A pair of Central Alberta Conservative MPs are supporting mid-sized cities in their push for more federal and provincial funding to tackle the addiction crisis.
Red Deer-Mountain View MP Earl Dreeshen and Red Deer-Lacombe MP Blaine Calkins sent out a joint message Tuesday backing Alberta’s Mid-Sized Cities Mayors Caucus, which recently pledged to send letters to other levels of government for more funding.
“Communities in the province of Alberta are struggling to find solutions to some big issues right now,” says Calkins. “The opioid crisis facing our nation is growing even more rapidly in Central Alberta and our municipal governments need help.
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Calkins was critical of the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying “failed economic policies and anti-pipeline rhetoric have hurt our communities and only exacerbated these issues.”
In a phone interview on Tuesday, Calkins said he was “adding my voice to the City of Red Deer’s call for assistance.
“Hopefully, some of the resources that Alberta has been sending to Ottawa for previous decades will come back and help us out with some of these socio-economic problems we’re facing.”
Calkins expects to meet with representatives of the Rural Municipalities Association, which represents Alberta counties and municipal districts, in the next couple of weeks.
There is a lot elected officials can do when they work together, he said.
“The question is whether the government will respond.”
Dreeshen also took the Liberal government to task.
“Our communities are dealing with increased taxes, increased crime, legalization of cannabis and the carbon tax. There is only one taxpayer and they are being taxed to death to pay for flawed government policies and out of control spending.
“In Red Deer, we are dealing with serious addictions and homelessness issues.”
It’s time the federal government stepped up to “do the right thing,” he said.
Both MPs say they want to meet with the City of Red Deer to discuss the issues and how the MPs can best help.
pcowley@reddeeradvocate.com
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