Stelmach's promises range from new campuses to royalty review

Ed Stelmach, the MLA from Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville, will become premier of Alberta on Dec. 15.A look atthe promises he made during his campaign:

Agriculture

• Establish a recognized organic certification agency in Alberta.
• Expand the capacity of the Leduc Food Processing Research Centre.
• Develop a World Trade Organization transition program to assist farmers.
• Protect the Alberta Treasury Branches and the Agriculture Financial Services Corp. from being sold.
• Consult with agriculture and industry in the development of a fair and retractable land use strategy for resource extraction, municipal growth, hunting and recreation.
• Develop a temporary assistance program called the Transition Program to help farmers establishing Alberta's bio-energy industry.
• Implement a renewable fuels and bio products program that would support the development of bio-diesel and ethanol refining and blending, bio-electrical generation and new bio-lubricants and bio-plastics.

Affordable housing

• Review government recommendations regarding social assistance rates.
• Establish a task group of elected representatives, school boards, industry, health regions and Alberta's Urban Development Institute that would have 45 days to propose cost-effective solutions to the shortage of affordable housing.

Arts and charity

• Increase the Alberta Tax Credit for private donations to any registered charity or educational foundation in Canada.
• Provide matching grants from a fund of surplus royalties for philanthropic donations to Alberta charities and foundations that contribute to the social well-being of Albertans.

Education

• Expand the system of colleges and technical institutions and set up new satellite campuses.
• Revisit the funding formula for schools and students to make it responsive to
  rapid changes in the student population.

Environment

• Develop a land-use framework to protect and develop the province's natural resources in a sustainable manner.
• Work with Alberta landowners to reclaim the natural water filters — sloughs and wetlands — to protect our surface and groundwater ecosystems.
• Promote water-use awareness programs to encourage personal conservation.
• Support the expansion of tourism and recreation opportunities in provincial parks and recreation areas.
• Create an Alberta Institute for the Environment, Agriculture and Forestry to invest in research, technical and market solutions that will attach economic incentives to achieving environmental benefits.
• Create "new commercial markets that give price signals" for practices like carbon dioxide sequestration, wetlands regeneration and permanent rehabilitation of marginal lands.

Finances

• Balance the books and keep Alberta out of deficit.
• Create a supplementary to the Canada Pension, similar to what Quebec has in place, using a specific percentage of energy royalties.

Government

• Establish a lobbyist and contractor registry so Albertans can see who is lobbying government and who is being paid as a consultant by government to provide advice.
• Create all-party committees to ensure the voice of all Albertans is heard in the legislature.
• Change the sitting schedule so that MLAs have more time to consult with their constituents on important government proposals and policies.
• Reduce the size of the provincialcabinet.

Health care

• Work with health regions and health-care professionals to find solutions and incentives that improve a publicly funded health system.

Infrastructure

• Give municipalities an annual amount equivalent to 100 per cent of the education property tax or $1.4 billion. The new funding will be phased in over three years and committed for an initial 10-year term.
• Commission a new aviation strategy to determine how to improve the financial viability of smaller airports in handling passenger traffic.

Labour shortage

• Create government-led recruiting missions across Canada and the United States to find the skilled employees.
• Increase the number of spaces at colleges, universities and technical institutes to meet the rising demand for skilled workers.
• Negotiate a deal with Ottawa on immigration similar to Quebec's.
• Revisit the Provincial Nominee Program with the federal government to ensure Alberta's employers are receiving optimal benefit.

Oilsands

• Immediately conduct a public andtransparent review of the royalty revenues the province receives.
• Develop a policy to ensure that the raw bitumen from our oilsands is processed in Alberta.

Safety

• Increase the number of provincial Crown prosecutors, provincial judges and other key staff.
• Ensure that Alberta's correctional facilities have enough space and staff to meet rising demands.
• Implement recommendations from the Alberta Traffic Safety Plan to reduce the number of collisions onroads.
• Put more police officers — especially RCMP constables — on streets and highways.

Seniors

• Create affordable housing options that are located where seniors want to live.
• Work with municipalities to keep property taxes low for seniors.
• Increase the standard of care for seniors by attracting skilled workers to fill positions in seniors care facilities.
• Speed up provision of long-term-care and assisted living accommodation to help seniors ready to move into these facilities.