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Major Community Facilities Program

Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. After two years, coincidentally surrounding an election, of gigantic photo-op cheques being strategically handed out by Tories, the major community facilities program has come to an end. This program worked well for government members, including the members for Banff-Cochrane and Foothills-Rocky View and Airdrie Chestermere, so it seems as though the government got its money’s worth. My question is to the Minister of Culture and Community Spirit. What happens to those organizations who had grants in the pipeline for this program awaiting confirmation but not finalized as of year-end?

Mr. Blackett: Well, Mr. Speaker, those groups will be notified by my department that the program has been discontinued. For those that qualify under the community facility enhancement program, we’d ask to have their application transferred to that. The program was a two-year program. There was $240 million that we put in there, $480 million of ask, and $2 billion worth of projects. I think we did a great job for Albertans.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Ms Blakeman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, aside from the excellent photo ops and the helpful timing this grant program gave government members, did the program complete the inventory of needed repairs of major facilities in this province?

Mr. Blackett: Well, Mr. Speaker, the question is absolutely ridiculous. We’ve had 350,000 new people to this province in the last four and a half years, and we will always have new needs for major construction and major facilities all across the province, whether in rural or urban Alberta. That’s the way it is.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Ms Blakeman: Thank you. Again to the same minister. I note that a number of major facilities are still in dire need of maintenance and upgrading – not new facilities, just maintenance and upgrading – like, for example, the Varscona Theatre in Edmonton or Catalyst Theatre. Is this the end of government assistance with a higher level of funding for community facilities, or is another fund available to groups like the Varscona? The CFEP and CIP are lower amounts of money. There’s a cap on them. Is the higher funding gone completely?

Mr. Blackett: Your Leader of the Opposition asked for us to have discipline in spending. You wanted better value for the taxpayers’ dollars, and now you want us to spend more. We had a two-year program. We’ve done it.