Alberta Politics & Government Thread 4.0

[DJones]

Originally Posted by GGG

Can you explain what was so unique about Alberta that the daycare plans that work in Quebec, Ontario and BC would not work here

We actually did better than all those places. Quebec obviously is its own thing. The amount of daycares that popped up within like two years was unbelievable. Those provinces could never touch that type of turnaround. Our experience was vastly better than my friends in BC.

Completely shutting out dayhomes was an absolute abomination of a decision. That was like 80% of children at the time. Inevitably created shortages that are still on going. Treating it as universal, again, terrible decision. It should clearly be scaled to income. Capping the amount of private daycares allowed. Terrible decision. Another point on universal, why should all these places cost the same? When we were looking there was a 30-40% variance in cost. Now, all the same price. The two storey daycare with an indoor playground and bus service. Same cost as the place that put up a fence in the alley of a strip mall. Turns the whole thing into a lottery system or who do you know which I think is terrible design for any government program.

I think it was Kenney at the time, tried fighting it but inevitably it was follow the feds rules or lose billions. He had no leverage to argue. No one that lived in ALberta and understood our daycare system would have designed it like that. Dayhome operators, our politicians, parents, they all pointed things out but it was follow Trudeau's rules or lose the money. I'm guessing he just copy pasted Quebec's system and figured good enough

Which is exactly why people want this type of ruling. Disagreeing with the Prime Minister should not entail a whole province to be punished by withholding money. The main argument against it seems to be I do not want the province in charge of Health/education/ect at all so please come save us Liberals. Get off the internet and it quickly becomes apparent which side is more popular.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by DJones

tldr;

Born on third, thinks he got a triple

[DJones]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

Born on third, thinks he got a triple

Doesn't read it but gives opinion on it.

Perfect haha

[puffnstuff]

From a Globe and Mail article

Smith said she doesn't know how much newcomers cost Alberta’s health care and education systems, despite scheduling a referendum to ask whether social services to those residents shd be limited b/c of cost.
Smith stumbled when pressed for details on the financial burden newcomers place on the province’s health and education systems.
“It’s tough,” she said. “We’d have to do the figuring out.”
She added: “We don’t track residents and how much they use. All I can give you is averages about what things cost.”

https://bsky.app/profile/carrietait..../3mfcyl5d3a22v

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by GGG

Can you explain what was so unique about Alberta that the daycare plans that work in Quebec, Ontario and BC would not work here

Speaking of daycare and BC, it sounds like the $10 program might be falling apart.

The B.C. government announced on Tuesday that it is pressing pause on one of its longstanding promises: universal $10-a-day child care.


The province is putting a three-year freeze on that program.

New enrolment is being paused and there won’t be any further expansion of spaces.

The province says the goal is to stabilize the program, instead of rolling it back and moving to income-tested eligibility.

“We are hearing from families that it’s a lottery system,” B.C. Education Minister Lisa Beare told Global News.

“We’re hearing from operators that we don’t have the operating model quite right. There is an equity in the system.

“We’ve been talking to the federal government and our provincial and territorial partners about the sustainability and the inflexibility in the program. You know, so these are all things that need to be addressed.”

https://globalnews.ca/news/11673463/...rogram-paused/

[KootenayFlamesFan]

From a Globe and Mail article

Smith said she doesn't know how much newcomers cost Alberta’s health care and education systems, despite scheduling a referendum to ask whether social services to those residents shd be limited b/c of cost.
Smith stumbled when pressed for details on the financial burden newcomers place on the province’s health and education systems.
“It’s tough,” she said. “We’d have to do the figuring out.”
She added: “We don’t track residents and how much they use. All I can give you is averages about what things cost.”

https://bsky.app/profile/carrietait..../3mfcyl5d3a22v

So she's not sure, but has no problem throwing out the red meat immigrant fear mongering to the right/far right in the province.

She's not a leader for all people of the province, she's a disaster.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

Speaking of daycare and BC, it sounds like the $10 program might be falling apart.



https://globalnews.ca/news/11673463/...rogram-paused/

So they're pausing a program that isn't running as well as intended to give everyone time to see what can/should happen to make it better.

I wish all politicians did that.

[DJones]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

Speaking of daycare and BC, it sounds like the $10 program might be falling apart.



https://globalnews.ca/news/11673463/...rogram-paused/

That seems insane to me. Pause enrollment gains when there are still huge shortages but maintain full funding to those who happened to get spots. What other description aside from a lottery can you even call that.

Take your funding budget, take the amount of eligible kids. That's how much each kid should get. If its not enough, scale it to income.

There is still a a massive preferential treatment to high income families. Generally if you know someone or the older kid is in, you get bumped to the front of the line. So getting into the system before the federal grants came in is an absolutely huge bonus which directly correlates with income.

And what happens if the workers want a raise? You just scale back how many spots are subsidized? Just crank the odds of the lottery a little higher. Hopefully rent and insurance doesn't go up at all.

Eby seems like a wounded animal right now. Make a coherent argument about why the system needs to be redesigned. Trudeau is gone now so there should be more flexibility. If the federal plan isn't modified its going to become tainted across the whole country. I guarantee anyone with kids knows a high income family with several kids getting full discounts at high end daycares and they also know low income families on a year long wait list to get into the converted Nail Salon.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

So they're pausing a program that isn't running as well as intended to give everyone time to see what can/should happen to make it better.

I wish all politicians did that.

We were just told, a few posts prior, that the BC daycare plan works.

[Bonded]

Why do separatists think they’ll have any kind of prosperity from an antagonist government that at best will keep them as a territory. It must be time consuming applying clown make up every morning.

[btimbit]

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by DJones

Doesn't read it but gives opinion on it.

Perfect haha

You’re not aware what that means?

[DJones]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

You’re not aware what that means?

Wasn't exactly cryptic

[GGG]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

We were just told, a few posts prior, that the BC daycare plan works.

Technically I didn’t say the particular plans currently in place in BC Quebec and Ontario work. My post made no comment on the existing programs.

It asks what is different about Alberta that a program that works on BC Quebec or Ontario would work in Alberta.

Djones position is Alberta is special somehow unique. I asked what is unique about it.

[opendoor]

Originally Posted by DJones

Take your funding budget, take the amount of eligible kids. That's how much each kid should get. If its not enough, scale it to income.

It's not $10/day vs. full unsubsidized rates. Any daycare in the province that opts into the Fee Reduction Initiative receives $500-900/month per spot to offset fees and then any family earning under $111K gets further direct subsidies.

So if a daycare charges $1.5K/month for a 0-18 month spot, the parents would pay about $600/month after the Fee Reduction Initiative. But with the direct subsidy, any family earning under about $90K would pay $0, so low income families are already heavily subsidized. The $10/day thing is separate, and ultimately not a great program. It has the same weakness as Alberta's system where millionaires have their childcare rates subsidized by the same amount as a single parent earning $40K/year.

[Texas]

Thank God we're finally getting to the root of Alberta's budget issues: immigrants. I can't wait to vote in her referendum in November to stop those free loading good for nothing immigrants from coming to our province. For a second I thought the real problem was those greedy nurses and teachers, but I'm glad Danielle clarified that it's the immigrants.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by DJones

We should all be paying healthcare fees and premiums. Create a PST, up fees and property taxes. Drop income taxes to normalize the costs to families. Fly by Canadians/non-residents/tourists/ect all get taxed more appropriately.

So basically make everything more expensive in a way that impacts families and lower income people most and “normalize the costs” by dropping the thing that will result in wealthy individuals getting the biggest breaks.

Neat.

Like what are you even pretending about here? “My money should go to municipal” well great, the UCP is actively taking money and power out of municipalities. “I don’t want someone in Ottawa…” but you’re fine with someone in Edmonton telling someone in Ottawa how it should be everywhere else. “It’s a lottery system that subsidizes the rich” the UCP literally removed subsidies for lower income families so higher income families would pay less lol.

Albertans can complain about Canada all they want but I’m getting pretty bored of traitors whining about funding while the provincial government actively makes things more expensive while (somehow) destroying services at the same time and keeps saying no to federal funding.

[DJones]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

So basically make everything more expensive in a way that impacts families and lower income people most and “normalize the costs” by dropping the thing that will result in wealthy individuals getting the biggest breaks.

Neat.

Like what are you even pretending about here? “My money should go to municipal” well great, the UCP is actively taking money and power out of municipalities. “I don’t want someone in Ottawa…” but you’re fine with someone in Edmonton telling someone in Ottawa how it should be everywhere else. “It’s a lottery system that subsidizes the rich” the UCP literally removed subsidies for lower income families so higher income families would pay less lol.

Albertans can complain about Canada all they want but I’m getting pretty bored of traitors whining about funding while the provincial government actively makes things more expensive while (somehow) destroying services at the same time and keeps saying no to federal funding.

Nothing confusing about it. Pretty much standard in Europe. Like our income taxes are higher than Norway, the stereotypical high tax county. Jack up sales taxes and drop income taxes. As a CPA I'm biased but our tax system is broken. Income taxes are not capable of keeping up in a global economy. You tax activities, not income. You'll get way more money from rich people and non residents.

And yes, that is stupid by the ucp. Why would you think I agree with that when I've said I want the opposite. I want my property taxes and my municipal government to double their budget. With that tax capacity being taken from the feds/provinces income taxes.

[Fuzz]

High property taxes are punitive on the poor, those with limited incomes, unable to work, students, the disabled, and the elderly. Flattening income taxes and raising property taxes only benefits one segment of society. High earners. Now progressive property tax rates, that's something we could look at. It would help tax wealth and dis-incentivize massively expensive homes.

I know you don't care, because your selfishness only has you advocating what is good for you.

[DJones]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

High property taxes are punitive on the poor, those with limited incomes, unable to work, students, the disabled, and the elderly. Flattening income taxes and raising property taxes only benefits one segment of society. High earners. Now progressive property tax rates, that's something we could look at. It would help tax wealth and dis-incentivize massively expensive homes.

I know you don't care, because your selfishness only has you advocating what is good for you.

Not sure how this logic lasts after even a momentary glimpse of real world examples.

Like I'm pretty much saying to copy the Nordic model. Netherlands taxes I like. Germanys education. French healthcare. Somehow all of those things are considered extreme here