Alberta's Recovery Plan

Alberta’s energy sector will continue to play a key role in meeting the world’s post-pandemic energy needs as it enables other emerging sectors to grow and succeed.

Energy

• Setting an unprecedented path toward a new, innovative and diversified energy future while reducing emissions, supporting the development of ground-breaking technology and encouraging investment by:
  • standing up for Alberta, fighting for increased market access and protecting the value of our energy exports to grow our economy and create jobs
  • launching a value-added natural gas strategy and petrochemical incentive program focused on emerging opportunities to meet the growing demand for vital life-enhancing consumer products
  • releasing a hydrogen roadmap to chart our path to becoming a key part of the global clean hydrogen economy and supporting our place as an international supplier of responsible energy products
  • joining other provinces in supporting the development of small modular nuclear reactors
  • leveraging Alberta’s natural geological advantages and furthering energy diversification by introducing a new minerals strategy
  • ensuring Indigenous businesses and communities play a meaningful role in the post-pandemic energy strategy and become partners in prosperity
  • advancing Alberta’s position as a leader in environmental, social and governance to demonstrate the critical role our resources, technology and renewable opportunities will play in the transformation to a lower-carbon economy
  • speeding up well, pipeline and site clean-up efforts in the oil and gas sector through the Site Rehabilitation Program
  • working with our U.S. partners on a strategy to bolster energy security and independence
  • developing geothermal related regulations and regulation amendments that would provide the Alberta Energy Regulator with the authority to regulate the safe, efficient and responsible development of Alberta’s geothermal resources
  • advancing the goal of national energy and resource corridors by establishing a task force to work with industry and other levels of government

Agriculture and forestry

• Amplifying Alberta’s hard-earned reputation for high-quality agricultural and forest products and a growing capacity to help meet the global demand for food by:
  • launching ambitious targets that will attract investment to enhance our value-added processing capacity and expand export opportunities to key global markets
  • expanding and modernizing irrigation infrastructure with a record $933-million investment to increase primary agriculture production, support a diversified value-added processing industry, improve water efficiency and storage capacity, and create up to 7,300 direct and indirect jobs and up to 1,400 construction jobs
  • investing $24 million to expand the Agrivalue Processing Business Incubator
  • implementing the Forest Jobs Action Plan to provide our forest companies with sustainable, long-term access to trees, while ensuring our forests continue to provide positive benefits for the environment and can be enjoyed by future generations

Reducing emissions

• Empowering Alberta’s industries to continue their impressive leadership reducing emissions and developing game-changing technologies through:
  • the Alberta-made, industry-funded Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) system will invest up to $750 million over 3 years to drive significant emissions reductions, support up to 8,700 jobs, and inject $1.9 billion into the economy
  • an internationally recognized methane emissions management framework
  • further develop carbon capture, utilization and storage and other technologies

Tourism

• Building on our tourism sector that employs more than 68,000 Albertans, adds more than $6.5 billion annually to the economy and attracts people from all over the world to our province by:
  • developing a tourism strategy to support recovery and ongoing sustainable investment in tourism
  • reducing red tape and regulatory barriers to growth
  • providing tourism organizations in Calgary, Edmonton, Banff, Jasper and Canmore with a total of $8 million last year to attract visitors to the province that will frequent local businesses and get Albertans working
  • providing $3.75 million over the next 3 years to Indigenous Tourism Alberta to help grow Indigenous tourism businesses across the province
  • expanding Travel Alberta’s role within the province to include helping develop new travel destinations and expanding tourism across the province, in addition to marketing and promoting Alberta as a must-see tourism destination

• Alberta Petrochemicals Incentive Program provides grants to companies to attract investment in new or expanded market-driven petrochemical facilities.
• Site Rehabilitation Program provides grants to oil field service contractors to perform well, pipeline, and oil and gas site closure and reclamation work.
• Technology Innovation and Emissions Reductions System is Alberta’s approach to reducing emissions from large industrial emitters and keeping industry competitive.
• Agrivalue Processing Business Incubator supports new food businesses and established food manufacturers.
• Canadian Agricultural Partnership is jointly funded by the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada in Alberta and offers strategic programs and initiatives to help farmers and others in the agriculture and agri-business sector.
• Travel Alberta Industry Hub provides access to focused tourism insight, resources, programs and opportunities.
• Agriculture Financial Services Corporation offers business risk management programs, disaster relief and lending support for producers and agribusinesses.

We are investing in critical infrastructure projects to lay the foundation for thousands of good-paying private-sector jobs, build our communities and make Alberta more attractive to investors and employers looking to relocate.

• Expanding rural broadband will capitalize on the tremendous potential of rural Alberta as a world-class destination for people to live and raise a family while still working for companies on Bay Street, Wall Street and Main Street.
• Investing $20.2 billion in infrastructure projects over 3 years to support more than 19,000 direct and 12,000 indirect jobs each year:
  • $5.8 billion for direct municipal support
  • $3.2 billion for capital maintenance and renewal of public infrastructure, including hundreds of projects to maintain and improve the condition of Alberta’s highways and bridges to support safe and efficient travel
  • $1.8 billion for new roads and bridges across the province
  • $2.2 billion for health facilities, including reducing wait times and expanding overall capacity so Albertans have they need no matter where they live
  • $1.5 billion for school projects, including new funding for 15 priority and continued work on dozens of previously announced school projects across Alberta
  • $1.3 billion to streamline government service delivery
  • $806 million for public safety and emergency services projects
  • $750 million for agriculture and natural resource projects
  • $306 million for family, social supports and housing
  • $301 million for sports and recreation projects
  • $209 million for post-secondary infrastructure including $41 million over 3 years for the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s John Ware Building Redevelopment project
  • $1.95 billion in self-financed investments for schools, universities, colleges and hospitals
• Increasing funding for municipalities through the Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program, adding an additional $50 million to support 70 priority infrastructure projects.
• Partnering with the Canada Infrastructure Bank and 10 irrigation districts to expand and modernize Alberta’s irrigation infrastructure.
  • At $933 million, the largest one-time investment in irrigation in the province’s history will transform up to 230,000 acres and create more than 8,700 jobs.
  • Expanding irrigation infrastructure to increase primary production will support a diversified value-added processing industry.
• Pursuing alternative financing options and attracting private sector investment to help build much needed infrastructure, create jobs and stimulate the economy while making the most of limited taxpayer dollars. Five Alberta high schools will be built using a public-private-partnership (P3) model, which will save $114.5 million and create 1,687 jobs.
• Investing in federal-provincial-local cost-sharing projects through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. To date, 85 projects are approved in 30 constituencies across Alberta, and hundreds more shovel-ready projects, which can be actioned quickly to offset challenges brought on by the pandemic.
• Strengthening infrastructure planning using the Infrastructure Accountability Act and the 20-year strategic capital plan to guide budget and capital project priority decisions.
• Helping Indigenous community-owned businesses capitalize on business development opportunities to improve socio-economic outcomes by providing $15 million over 3 years for the Aboriginal Business Investment Fund
• Taking steps towards building a provincial hydrogen economy and accessing global markets with $10 million over 3 years for the Clean Hydrogen Centre of Excellence

• Municipal Stimulus Program provides additional capital infrastructure funding to municipalities and Metis Settlements for projects such as roads, bridges, water and wastewater systems, public transit and recreation, to support economic recovery and jobs.
• Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program provides funding to municipalities for projects to develop and maintain local transportation infrastructure, such as community airports, local road bridges and resource roads.
• Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program allocates $3.66 billion from the federal government to invest in projects that strengthen our economy and get Albertans working.
• Public-private partnerships and unsolicited proposals encourages the private sector to come forward with creative financing solutions to help provide the infrastructure Albertans need.

We are supporting Alberta’s small businesses, workers and their families to set them up for success as we move beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Relief for families

• Provided targeted relief for Albertans struggling to make ends meet over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic by:
  • providing emergency isolation payments in March 2020 to bridge the gap until federal programs became available
  • banning rental evictions
  • deferring student loan payments
  • providing funding for caregivers of those who fell ill
  • providing a one-time payment of $561 per child to over 20,000 families through the Working Parents Benefit to help parents with the cost of licensed or unlicensed daycare, day homes, out-of-school care, or preschool
  • providing a one-time payment of $1,200 through the Critical Worker Benefit in early 2021 to recognize the hard work healthcare, social service, education and private sector workers provided to Albertans during the pandemic
  • providing rent relief to 35,500 Alberta households over the next 10 years to help low-income Albertans, including seniors
  • deferring education property taxes and freezing the rate at 2019 levels
• Directing over $130 million so that working parents had access to safe, high quality child care throughout the pandemic - further investments will continue to provide Albertans with more affordable, safe, high-quality, child care provided by the thousands of child care small businesses.
• Committed up to $45 million for all schools to offer small group intensive literacy and numeracy interventions for Grade 1 to 3 students who are assessed as needing additional help.

Supports for businesses

• Provided up to $30,000 to help over 90,000 business owners offset lost revenues through the $1-billion Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant.
• Deferring corporate income tax collection for 6 months, providing $1.5 billion in relief.
• Deferring 2020 WCB premiums and paying 50% of the premiums for small and medium businesses, saving them over $315 million.
• Providing a 90-day deferral for utility payments in spring 2020.
• Banning commercial evictions, rent increases and late fees for commercial tenants.
• Allowing accommodation providers to keep tourism levy amounts collected between March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.

Reducing red tape

• Reducing the regulatory burden and red tape that slows down business in Alberta, saving job creators both time and money by:
  • enabling Alberta businesses to incorporate and get their federal business number and federal tax program account number in one easy step
  • removing barriers to help businesses adapt to public health measures put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as allowing restaurants and bars to sell liquor and cocktails for takeaway
  • modernizing numerous aspects of the Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act to improve operations and competitiveness of Alberta’s liquor producers and retailers, giving small liquor manufacturers, retailers, bars and restaurants more flexibility and opportunities to grow their businesses and create jobs
  • eliminating barriers to newcomers to Alberta with the Fair Registration Practices Act
  • streamlining online safety codes, permitting and inspections services to reduce paperwork for accredited organizations and increasing efficiency of site inspections
  • amending the New Home Buyer Protection Act, which repealed the requirement for builders to complete a redundant Building Assessment Report for new condominium construction, saving Alberta builders and homebuyers approximately $2.7 million per year
  • amending the Food Regulation, which reduced unnecessary regulatory burden on businesses and directly responds to public recommendations to reduce red tape. As of June 1, 2020, Albertans can make low-risk foods in their home kitchen for sale to the public, subject to certain restrictions and safe food handling, allowing small entrepreneurs more opportunities to sell without requiring permits, inspections, or investment in a commercial kitchen

• Child care subsidy has been expanded to help all families of children 0 to kindergarten age earning up to $180,000 through the new federal-provincial child care agreement.
• Stabilize Program provides one-time operational funding for rodeos, sports and other venue-based groups to help stabilize Alberta’s live experience sector.
• Rapid Testing Program offers free COVID-19 rapid test testing kits to Albertans for at-home use.
• The Agriculture Jobs Connector is an online tool to help connect Albertan job seekers with employers in the agriculture and food sector.