With the 2023 provincial election in the books and the newly-minted Danielle Smith government now on the job, the time to set priorities has arrived.
Whether the new regime will focus sufficient resources on meeting the needs of rural Alberta in the face of huge demands from the province’s larger cities remains to be seen.
What is known is that rural Alberta has significant and growing requirements that if not met in short order, will create future problems for the province as a whole and for residents in communities, large and small.
During a press conference last week, the president of Alberta Municipalities (ABmunis) Association called on the Smith government to make a concerted effort to tackle the massive municipal infrastructure deficit now facing Alberta.
“The $30 billion infrastructure deficit needs to be addressed and a $1 billion increase in funding from the provincial government is desperately needed,” said Cathy Heron, whose association represents 275 member communities, including towns and villages in this region.
The current infrastructure deficit in rural Alberta includes a need for more support for the vast and aging road and bridge network.
Other outstanding needs facing the province include homelessness, mental health and addictions, and the need for increased support for the justice system, including the police, she said.
“Alberta municipalities must be seen, heard, respected and acknowledged by the provincial government,” she said. “We want improved communication. More cooperation is required. We look forward to continuing to work together to do remarkable things in Alberta.”
With Alberta’s population on the rise, in large part due to new residents arriving from elsewhere in Canada, demands on infrastructure continue to increase.
Without a viable road and bridge infrastructure network in rural Alberta, including is this region, the province will have an increasingly difficult time meeting the needs of that growing community.
Premier Smith and her UCP cabinet ministers are now on the job. Hopefully, they will make the necessary effort to address the burgeoning needs of rural Alberta.
- Dan Singleton is an editor with the Albertan
