Seniors and social housing aren’t getting a share of the extra funds the Alberta government is investing in the upkeep of public assets. The text of the newly released 2023-24 provincial budget promises an additional $257 million above last year’s spending for capital maintenance and renewal (CMR), although the numbers cited in the “capital plan details” elsewhere in the document show it as a $233 million increase. In any case, seniors facilities and housing are in line for a 13.5 per cut, trimming the allocation from $37 million in 2022-23 to $32 million for 2023-24.
“The CMR funding supports thousands of projects for schools, hospitals, roads, information technology infrastructure and other key assets,” the budget document states. “CMR funding preserves and extends the useful life of existing infrastructure, maintains their long-term value and enables proactive asset management to ensure they are well-maintained and functioning when Albertans need them.”
Health care facilities will be the biggest beneficiary of the new injection of funds, receiving an extra $74 million for a nearly 50 per cent increase over last year’s estimated $149 million CMR expenditure. Post-secondary facilities are tapped for a $40 million top-up, representing a nearly 37 per cent increase in year-over-year CMR spending, while an extra $39 million is earmarked for government-owned facilities, equating to a nearly 40 per cent increase for 2023-24.
The largest chunk of Alberta’s CMR spending goes to roads and bridges, with an extra $96 million pledged for 2023-24. That translates to a 15.2 per cent year-over-year increase, boosting the allocation from $631 million to $727 million.
The 2023-24 budget also promises more funding for community operated facilities. That includes a sustained $11-million boost to the annual budget for the Community Facility Enhancement Program, fixing it at $50 million for the next three fiscal years, and a new pledge of $8 million over three years to help Agricultural Societies make upgrades to fairgrounds and agricultural halls.
Non-profit organizations can apply for Community Facility Enhancement funds to be used toward the development, purchase, renovation/retrofit or expansion of “sports, recreational, cultural or other related public-use community facilities”. The new funds for Agricultural Societies are for repairs, renovations and energy efficiency upgrades of existing facilities.
