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And it will cost about a billion dollars.
That’s a lot, I know. But let’s put that into perspective: The UCP government spent $7.5 billion on the Keystone XL pipeline, the future of which depends entirely on the outcome of the U.S. election. By cutting the corporate tax rate, this UCP government has given up at least $4.7 billion in foregone revenue. Now, you may agree or disagree with the value of these decisions but, surely we can all agree that the question of whether or not we can afford to fund public-health measures in schools is a question of priorities.
Minister Adriana LaGrange and Premier Jason Kenney have said our plan is not feasible because there is no time to hire the staff and secure the space required to cap class sizes. But here’s the thing. If reopening schools safely, and in line with the direction we’ve received from Dr. Deena Hinshaw was a priority for this government, they would have started planning for this the day after classrooms were closed in March. Albertans cannot be expected to accept a lack of time as a reasonable excuse for not doing the right thing, particularly because it was the government that ran out the clock and laid off more than 20,000 educational workers at the onset of the pandemic.
Local theatres, community centres, recreation facilities, and even university lecture halls remain closed and empty across Alberta. With a little planning, there are numerous options for additional classroom space. In fact, Scotland has done an impressive job of using libraries, community halls, leisure centres, conference venues, and vacant businesses to accommodate distancing requirements.
