Much work and collaboration going into budget
By Lethbridge Herald on February 11, 2023.
AT THE LEGISLATURE
Nathan Neudorf – UCP MLA for Lethbridge East
We did it! We survived January: the month that always feels like a year. I don’t know about you but I always feel like the New Year really starts when February comes around.
Still, January has been a productive month. I spent many hours working with my government colleagues and Finance Minister Travis Toews ironing out details of the upcoming budget.
I am encouraged to see the amount of work and collaboration going into this budget to ensure that we are getting the best value for Albertans, supporting the systems, groups, projects that need support, and that we are responsibly managing Albertans’ money.
Near the end of January, I had the privilege to travel to Red Deer, meet with the Mayor and City Council, and host a public information session about the Red Deer Regional Hospital Expansion project.
We spent approximately five hours providing information and answering the primary question; why does building a hospital take so long?
As the many folks in attendance at our information session heard me say, building a hospital is like an iceberg: there is a lot more beneath the surface. Hospitals are very complex buildings from a construction standpoint.
Residential construction, which many of us understand more broadly, is like a snowball in the water next to the massive iceberg that is hospital construction.
Most people do not know about the intricacies of hospital builds, nor should they have to.
When someone needs a hospital their top-of-mind concern is not on the length of medical gas tubing in the walls and ceilings, or how much space there is between floors for electrical, medical, and plumbing equipment; they just want the best medical help available.
However, I am increasingly encouraged by the amount of interest there is around the Red Deer hospital project and its progress.
My background is in construction, and I love to see excitement from the community around projects. It is a genuine pleasure to help “chip away this iceberg” for people and let them know what goes on beneath the surface.
This is a massive infrastructure project that will support jobs in design, engineering, and construction. There will also be a ripple effect, with employment growth in the transportation, manufacturing, and supply industries as well as front lines health care staff!
One more note on health care. Once a month, I meet with mayors and reeves from across southern Alberta.
Our discussion is usually focused on the ongoing issues of the day, and then we hear from a guest speaker or two. After the most recent meeting, something really stood out to me that was said regarding the recent changes we made to EMS services. I was extremely encouraged to hear many of those in attendance have noticed significant improvements in their areas in regard to EMS response times, service and coordination.
While we have not fully fixed this particular issue, it is always good to hear we are moving in the right direction.
Working in my capacity as the Minister of Infrastructure has been incredibly fulfilling and encouraging as I represent Lethbridge and our province in many different meetings, sit-downs, AGMs, the list goes on.
As Minister of Infrastructure I have been able to attend many major city’s construction association’s AGMs, as well as speak to groups involved with infrastructure or who have an interest in it.
After the past two years of virtual meetings, it has been great to spend time with people across the province, show them some southern Alberta hospitality and kindness, and work with them to better our province. So far I have been to Medicine Hat, La Crete, Acme, Edmonton, Calgary, Cochrane, Moncton… I should stop before I start to sound like a Stompin’ Tom Connors song!
The point is, being your MLA and minister is not a responsibility I take lightly, and I am determined to work as hard as I can each and every day to represent Lethbridge and Alberta and work to make this province better each day.
21-20
“Danielle Smith is Pushing The Same $20 Billion Corporate Giveaway She Pushed as a Corporate Lobbyist. Other lobbyists pushing the plan helped Smith’s UCP leadership campaign.”
http://www.pressprogress.ca/danielle-smith-is-pushing-the-same-20-billion-corporate-giveaway-she-pushed-as-a-corporte-lobbyist/
A reason, alone, to vote for the AB NDP on May 29th.
Read Mark Dorin’s twitter feed, @mark_dorin, re: “statements made by Premier Smith in her presser on Feb. 9, related to the boondoggle formerly known as R-Star, indicate that she is either misinformed, being purposefully misleading, or both.” And, it goes on.
And ‘crickets’ from the caucus on this? Responsibility? Handing out $20 billion of our royalties in corporate welfare, irresponsibly, is better for this province? Not.
Mr. Neudorf
Please do your best to ensure the UCP does not; get sucked into agreeing to digital ID to get the healthcare funds. Stand strong with Scott Moe from Saskatchewan and tell JT no deal to digital ID.
I hope all the other Premiers state the same thing.
Yes, healthcare is in critical condition and in intensive care. But there should be no strings attached, no quid – pro -co no extortion allowed in order to repair, improve and or maintain our health care system.
If digital ID’s are approved/allowed; I fear we will lose all freedom and control to the state, and we will then become China-like with a Social -rating scale. (Feel the same way about digital currency). In essence; we will be done.
indeed, there is a move afoot to undermine the human with technology and microchips (not at all saying this happening via vaccines). however, one of utmost sickest people on the planet – elon musk- somehow gets to torture monkeys, and has been implanting chips into their brains…and each dies sufferably. to me, the measure of any people/society is their capacity for compassion, kindness, empathy: love: for ourselves, one another, and all sentient life. the more removed we be from this, the more base and cruel we are.
I was here when the Lethbridge Regional Hospital was built (And actually working in it during the transition period from the old building to the new one).
I can tell you flately that building a Hospital doesn’t take long when the planning is properly managed
I find it funny that Mr. Neudorf doesn’t think people are interested in what goes into a Hospital’s construction.
Plese inform us. – WE’LL tell you if we’re interested or not.
I await the cost overuns due to Political and Private pocket lining as well.
Get your act together. Get it done.
Oh and PS. – Spend some of the damned surplus on repairing/upgrading our existing Hospitals.
And pay the Staff (At all levels) wages competitive to what you want to hand over to the Private Sector (Instead of wasting our tax dollars ON the Private Sector).
quite right