It's back to school and work after a relaxing holiday season with friends and family. My sincere best wishes to each of you for a prosperous new year in 2004 I would like to thank all those who came out to the constituency open house. It was wonderful seeing so many familiar faces and meeting new constituents.

AUTO INSURANCE RATES FROZEN BY ALBERTA GOVERNMENT:
It is hoped that changes to the auto insurance system package will be finalized by Spring 2004. Insurance rates will be frozen until then. More information on auto insurance reform is available at www.autoinsurance.gov.ab.ca.

ALBERTA GETS NEW ADVOCATE TO HANDLE CONSUMER UTILITY ISSUES:
The appointment of Roger Jackson as Alberta's first Utilities Consumer Advocate was announced by Premier Ralph Klein on October 6. Mr. Jackson will report directly to Hon. David Coutts, Minister of Government Services and will deal with concerns and complaints over utility services in the province.

RECENT REPORTS SHOW ALBERTA ECONOMY REMAINS STRONG:
Alberta's economy continues to be strong, according to a November Statistics Canada report. The report, titlted Trends In Provincial And Territorial Economic Statistics: 1981-2002, indicates that Alberta is number one for per-capita personal disposable income, wages and salaries, and personal savings rates. Minister of Economic Development Hon. Mark Norris said that the report shows that Alberta's diversification efforts are working, and that Alberta's economy is more resilient than ever, even in the face of major economic shocks such as the lone case of BSE, forest fires, soft global economies, and SARS. For the full Statistics Canada report, please click here.

ALBERTA ORDER OF EXCELLENCE:
Four Albertans have been chosen to receive the province's highest honour, namely, The Right Honourable Don Mazankowski of Vegreville, Audrey Morrice of Okotoks, Jim Palmer of Calgary and Dr. Leonard Ratzlaff of Edmonton will join the ranks of the 49 Albertans who have become members of the Alberta Order of Excellence since its inception in 1979. The Alberta Order of Excellence is a way for Albertans to thank and acknowledge individuals who have made a singular and lasting contribution to their province.

GOVERNMENT FULFILLS COMMISSION'S FUNDING PRIORITIES:
Government has responded to Alberta’s Commission on Learning and will act on 84 of its 95 recommendations, 9 of which are still under review. This is great news for students and a clear confirmation that education is now government’s top priority. Alberta school boards will receive a cash injection of more than $60 million this school year to fully cover what Alberta's Commission on Learning has identified as a funding shortfall in the school system. In its report to government, the Commission on Learning identified a funding shortfall of $90.6 million, broken down as follows: Unfunded cost pressures $19.8 million; Children with severe disabilities $23.0 million; Operations and maintenance funding $31.0 million; and Grade 10 credit enrolment unit funding $16.8 million. As noted in the Learning Commission report, the government of Alberta has already provided $30 million for operations and maintenance this year. In addition to fully funding the shortfall identified by the Learning C Commission, Alberta Learning will provide another $2.7 million in new money this fiscal year to address cost pressures in school jurisdictions that have experienced large enrolment declines. Please visit www.gov.ab.ca for the most up to date information.

DEBT PAID DOWN, CAPITAL ACCOUNT BOOSTED WITH SUSTAINABILITY FUND SURPLUS:
Additional money in the Sustainability Fund will be used to pay down Alberta's debt and boost the Capital Account if revenues stay strong through to March 31, 2004. Finance Minister Hon. Patricia Nelson made the announcement in releasing the Second Quarter fiscal update for 2003-04. The Minister said that she was pleased to see that Alberta may be in a position at the end of this fiscal year to put more money towards these priority areas. The Minister pointed out that forecast revenues would see the Sustainability Fund surpass its $2.5 billion target, which means that the government could set $428 million aside to further pay down Alberta's debt and also set $428 million aside to help pay for needed infrastructure. Alberta's accumulated debt, less cash set aside for future repayment, is now forecast to be $4.2 billion.

Should you have any questions or comments, I can be reached at:

Consituency Office (Calgary):   Edmonton: Toll-Free:

(403) 216-5400 (780) 415-9459 310-0000