In a mandate letter to Pete Guthrie, Minister of Infrastructure and MLA of Airdrie Cochrane, Premier Danielle Smith urged him to keep building Alberta.

The Premier wants Minister Guthrie to uphold platform promises and underlines her expectations that Alberta maintains a high standard of living and has the infrastructure necessary to sustain the services Albertans require in her letter.

This involves collaborating with the minister for mental health and addiction to develop and launch 11 new recovery communities in strategic regions around the province.

In cooperation with the Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors, who is the lead, and the Minister of Municipal Affairs, to provide up to $330 million in funding for the building of roads and bridges, an LRT connection, site utilities, site reclamation, and other supporting infrastructure for the Calgary arena and entertainment district project. Included in this funding are up to $30 million for a brand-new 1,000-seat neighbourhood rink next to the primary arena that will host amateur and youth hockey.

According to the letter, the Premier also tasks Minister Guthrie with:

  • Analyzing the current process for building schools and hospitals with a view to accelerate construction timelines and reduce cost.
  • As lead, working with the Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors and the President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Finance, to propose a formula that provides guidance on the amount of capital funding that should be budgeted each year to ensure long-term greater predictability for our industry partners while ensuring infrastructure resiliency and effective maintenance of the network. This should include assessing innovative financing and funding opportunities for infrastructure solutions, such as financing public-private partnerships and other government sources.
  • Working with the Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors, to accelerate priority investments identified by Cabinet and Caucus.
  • Modernizing building contracts for Alberta Infrastructure projects to reduce red tape and costs for contracted businesses.
  • Working with the Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women, who is the lead, to develop a building naming policy that celebrates and exemplifies Alberta’s culture.
  • Working with Jobs, Economy and Trade, to assist in designing a ministry-specific job-attraction strategy to raise the awareness of young Albertans (aged 16 to 24) and adults changing careers in the skilled trades and professions available in the construction industry, including pathways for education, apprenticeship and training.

According to Guthrie, "Alberta’s economy is booming and we need to ensure that we have the proper infrastructure in place to meet the needs of Albertans for years to come. Throughout this mandate I look forward to working together as we continue to build the hospitals, schools and recovery centres Albertans need now and into the future.”