$23B capital budget: What Alberta is and isn't planning to build, fix and improve

Alberta is planning to spend about $23 billion of its $205-billion budget over the next three years on capital projects including billions on roads, hospitals and affordable housing.

The infrastructure expense total is about $8 billion in 2023-24. That is up about $500 million from the year before but down from the $9 billion the NDP government spent in 2017-18.

The highlights include paying for part of a new hospital in Edmonton, improving Deerfoot Trail, Yellowhead Trail and Terwillegar Drive and incentivizing the petrochemical industry.

There is no money specifically earmarked for a provincial police force, a new arena in Calgary or upgrades to Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

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Finance Minister Travis Toews was asked about Calgary getting more money than other parts of the province.

"The projects are based on need and priority. They have a ranking based on safety, they certainly have a ranking based on readiness. All of those factors are considered," he told reporters.

"From time to time it'll be Calgary, Edmonton or rural Alberta that seems to get the disproportionate amount of that investment but that's the process we stick to."

Alberta will fund planning for projects like a new Edmonton Law Courts, Stollery Children's Hospital and 14 new schools, but no cash is committed yet to actually build them.

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he and his staff will need some time to crunch the numbers but pointed out most of the money for the capital city had already been announced.

"Happy to see additional money coming to build a new campus at MacEwan University. That's welcome support, as well as the commitment for the hospital," Sohi said of his early impressions.

"I look forward to engaging more with the UCP and NDP to see what their vision for our city is…We deserve the support that is necessary to build a great capital city."

The province estimates the projects, altogether, will create 32,000 direct and indirect jobs.

HEALTH CARE

Alberta is investing more than $3 billion to plan, build and expand health-care facilities and try to reduce surgical wait times.

The single biggest investments are a new hospital in south Edmonton and a major expansion of the hospital in Red Deer but it's still unclear when those projects will be done.

"I was deeply disappointed to see there won't be shovels in the ground for the South Edmonton Hospital or the Red Deer Regional Hospital next year," NDP Leader Rachel Notley said.

"If this was an Alberta NDP budget, construction on those new hospitals would be well underway and we'd be planning for their grand openings."

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The Stollery and the Strathcona Community Hospital are each getting $3 million for planning. Stollery officials had asked for money for a standalone hospital but cash for that is not in the budget.

More than $200 million in capital dollars will be spent to increase surgical capacity in 16 communities including Edmonton.

Alberta will also renovate and upgrade 33 pharmacies in provincial facilities at a cost of $54 million.

There is $155 million for recovery communities in Red Deer, Lethbridge, Gunn, Edmonton, Calgary and the Blood Tribe First Nation. Planning work will be done for additional recovery spaces in Grande Prairie, as well as one each in northern and central Alberta.

Notable Projects:

• South Edmonton Hospital - $634 million
• Red Deer Hospital Expansion - $321 million
• Continuing Care - $310 million
• Surgical Initiative - $237 million
• Calgary Cancer Centre - $166 million
• Recovery Communities - $155 million
• Rural Health facilities - $105 million
• New EMS Vehicles - $15 million

ROADS AND BRIDGES

Alberta will spend nearly $2.3 billion over three years on various road and bridge projects.

There are 23 of them specifically mentioned in the budget on top of $403 million for general highway improvements and expansions.

The largest bill is for upgrades to Deerfoot Trail in Calgary but Edmonton is also getting major investments to the Yellowhead and Terwillegar Drive.

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Alberta will also spend $22 million to improve safety at the intersection of Highway 16A and Range Road 20, which many community members have been asking for.

Notable Projects:

• Deerfoot Trail Upgrades - $430 million
• Yellowhead Trail - $139 million
• Ring Road Improvements - $138 million
• Highway 63 north of Fort McMurray - $117 million
• Highway 11 Twinning - $108 million
• Terwillegar Expansion - $92 million
• Highway 60 Improvements - $61 million
• Ray Gibbon Drive - $3 million
• Highway 16A/ Range Road 20 - $22 million

SCHOOLS

Alberta is planning to spend $1.8 billion on new schools and post-secondary projects, most of which have already been announced.

There is $372 million for new schools in Edmonton, Valleyview, Taber, Airdrie, Lethbridge, Red Earth Creek, Breton and Calgary.

The province will also fund planning for 14 new schools in Edmonton, Calgary, Stettler, Okotoks, High Prairie and Coalhurst.

The province will also spend $137 million to increase spaces in charter and collegiate schools, including buying and renovating buildings.

"It's deeply worrying that there is more money in this budget to build new charter and private schools than for public, Catholic and francophone schools, combined," Notley said.

"This budget talks about 14 potential schools over the next three years. That is ridiculous. Danielle Smith is failing Alberta's children with this budget."

MUNICIPALITIES AND TRANSIT

Budget 2023 commits $6.5 billion over three years for local infrastructure, including billions of dollars for light rail transit.

Federal and provincial funding for LRT will surpass $3 billion over three years. The majority of that money is for existing LRT projects in Edmonton and Calgary. There is also some money to expand the Valley and Metro lines in the capital as part of plans that were previously announced.

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Alberta will also transfer $2 billion under the Municipal Sustainability Initiative and its successor, the Local Government Fiscal Framework to help fund projects in cities and towns.

Affordable and Indigenous housing projects will get a combined $370 million over three years.

"There's great need out there both in our municipalities, Edmonton and Calgary especially, but more than that. We can go to Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, other regions as well," Toews said.

"We have a long-term strategy around affordable housing. Our goal is to add 25,000 additional doors over time. We're sticking to that plan."

"The affordable housing investments here are less than half of what is needed. This is a recipe for more poverty, more homelessness and more desperation on our streets," Notley said. 

There is $211 million in the budget to improve water and wastewater and $5 million for planning a mass-transit connection to the Calgary International Airport.

OTHER NOTABLE PROJECTS:

• Petrochemical Incentive - $484 million
• Broadband Strategy - $369 million
• Affordable and Indigenous Housing - $370 million
• Springbank Reservoir - $282 million
• Carbon Capture and Storage - $246 million
• Community Facility Enhancements - $150 million
• Red Deer Justice Centre - $83 million
• Court of Appeal (Calgary) - $64 million
• Government Vehicles - $41 million
• MacEwan School of Business - $35 million
• Justice and Correctional Facilities - $35 million
• New Campgrounds - $12 million
• Misericordia Hospital Modernization - $8 million
• Red Deer Emergency Shelter - $7 million
• Edmonton Law Court Planning - $3 million