Prentice plan will continue building infrastructure and protect jobs

Progressive Conservative leader Jim Prentice outlined how the party’s infrastructure plan will protect Alberta jobs, and invest in the services and infrastructure that matter most to Albertans.

“In a rapidly growing province, Albertans rightly expect their government to have a realistic plan to invest in schools, health care facilities and roads we use every day,” said Prentice. “Our plan will continue to build our province and sustain good jobs in a slower economy.”

Prentice pointed out that despite fiscal challenges, falling behind on Alberta infrastructure would be a critical mistake.

“In tough times, it can be tempting to put off important infrastructure investments as has been done in the past,” Prentice said. “When we did that, we fell behind, services suffered and the growing needs of our province went unmet. My team and I have crafted a plan that keeps Albertans working, and keeps up with their needs.”

Prentice said Albertans should look at the plans of the other parties and compare. “Our plan lays out clearly which projects will be going ahead, their price tags, and their time frames. We are being frank about the problems – and about the solutions.”

Prentice added that Albertans will be able to track the projects through online reporting – just as they are online for the approved school projects.

“It’s important that Albertans know what’s at stake and where we stand,” Prentice added. “With a $7 billion gap in our revenue due to low oil prices, a realistic plan is going to require some patience and some sacrifices. We know we can’t do everything we want immediately. There are clear choices to be made – and we believe that continuing to invest in infrastructure is the right choice for our economy now.”