New Alberta Budget

Good News for Athletes! An HP athlete assistance program will be implemented to supplement the Federal program. This should be similar to what Ontario has already put in place. (see excerpt from provincial budget below)

Tourism, Parks and Recreation

The Ministry’s 2008-09 total program expense is $248 million, a $1.7 million increase from the 2007-08 forecast.

The Ministry’s operating expense is $160 million, a $16.5 million or 11.5 per cent increase from the 2007-08 forecast. 2008-09 operating spending increases include:

• $10 million for tourism marketing and development;
• $2.6 million for parks operations;
• $1.5 million to implement the High Performance Assistance Athlete Program which will supplement the assistance provided by the federal government for high performance athletes. Over three years, $4.5 million will be provided for this program, and
• $2.4 million net increase in various other programs.

The Ministry’s capital expense is $88 million, a $14.8 million or 14.4 per cent decrease from the 2007-08 forecast. In 2007-08, $50 million of one-time capital grants were provided for major recreation and sport facilities in Edmonton and Calgary. Capital spending highlights in 2008-09 include:

• $50 million to support the development of the Capital Region River Valley Park, stretching from Devon to Fort Saskatchewan.
• $20 million to the Calgary Olympic Development Association for the Centre of Sport Excellence. In total, the government has committed $69 million to this initiative, with $40 million provided in 2007-08 and another $9 million to be provided in 2009-10.

The Ministry’s 2008-09 capital investment budget is $36 million. The majority of this capital investment will go towards maintaining and improving infrastructure and maintenance in Alberta’s network of 500 parks and protected areas.