A new school year is starting with more teachers, more classroom support, and more space for Alberta students. Last week, Alberta’s government delivered record education funding while also launching Canada’s first solar panel recycling program, expanding cardiac care in Southern Alberta, and restoring property rights for Alberta farmers.
Children are heading back to school, and Alberta’s government is making sure they have what they need to succeed. That is why our government is providing a record $10.8 billion for education this school year, an increase of more than seven per cent from last year. Alberta schools have welcomed nearly 90,000 additional students in just four years, and our government is responding with 2,127 net new teachers and 1,044 new educational assistants. As part of these investments, $218 million is being provided to school boards to create 699 complexity teams, 566 of which are already operational. These teams are composed of teachers and educational assistants and may also include behavioural therapists and speech-language pathologists. At the same time, our Schools Now program has completed 17 new school projects, creating almost 12,000 new and renovated student spaces, with 156 public school projects now underway. As Alberta grows, we are making sure our schools grow with it for generations to come.
As Alberta’s solar industry grows, our government is making sure expired panels are responsibly recycled rather than left for taxpayers to deal with later. Beginning October 1st, Alberta will become the first jurisdiction in North America to operate a solar panel recycling program and ban solar panels from landfills. Solar panels contain valuable materials, including silver and copper, which can be reused. A $14 fee will be added to each new solar panel sold in Alberta. This will help cover the cost of collecting and recycling panels when they reach the end of their useful life, instead of leaving taxpayers and municipalities to pay for disposal later. By planning ahead, our government is protecting landfill space while creating opportunities for a new recycling industry in Alberta.
Families across southern Alberta are also one step closer to more specialized cardiac care close to home. Our government has allocated $320 million to redevelop the cardiac catheterization lab at Chinook Regional Hospital and expand its intensive care and cardiac care units. Once complete, the project will increase the combined number of intensive care and cardiac care spaces from 20 to 54. The expansion will give more patients in southern Alberta access to advanced cardiac care closer to home.
Farmers should not face unnecessary delays for routine work on their own cropland. This fall, our government is removing unnecessary Water Act approvals for routine work involving temporary and seasonal wetlands on private cropland. Farmers will have more freedom to cultivate, seed, spray, drain and manage excess water on their own property without going through a lengthy approval process. The changes respond directly to concerns from Alberta producers and will save farmers time and money while maintaining protections for neighbouring properties and infrastructure. It is a common-sense approach that puts routine farming decisions back in the hands of the people who know their land best.
Our government is building for the future of Alberta. From classrooms and rural industries to recycling and life-saving cardiac care, we are making investments today that will provide Albertans with stronger services, more opportunities, and the infrastructure they will need for years to come.