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News from the Legislature Alana DeLong, MLA Balancing The Successes Of The Past With Today's Priorities And A New Fiscal Strategy For The Future: Alberta's strong economy means more people are choosing Alberta as the ideal place to work and raise their families. The Alberta government is responding to this tremendous growth with a capital plan that will invest $5.5 billion modernizing and building new roads, hospitals and schools over the next three years. The $5.5 billion capital plan includes a $910 million capital account that was established from surplus cash from the 2002-03 fiscal year. Capital support to school boards, post-secondary institutions, health authorities, municipal governments, and other local authorities and organizations will total $3.2 billion and spending on government owned capital assets, including highways, will total $2.3 billion. The government will put $3.5 billion of non-renewable resource revenue towards program spending. Oil and gas revenue over and above $3.5 billion will be put into the Alberta Sustainability Fund to ensure stable funding when prices fall below budget forecasts. Non-renewable resource revenue over $3.5 billion will be deposited into the Sustainability Fund as will cash from year-end surpluses. Withdrawals from the Fund can only be made if non-renewable resource revenue is less than $3.5 billion; to offset significant in-year declines in other revenue streams, for emergencies or disasters or to provide assistance under the Natural Gas Price Protection Act. The government has reduced the accumulated debt by nearly 80 % from $22.7 billion to $4.8 billion. Cash previously set aside for debt reduction will cover all of this year's debt payments and a portion of next year's. Please contact my constituency office if you would like a copy of the 2003 Budget. School’s Out for Summer! Congratulations to all the students of Calgary Bow on their graduation and I sincerely wish you every success with your future. To all the teachers, parents and volunteers, I would like to thank you for your energy, enthusiasm and support you give to our children that is so very much appreciated. Around Town:
Organized Crime: The new Criminal Intelligence Service Alberta (CISA) web site (www.cisalberta.ca) was officially launched in March. The site contains information on organized crime in Alberta. Public education is a critical part of the fight against crime. Youth Justice Committee in Bowness, Parkdale, Montgomery and Valley Ridge: I am excited to inform you of a new initiative, as well as an opportunity for you to get involved with the Youth Justice Committee (YJC), that will serve the above-named communities. The committee will provide an opportunity for people, just like you, to become involved in the administration of youth justice in these communities. The committee will be required to investigate the crimes by young offenders and work with youth, parents, victims and the legal system to determine meaningful consequences for youth who commit illegal offenses. Simply put, the committee is an alternative to the court system. The establishment of this committee will mean a shift from treating young offenders as common criminals, to treating them as the future of our province. It means not giving up on some of our young people and attempting to show them the right path towards a successful life. Taking a young offender and putting them in a juvenile detention centre for minor offenses oftentimes doesn’t help them to realize what is best for them. Instead, placing them in an alternative measures program, such as mediation with the victim of his crime, or possibly by requiring community service or some sort of recompense for their actions, often garners better results. These activities could include helping seniors, mentally challenged, working with those less fortunate or performing a service for the victims themselves. For example, if a youth is before the YJC for vandalizing a home, why not have that youth take part in the repairs, or in working to repair or make better another aspect of the victim’s property. Often times crimes are committed out of feelings of inadequacy, problems at home or school, a need to be challenged on a different level, or problems with fitting in with his or her peer group. And it is very important to keep these issues in mind. It isn’t enough to put someone in jail, especially a young person who has great potential to be reformed. And that’s why we have to start looking at restorative justice and other methods through which an individual is not only suitably penalized, but done so in a way in which the building of his character and self-image is the primary focus. This is why YJC’s are so important. Not only are they vehicles for achieving healthy, strong youth, they are also examples of what can be accomplished when a community takes pride in its youth, and wants to ensure that they are well prepared to become the leaders of the future. Programs like this can change the attitudes and character of a young offender, as well as help change the attitudes of the volunteers and community members who become involved. In many cases we are not talking about bad kids; rather, we are talking about good kids who’ve made bad decisions. The efforts of volunteers to help steer kids away from those bad decisions, and reduce rates of recidivism are of the utmost importance. The government is very proud to have helped to lay the foundation for YJC’s in Calgary and throughout Alberta, and we are committed to ensuring that YJC’s, form one of the fundamental bases of our youth justice system. To volunteer or if you would like more information about the YJC, please contact Calgary Youth Justice Society, Centre 89, Room 206, 8989 MacLeod Trail SW, Calgary AB T2H 0M2, Tel 261-9861, Fax 212-8926, visit online at www.calgaryyouthjustice.com. West Nile Virus The West Nile Virus: Alberta's Response Plan (2003) and other information about West Nile virus can be viewed on the Alberta Health and Wellness web site at www.health.gov.ab.ca.
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