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Affordability platforms

Here's what the candidates in Lacombe-Ponoka, and their parties, are promising.

Cell and Internet services

Myles Chykerda

AP candidate in your district
  • Ensure high-quality, reliable, and affordable broadband services are available to every community in Alberta within three years.

    An Alberta Party government would partner with major telecoms providers to bring a combination of fiber-optic & 5G internet to every under-served community in Alberta.

    Only 12.7% per cent of communities in Alberta have service that meets target speeds set by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission. An Alberta Party government will commit to ensuring every community in Alberta meets the CRTC target speeds.

    Alberta Party MLAs will promote expedited work on the Provincial Broadband Strategy and push for an additional $250 million over three years.

    Alberta Party MLAs such as Greg Clark and Karen McPherson were vocal about the need for rural broadband during the NDP government years. The NDP remained silent on this area until this election.

We don't have any UCP policies on Cell and Internet services.

Childcare

Myles Chykerda

AP candidate in your district
  • Creating means-tested subsides for licensed childcare

    Blanket $10/day promises do not create a progressive system. Much like with a flat tax, fewer lower and middle-income families see benefits than if a means-tested system were implemented.

    Alberta Party MLAs will promote solutions that ensure public dollars go first to those that need them.

  • Alberta Caregiver Tax Credit

    As in 2019, Alberta Party MLAs will recognize that not every family will choose to send their children to daycare facilities.

    Families that do participate in daycare should receive similar assistance in the realm of costs associated with raising children at home.

NDP

  • Bring fees down to $10/day by the end of 2024
  • Provide $10/day before- and after-school care
  • Double the per-space funding grant to non-profit childcare operators from $5K/space to $10K/space

    "We will double the per space funding grant to non-profit child care operators to create more child care spaces from $5,000/space to $10,000/space." — albertandp.ca, retrieved 2023-05-19

UCP

  • Provide universal access to $10-a-day daycare by 2026

Food prices

We don't have any NDP policies on Food prices.
We don't have any UCP policies on Food prices.

SM

  • Support our Alberta Farms and create abundance of locally grown food.

Fuel and transportation costs

We don't have any NDP policies on Fuel and transportation costs.
We don't have any UCP policies on Fuel and transportation costs.

Pensions

NDP

  • Keep Alberta in the Canada Pension Plan, and pass legislation preventing future governments from withdrawing from CPP
  • Expand private workplace pensions
  • Return to a joint-governance model for public pensions
  • Allow public school teachers to leave AIMCo
  • Remove the Finance Minister's power to direct investment decisions at AIMCo
We don't have any UCP policies on Pensions.

Poverty and the minimum wage

NDP

  • Index the minimum wage to inflation
  • Review income supports to address gaps

    "As part of the review, we will consult on:

       Eliminating the discrimination in Income Support eligibility and amounts between Barriers to Full Employment and AISH.

       Removing unfair clawbacks and asset thresholds that keep people in poverty and are disincentives to training and employment.

       The Income Supports Appeals Secretariat to improve accessibility and reduce poverty." — albertandp.ca, retrieved 2023-05-27

  • Permanently index benefits to inflation
We don't have any UCP policies on Poverty and the minimum wage.

Public transit

NDP

  • Begin work on the north leg of the Green Line LRT

    "The Alberta NDP is committed to supporting the Calgary Green Line LRT through an investment to begin land acquisition for the north leg of the project. Once completed, the north leg of the Green Line will extend from 16 Avenue North to 160 Avenue North." — Building a Better Future for Calgary, retrieved 2023-05-22

Seniors' benefits

NDP

  • Immediately increase the Seniors Benefit, Income Supports, and AISH payments to match inflation since 2019, then index them to inflation
We don't have any UCP policies on Seniors' benefits.

Tax measures and rebates

NDP

  • Freeze personal income taxes
  • Not bring in a provincial sales tax
  • Freeze auto insurance
  • Provide a tax credit for kids' activities up to $500/child/year

    "We will introduce a Kids’ Activity Tax Credit. This will provide parents with up to $500 per child per year to pay for activities, including sports, dance, music lessons, and more."

UCP

  • Create a new 8% tax bracket on personal income under $60K

    "A re-elected UCP government will create a new 8% bracket on income under $60,000. This means every Alberta earning $60,000 or more will save $760 – that’s over $1,500 per family! Albertans earning less than $60,000 will see a full 20% reduction to their provincial tax bill under this tax cut." — unitedconservative.ca, retrieved 2023-05-09

  • Extend the fuel tax suspension until 31 December, 2023

    "A re-elected UCP government will also extend the Fuel Tax Holiday until December 31, 2023, saving Albertans 13 cents per a litre at the pump." — unitedconservative.ca, retrieved 2023-05-09

  • Index all tax brackets to inflation
  • Legislate that government can't increase personal or business taxes without a referendum

    "This commitment to lowering taxes builds on our No Tax Hike Guarantee, the UCP’s pledge to not increase personal or business taxes. We will formalize this guarantee in government by expanding the Taxpayer Protection Act to ensure no future government can increase personal or business taxes without first getting approval from Albertans in a referendum." — unitedconservative.ca, retrieved 2023-05-09

SM

  • Lower taxes
  • Tax revenues stay in region where they are generated
  • No provincial Sales Tax
  • No tax hikes without referandum
  • Index all tax brackets to inflation

Utilities

NDP

  • Investigate electricity prices to improve competitiveness, reliability, and affordability in the long-term
  • Implement a 12 cents/kWh rate cap from to prevent price spikes from July to September
We don't have any UCP policies on Utilities.