Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

Is this the bolded true? do you have a source for this?

It is true, quote with link below. There are specific grants for rural areas that nobody else is eligible to receive:

Weighted moving average enrolment determines the enrolment thresholds of the small rural schools eligible to receive this grant.

The block funding is based on enrolment, with different amounts for different student populations.

Alberta's K to 12 funding model recognizes the unique challenges rural jurisdictions face operating schools and delivering education services.

Source:https://www.alberta.ca/k-to-12-educa...ing-model.aspx

So because it costs more to deliver education rurally they get more money. I don't have any issue with that, it makes sense that everyone who lives in AB should get a good education - but everyone who lives in AB should also contribute equitably through taxes.

Also, because funding is based on a 3 year average population size, areas that are growing quickly (which is cities and suburban bedroom communities) have their funding partially based on old lower populations, while declining population rural areas have their funding partially based on older higher populations.

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

The social benefits of farming are negligible, I reckon we can tax them at their raw property value.

All jokes aside, the taxes are low if you sit on it and farm, but then again the margin of profit is low, if you sell the land or subdivide, the taxes are just as high as anything, infact often times much higher because when the land was purchased in the 60s it was worth a 1/4 of what it is now, so you need to pay taxes for the rate of increase. I wish farming was a get out of tax free card, but alas, no one is free from death or taxes.

Every other land use pays property tax on fair value except for farmers. Daycares, doctor's clinics, etc., all of which also have social benefits. It's objectively unfair that the provincial property tax burden falls disproportionately on residential uses and every other industry other than farms. There's no reason they shouldn't pay taxes on actual values like everybody else. The political power of farmers is the reason they don't.

As for capital gains taxes on price increases, every other industry pays that as well when assets change hands, so I'm not sure I see why that should exempt farmers from paying appropriate levels of property tax. And already the first $500k of farming capital gains is tax free. My sympathy for a couple who has to pay capital gains tax (at half of income tax rates) on their gains once they exceed a million dollars is limited. The homestead portion of a farm is also free from capital gains tax.

[#-3]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

Is this the bolded true? do you have a source for this?

I'm not sure his premise is so out to lunch that you should shift the burden of proof to him. There are a probably a lot of things I'm missing like differences in day-day tasks. But randomly selected Southern Alberta high school has 52% of it's staff in direct teaching roles, while the largest school in Calgary has 66%. On it's face there could be something there. Even if the funding is the same, maybe this creates differences in services.


https://vhs.horizon.ab.ca/about/staff-directory
9 Support - 10 teachers

https://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/Lord...s/default.aspx
37 Support - 73 teachers

[edslunch]

Thanks Notley!

Suncor Energy will eliminate 1,500 positions as the company's new chief executive announced an immediate plan to cut costs by $400 million by the end of this year……..

…..In February, Suncor announced it earned $2.74 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022, a 76-per-cent increase from the $1.55 billion it earned in the same three months of 2021..

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...offs-1.6862758

[TheIronMaiden]

Thanks for the information.



To be fair. I understand that living in the country is a privilege, I would hate anyone to think that i don't feel blessed to live in rural Alberta.

[Muta]

Suncor laid off 1,500 staff?

You can absolutely blame this one on the Nutley/Trudope/Singh alliance, Laurentian elites, the WEF, persecution of the non-vaccinated, illegal arrests at the freedom convoys, people who think the world is round (lol to those nutbars) and Venezuelan socialism

[Looch City]

Time to lower corporate taxes even more!

[White Out 403]

You can only imagine the hot steaming takes if Notley won the election, how this was a frightened oil market reacting to the evil communist win

[Yoho]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1664049053884186625

Predictably Edmonton going all in with their 7-2 hand.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Yoho

https://twitter.com/user/status/1664049053884186625

Predictably Edmonton going all in with their 7-2 hand.

What kind of mandate would you say she won in Edmonton? If anyone has the 2/7 unsuited here it’s obviously Smith. She’s compiling a committee of failed candidates who were just rejected by voters. As if you’d be fine with a Liberal or NDP government taking that kind of action.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Originally Posted by Yoho

https://twitter.com/user/status/1664049053884186625

Predictably Edmonton going all in with their 7-2 hand.

Wouldn’t the UCP candidates that lost every single seat in that city represent the losing hand?

Not that I would expect Smith to understand what they are saying, but she could actually talk to those representatives that won the ridings, if she in fact cares what Edmonton is thinking.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug

Wouldn’t the UCP candidates that lost every single seat in that city represent the losing hand?

Not that I would expect Smith to understand what they are saying, but she could actually talk to those representatives that won the ridings, if she in fact cares what Edmonton is thinking.

Or as Sohi says, the council that was elected by the city likely has a pretty firm grasp on what's going on. moreso than some failure of a UCP lackey.

[Ozy_Flame]

She's making a mockery of democracy. this, after she said she'd work to serve all Albertans including the ones that didn't vote for her.

She's pulling the same greasy shenanigans she did before the election and it won't be the last.

It's really not more difficult than that.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

She's making a mockery of democracy. this, after she said she'd work to serve all Albertans including the ones that didn't vote for her.

She's pulling the same greasy shenanigans she did before the election and it won't be the last.

It's really not more difficult than that.

The entire existence of the UCP summed up in a gif

[Faust]

Charles Russnell @charlesrussnell

It's a miracle. The day after the election @athabascau - incredibly - released the completely useless fully redacted records in response to my FOIP request about how @demetriosnAB fired the world-class president for entirely political reasons. #ableg

https://twitter.com/charlesrusnell/s...490887168?s=21

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I'm not schooled in the legal and court system so I can only go on information that I can find but the federal Judges Act says that the salaries and related are paid out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for judges appointed by the feds.



If I'm wrong in reading and understanding what I have found I will gladly accept being educated on funding for the federal Judges.

Nah, you are absolutely correct. The province pays for the court system except for judge’s salaries. Which is an odd combination TBF. So the salary is on the feds (though provincial court judges are more underpaid) but the judge shortage is IMO somewhat based on slow appointments, but mostly on there being no infrastructure.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Yoho

Predictably Edmonton going all in with their 7-2 hand.

Yeah, what a shame that people would go to their legally elected reps in a democracy, instead of to a council of losers who intentionally didn't get a mandate from their constituents?

Geezus you're cringe sometimes.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Muta

Yeah, what a shame that people would go to their legally elected reps in a democracy, instead of to a council of losers who intentionally didn't get a mandate from their constituents?

Geezus you're cringe sometimes.

fixed, this isn't a one off

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Yoho

https://twitter.com/user/status/1664049053884186625

Predictably Edmonton going all in with their 7-2 hand.

Is Smith going to consult with the rural NDP candidates who lost in their ridings too?

[CroCop]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

It is true, quote with link below. There are specific grants for rural areas that nobody else is eligible to receive:


Source:https://www.alberta.ca/k-to-12-educa...ing-model.aspx

So because it costs more to deliver education rurally they get more money. I don't have any issue with that, it makes sense that everyone who lives in AB should get a good education - but everyone who lives in AB should also contribute equitably through taxes.

Also, because funding is based on a 3 year average population size, areas that are growing quickly (which is cities and suburban bedroom communities) have their funding partially based on old lower populations, while declining population rural areas have their funding partially based on older higher populations.



Every other land use pays property tax on fair value except for farmers. Daycares, doctor's clinics, etc., all of which also have social benefits. It's objectively unfair that the provincial property tax burden falls disproportionately on residential uses and every other industry other than farms. There's no reason they shouldn't pay taxes on actual values like everybody else. The political power of farmers is the reason they don't.

As for capital gains taxes on price increases, every other industry pays that as well when assets change hands, so I'm not sure I see why that should exempt farmers from paying appropriate levels of property tax. And already the first $500k of farming capital gains is tax free. My sympathy for a couple who has to pay capital gains tax (at half of income tax rates) on their gains once they exceed a million dollars is limited. The homestead portion of a farm is also free from capital gains tax.

Every farmer I know pays annual land tax to their MD or County on each quarter or parcel they own. As far as the personal capital gains exemption that does not go very far when land value has risen 10X of what it was in the 90s and probably close to 30X what is was in the 60s and not the 1/4 as stated earlier. Many of these farms are now being sold and not handed down to the next gen so these taxes are being paid at a huge inflated amount. Don’t worry about farmers not paying taxes, they pay their share and them some.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by CroCop

Every farmer I know pays annual land tax to their MD or County on each quarter or parcel they own.

Right. On a dramatically lower-than-market value. Farm land is taxed on a value set by its carrying capacity based on a formula. A formula that massively undervalues it. So farmers are paying, in most cases, tax on something like 10% of the actual value of their land. While everyone else pays tax on the full value of their land.