Woodbine, Woodlands, Canyon Meadows (SW), Shaw-Nee Slopes, Evergreen,Millrise, Bridlewood
#311A, 2525Woodview Drive SW,T2W 4N4, 238-1212, calgary.lougheed@assembly.ab.ca
Happy New Year, Everyone! It has been a pleasure to meet personally with thousands of you (from Students to Seniors!) again this year: on your doorsteps, in our office, at our Town Hall & Round-Table Sessions, over the phone, via e-mail/fax/letter, at our Annual “Picnic in the Park”, and in the community at large. 2007 has been a truly fascinating year; and 2008 is shaping up to be every bit as exciting!
It has been an honour to have served as your MLA for the past three years; & I am extremely pleased to report that in that time, our hard work together has really been paying off.We have been awarded 3 new schools in Calgary-Lougheed: Bridlewood Elementary K-4, Evergreen Catholic Elementary, and Evergreen Public Elementary. Additionally, all of the upgrades in Fish Creek Park have been completed—on time, and on budget. On top of that, we can look forward to the new South Calgary Health Campus—the largest facility of its kind in the world. Congratulations to all on a job very well done! Re: on-going issues, I will continue to work closely with the Shawnee-Evergreen Community Association on a desirable outcome to the Shawnee Golf Course situation. I will also continue to work diligently on issues that affect us across the province, while focusing on concerns in our riding--including the SW Ring Road. Last year I put forward a motion in the Legislature to have an agreement put in place that would see construction begin this year; and I am still hopeful for that. I have asked some challenging questions about this in question period, and have spoken in depth about this with Infrastructure department personnel, the Minister in charge, City Planners, the Mayor, First Nations officials, and Federal Government employees--very regularly over the past 3 years; thankfully, all sides are motivated to reach an agreement. Here’s the latest: property value appraisals are expected shortly, the Tsuu Tina will vote on the proposal, the city and federal government will move to approve the arrangement, and our provincial government will then finalize payment. I am very pleased to tell you that I have spoken personally with Premier Stelmach about this on a number of occasions: he is completely aware of the history, and current status; and is actively, personally involved in working on a solution at the first possible opportunity. We will keep on fighting for this road until we are driving on it!
Our provincial government has made great strides this year. We resolved the Teacher Pension Unfunded Liability, and finalized the “Municipal Sustainability Initiative” (which will help our local communities more than ever before--$11.3 Billion!). We invested more than ever before in history in new & upgraded schools, post-secondary institutes, health infrastructure, & new paved roads ($4.1 Billion).
In the spirit of openness and transparency, we also passed the “Lobbyist & Accountability Act”. We continue to make good progress with the “Affordable Housing” and “Crime Reduction & Safe Communities” Task Forces; and the “Secretariat on Homelessness” will work to eradicate that issue in the next 10 years. Premier Stelmach also fulfilled his promise to seek to strike the right balance between a fair economic return on development of the energy resources Albertans own—and the opportunity for energy companies to operate with predictability and stability—in the new Royalty Framework.
We are focused on 3 priorities in 2008: building communities, greening our growth, and creating opportunity. We will work to ensure our high quality of life is sustained and enhanced; will take bold action to deepen a strong environmental ethic, and secure long-term prosperity for all Albertans. And we are well on our way: “Calgary is the most dynamic and attractive city in Canada” says a new report from the Conference Board of Canada, based on economy, innovation, environment, education, health, society, and housing…& “Alberta leads in home ownership growth: higher incomes, economic stability cited as factors” (Calgary Herald, A1 & D3, Dec. 12, 2007). Albertans lead the country in virtually every economic category: we have the lowest unemployment rate, pay the lowest overall provincial taxes, and enjoy the highest personal disposable income per capita in the country. While all of this progress is impressive on many levels, it also brings with it a host of growing pains and difficult choices; so we must be vigilant if we are to continue to improve the well-being of our families, our province, and our country. I personally invite you to join me in being extremely active in our efforts to make Calgary-Lougheed, Alberta, and Canada the best they can be.