Mr. Hehr: Mr. Speaker, just in time for Christmas Alberta citizens are seeing their power rates jacked up by 48 per cent.

Businesses and families alike will pay 13.5 cents per kilowatt hour, the highest regulated monthly rate ever. This makes clear that there are continuing problems for Alberta consumers since the deregulation of the markets some 10 years ago.

To the Minister of Energy. The Premier stated that if the government finds policy and structures are not working as expected, it would be time to revisit those mechanisms. Accordingly, given that it’s clear the system is not working, what is this minister doing?

Dr. Morton: Mr. Speaker, it is true that the projected price for electricity for the month of December is going to be higher than it has been in November. Interestingly enough, November was lower than October. In the system we have the price varies from month to month, but studies have proven consistently that over time if you compare Alberta to nonhydro jurisdictions, our rates are middle of the pack and competitive.

Mr. Hehr: Given that consumer groups and energy experts alike have recommended many ways to this government to address this price volatility, why is this minister sitting on his hands and not acting on the Premier’s concerns on behalf of Alberta’s consumers?

Dr. Morton: Mr. Speaker, all of the solutions that the hon. member likes to point to that other provinces have been using have led to huge, huge public debt in their electrical and hydro systems. Quebec is $36 billion in debt right now for Hydro-Québec; Ontario, $64 billion. I’m happy to tell this Assembly that the total public debt in this province, the province of Alberta, is zero. There’s no public debt on generation.

Mr. Hehr: Given that the only conclusion Alberta consumers can draw is that they’re being royally rooked on their power bills, when will this minister sit down with the energy industry, energy experts, and academia and come up with a reasonable solution for Alberta consumers that more accurately reflects the price of producing power?

Dr. Morton: I indicated earlier, Mr. Speaker, that Alberta’s electrical prices compared to nonhydro jurisdictions are compet-itive – we’re middle of the pack – and unlike all these other jurisdictions the hon. member points to, there is no public debt in Alberta on power generation.

Secular Public Education in Greater St. Albert

Mr. Hehr: Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre gave Morinville mothers an award to recognize their right to fight for secular education. These parents have repeatedly asked the minister to meet with them, and he’s always denied their request.

To the Minister of Education: given the Premier’s promise of transparency and accountability, why won’t this minister make the meetings with St. Albert school boards public and include the parents in these debates?

Mr. Lukaszuk: Mr. Speaker, this member is wrong again. As a matter of fact, I met with the parents in a very interesting way. The parents were at the Legislature with their children, and believe it or not, we had a little bit of a picnic in the rotunda of the Legislature. I had the pleasure of chit-chatting with the mothers. I had a very good, constructive meeting with three of the school boards involved, and the school boards are now working on a resolution. I am very proud of the mothers, and so should the children be. They’re advocating for education, and the school board is responding.

Mr. Hehr: Well, given that the children are already crammed in a small office and that the promised modular classrooms are once again delayed, when will this government assure parents in Morinville that secular education will be provided with proper infrastructure so that you can have a good picnic?

Mr. Lukaszuk: Well, Mr. Speaker, obviously, this member is not well apprised of what’s going on. I met with the mothers, I met with the children, I met with all of the three school boards, and they’re working on a resolution. As a matter of fact, yes, all children are entitled to a top-notch education, and as the member knows, we promote choice. Now he’s asking for choice; yesterday he was against choice. We are promoting choice, and we will make sure that at the end of the day these parents and children will get the education they asked for and deserve.

Mr. Hehr: Well, we’ll get back to talking about choice another day, Mr. Speaker.

Today we’re talking about picnics and the right of these people to have a secular school option. I will ask the minister: when will you commit to having a firm date established for when this mess in Morinville can actually be ended so that people can have a secular school option that they can go to, that they can be proud of sending their children to? Commit to a date.

Mr. Lukaszuk: Well, I am very happy that this member is such a big promoter of choice when it comes to secular education, but when it comes to religious education, he wants choice eliminated. That’s good to know.

However, Mr. Speaker, I will tell you that the school boards in that area have been given about a month to find a solution that is agreeable to all parties involved. The best solutions come from the local area, not from here and definitely not with that kind of rhetoric. We will resolve this issue. We will make sure that all parties involved are satisfied.

Alberta Hansard, November 30, 2011

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