Blog | March 14, 2013

Responses to 2013 provincial budget Here is a collection of articles and upcoming actions in response to the Provincial Budget 2013. We hope you will find it useful.

Budget in the news:

Opportunity lost: Province missed the mark in budget, By Ricardo Acuna, Vue Weekly, March 13, 2013. Breaking down the Alberta budget: a closer look at areas affected, By Trish Kozicka, Global News, Thursday, March 7, 2013. Seniors feel pinch from eliminated tax breaks, By Jason van Rassel, Calgary Herald March 8, 2013. 'A lot of pain': Tories admit tough budget will hurt, By Darcy Henton, Calgary Herald March 8, 2013. Spending problem, shortsightedness to blame for budget blues, Medicine Hat News, March 8, 2013. University of Alberta faculties told to plan for 20-per-cent budget cuts, By Sarah O'Donnell, Edmonton Journal March 13, 2013. Alberta Budget 2013 Holding the Line on Spending, Mark Milke, from the Fraser Institute and Bill Moore-Kilgannon, from Public Interest Alberta on Alberta Primetime, March 7, 2013.

Analysis & Action:

Edmonton Social Planning Council's Budget Analysis

Education

Students at Jasper Place High School in Edmonton have created a campaign to speak out for public education. They are planning actions across the province for March 21st and are asking students from K-12 to get their schools to sign on to this campaign. http://www.edstake.com/

Seniors

Noel Somerville & Gary Pool of Public Interest Alberta’s Seniors Task Force will be on Prime Time this Friday, March 15 to speak about the implications of the provincial budget for seniors.

Post-Secondary Education

COALITION FOR ACTION ON POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION & MARCH TO LEGISLATURE

Friday March 15th
2PM: TORY LECTURE THEATRE (TORY TURTLE) TL-B2 // COALITION ASSEMBLY
4PM: ARTS & BUSINESS (I.E. TORY) QUAD // MARCH TO THE LEGISLATURE
4:30PM: LEGISLATURE STEPS // RALLY
https://www.facebook.com/events/342527629192758/ CAPSE like to invite you to attend a preliminary discussion about the potential for a concerted response to the recent budget. The COALITION ASSEMBLY is an opportunity for all constituencies of the education system in Alberta to organize and strategize our collective new direction. There is no mandate except the one we assemble together.
Following the inaugural COALITION ASSEMBLY of all University constituencies, people will march to the legislature at 4PM (arriving at 4:30PM) to rally in defence of post-secondary constituencies and the education community of Alberta more generally.
The primary aim of the meeting is to establish a coalition that will address the unsustainable austerity being implemented in this province.
The more voices included in the coalition, the more effective our response will be. Students, staff, faculty, community members, and all those affected are encouraged to attend.
A once in a generation budget requires a once in a generation response.
In solidarity,
Concerned faculty, staff, and students

Cuts to international development will hurt Alberta’s reputation

Alberta Council for Global Cooperation The Government of Alberta’s budget for 2013-14 will once again damage Albertans’ efforts to fight poverty overseas, and undermine our reputation in developing countries where we are trying to nurture trade and investment relationships. The Alberta Council for Global Cooperation (ACGC), a coalition of over 70 voluntary-sector organizations who work to achieve sustainable human development, denounces the cuts to funding for important programs that support Alberta’s non-profits’ work in international development.
The Community Spirit Program offered donation grants for non-profits and a charitable tax credit for donors. Important Albertan institutions like the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, HIV Edmonton, and Canadian Humanitarian have been able to do effective anti-poverty and social justice work because of these grants. The tax credit is still in place, but the $15 million grant budget has been eliminated entirely.
The Community Initiatives Program’s International Development grants have been vital for even more Albertan non-governmental organizations, from Change for Children Association’s maternal nutrition programs in Uganda to Light Up the World’s work supporting affordable solar power in rural Ecuador. This program’s $1.19 million budget has been cut in half.
These cuts contradict Albertans’ desire to help fight poverty around the world. In 2009, ACGC and Angus Reid Strategies released research (full results at www.acgc.ca) that found 71 % of Albertans wanted their provincial government to play a role in addressing global poverty. These cuts will undermine our ability to improve our province’s reputation in other countries, at a time when our province is urgently seeking to enhance our trade and investment relationships overseas. Cutting these programs will have a negligible impact on reducing the province’s deficit, but will seriously impact Albertans’ efforts to reduce poverty overseas.
The Alberta Government also attempted to cut its international development funding in 2009, when these grants went through the Wild Rose Foundation. At that time, the outcry from the public and our sector convinced them to keep the program. Over the past year, thousands of Canadians have called on the federal government to reverse over $300 million in international development funding through the Canadian International Development Agency. The Government of Alberta must show leadership at this crucial time and sustain international development assistance.
Heather McPherson, Executive Director, Alberta Council for Global Cooperation
Tel: 780‐988‐0200
Cell: 780‐238‐8504
Email: [email protected]