Project helps military families make adjustment to Alberta
Province will help with such matters as schools, doctors, drivers licences
A pilot project launching in the fall is focused on helping military families transition to Alberta.
As part of a federal initiative called Seamless Canada, Alberta is one of two provinces developing projects to help military families that are posted to the region get access to the services they need.
That includes accessing new schools and child care, finding a new doctor or dentist, spousal job-hunting and obtaining Alberta driver’s licences and licence plates, Edmonton MLA Nicole Goehring said.
“We will work across Alberta government departments with military leadership and military family resource centres to make transitioning to Alberta as seamless as possible,” said Goehring, the province’s liaison to the Canadian Armed Forces.
“It could mean schools in Alberta know what curriculum new students are coming from and what can ease their transition. It could mean military families on healthcare waiting lists won’t lose their place for medical procedures.”
The province is working on developing a website to help military families access services, she added.
Brig.- Gen. Trevor Cadieu, commander of 3rd Canadian Division, said for military members, “our heroes are our families.”
“Every time I get a chance to interact with our military families, I’m reminded of the adage, ‘If you think being a soldier’s tough, try loving one’ — and it’s true,” he said.
“We ask so much of our military families in order for us to be able
to serve Canadians in their time of need ... our loved ones have to serve their country every bit as much as we do.”
In addition to often raising children on their own while their spouse is deployed for extended periods, Cadieu said families sometimes have to move frequently, and with each transition must find new jobs, health-care providers and schools.
“Our families make sacrifices that most people simply can’t understand,” he said.
Military spouse Michelle Jzkwarek, who just moved to Calgary, said in her five years of working with Canadian military families, there hasn’t been a single one that hasn’t experienced challenges with each move, such as accessing medical care, getting consistent care for kids with special needs, and facing school curriculum challenges.
“All of these things bring tremendous stress to the family,” she said.
About 1,200 military families are posted to Alberta each year.
The Military Families and Veterans Pilot Project will launch this fall. New Brunswick is also developing a pilot project. Alberta is expected to share its best practices to help other provinces set up similar initiatives.
We ask so much of our military families in order for us to be able to serve Canadians ... our loved ones have to serve their country every bit as much as we do.