Local officials applaud provincial budget

CITY, UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OFFICIALS PRAISE FUNDING

More praise was offered by Lethbridge officials Friday, as they heard details of the provincial government’s new budget.

Representatives of the City, the public school system and the University of Lethbridge welcomed provisions of the 201819 budget, tabled Thursday afternoon.

Andy Hakin, vice-president (academic) at the U of L, said he’s “very pleased” by several of the budget announcements, including an increase in the university’s operating grant and a continued emphasis on students’ mental health.

“I was very pleased to see that commitment to our students.”

Hakin also joined educators praising the government’s commitment for 3,000 more spaces for students hoping to attend university or college across the province.

“That’s a great announcement,” Hakin said, and U of L officials look forward to learning how they’ll be part of that expansion over the next five years.

While continuing its freeze on student tuition, he noted, the government is also allocating $17 million to help the province’s 27 public universities and colleges make up the difference. The budget speech also included plans for more student scholarships, Hakin added.

As well, Hakin pointed out, it provides $17 million of “indigenous training providers,” whether they’re offering academic or skills programs.

“That is the right thing to be doing,” he said.

The government is also providing $50 million for completion of the university’s Destination Project over the next two years.

Hakin said university officials expect to see full details of the budget’s provisions over the next few weeks.

At city hall, acting mayor Mark Campbell hailed the government’s continuation of the Municipal Sustainability Initiative grants — a 10-year program scheduled to end in 2017.

“They really help with our infrastructure projects,” by providing predictable support.

While announcing the current program will run until 2022, Campbell noted the government also said it is planning a new program, ensuring stable and predictable funding, which will replace it.

While offering no comment on the government’s regional transit initiative — connecting nearby towns to cities like Red Deer and Lethbridge — Campbell said the province’s Green Trip support for transit continues, but with a budget cut.

Though the City’s tax department is simply the collector, Campbell said homeowners can expect an increase on the education portion of their property tax bills.

At School District 51, board chair Clark Bosch praised the government’s commitment to stable, predictable funding.

“It was a good-news budget for us,” Bosch said.

Announced later, construction approval for a new elementary school on the city’s southern suburbs was good news for students as well.

The budget speech called for grant hikes to match increases in student enrolment, he noted, while reducing school fees.

Lethbridge District 51 is expecting to enrol an extra 400 children in the fall, Bosch pointed out.

“It’s nice to see” a government that keeps its word, he observed. “It’s providing stable and predictable funding, just as it said it would.”

The additional income will also help support important initiatives like programs for First Nations students, he said, and those learning English as a second language.

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