Budget 2012: Spending Highlights and Economic and Revenue Highlights

Spending Highlights

Click here for the Spending Highlights pdf version.

Investing in families and communities

• $100 million a year to improve access to primary
  health care and mental health services, including the
  introduction of Family Care Clinics to provide Albertans a
  variety of health services under one roof - three clinics to
  open in 2012.
  
  
• $400 per month increase in the maximum monthly living
  allowance for about 46,000 Albertans who use the
  Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped program.
  
  
• $110 million to decrease homelessness in Alberta,
  including the creation of an interagency council that will
  provide outreach support services, housing for 1,800
  homeless, and over 3,100 shelter spaces.
  
  
• 90 new RCMP offi cers and 55 new sheriffs to be hired
  across Alberta by 2013-14.
  
  

Investing in students and research

• 14 new k-12 schools will be opening their doors this year,
  meaning 10,000 more children will be able to go to school
  in their own neighbourhood.
  
  
• $34 million invested in k-12 students every school day.
  
  
• $200 million for student fi nancial assistance providing
  for Alberta’s student debt management programs;
  scholarships; bursaries and grants.
  
  
• $25 million to increase support for scientifi c research
  through an expanded, more competitive tax credit.
  
  

Investing in world-leading resource stewardship

• $11 million to help deliver a comprehensive environmental
  monitoring program in the oil sands region, to assure
  Albertans we are developing our resources responsibly.
  
  
• $540 million over three years in Green TRIP funding
  to make public transit more accessible and advance
  Alberta’s leadership in reducing greenhouse gas
  emissions.
  
  
• $24 million to grow Alberta’s presence internationally to
  ensure better market access for our products.
  
  
• $750,000 to fund the operation of the new research
  greenhouse facilities in Brooks, the Crop Diversifi cation
  Centre – South.

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Economic and Revenue Highlights

Click here for the Economic and Revenue Highlights pdf version.

Alberta's Strong Economy

• Economic growth is expected to be 3.8% in 2012,
  almost double the expected growth for the entire country.
  
  
• Employment growth in Alberta was 3.8% last year,
  by far the highest rate in the country.
  
  
• Alberta accounted for about half of all new jobs created
  in Canada over the past year and has one of the lowest
  unemployment rates, averaging 5.5 per cent in 2011.
  
• In December 2011, a record of over 2 million Albertans
  were working, up nearly 100,000 from the same time
  the previous year. Almost all new jobs have been full
  time positions.
  
  
• Albertans continue to earn the highest wages in the
  country, almost 20% above the national average.
  
  
• While Alberta has about 11% of Canada’s labour force,
  Alberta hires and trains more than 20% of the country’s
  apprentices.
  
  
• Alberta’s per capita infrastructure support is about
  $1,500, 38% higher than the per capita average of what
  other provinces have been spending.
  
  
• Investment in Alberta was over $70 billion in 2010,
  approximately double the national average on a per capita
  basis.
  
  
• Businesses sold over $87 billion in goods and
  services to more than 180 countries around the world
  in 2010.
  
  
• Albertans and Alberta businesses pay the least taxes
  in the country and would pay at least $11 billion more
  in taxes each year with any other provincial tax system.
  
  
• Alberta has the lowest overall corporate and small
  business tax burden in Canada – with the lowest fuel
  tax, no payroll tax, no capital tax and no sales tax.

 

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