Canadian Union of Public Employees Alberta Division President D’Arcy Lanovaz congratulated the Alberta Government today on finally getting rid of the province’s Health Care Premiums.
“CUPE has been calling for the elimination of these fees for years,” said Lanovaz. “They are an unnecessary burden on working Albertan families.”
CUPE is also pleased to see a 22 billion dollar injection into infrastructure, and hopes this money won’t be spent on taking Albertans further down the road towards for-profit services. The privatization of our schools has already begun, despite proof regarding the financial expense and delays involved with this model.
“We’d like to believe that the government won’t sign on for any more expensive and secretive privatization deals,” continued Lanovaz. “The true cost of these plans might not be known for generations. It will be our children and their children who ultimately pay for these deals.”
CUPE Alberta released a report this year detailing the greater costs involved in building several schools as so-called “public private partnerships”. Edmonton’s City Council recently voted to build a new recreation facility publicly – a plan CUPE rejected from the outset
– once it became clear that the increased costs involved with proceeding as a P3 were prohibitive.
CUPE will continue to monitor the details of this budget, and the affects it will have on our members and our communities.
For more information contact:
D’Arcy Lanovaz - President, CUPE Alberta (403) 861-5235
Audra Williams - Communications Representative, CUPE (780) 504-2837