Alberta Budget highlights: $21 billion on construction projects

CALGARY, ALTA. — Alberta’s budget has arrived and it aims to increase spending on construction projects to spur economic recovery.

The government’s three-year plan includes investing almost $21 billion on construction projects

Provincial officials estimate the spending would support roughly 90,000 new jobs. This is a $1.7 billion increase on what was planned in Budget 2020 for 2021-22.

The budget allocates funding for new projects worth an estimated $825.8 million over the three-year period. Alberta’s government will also spend $3 billion for capital maintenance and renewal, an increase of nearly $300 million from Budget 2020 to support jobs, extend the useful life of existing infrastructure to prevent costly future repairs.

“Alberta’s government continues to build the vital public works projects Albertans rely on, ensuring that we create jobs today, while building the infrastructure that our province will need as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Prasad Panda, minister of infrastructure, in a press release.

Here are a few highlights of significant projects from the budget’s capital plan breakdown:

$2.4 billion for roads and bridges

$246 million on highway twinning, widening and expansion projects
Le Crete Bridge
Highway 201 Bow River Bridge
Deerfoot Trail Upgrades in Calgary
$42 million on slide repairs
$484 million on Edmonton and Calgary LRT
$514 million on Edmonton and Calgary Ring Roads

$2.2 billion for health facilities.

$768 million of this will be spent on infrastructure at hospitals throughout the province, including:
$212 million for the Calgary Cancer Centre
$103 million on the Gene Zwozdesky Centre at Norwood
Misericordia Community Hospital Modernization Program
Edmonton Hospital
Peter Lougheed Centre redevelopments

$1.6 billion for school projects

$89 million on a modular classroom program
Playgrounds
Infrastructure and maintenance renewal
$650 million on previously announced school projects

$191 million for post-secondary infrastructure which includes:

A district energy system for the University of Alberta
$32 million for work on MacKimmie Complex, the University of Calgary’s first net-zero carbon building
$191 million for renewal work at the University of Alberta’s dentistry pharmacy building
$50 million for re-purposing facilities at Mount Royal University