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| Dear Calgary-Klein I want to thank everyone in our community for your resilience over the past several months. Seeing how many people have come together in recent months to support each other in difficult times has made me even more proud to live in our community. I know that many people have struggled with the economic uncertainty that began earlier this year. To get Alberta’s economy moving again, government has introduced a recovery plan that is focused on creating jobs now, building up our province, and diversifying the economy for the future. To help jump-start the economy this year, our government will make the largest investment in infrastructure projects in Alberta’s history, which will invest over $10-billion in projects and help create over 50,000 jobs. In order to speed up Alberta’s recovery, new measures and programs have been introduced. Beginning July 1, Alberta’s corporate tax rate was reduced to 8 percent, making our province the most attractive place to do business in Canada by far. Other funding initiatives, like the Innovation Employment Grant and Cultural Event Relaunch Program, will help Albertan businesses and organizations launch and grow so that they can help get Albertans back to work in the long run. As we look to the future, I know that many in our community have been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For the latest information on protecting your loved ones from illness or resources for coping, please visit alberta.ca/covid19.As always, it is my honour to serve as your MLA. Sincerely, Jeremy Nixon, MLA Calgary-Klein Update on Student LearningWe recently released the scenario Alberta Education has decided on for September’s return to school. Schools will resume with full-time classes for all students, with near-normal operation. Schools will implement a number of public health measures, including frequent cleaning of surfaces, placing hand sanitizers at school entrances and classrooms, grouping students in cohorts and planning the school day to allow for physical distancing. This could include staggering start times for classes, recess and lunch. Additional public health measures may be established prior to September on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health in consultation with the education system. As for current return to school protocol, students from grades 4-12 and school staff are all mandated to wear masks in school where social distancing is not possible. All students and staff in public, separate, Francophone, charter and independent schools will receive two reusable masks from Alberta’s government. Alberta’s government will also be providing 466,000 litres of hand sanitizer to be distributed between all school authorities. Each school will also receive two contactless thermometers to assist with managing student and staff health. Thermometer use will be at the discretion of the school authority. We will also be providing $15 million for projects supporting COVID-19 learning environments in school. Please click this link for additional information https://www.alberta.ca/k-to-12-school-re-entry-2020-21-school-year.aspx  For parents who prefer to continue online schooling, an online curriculum will be provided by school boards and you are advised to contact your local board for direction. All of the information can be found here. Making Child Care More Affordable and Accessible As part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan our government is reinvesting federal child care dollars to support families who need it most. We understand that child care arrangements can be an obstacle to employment, especially in a pandemic. Through an updated agreement with the Canadian government, Alberta’s government will invest $45 million to help delivery affordable child care to more families who need support. Funding will be used to support three main priorities: affordability, accessibility and quality. $29 million of the funds aims to improve affordability. Families earning up to $75,000 are eligible to receive a subsidy. 16,000 lower-income families will pay an average of $25-per-day for child care under the new model, which comes into effect August 1. For those who receive full subsidy, this could mean $200 more every month. $9.7 million will go towards making child care more accessible. The province will provide childcare operators with access to coaching and funding for additional staff to support children with complex needs. The funds will also provide programming to address cultural and linguistic needs, such as Indigenous and Francophone programs. Lastly, $4.7 million will be directed to support educators through programming and training. These investments will provide fair access to child care for Albertan parents. Particularly in these uncertain times, families need to have access to safe, affordable and accessible child care.  Partnering for Energy Innovations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf9Uq__q1mw&feature=youtu.be I also rose in the House to speak to the wealth of resources and knowledge that Alberta has, and how by harnessing our innovation and research we can ensure safe, environmentally prudent development of our resources. News Briefs  Billion dollar Investment to help Municipalities Create Jobs and Cope with COVID-19 https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=72914E15595B2-FF50-B006-CE56F8D1173C226B.  Creating Jobs in Alberta’s Technology Sector https://www.alberta.ca/innovation-employment-grant.aspx.  Redesigned program supports Indigenous housing https://www.alberta.ca/funding-affordable-housing.aspx#toc-5. In The Community |
 Innovation in Schools My colleague, Honourable Jason Copping, Minister of Labour and Immigration, and I were pleased to visit St Francis, a school in the Calgary-Klein community and check out their new STEM lab. This state of the art lab features new and emerging technology to encourage students to pursue careers in STEM.  Supporting Small Business in Calgary-Klein I had the opportunity to attend a grand opening of a new small business on July 11th. Seeing the growth and resilience of local business in Calgary-Klein reminds me that Albertans are dedicated to economic growth and prosperity in the community.  Opening of the Oxford House/Poundmakers Lodge I had the privilege to attend the grand opening of the Oxford House/Poundmakers Lodge first Indigenous Women’s Recovery Home. This was a wonderful gathering to celebrate the opening of a shelter dedicated to the recovery of Indigenous women in our community.   North Haven Neighbourhood Cleanup I helped a team of volunteers clean up North Haven during their Neighbourhood Cleanup event. We collected 10 garbage and 2 recycling bags. It felt good to contribute to this cause and I’d recommend it to anyone. Getting outside, meeting community members and contributing to a positive cause can give your mental health a great boost. If you have any questions or require assistance related to provincial matters, please reach out to my constituency office. Calgary-Klein Constituency Office: #201, 1055 – 20 Avenue NW, Calgary, AB T2M 1E7 403-216-5430 | Email: calgary.klein@assembly.ab.ca |
