Issues Affecting Our Community
Energy & the Economy
Many of the world's leading oil & gas companies are headquartered in Calgary Buffalo, and Kent is a suitably business-friendly MLA. He knows a world-class energy sector is the key to a prosperous Calgary, Alberta and even Canada: it creates jobs, creates government revenue, and contributes to our high quality of life as Albertans. Kent is committed to working with all types of businesses and industry, and understanding their unique needs, challenges and opportunities.
Kent believes we need to put Alberta first: whether that means ensuring we have a place at the table at any national or international meetings that affect our province, or ensuring 70% of all bitumen extracted from Alberta oil sands is upgraded in Alberta. Being an MLA means being a strong advocate for our province.
Kent also believes we need to plan for the future. If we invest our resource revenue today, we can create a permanent income fund for Alberta while securing permanently low taxes. We owe it to ourselves, to our children, and to our grandchildren to plan ahead and secure a prosperous Alberta for all time.
Crime and Safety
Downtown Calgary is wonderful place to live, but increasingly crime and safety have become concerns. Since his election in March 2008, Kent has been advocating for more police officers in the downtown core. We can report that, since May 2009, 60 new police officers have been walking the beat in Calgary Buffalo: the area between 17th Avenue and the Bow River, and 14th Street and Fort Calgary. The old contingent patrolling downtown Calgary was only 18 strong; 78 police officers is a huge improvement, and it's exciting that the Police Chief has allocated these resources in our urban centre.
The Police Chief had asked for 400 new police officers for Calgary. Obviously, this requires financial resources. The City of Calgary has lived up to their half of the funding responsibilities, but the province has yet to fully meet theirs. We've had significant problems with gangs and serious crime here in Calgary, and it's time we get tough on criminals.
We also need to get tough on the root causes of crime. Family and Community Support Services estimates that for every dollar spent on preventative programming, $6-$12 is saved on future spending on policing, justice, family abuse, health care, and addictions treatment. Kent believes we need to give these organizations the resources they need to build resilient kids and strong communities.
We also need to give police more tools to fight gangs, guns and violence here in Calgary. Kent introduced legislation that would have given police a new tool to combat gang and gun violence. And he’ll continue to seek new and innovative ways to tackle the changing criminal element in Calgary and in our province.
Affordable Housing & Homelessness
Kent believes everybody needs a home. His approach to affordable housing and homelessness is guided by two principles: first, the best practices of inclusionary zoning, the idea that affordable housing should be safe and decent, and located so that it's diverse, better integrated into communities, and spread throughout the city, yet close to essential services. Secondly, the "Housing First" model where the first objective of any support systems, programs or agencies serving the homeless is to help them gain and maintain permanent housing.
Kent is a supporter of the plans outlined in "Calgary's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness" and "A Place to Call Home: Edmonton's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness", and he will ensure the Provincial Government follows its timeline and remains true to its commitments.
Kent also understands that there are many working Calgarians struggling to make rent and find an affordable place to live. We need to create more affordable housing and protect renters. This means allowing secondary suites, transferring provincial land for use in affordable housing projects, creating incentives for builders, and providing matching Provincial funding to Federal initiatives. To protect renters, Kent believes we need to connect allowances and supplements to the renter, not to the unit. We also need microcredit for low-income renters and better protection for tenants.
We Can Help!
Kent can assist you with the Homelessness Eviction Prevention Fund, an application for Subsidized Housing with the Calgary Housing Company, and he has a number of affordable housing directories at his disposal.
Give us a call or email us!
Life-Long Education
Kent comes from a family of public educators, and the importance of education (early childhood development, K-12, post-secondary, and life-long) in building a prosperous, vibrant society here in Alberta is in the forefront of his mind as an MLA.
The opportunities presented by early childhood development shouldn’t be underestimated. Studies have show that early education opportunities can help students achieve greater success in years to come. The Alberta Learning Commission has asked for dedicated funding for comprehensive junior kindergarten programs. Kent believes we need to ensure that these valuable programs are available to all of Alberta’s children.
Kent is a strong supporter of public education in Alberta. His approach to K-12 education is guided by a few basic principles. Schools should be partners with parents in our communities, and government and school boards should respond to local needs and be accountable for the money they spend. School funding should be based on what it actually costs to educate students, and hunger should be removed as a barrier to learning in our schools by implementing a province-wide school nutrition program. Finally, parents shouldn’t have to fundraise for classroom essentials. The K-12 years are so important, and Kent believes we need to adequately support our schools so they can ensure all students attain their full potential.
In terms of post-secondary education, Kent knows tuition needs to be affordable so that we don’t create a generation of debt-laden citizens. Also, student housing needs to affordable and available. Our post secondary institutions need to be adequately funded so that qualified students aren’t turned away for lack of space. Kent believes our universities and colleges can be the best in Canada, and among of the best in the world.
We need a province that values and supports education and training in all its forms, including ESL, training in the trades, and the development of new and useful skills for seniors, the unemployed and new Albertans.
Human Rights
Calgary Buffalo is the constituency once represented by Sheldon Chumir and then Gary Dickson: both prominent Calgarians, lawyers, and human rights advocates. Conscious of this tradition, in his role as Shadow Minister of Justice in Alberta's Official Opposition, Kent believes it's very important to promote and support human rights here in Alberta.
As a fundamental starting point, Kent believes human rights should be under the purview of Alberta Justice, not Alberta Culture & Community Spirit, as it is now. It's important that the provincial government treat human rights with the seriousness it deserves in a portfolio that speaks to its fundamental place in the lives of Albertans.
In the first session of his first term in office, Kent called on the Alberta Government to finally amend the Alberta Human Rights code to explicitly protect individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation. In the spring of 2009, that finally happened. It's been over a decade since the Supreme Court ruled that this discrimination be ended, so it was more than high-time for this change to occur.
Yet, in the Spring of 2009, we took one step forward and one enormous step back with Bill 44. This bill, which is now law, gives parents the right to remove their children from classes that deal with sexual orientation or religion. Many Albertans have expressed concerns that children may be pulled from classes dealing with concepts such as evolution. In addition, many of Alberta’s teachers are now worried that they may be brought before a human rights tribunal should a parent lodge a complaint against them. In what was essentially a dirty little trade , Stelmach's conservatives enshined some rights while eroding the foundation upon which a understanding and progressive society is built.
Many of the world's leading oil & gas companies are headquartered in Calgary Buffalo, and Kent is a suitably business-friendly MLA. He knows a world-class energy sector is the key to a prosperous Calgary, Alberta and even Canada: it creates jobs, creates government revenue, and contributes to our high quality of life as Albertans. Kent is committed to working with all types of businesses and industry, and understanding their unique needs, challenges and opportunities.
Kent believes we need to put Alberta first: whether that means ensuring we have a place at the table at any national or international meetings that affect our province, or ensuring 70% of all bitumen extracted from Alberta oil sands is upgraded in Alberta. Being an MLA means being a strong advocate for our province.
Kent also believes we need to plan for the future. If we invest our resource revenue today, we can create a permanent income fund for Alberta while securing permanently low taxes. We owe it to ourselves, to our children, and to our grandchildren to plan ahead and secure a prosperous Alberta for all time.
"Recent budgets have shown a propensity for rapid spending increases, for ad hoc capital spending plans, and a seemingly random system for putting aside money in the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund-the Alberta government's savings account." - Canada West Foundation, January 21, 2008
"The government's continued reliance on non-renewable resource revenue for current and increasing consumption expenditures creates an unsustainable and unhealthy dependence on volatile revenue sources." - Calgary Chamber of Commerce, October 31, 2007
Crime and Safety
Downtown Calgary is wonderful place to live, but increasingly crime and safety have become concerns. Since his election in March 2008, Kent has been advocating for more police officers in the downtown core. We can report that, since May 2009, 60 new police officers have been walking the beat in Calgary Buffalo: the area between 17th Avenue and the Bow River, and 14th Street and Fort Calgary. The old contingent patrolling downtown Calgary was only 18 strong; 78 police officers is a huge improvement, and it's exciting that the Police Chief has allocated these resources in our urban centre.
The Police Chief had asked for 400 new police officers for Calgary. Obviously, this requires financial resources. The City of Calgary has lived up to their half of the funding responsibilities, but the province has yet to fully meet theirs. We've had significant problems with gangs and serious crime here in Calgary, and it's time we get tough on criminals.
We also need to get tough on the root causes of crime. Family and Community Support Services estimates that for every dollar spent on preventative programming, $6-$12 is saved on future spending on policing, justice, family abuse, health care, and addictions treatment. Kent believes we need to give these organizations the resources they need to build resilient kids and strong communities.
We also need to give police more tools to fight gangs, guns and violence here in Calgary. Kent introduced legislation that would have given police a new tool to combat gang and gun violence. And he’ll continue to seek new and innovative ways to tackle the changing criminal element in Calgary and in our province.
Affordable Housing & Homelessness
Kent believes everybody needs a home. His approach to affordable housing and homelessness is guided by two principles: first, the best practices of inclusionary zoning, the idea that affordable housing should be safe and decent, and located so that it's diverse, better integrated into communities, and spread throughout the city, yet close to essential services. Secondly, the "Housing First" model where the first objective of any support systems, programs or agencies serving the homeless is to help them gain and maintain permanent housing.
Kent is a supporter of the plans outlined in "Calgary's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness" and "A Place to Call Home: Edmonton's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness", and he will ensure the Provincial Government follows its timeline and remains true to its commitments.
"Despite the dedicated efforts of many, Calgary is in the midst of a homelessness crisis that is growing both in numbers and severity." - Calgary's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness
Kent also understands that there are many working Calgarians struggling to make rent and find an affordable place to live. We need to create more affordable housing and protect renters. This means allowing secondary suites, transferring provincial land for use in affordable housing projects, creating incentives for builders, and providing matching Provincial funding to Federal initiatives. To protect renters, Kent believes we need to connect allowances and supplements to the renter, not to the unit. We also need microcredit for low-income renters and better protection for tenants.
"[Inclusionary Zoning] has people living and working and collectively taking care of their community together, and the city develops better." - MLA Kent Hehr in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on November 20, 2008
We Can Help!
Kent can assist you with the Homelessness Eviction Prevention Fund, an application for Subsidized Housing with the Calgary Housing Company, and he has a number of affordable housing directories at his disposal.
Give us a call or email us!
Life-Long Education
Kent comes from a family of public educators, and the importance of education (early childhood development, K-12, post-secondary, and life-long) in building a prosperous, vibrant society here in Alberta is in the forefront of his mind as an MLA.
The opportunities presented by early childhood development shouldn’t be underestimated. Studies have show that early education opportunities can help students achieve greater success in years to come. The Alberta Learning Commission has asked for dedicated funding for comprehensive junior kindergarten programs. Kent believes we need to ensure that these valuable programs are available to all of Alberta’s children.
Kent is a strong supporter of public education in Alberta. His approach to K-12 education is guided by a few basic principles. Schools should be partners with parents in our communities, and government and school boards should respond to local needs and be accountable for the money they spend. School funding should be based on what it actually costs to educate students, and hunger should be removed as a barrier to learning in our schools by implementing a province-wide school nutrition program. Finally, parents shouldn’t have to fundraise for classroom essentials. The K-12 years are so important, and Kent believes we need to adequately support our schools so they can ensure all students attain their full potential.
In terms of post-secondary education, Kent knows tuition needs to be affordable so that we don’t create a generation of debt-laden citizens. Also, student housing needs to affordable and available. Our post secondary institutions need to be adequately funded so that qualified students aren’t turned away for lack of space. Kent believes our universities and colleges can be the best in Canada, and among of the best in the world.
We need a province that values and supports education and training in all its forms, including ESL, training in the trades, and the development of new and useful skills for seniors, the unemployed and new Albertans.
Human Rights
Calgary Buffalo is the constituency once represented by Sheldon Chumir and then Gary Dickson: both prominent Calgarians, lawyers, and human rights advocates. Conscious of this tradition, in his role as Shadow Minister of Justice in Alberta's Official Opposition, Kent believes it's very important to promote and support human rights here in Alberta.
As a fundamental starting point, Kent believes human rights should be under the purview of Alberta Justice, not Alberta Culture & Community Spirit, as it is now. It's important that the provincial government treat human rights with the seriousness it deserves in a portfolio that speaks to its fundamental place in the lives of Albertans.
In the first session of his first term in office, Kent called on the Alberta Government to finally amend the Alberta Human Rights code to explicitly protect individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation. In the spring of 2009, that finally happened. It's been over a decade since the Supreme Court ruled that this discrimination be ended, so it was more than high-time for this change to occur.
Yet, in the Spring of 2009, we took one step forward and one enormous step back with Bill 44. This bill, which is now law, gives parents the right to remove their children from classes that deal with sexual orientation or religion. Many Albertans have expressed concerns that children may be pulled from classes dealing with concepts such as evolution. In addition, many of Alberta’s teachers are now worried that they may be brought before a human rights tribunal should a parent lodge a complaint against them. In what was essentially a dirty little trade , Stelmach's conservatives enshined some rights while eroding the foundation upon which a understanding and progressive society is built.
"[GBLT] Albertans deserve equal protection under Alberta law. When considering the effectiveness of our human rights legislation, how does this minister explain to a gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgendered, or transsexual individual the current decision of this government?" - MLA Kent Hehr in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on April 16, 2008
