Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Jennifer Johnson says the region will benefit from funding that was announced in Budget 2025.
"We do have education dollars coming to us," she noted. "For Ponoka, in transportation, we see a really exciting project coming on Highway 53 that's going to be really transforming what we're going to be calling Rodeo Drive, going by the Ponoka Stampede Grounds. That's a really exciting project, one that's been in the books and been advocated for for many years."
Johnson stated that the $5.2 billion deficit budget is not what anybody wanted to see.
"We're hopeful that maybe by the end of the year, it won't look quite so grim," she added. "We have to face reality in that these are the days that we live in. It is actually a more positive outlook than what most of the provinces in Canada are seeing...We are looking at all possibilities to bring that as low as possible, that deficit, and at the same time maintaining the programs that we have and the education and healthcare that we need."
Details on the education funding have not yet been announced, however Johnson says it will likely be for Educational Assistants and classrooms, trying to maintain as much flexibility as possible with the school boards for them to determine where they need that money the most.
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