According to GasBuddy.com, as of last week, the average Albertan was paying $1.29 per litre for regular gasoline. Ontario was the next cheapest province, where residents are paying $1.40 per litre for regular gasoline, and British Columbia was the most expensive province, where residents are paying an eye-popping $1.74 per litre for regular gasoline.
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This good fortune didn’t happen by accident. Thanks to our province’s renewed economic strength, your United Conservative team of MLAs was able to enact the Fuel Tax Relief Program, which cut the full provincial fuel tax of $13.6 cents per litre for six months (until the end of June). After June, Albertans will continue to benefit from the Fuel Tax Relief Program in its original staged approach, based on the average price of oil.
This all means real savings for families in Alberta. For just the six-month period, the average pickup truck driver in our province will save an estimated $444. The average car driver, meanwhile, will save an estimated $163. This is hard-earned money that will now be saved or spent on things like groceries, hockey fees, tools, movies, or clothes. The Fuel Tax Relief Program is making life better and more affordable for everyday Albertans. By the end of 2022, the program had already saved Albertans an estimated $850 million dollars. Those savings will continue into 2023.
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This is a direct contrast to the tax hikes that are continually being introduced by the federal Liberal-NDP coalition government. Specifically, a tax increase that went into effect on April 1, which adds 14 cents per litre at the pumps (14.3 cents per litre, up from the previous 11 cents per litre meaning a 40-litre tank of gas will increase by $1.30). This tax increase will also cause rising utility bills, more expensive groceries, and high inflation.
United Conservatives can fight inflation and make life more affordable for Albertans and put Alberta’s economy back on track. Our province now enjoys the lowest taxes in the country, a balanced budget, hundreds of thousands of new jobs, and the fastest-growing economy in the country.
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I encourage you to learn more about the Fuel Tax Relief Program, and all the other measures we’re implementing to make life more affordable for Albertans at alberta.ca/Affordability.
Our United Conservative government won’t impose massive tax hikes like Notley’s NDP would. And we will continue to support common sense policies and principles that will help families and businesses grow, invest, and thrive in Alberta.
Investing into Sherwood Park
The 2023 Budget includes several major investments into Sherwood Park. These include funding for the replacement of Sherwood Heights Junior High, planning funding for the Sherwood Park Provincial Courthouse, and planning funding for the Strathcona Community Hospital expansion. The budget also includes funding for an engineering study for Highway 15 and Highway 830/Range Road 214 overpass, and the replacement of Vince Bridge, which are both key cogs in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland economic corridor network.
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These projects represent a handful of the ways that our government is listening to Albertans and working to make life better. Sherwood Park and area have also recently received 10 additional ambulances which helps to reduce EMS response times. I know how impactful government investments like these can be for our community and am proud to continue advocating on behalf of all Sherwood Park residents.
Jordan Walker is the Member of the Legislature Assembly for the Sherwood Park constituency. If you have any questions or comments about this column or any other provincial issues, he would like to hear from you. Please contact MLA Walker’s constituency office at 780-417-4747 or by email sherwood.park@assembly.ab.ca.
