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Hector Goudreau MLA: New law supports search and rescue groups, strengthens communities
Hector Goudreau MLA, Dunvegan – Central Peace
for Smoky River Express
Recently, the Alberta Legislature passed Bill 6, the Emergency Management Amendment Act 2010, which supports search and rescue groups with liability protection when acting in good faith. These amendments are designed to provide local authorities and their agents with additional legal defences to help limit exposure to lawsuits.
The Act will also enhance regional emergency service delivery and will allow communities to work together where it is effective to do so. This will give Albertans living in smaller communities improved access to emergency services.
Updating emergency management laws and procedures helps keep our communities strong. An important part of The Way Forward is maintaining support for programs and services Albertans need most, such as health care and education, in order to create safe and vibrant communities.
Alberta gears up for start of 2010 wildfire season
Following a winter of below-average snowfall and precipitation, Alberta’s 2010 wildfire season is now upon us. Because of higher-than-normal hazard levels, the Alberta Government is positioning personnel and equipment throughout the province’s forested zones to respond quickly and effectively when wildfires strike.
Ground moisture to date in 2010 is about 80 per cent of normal in most areas of the province. In preparation for the wildfire season, approximately $52 million worth of fire-fighting resources have been or will be distributed to stations in the field across Alberta. Aircraft, equipment and crews will be deployed at each of the 43 fire-fighting and 14 air-tanker bases in the province’s Forest Protection Area in the coming weeks. The province is also training new fire-fighting personnel and, in the weeks to come, will begin opening the 127 fire lookout towers.
During the 2009 wildfire season, the Alberta Government responded to more than 1,600 wildfires in the Forest Protection Area, more than 50 per cent of which were caused by human activity. Those wildfires burned nearly 67,000 hectares of land - an area roughly the size of the City of Edmonton. Over the five previous years, the province averaged 1,615 wildfires a year which burned 108,014 hectares.
Minister Knight has reminded Albertans who live in or visit the province’s forested areas to take extra care while burning this spring, as dry conditions and strong winds can fuel fast-burning grassfires.
As of April 1, fire permits are required for any type of burning within the Forest Protection Area - except lighting a campfire. Permits are free and available at any Alberta Sustainable Resource Development office. To find the location of the office nearest you, call 310-0000 or visit http://srd.alberta.ca/AboutUs/SRDContacts/Default.aspx. Albertans living outside the Forest Protection Area can contact their local municipality for information about local fire permit requirements.
Spring also marks the time of year when Albertans should revisit any sites where they conducted winter burns, and ensure those fires are completely out. If the fires at these sites were not completely extinguished, they can smoulder underground for months and resurface as wildfires. These holdover fires pose a particularly dangerous risk early in wildfire season.
In addition to preparing for wildfire season, the Alberta Government is developing plans for numerous prescribed fires in 2010. Prescribed fires are conducted to meet a number of forest management goals, including community protection and removing prime mountain pine beetle habitat.
To report a wildfire in Alberta, call 310-FIRE. For information about fire bans and forest closures in Alberta, visit www.albertafirebans.ca/.
Bill 1 increases Alberta’s ability to compete globally
New legislation passed by the Alberta legislature lays the groundwork for the province to be among the most competitive jurisdictions in the world through enhanced government partnerships with industry, business and Albertans.
To help implement the Alberta Competitiveness Act and enhance Alberta’s ability to compete worldwide, Doug Griffiths, MLA for Battle River-Wainwright, has been appointed Parliamentary Assistant to the Hon. Ted Morton, Minister of Finance and Enterprise.
The Competitiveness Act will help increase the province’s ability to compete by:
— advancing current Alberta competitiveness initiatives, such as the oil and gas competitiveness review and the Western Economic Partnership;
— developing strategies to encourage innovation, productivity and the adoption of technology;
— promoting effective policies and regulatory systems that deliver the positive economic, environmental and social outcomes Albertans expect; and
— measuring progress and reporting to the public about how Alberta’s competitiveness contributes to the province’s prosperity, environment and quality of life.
In his new role, Griffiths will work with Minister Morton to oversee and help implement priority actions related to the Competitiveness Act.
Griffiths’ other primary duties include addressing regulatory reform needs to reduce red tape and improve business competitiveness in the province, as well as helping to develop a renewed fiscal and savings plan that will ensure our competitiveness and future prosperity.
The Government of Alberta has a clear plan for a strong economic recovery. The Way Forward will bring Alberta back into a surplus position in three years by trimming government spending; using cash reserves to protect key programs; continuing to invest in public infrastructure; and ensuring that our province’s industries are competitive and continue to attract investment to provide jobs and prosperity.
Alberta Works benefits changed for income support clients
Effective April 1, some Alberta Works income support benefits will be adjusted in order to improve fairness for clients and simplify administration.
There are three categories of income support recipients - Expected to Work (ETW), Not Expected to Work (NETW) and Learners. The adjustments will affect some core Learner benefits and some supplementary benefits available to all three categories. Benefits vary by family size and are responsive to individual situations. The benefits being adjusted include:
— equalizing benefits of three categories of Learners - Employment Insurance Learners, non-Employment Insurance Learners and Apprentices;
— aligning dental coverage for Expected to Work and Not Expected to Work clients;
— amalgamating the Employment Maintenance Allowance with a similar benefit, the Employment, Training and Transition Supports; and
— extending benefits to victims of human trafficking.
The changes affecting learners are to grant funding. These grants allow learners to train without incurring debt. Learners can also earn income and still receive full benefits. Albertans attending job training on or after Aug. 1, 2010 will receive the new benefit rates. Those learners who have funding agreements in place will continue to receive current benefits until the end of that funding agreement.
One of the changes includes providing benefits to victims of human trafficking. If someone has been declared a victim of human trafficking by the federal government, they now could be eligible for income support and health benefits.
Employment and Immigration continues to offer numerous programs to help Albertans train and enter the workforce. Those programs include Employer Connections, part-time training grants, and skills training grants. In 2010-11, more than 20,000 Albertans will receive training through Alberta Works programs.
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