What's in Budget 2013

... for all Albertans?

• Budget 2013 will see continued investment in core areas such as health and education, as well as maintaining support for municipalities and vulnerable Albertans.
  
  
• Over 60% of operational spending is allocated to families and communities.
  
  
• $5.2 billion is budgeted this year to keep building modern health facilities, quality schools, safe highways and other important infrastructure.
  
  
• The budget supports activities that will help Alberta build its economy and secure better market access and higher prices for its products.
  
  
• A new savings strategy will see non-renewable resource revenue set aside each year.
  
  
• There will be no new taxes or tax increases.

... for health care?

• The Health ministry’s operational budget is $17.1 billion, an increase of nearly $500 million.
• $235 million to support more than 40 existing primary care networks and to add new family care clinics.
• More than $1.1 billion for drugs and supplemental health benefits, including $472 million in drug benefits for seniors.
• A new PharmaCare program will provide access to drug and supplemental health benefit coverage to all Albertans.
• $5 million for a new insulin pump therapy program for eligible Albertans with type 1 diabetes.
• More than $3.4 billion for physician compensation and development programs for almost 7,900 physicians and 1,400 medical residents.
• The combined budget for the Alberta Child Health Benefit, the Alberta Adult Health Benefit and other health benefits is nearly $156 million.
• $65 million for the Alberta Electronic Health Record over three years.
• $2.1 billion for health care facilities, including hospitals, family care clinics, cancer centres, supportive living and long term care over three years.

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... for parents?

• $270 million is allocated for child care, up $5 million, including full child care subsidies for families with a household income of less than $50,000.
• $143 million to support families who have children with disabilities, an increase of $6 million.
  
  

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... for post-secondary students?

• Post-secondary institutions will receive $2 billion in base operating grants, one of the highest rates of per capita funding in Canada.
• Nearly $500 million over three years will be provided for post-secondary facilities.
• The budget for Student Aid programs is $211 million providing scholarships, grants, bursaries, and help with debt.
• $425 million in student loans will be disbursed to more than 58,000 students in 2013‑14.

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... for Albertans with lower incomes, seniors and Albertans in need?

• The Alberta Seniors Benefit budget is $358 million, an increase of nearly $22 million.
• $883 million is allocated to help underemployed and unemployed people find and keep jobs, and help eligible Albertans cover their basic costs of living.
• $421million is allocated for income supports. Albertans receiving income support benefits also receive financial assistance for child care, school supplies and work clothes.
• Seniors dental, optical and supplementary health benefits, lodge assistance, and special needs assistance is up $6 million to $179 million.
• The voluntary Seniors Property Tax Deferral Program will be available in 2013 allowing eligible senior homeowners to defer all or part of their property taxes through a low‑interest home equity loan.

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... for affordable housing and homelessness?

• A new Interagency Council on Homelessness will lead implementation of the 10‑year plan to end homelessness with $111 million for outreach support services, housing and emergency/transitional shelters.
• An additional 6,300 affordable housing units for low-income and moderate-income Albertans are coming on stream in the next two years.

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... for roads and transit?

• About $3.4 billion over three years will be provided for the provincial highway network and other provincial transportation infrastructure.
• This includes $1.3 billion for continued construction on the Edmonton and Calgary ring roads.
• The Capital Plan provides $550 million over the next three years to complete twinning of Highway 63 between Grassland and Fort McMurray.
• The government will partner with the federal government and the City of Edmonton to cost-share construction of the $205 million interchange in Edmonton to provide access to the Canadian Pacific Railway’s planned inter-modal terminal.

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... for the environment?

• Over $100 million will be provided over the next two years, as Canada and Alberta work together to implement a world class monitoring program for the oil sands region. A new Environmental Monitoring Agency will be established in 2013.
• $98 million is being allocated for approved bioenergy projects.
• Nearly $25 million in operational expense will be provided for the Water For Life Strategy.
• $41.5 million for fish and wildlife, parks and commercial vehicle enforcement, an increase of over $1 million.
• $1 billion from the capital plan over three years will be directed to projects and programs that will advance Alberta’s world-leading resource stewardship.
• Support for the Climate Change Strategy continues with capital projects that promote energy efficiency, responsible energy production and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
• Nearly $585 million is being provided to the Shell Quest and the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line Carbon Capture and Storage projects. These projects will receive almost $1.3 billion over 15 years, and are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2.76 million tonnes annually by 2016.

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... learn more

See the Budget 2013 Fact Cards:

• Budget 2013 Overview
• Alberta's Strong Economy
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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