Budget 2019 – Making life better for Albertans

Budget 2019 maintains funding for health, education, seniors and social supports to ensure Albertans with the greatest needs continue to access these vital services. Key funding includes:

• $20.6 billion per year to provide health services, including increases of $100 million for a mental health and addictions strategy, $40 million for an opioid response and $20 million for palliative care.
• $8.2 billion per year for education services, which maintains current funding levels.
• $3.9 billion per year for community and social services, an increase of 7.6 per cent from 2018-19 to help address human trafficking, as well as caseload pressures.
• $1.6 billion per year for children’s services, increasing spending by 15 per cent by 2022-23.
• Maintaining current payment levels for AISH, the Alberta Seniors Benefit and Special Needs Assistance programs.

“This budget reflects our commitment to deliver the public services that Albertans expect and deserve. Increases in funding for mental health, addictions and social programs ensure those most in need will continue to have support.”

Government listened to Albertans about the need to deliver better services at better value. These reforms will deliver better value for Albertans while continuing to support the most vulnerable. Changes include:

• The Alberta Child and Family Benefit, which will deliver about $290 million in benefits to more than 190,000 families on a full-year basis starting in 2020-21. It streamlines existing child tax benefits and directs more support to lower-income families most in need of support.
• The changes to the Capital Plan ensure we are providing supports to vulnerable Albertans. We are spending $476 million on seniors, family and community housing developments and renewal, to provide the assistance and supports that communities need. This includes $38.4 million on projects that help Alberta’s youth and homeless including the Hope Mission and Yellowhead Youth Centre Redevelopment projects.

“With Budget 2019, we are setting a path for a more sustainable future, while maintaining or increasing funding to ensure that core social services are focused on those with the greatest need.”