Alberta Minute: Registry Discounts, Driver Training, and Provincial Immigration Allotments

Alberta Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Alberta politics.

This Week In Alberta:

• Alberta seniors aged 65 and older will now receive a 25% discount on various personal registry services, including driver’s licence renewals, vehicle registration, standard licence plates, marriage licences, and parking placards. This discount, applied at the time of purchase and available online, aims to ease financial pressures for seniors facing rising prices and fixed incomes.
  
  
• The Alberta government is allocating $618 million in the 2024 budget to address the surgical backlog, with a focus on increasing surgical capacity in southern Alberta. Health Minister Adriana LaGrange announced that $313 million will be allocated to the Alberta Surgical Initiative Capital Program to enhance surgical capacity through the creation of new operating rooms, facility renovations, and equipment acquisitions, while $305 million is earmarked for Alberta Health Services to facilitate the completion of 310,000 surgeries in 2024.
  
  
• The Province is urging the federal government to boost allocations for its provincial nominee program, which allows for foreign workers to obtain permanent residency. Premier Danielle Smith noted a decline in Alberta's 2024 allotment and highlighted the labour shortage in key sectors like construction, healthcare, and education. The federal government had given Alberta an allotment of 9,750 for 2024 - Smith requested an immediate increase to 20,000 allotments annually for 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Last Week In Alberta:

• The Alberta government has decided to make permanent a navigation and support centre in Edmonton that was set up in the midst of encampment clearings. According to the Province, over 700 people accessed the centre's services in the past two months, leading to more than 2,200 referrals. The centre provided various supports, including mental health and addiction treatment, primary healthcare, income support, Indigenous cultural support, and connections to housing and financial services. The Province also announced plans to establish a similar facility in Calgary.
  
  
• Premier Danielle Smith testified at a federal Parliamentary committee session, strongly opposing the planned increase in Ottawa’s carbon pricing policy, calling it "reckless," "immoral," and "inhumane." She argued that the proposed hike from $65 to $80 per tonne would impose undue burdens on Canadians already struggling with rising costs due to inflation. Smith emphasized Alberta's longstanding stance against the federal carbon tax, advocating for its elimination since 2019. New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs joined Smith in advocating for alternative greenhouse gas reduction policies, stressing the importance of pursuing solutions that support local economic development.
  
  
• The Government of Alberta announced a new apprenticeship-style model for Class 1 licensing and training to enhance opportunities for aspiring commercial truck drivers. This initiative, set to begin in March 2025, aims to equip Albertans with the necessary skills and training to excel as professional drivers while obtaining a Red Seal designation. The program also includes exemptions for farmers, allowing them to operate Class 1 vehicles within Alberta for farm-related activities.

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