In 2010, Alberta Health Services (AHS, our government) developed the “Community and Rural Health Planning Framework”. It was updated in 2012. With the PC’s low regard for hard earned taxpayer dollars, this ongoing and never-ending review amounts to more of the same. Waste and inaction. Further, there are already 132 detailed community profiles of most urban and rural areas.

Rural de-population has drastically accelerated during the PC government’s 43-year reign. Also very frightful for the next generation is a provincial healthcare budget of $18.3 billion.

This cost has quadrupled in just 20 years.

The Wildrose would be a government willing to bring in the positive changes our health care system needs. These necessary changes include a move to decentralization and a return to grassroots decision-making. Funding re-prioritization must occur to protect our front line workers, their wages and their jobs, in contrast to having layers upon layers of bureaucracy. Change also must include more young Albertans being trained as doctors and health care professionals, right here in Alberta.

We must become aggressive at finding innovative solutions for long-term beds for Albertans that require this service. This will ensure vastly more expensive ‘acute’ beds are available for that precise purpose. The Wildrose will also ensure Alberta develops cost-effective, complete and rewarding home care alternatives.

Local ambulance service must be re-established and elements of “activity-based” funding implemented. An example of this is the Wildrose ‘Wait Time Guarantee’. In this scenario, the Alberta government would allow funding to follow the patient to other jurisdictions or methods of service, if some very important and necessary procedures are not being offered on a timely basis. This alone may lead to some rural rejuvenation as Albertans seek professional health services in some of our smaller, less busy, centers.

The PCs have had 43 years to get it right, but their solution is to simply announce yet another taxpayer funded study. It’s just more of the same. The only way for effective and fiscal conservative change in Alberta is to change the government.

Less is More.

This statement is counter-intuitive.  However, it holds truth, and opportunity, for 4 million Albertans and 42,000 Cypress-Medicine Hatters. Here are a few examples:

Less Alberta government waste - This will lead to a balanced budget (no future tax increases for our children), and more necessary infrastructure.

Less centralization – This means more effective, grass roots and local decision making.  This leads to better and faster results and an empowered public service

Less top down autocratic planning – This means local and innovative ideas. This will lead to Alberta leading Canada in ideas, quality, and efficiency of our public services

Less executive bureaucracy – This will lead to more of your tax dollars spent on front line services.  It is hard to spend someone else’s money efficiently, but I believe tax dollars focused on our front lines ( their jobs and wages) rather than executive wages and severances that lead to bureaucratic slowdowns, can provide the level of services that Albertans pay for.

No Alberta grants to for-profit corporations – It is government’s job to create a level playing field for all taxpaying corporations and to not skew the market by picking winners and losers

Less government and less rules and regulations – It is a fact that with 600,000 fewer people, the Alberta government spends more, has more MLA’s, and is considered more regulatory than our “liberal” neighbour British Columbia. It has been proven consistently that the best way to attract business, jobs and opportunities over time is to keep budgets balanced, taxes as low as possible and the size and regulatory reach of government to the least intrusive level.   In just over 2 years I have heard loud and clear from constituents of Cypress-Medicine Hat that we want less bureaucracy, less waste, less favouritism (political and otherwise), no debt, more savings, more local decision making and more value for already paying the highest average income taxes in Canada.  I will ensure that my actions are towards these objectives.

And this may not be the worst of it! Perpetual financial waste is rife across even the smallest of initiatives. Whether it is the erection of expensive road signs or the printing of branded promotional jackets, Alberta’s taxpayer money is being shown the least regard by the current PC administration.

The recent Government of Alberta annual fiscal reports have shed light on the extent of this problem. We have learnt that Alberta’s chief representative in Asia, Gary Mar receives an annual package of approximately $560,000. Now, we understand that there is important work the Government must see to globally and the Wildrose certainly understands the importance of drawing international investments and building relationships with foreign partners, particularly in Asia.

However, we feel the benefits received for many top Government employees who work globally is just getting out of hand. Employee packages that include a vehicle, heavily subsidized housing, and international schooling tuition for children do not need the extra perks of ‘cash benefits’, however these might come.

The Alberta Health Services has also come under criticism for the way in which payout compensations occur. Millions of dollars have been awarded to vice presidents and top executives who have either stepped down or been dismissed. This includes approximately $2.4 million in severance shared between five VP’s who had stipulated in their contracts 12 months of their base salary in compensation. It does not help when there is a culture of “leaving with benefits” which sees the AHS have four different CEO’s in office in one year.

We believe their needs to be a serious restructure of the process of payout compensation. Whilst we acknowledge the need for financial assurance, especially when going through a period of change, we see no need for continuous lengthy payouts, particularly at high end base salaries. A formula needs to be developed that recognises the various factors that come into question when determining how much and for how long severance packages are needed.

Earlier this year we learnt that the Government spent over $1 million on road signs with the “Building Alberta” branding. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) revealed that with 293 signs being rolled out across the province, the unit price of an individual sign was $3,560. If it is road signs the Government deems so important, the money would have been far better spent on improving road safety. This could be done through highlighting critical ‘blackspots’ or accident prone areas, or, alternatively, increasing driver awareness through more visible instructions on the roads.

The wasteful nature of this Government goes right down to the smallest of operations. It may not have the greatest bearing on the Government’s ever-extending list of expenses, however, spending $10 thousand of taxpayer money on promotional light-weight jackets is not the most responsible idea. These “building Alberta” windbreakers were given to PC MLA’s and staff to promote this Government’s slogan. Yet Premier Hancock did not receive one of these jackets, let alone approve this expenditure in the first place. He even said it was a bad idea. But it raises the question: what system or body checks these kinds of initiatives? How many other similar initiatives are taking place that we simply have no idea about? How much money is being truly wasted?

The Wildrose is committed to bringing better decision-making to Government. By decentralizing many existing platforms and reducing the size of the bureaucracy and Cabinet the Wildrose would dramatically scale back financial waste and direct capital into areas that the public continues to tell us needs improvement, infrastructure, education and health facilities. Albertans can be sure to trust that the Wildrose Official Opposition will continue to hold this government to account, as long as it may take, for the misuse and abuse of taxpayer dollars.

Wild Rose Country. As Albertans, we’ve proudly worn this slogan on our licence plates for decades. We identify with it. When we travel across this country and continent, we’re proud to be identified with our famous symbol. Recently, Albertans were shocked to learn the PC government would be redesigning our licence plates, and scrubbing Wild Rose Country and replacing it with Alberta.ca instead.

Columnists, commentators and political watchers agree: this is a jaded political move that will end up costing Albertans $16 million. Where will the money come from for these new plates? Straight from your pockets as you get asked for an extra $5 in registration fees to cover the costs. But this is nothing new. We’ve seen this PC government use your tax dollars for partisan purposes for years. You’ve all seen the PC branded blue and orange “Building Alberta” signs littering the province. But this new licence plate initiative makes one wonder how far exactly the PC government would go to undermine taxpayers just to play petty, partisan politics. It makes you wonder if they will replace the Wild Rose as our provincial flower now (maybe to the Dandelion).

And what of the Alberta Party – would the PC government undergo another plate change-up to remove Alberta.ca from our license plates, if they were to become a political threat? The move is too much to stomach, even for some PCs. The worst part about this entire ordeal, however, is that the PC decision doesn’t reflect the clear will of Albertans. An online news poll showed 72 per cent of respondents wanted Wild Rose Country to stay on the plate. Wildrose launched its own poll, meanwhile, since the government hasn’t, which showed nearly 65 per cent support for the Wild Rose Country logo staying. Both polls had thousands of respondents.

While the PC government has put the design question to a public vote, the slogan debate has remained off the table. Service Alberta Minister Doug Griffiths said he’d consider putting the slogan to a vote too, if Albertans showed a desire for it. Well, the verdict it in. Let’s hope he’s a man of his word.

Wildrose wholly supports the reflective coatings that will be on these new plates. They’ll make the numbers and letters easier to read for police and highway officials. If the people want it, a graphical redesign is fine too. But when it comes to our slogan – Wild Rose Country – the will of Albertans is clear; It should stay.

Politics in Alberta has never been so alive and invigorating. For the first time in years, the Legislature has a strong Official Opposition that can take government to task on the issues that matter to Albertans.

But more than that, the Wildrose Official Opposition recently announced its positive vision for change.

We’ve seen property rights attacked. We’ve seen front line services degraded. We’ve seen ambulance dispatch centralized and patients put at risk with poor management at Alberta Health Services.

The Politics of Infrastructure keep communities from receiving the hospitals, schools and maintenance they require. Taxpayers are just not getting value for money on sole-source contracts and the grab bags of benefits offered to PC insiders.

Now, for the first time in a generation, Albertans are saying it’s time to replace the governing party. It’s time for a fresh voice in politics. It’s time to get rid of the politics of trying to stay in power for the sake of being in power.

That’s why Wildrose launched Moving Alberta Forward. Moving Alberta Forward is our commitment to Albertans. Whether it’s the unique challenges faced by families, seniors or students, cities or rural communities, Wildrose has a vision to bring the change that’s needed.

My colleagues and I plan to roll out nine Moving Alberta Forward policy initiatives over the coming weeks and months. Our first policy featured our plan for building urban and rural communities. Wildrose is committed to providing urban and rural communities with the support they need to manage their growth and meet the needs of future generations – without the Politics of Infrastructure.

A Wildrose government would do this with the 10/10 Community Infrastructure Transfer, which would allocate 10 per cent of all tax revenues and 10 per cent of budget surpluses to municipalities. This would

mean more money to our local governments so they can maintain roads and recreation facilities, build infrastructure, and meet their local priorities. Above all, the 10/10 Community Infrastructure Transfer

would provide more certainty and a higher level of funding to municipalities than under the current patchwork of grant funding and the Municipal Sustainability Initiative, where communities never know what they are going to get.

As MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat over the past two years, it has been heartwarming to see so many young Albertans engage in politics. I hope readers will take the time to read about Moving Alberta Forward and share their thoughts by visiting Wildrose.ca, or by contacting me directly at [email protected].

The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Legislature broke session early this summer as PC ministers prepared to run for their leadership. When the announcement date had passed, the only three contenders all started their campaigns in Cypress-Medicine Hat and Medicine Hat. The themes of the campaigns seem to be listening to Albertans, re-earning the public’s trust with more government, and reforming lobby and disclosure requirements. All contenders still want to send Albertans and our future generations deep into Billions of dollars of debt.

I believe that listening to Albertans is about actually reducing the size of executive management and empowering the front line professionals and public sector workers by decentralizing the levels of decision-making, information and accountability. Decentralization works because Albertans closest to the needs make the best decisions. An example of centralization not working is our very own Alberta Health Services. Twenty years ago, when AHS was decentralized, its budget was approximately $4 Billion. Today it is $18.3 Billion (44% of the provincial budget). If this trend continues, Albertans will have some extremely tough decisions to make.

Re-earning the public trust is a noble goal. After 44 years of PC government and the litany of concerns including the sky palace, four government jets, sole source contracts to PC insiders, whipped votes and little consideration for opposition input, I am asking all Cypress-Medicine Hatters to contrast this with the Wildrose’s hard work, fiscal conservatism, free votes and commitment to grassroots involvement and consultation.

Increasing the involvement and power of the opposition is long overdue in the Alberta Legislature. I have to question the degree of commitment to this from the PC leadership contenders: the same leadership candidate calling for this actually called all Wildrose MLA’s “bottom feeders” among other accusations in bad taste in the legislature.

The perceived front -runner suggests much of what the Wildrose Opposition has already put forth. This ranges from strict rules on severance pay to recognition of his past government drastically hurting our rural economy by disrupting the balance between land owners (private rights) and government. A major contrast between the Wildrose and the current government is the PC’s willingness to increase operational spending to such a degree that money has to be borrowed to build necessary infrastructure. I put out a report one year ago that showed how a Wildrose government would invest $50 Billion over 10 years without going a dime into debt!

Infrastructure debt is not the same as a mortgage on a house. With a house, an owner can be reasonably assured of getting a return on investment. With public infrastructure, the government acquires depreciating assets for which there will be no return. The PC’s are so inefficient we spend double the per capita average of Ontario and BC, public infrastructure depreciates with no revenue in return (we don’t charge for our hospitals, roads, and schools), and public infrastructure spending is ongoing adding to the PC debt annually. Our kids and grandkids are not going to care if it was operational or capital spending, when they are forced to pay off our debts! It’s time to clean up the waste and entitlement in government.

The last three things I wish to inform all Cypress-Medicine Hatters are these:

1. I am working towards a provincial protection order that would better protect the Sage Grouse, protect our ranching and rural lifestyles and our oil and gas industry. Ten out of 11 American states that have the sage grouse are doing this (local grass roots decision making compared to the Ottawa bureaucracy).

2. I am always interested in hearing from constituents about matters that are of interest or concern. Please feel free to contact me any time for clarification of my views or to discuss what constituents have told me by emailing [email protected] or calling 403-528-2191.

3. Have a great summer!

See the video and full story here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/skypalace-facts-confirmed-by-senior-bureaucrat-1.2658797

Read the full Family Caregivers Statement