A number of recent announcements over the past month have affirmed the Government of Alberta's commitment to caring for Edmonton's most vulnerable people. These projects represent big steps in developing wraparound services in schools, expanding relationships between government agencies and the non-profit/voluntary sector, and bolstering community safety by preventing and reducing crime. In response to the local needs of Edmonton's communities, these projects integrate education, health, policing and other community support services to help...

Today, Minister Hancock and Minister of Infrastructure Ray Danyluk announced that construction will soon begin on ten new schools in Edmonton and the Calgary region. Three will be constructed in high growth areas in Edmonton, five in Calgary, and one each in Okotoks and Langdon. All of the schools will open to students in September 2012....

Mr. Anderson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Rocky View school division and especially the city of Airdrie are at a crisis point with regard to school infrastructure. Airdrie students are holding math classes in the library, the gym, and in some instances in the hall­ways. Trustees are even considering busing kids into soon-to-be­closed inner-city Calgary schools. The division is now begging for $5 million for 20 new portables to make a secondary temporary portable...

Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. After engaging over 7,000 Albertans, the Setting the Direction for Special Education final report was submitted to the minister over 10 months ago, yet we still have not heard any response from the government. To the Minister of Education: is the delay in the government response an indication that you're backing away from a commitment to a truly supportive and inclusive education system that Albertans obviously...

Mr. Mason: Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. Parkdale, McCauley, Eastwood, Fulton Place, and Capilano schools are five schools that are on the chopping block tonight. At the same time, the Edmonton public school board is not getting any new resources to support the six schools that they are opening this September. The government is forcing school boards to shift resources from older schools to new ones. I want to ask the Minister of Education...

Several school boards around Alberta are presently considering closing schools. As Minister of Education, I have been asked by several parties to place a moratorium on school closures, for a variety of reasons. Some people suggest that the processes used to discuss school closures are flawed. Others say that a high-quality educational program requires schools in the communities where children live, whether rural or urban. And others point out that schools should be a...

Edmonton Whitemud residents who use the Anthony Henday to get around the city can look forward to free-flowing traffic on the southwest leg by the fall of 2011. Yesterday, the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada announced that construction will begin later this year on the interchange at Cameron Heights Drive....

Ms DeLong: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Education has spoken publicly in this Legislature of the importance of having community services integrated in schools and schools being integrated into the community, yet schools are still being closed in the inner city. The school boards are saying that it's the province that's pressuring them to close. My question is to the Minister of Education. What Alberta Department of Education legislation or...

Mr. MacDonald: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Early in May officials from Alberta Education will present to school board chairpersons and school superintendents the province's new provincial school utilization rate. These changes are a very long time in coming, and I would like to thank the hon. Minister of Education for coming forward with these new provincial utilization rates. [some applause] It's certainly about time. Now, my first question is to the Minister...

Mr. Benito: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Education. There is a large backlog in deferred maintenance of schools, and with classroom space becoming critical in some areas of the province, what is the minister planning to do to address the student space issue and the maintenance backlog when there are no new projects in the 2010-11 budget?...

Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Waves of potential school closures are washing over communities in Edmonton and Calgary, but this government is looking the other way, claiming that the decisions are for the school boards to make. The truth is that, yes, city core neighbourhoods are losing students to the suburbs, but provincial policies are making the situation worse. To the minister: how are municipalities supposed to keep families in the city core...

Dr. Swann: Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Government utilization policy is forcing school boards to drain the city core of schools in favour of the suburbs. At the same time, cities like Edmonton and Calgary, in keeping with the government's own land-use framework, are trying to reduce urban sprawl and revitalize their cores, which is hard to do without good schools to attract people to the core. To the Premier: will the Premier commit to an...

As part of Budget 2010, the Government of Alberta is investing $1.9 billion to develop the provincial highway network. Edmontonians, and particularly residents of Edmonton-Whitemud, will benefit from a number of provincially funded road projects....

Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I have heard many of my constituents tell me that if you close down a school, you damage the community. Well, there have been lots of rumours about school closures, not just in the teachers' lounges but right here in the Legislature. My question is to the Minister of Education. What are you doing to keep schools open and keep Alberta's communities from further damage?...

Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since 2002 15 public schools in the Edmonton public school division have been closed, resulting in 6,900 student spaces disappearing from central Edmonton neighbourhoods. My first question is to the Premier. Given that Alberta Education and the government project that we are going to have 80,000 more students in the system in the next 15 years than we presently have, does the government not think that these school...

Yesterday, Alberta Housing and Urban Affairs announced a $7.28 million grant to Edmonton's Hope Mission to support the development of 52 units to provide housing for chronically homeless people. This project will help people in Edmonton move off the street, out of shelters, and into long-term homes. Rents will be set based on the residents' means and will take other living expenses into account. Residents will also receive support to find employment, deal with addictions,...

Today, the Government of Alberta announced it has finalized contracts to design and construct four new high schools in Alberta, including a 750 student Grade 10-12 Catholic school in Terwillegar. Construction on the schools will break ground later this fall, and they will open for class in September 2013. "These new schools will serve to inspire student learning and provide exciting environments for learning," said Minister of Education Dave Hancock in a news release. "Schools...

Edmontonians may be interested in a story in today's Edmonton Journal about the latest step taken by the Capital Region Board to improve cooperation between the 25 municipalities of the greater Edmonton area. Specific proposals included in this report include mechanisms for coordination of major infrastructure development, particularly public transit; creating denser communities close to transit and employment; preserving agricultural land; and designating corridors needed for future transportation and utility needs....

As you may have heard, a new brand and a new slogan have been developed to tell the Alberta story — that our province is a great place to live, work and raise a family. Minister Hancock is quoted in the Edmonton Journal about the purpose of the brand: "(Our) economy has been attacked as of late by people who talk about dirty oil and ... who try and paint the economic backbone of our...

The Government of Alberta has announced it is proceeding with construction of an interchange at Anthony Henday Drive and Stony Plain Road. When completed in 2011, the interchange will significantly speed up the flow of traffic to southwest Edmonton, including areas in the constituency of Edmonton-Whitemud.Construction will begin in April on the seven bridges that will form the interchange. The project will cost $168.8 million, part of which will be financed by the Government of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, am pleased to have the opportunity to rise today in response to the speech delivered by His Honour the Lieutenant Governor. The Lieutenant Governor showed considerable emotion in starting his speech and noted that it was his fifth. I can only say in starting a response that we have been well served by this particular Lieutenant Governor and that he has done well for both the institution and office...

On January 29th at City Hall, the Edmonton Committee to End Homelessness officially released its 10-year plan to eliminate chronic homelessness in Edmonton.While this goal is ambitious, it is achievable. The committee's members, including Dave Hancock, recognized that "managing" homelessness through shelters and other short-term emergency services is not as cost-effective as an approach of focused intervention, housing and support services, and prevention programs. These short-term measures do not solve the problem of homelessness, but simply help manage it....