Disability Caucus Alberta NDP

10/12/2023

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/adhd-diagnosis-women-calgary-1.7053894

Calgarian Shaziah Jinnah Morsette said that when she was a teenager, she saw a poster at her doctor’s office outlining ADHD symptoms — which got her thinking about how many of those symptoms applied to her.

30/05/2023

ALBERTA NDP WILL FORM OFFICIAL OPPOSITION,
RACHEL NOTLEY PROMISES TO CONTINUE WORKING FOR A BETTER FUTURE

EDMONTON – Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley promised to hold the UCP government accountable and fight for a better future for all Albertans as the Alberta NDP was declared the Official Opposition.

“I feel tremendous gratitude and pride in the people of Alberta—those who stood up and put their support behind a better future.” said Leader Rachel Notley, as the party won at least 35 of 87 seats on election night.

“Although we did not achieve the outcome we wanted, we took a major step toward it. The unprecedented growth of our party through this campaign is a warm light, one that gives me so much optimism for the work to come.”

Albertans elected NDP MLAs from across the province, with a wide-breadth of experience and backgrounds. Albertans elected the first Indigenous woman to the Legislature—Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse in Edmonton-Rutherford—and the first Black woman to our Legislature—Rhiannon Hoyle in Edmonton-South.

Notley thanked party volunteers and supporters, and promised to continue fighting for the priorities of Albertans, including fixing public health care, lowering the cost of living, and growing the economy.

Notley encouraged supporters to continue building inroads for the future of the party.

“My friends, let me be clear, now is not the time to let up. Now is the time to step up and to do the work that has been asked of us.

“The challenges facing Alberta—economic, environmental, and social—require dedication and determination. We will bring that to Alberta’s Legislature tirelessly.

“We must remain committed to the issues that matter most: rebuilding our public health care, supporting the well-being of our communities, protecting our mountains, our pensions, and our kids’ education, all while ensuring our economy works for everyone, not just those at the top.

“To my fellow Albertans, we will be your voice when this government refuses to listen.”

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27/05/2023

NDP Leader Rachel Notley says she will deliver what Albertans want: stability, predictability and trusted leadership.

27/05/2023

Count a former Wildrose and Progressive Conservative MLA from Medicine Hat among those who are supporting the ...

27/05/2023

ALBERTA NDP COMMIT TO BUILDING SCHOOLS IN AIRDRIE AND COCHRANE

CALGARY – An Alberta NDP government will build badly needed schools for families in Airdrie.

“Airdrie families deserve new schools after years of neglect by the UCP government” said Dan Nelles, Alberta NDP candidate for Airdrie-East. “It’s totally unacceptable that half the cafeteria at George McDougall High School is being used as a classroom.”

Airdrie has experienced amongst the highest population growth rates in Canada, and is currently the fastest-growing city in Alberta.

The Alberta NDP is committing to a historic school building program in Airdrie, including the construction of a new 900-student capacity K-8 school and a 1,500-student capacity high school through the Rocky View Schools division (RVS) in the southwest, and a 600 capacity K-9 through the Calgary Catholic School District in the southeast.

“Our kids need classrooms close to home,” continued Nelles. “And they deserve to be taught a modern curriculum by teachers that are supported by their government.”

Rocky View Schools division estimates that they will surpass a 100 per cent utilization rate by 2026, meaning every space in classrooms will be occupied during the mandate of the next government.

The Alberta NDP is also committing to building a new 600-student capacity K-5 school in Cochrane, where RVS notes that the student population is increasing by 300 students annually, requiring a new school to be built every two to three years. The last school that opened in Cochrane was in the community of Fireside in 2017, under the Alberta NDP government.

“Elect an Alberta NDP government and we will actually build schools,” added Shaun Fluker, Alberta NDP candidate for Airdrie-Cochrane. “The site is for the K-5 school in Cochrane ready for construction, we just need to elect Rachel Notley as Premier and she’ll build schools so our kids have a better future.”

The Alberta NDP has also committed to hire 4,000 teachers and 3,000 Educational Assistants and support staff to support significant enrollment growth across the province.

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27/05/2023

The Alberta NDP says it would bring back a tax credit for the digital media sector aimed at diversifying the economy if it wins Monday's election.

27/05/2023

Naheed Nenshi and I didn’t always agree, but we were always committed to the public good.

I’m proud to have Naheed Nenshi’s endorsement today.

Friends, this election is too important to sit on the fence.

We need to build a better future with a stable, trustworthy government.

26/05/2023

26/05/2023

ALBERTA NDP WILL CREATE DIGITAL MEDIA JOBS, FILL EMPTY OFFICE SPACE IN DOWNTOWN EDMONTON

EDMONTON – The Alberta NDP will build a more resilient economy, create jobs in the digital media sector, and fill empty office space in downtown Edmonton through the reinstatement of the Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (IDMTC).

In the UCP’s first budget, they claimed economic diversification is “a luxury” and cut several tax credits that supported startups, particularly in the tech sector. The IDMTC attracted companies to Alberta and supported the growth of others. However, its cancellation led to companies hiring out of province.

“With the introduction of the tax credit, we saw companies move to Alberta, while those already here expanded their workforce. Sadly, against the best advice of business leaders and economists, this tax credit was one of the first of many good economic programs the UCP government cancelled after the election,” said Alberta NDP candidate for Edmonton-South West Nathan Ip.

“Four years later, Alberta has fallen behind.”

The IDMTC offered a 25 per cent credit on wages, salaries and bonuses paid to employees working to create interactive digital products such as video games, training simulation, and film special effects.

An additional five per cent top-up was offered to companies hiring from under-represented demographics, including women, Indigenous people and people with disabilities.

Despite promising a digital media tax credit during her UCP leadership campaign, Danielle Smith failed to implement one in Budget 2023. Digital Aberta, the association for the digital media industry, warned the snub would lead to job losses.

According to a report issued last year from the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC), Alberta is now missing out on investment and losing ground to other jurisdictions. Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia all offer competitive tax credits to foster video game development.

“I've been building computer games in this province for almost 25 years now. When the NDP unveiled the digital media tax credit in 2018, for the first time, I was excited to be doing so on a level playing field. That was a critical part of us having the opportunity to gather investment for the studio,” said Aaryn Flynn, CEO of Inflexion Games in Edmonton.

“I'm excited for the opportunity for the digital media tax credit to come back under an NDP government, and we're excited to continue to grow here in Alberta.”

The downtown Edmonton office vacancy rates are now the third highest in the country at 23.5 per cent, according to CBRE.

According to Statistics Canada, the number of head offices located in Edmonton has also decreased under the UCP.

“An Alberta NDP government will level the playing field and we will compete. We will restore the Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit and we will draw investment here,” said Alberta NDP candidate for Edmonton-City Centre David Shepherd.

“We’ll create more, good-paying jobs right here in Edmonton and fill empty office space downtown. And we will build a better future for Alberta.”

The Alberta NDP has also committed to eliminating the small business tax for the majority of small businesses and maintaining the lowest corporate tax rate in the country.

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26/05/2023

Read the full story and comment on WesternWheel.ca

26/05/2023

NDP Leader Rachel Notley says if her party wins Monday’s election, it would reconvene the legislature this summer to pass bills to lower costs for Albertans and close the door on the province quitting the Canada Pension Plan.