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Response from PC leadership candidate Ted Morton

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Ted Morton
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Infrastructure

Central Alberta’s infrastructure has not kept pace with its rapidly growing population, from roads to schools to recreational facilities. What commitment would you make to the City of Red Deer and other Central Alberta municipalities, area schools and Red Deer College to create the necessary infrastructure to support this growth?

Infrastructure spending is important for ensuring the strength of our communities — not just for our economy, but for our health, education and social services sector. That is why investing in infrastructure has always been a cornerstone of the Progressive Conservative Party.

However, I believe that infrastructure is about more than simply putting up a building or paving a road. We need to be smart with the money we invest and make sure that it fits with a long-term plan for the future. The best way to do this is to remove politics from the equation.

Under a Ted Morton government, schools will be built where student populations merit, hospitals will be built where patient numbers dictate and housing units will be built where they are needed.

In addition, we must realize that construction is only half of the issue. We need to make sure that money is set aside to upgrade and maintain these buildings so that they can continue to provide services to Albertans for years to come.

Housing

The number of extended care beds for senior citizens in Central Alberta has not kept pace with the demand. What will you do to ensure the capital funding and operating funds are there to create and sustain the necessary beds in this region? How would you ensure they remain affordable to senior citizens?

A Ted Morton government will take several steps to address the issue of senior care both in Red Deer and the rest of the province.

First I will make it easier for seniors to remain in their homes for longer by allowing seniors to defer the education portion of their property tax. This would, in effect, lower taxes on seniors with fixed incomes.

Secondly, I will increase senior accommodations using a multi-dimensional approach, utilizing skills and knowledge from government, the private sector, community groups and non-profits. With these groups, we can build more high quality housing units, while keeping them affordable to the Alberta taxpayer.

Thirdly, I will expand our homecare services so that our seniors can remain in their homes longer while still receiving the help and support they need.

Finally, I will match the federal family caregiver tax credit. This will allow friends and family to stay and support their loved ones without financial hardship.

Education

Red Deer is the third largest city in Alberta but its young people cannot get degrees directly from their home college. When and how would you give degree granting status to Red Deer College?

My wife Bambi and I were both teachers and clearly understand both the need and value of post-secondary education. A Ted Morton government will support post-secondary education by making it easier for students to access our world-class institutions. Specifically, I will introduce a post-secondary tax credit for students who graduate and stay on to work in Alberta. This credit will provide up to $20,000 for students who stay and work in Alberta for seven years. In the future, Alberta will need thousands of qualified and trained workers, both in technical fields and in the liberal arts.

Red Deer College already offers a large selection of technical programs that have equipped many of our young people for the workforce, and I believe that expanding this role would help us meet our labour needs as we move forward.

I look forward to discussing the idea of degree granting status with Red Deer College.

Transportation

Red Deer is at the centre of a booming economic corridor, yet we have no scheduled passenger service to link citizens and businesses with services and markets in larger centres. What would you to do support the infrastructure for high speed rail service with a stop in Red Deer? What would you do to support scheduled passenger air service to the region? When would you commit to having high speed passenger service and/or air service in place to link Red Deer with Edmonton and Calgary?

The province must do a better job of working with communities on transportation priorities. Red Deer is situated on Hwy 2 — one of the busiest trade corridors in Canada. I will work with Red Deer to ensure it has adequate transportation service.

I am somewhat skeptical of high-speed rail.

First of all, it is extremely expensive to build a high-speed rail link that will actually provide fast, convenient transportation. Countries with much higher populations have struggled with the economics of these projects.

Second, these rail lines would require not just the rail line but also further public transportation development in Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer. While this is not feasible at this point in time, the province should purchase the rights-of-way for future consideration when the population increases and the economics make more sense.

Funding

Red Deer’s per capita funding from provincial sources lags behind other major centres in the province. What would you do to create a more equitable funding model?

The success of Alberta depends on the strength of its communities. In order for our communities to thrive, they need local governments that can operate with stability.

A Morton government will ensure this stability by providing predictable funding in both the short and long-term.

The next premier will have to work with municipalities on a long-term, sustainable funding model that provides sustainability for municipalities while protecting the taxpayer.

In the immediate term, I will continue with the current Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) grant funding to maintain stable municipal funding.

But this is not a long-term solution; municipalities are still reliant on provincial grants. Suggestions of an MSI 2program or removing the province from the education property tax are overly simplistic solutions that do not properly address the underlying issue of municipal sustainability.

I will work with municipalities on a plan that reduces dependence on provincial grants.