March 23, 2010

Hi.  My name is Brian Jean, your federal Member of Parliament. Our riding of Fort McMurray-Athabasca is home to a great variety of landscapes, environments and people.

In our north, we have Fort Smith, Fitzgerald, and Fort Chipewyan, to name a few of our communities settled along the Slave Lake River flowing north from Lake Athabasca. These close-knit communities situated in the heart of the breathtaking northern boreal forests border the famous Wood Buffalo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and home to one of the largest free-roaming wild bison herds in the world.

Traveling south from Lake Athabasca down the Athabasca River, we come to Fort McMurray and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Nestled at the confluence of five rivers, Fort McMurray is a vibrant community rich in history with unlimited potential for the future.

Although Fort McMurray was a thriving community long before the oil industry came to town, its infrastructure now supports the Athabasca Oil Sands which are an important resource for all of Canada and the world, producing over 1 million barrels of crude oil per day.
Continuing south down the Athabasca River, we come to the Town of Athabasca nestled in the picturesque Athabasca river valley, just 145 km north of Edmonton. The area has an abundance of lakes and rivers, along with many scenic hiking and cross-country ski trails. It also serves as an important agricultural region for Alberta and Canada.

East of Athabasca is Lakeland County and the Town of Lac La Biche. Situated just 225 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, the Lac La Biche Region is steeped in Canadian heritage and offers visitors the chance to explore some of Western Canada's oldest history built on generations of multicultural influence. In fact, nearby Plamondon is home to Alberta’s oldest Francophone community.

Traveling to the westernmost area of the riding, you’ll come upon many small towns, hamlets and villages including Slave Lake, High Prairie and the Municipal District of Big Lakes.

Characterized by many as “The Jewel of the North”, the Town of Slave Lake lies at the eastern end of Lesser Slave Lake and shows off white sandy beaches and lush green forests. In winter, cross-country skiing, ice fishing and backcountry sledding also attract many to the area.
The Municipal District of Big Lakes is also an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. Hiking, hunting, birding, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing are just a few of the outdoor activities that are found in the District, but the hallmark of the municipality is its large lakes.

At the western-most point in the riding is the Town of High Prairie – a thriving community of approximately 3000 people surrounded by golden prairie, lush forests and numerous lakes.

Our First Nations are also a very important part of our riding’s history and culture. Including 17 different Nations, the riding of Fort McMurray – Athabasca is home to over 40 First Nations communities.

Our region of Northern Alberta is as diverse as it is beautiful. Encompassing 180,000 square kilometres, it is a place immersed in natural wonders where land, sky and water meet to provide unparalleled possibilities. You can canoe the historic travel and trade routes followed by early trappers and explorers, explore the sand dunes, hike the trails, fish the Northern Albertan rivers, or gaze in awe at the Aurora Borealis.

When people ask me what our riding has to offer I am very proud to say that Northern Alberta takes pride in having:

• A Canadian Heritage River – The Clearwater River;
• The largest lake in Alberta – Lake Athabasca;
• A protected UNESCO World Heritage Site – Wood Buffalo National Park;
• One of North America’s oldest trade routes;
• One of the largest natural bison herds in the world;
• The last wild nesting area of the whooping crane;
• Falcon nesting sites;
• Salt plains;
• The largest non-desert sand dunes in the world;
• The best fall blueberries you’ve ever tasted; and
• The hardest working people in Canada.

Northern Alberta not only has farming, forestry, oil sands and is the economic engine of Canada.  It is also breathtaking, pristine, protected Canadian wilderness; the best place in Canada to live and a place we are all proud to call home.

Our Conservative Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is helping Northern Alberta to continue to be the best place in Canada to live, work and play. 

Economic Action Plan 2009 saw Canada come through the global recession in much better shape than the rest of the industrialized world, providing almost $30 billion dollars in support to the Canadian economy last year.  Significant tax relief measures were put in place including an increase in the basic personal amount and an extension of the first two income tax brackets.

Seniors saw new support through an increase in the Age Credit Amount and a reduction in the RRSP withdrawal amount. Over the next 4 years, our personal income tax measures will put approximately $20 billion dollars back into the hands of Canadians and back in the Canadian economy to keep it moving forward.

Our government also froze Employment Insurance payroll taxes for two years, and gave a shot in the arm to the home construction and home renovation industries.  We strengthened Employment Insurance with new benefits and increased availability of training for those who lost their jobs.

We also took significant action on infrastructure. The money flowed quickly with less bureaucracy and red tape. Roads, bridges, water and sewer systems, yes.  But also recreation and community infrastructure. 

The Communities of Fort McMurray-Athabasca received over $160 million dollars to help keep us strong and vibrant in the face of the global recession. Some examples include:

• Athabasca University which received $10.6 million for upgrades and expansion of buildings and programs;
• Portage College which received over $1 million dollars for safety and security upgrades;
• The Town of Plamondon which received over $33,000 in Recreational Infrastructure Funding;
• The Town of Boyle which received $347,000 for arena upgrades; and

Sucker Creek First Nation which also received almost $83,000 for arena upgrades.

Northern Lakes College also received $715,000 for upgrades and Keyano College received almost $1.2 million dollars for barrier free accessibility



Our industries were also not forgotten:

• Alberta Pacific Pulp Mill received almost $63 million dollars to improve their environmental performance. A further $3.5 million will go into a new local Forest Remediation Project led by AlPac; and
• More than $2 million dollars were invested in the High Prairie Seed Cleaning Co-op – an important investment for the economic health of this region.
  
  

Our Communities also received a great deal of support for essential infrastructure.  To name a few of the many examples:

• The Town of Slave Lake received $443,000 dollars towards redeveloping and enhancing the downtown core as well as 1 million dollars to support upgrades to the Arctic Ice Centre.
• Lac La Biche received $2.4 million for local highway improvements;
• High Prairie received $4.2 million for road construction projects;
• The Municipal District of Big Lakes received almost $1.2 million for water and sewer infrastructure;
• Wood Buffalo received $53 million for the widening of Highway 63 and interchanges, $1 million dollars for local arenas and $2.1 million dollars for sewer infrastructure.

This March, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty described how Year 2 of our Economic Action Plan will continue our economic recovery. It adds $19 billion dollars in new federal stimulus to create and maintain jobs and will also invest in a limited number of new, targeted initiatives to continue to create jobs and build growth for the economy of tomorrow.

Some highlights include:

• $3.2 billion in personal income tax relief;
• Over $4 billion in actions to create and protect jobs;
• $7.7 billion in infrastructure stimulus to create jobs;
• $2.2 billion to support industries and communities hit hard by the economic downturn - industries like forestry, agriculture, small business, and tourism.

Through the work of our conservative Government, Albertan families have greater choice in child care; seniors can split their pension income for tax purposes; small businesses have permanent tax relief; and Canada’s federal tax-to-GDP ratio is at its lowest level since 1961.

The actions taken by this Government over the last two years are working. Stimulus measures are maintaining and creating jobs and securing the economic recovery.
As the economy improves, the Government will refocus its attention on its long-term economic plan, the cornerstone of which is to return to a balanced budget.

Canada’s fiscal health is the envy of the world and our Government is committed to sustaining our fiscal advantage.

I am very proud to be from Northern Alberta - the greatest place to live, work, and raise children and I consider it a privilege to represent your interests in Ottawa. I will continue to work hard to make sure your concerns and opinions are brought to Ottawa and encourage you to continue to write me with any questions or comments. I wish you all a safe and happy Spring Season.  God Bless.