with 16.5 per cent. The byelection had a voter turnout of 36.7 per cent.
Joint Investment Made in Hydrogen Plant
Following a significant investment from the federal and provincial governments, the world’s largest hydrogen plan will be constructed here in Edmonton. A total investment of $461.5 million will lead our province once step closer to become a global hydrogen hub, a goal identified by the province in recent years. Energy Minister Peter Guthrie said that “there's been something quite dramatic taking place in Alberta recently, as we recognize the important role hydrogen has to play in achieving clean, secure renewable energy into the future.”
The federal government will chip in $300 million of the investment which will be applied to the plant’s construction (estimated to cost $1.6 billion). Alberta’s contribution will begin following the completion of the plant’s construction – a $161.5 million grant applied over a three-year period.
UCP Nomination Hopeful Disqualified
Following the announcement that Livingstone – Macleod MLA Roger Reid would not seek re-election in 2023, nomination hopeful Nadine Wellwood disclosed that the party has disqualified her from seeking the nomination for the riding. “I will be appealing the decision of the Executive Director, Provincial Candidate Election Committee to disqualify my nomination for Livingstone-Macleod. I will stand with the grassroots who want to decide for themselves who their Candidate should be.”
“The reasoning given for my disqualification, most are conjecture, or a matter of personal opinion based off of social media posts I had interacted with, as little as a “like” or a retweet, in the past.” Wellwood ran in the 2021 federal election as a candidate for the People’s Party of Canada in Banff-Airdrie. “As the local candidate selection committee for Livingstone-Macleod unanimously put forward my name in support of my nomination to become the candidate on record, I believe that the party elite have over-reached their authority, and this action itself threatens the integrity of the UCP by denying the grassroots members and their chosen local committee members the choice in who represents them in the legislature.”