Signs of an economic recovery will see the Notley Government shift gears in its spending strategies in 2018, says Banff-Cochrane MLA Cam Westhead. It's also a year in which Albertans will be starting to prepare for an election that wll take place by the spring of 2019 and he believes we will have two clear choices on the future of the province.

Looking to 2018, Westhead realizes it has been a tough haul for many people but better days seem to be ahead.

"The province went through a lot of change in the last year. We started with one of the worst recessions in Alberta history and by end of the year our economy started to turn the corner and started a recovery," he says.  "There are a lot of people are hurting, and we understand that, but things are looking up and a lot fo the economic indicators are positive. It's good to see things that are turning around."

Now the government intends to ease back on fueling the economy and are looking to take measures they have labelled "passionate belt-tightening'.

"The plan all along has been to invest in the recovery, so while the province was in recession we wanted to ensure there was stability and to make investments in strategic places like infrastructure that would create jobs and keep people working.

"Now that the economy is starting to recover we can re-profile some of those programs, like scaling back on infrastructure spending, and take a closer look at operational spending to see where we can find some efficiency and start to implement a plan to get back to balance."

Yet it does not mean the government will be cutting back on its commitment to new initiatives, like the $25 a day child care pilot program it launched in 2017. A second round of funding has been announced and Cochrane is among the communities giving it a closer look.

Children's Services minister Danielle Larivee was accompanied by Westhead on a visit here in the fall to discuss details of the program discussed with a consortium of child care providers.

"They were very enthusiastic about the program being expanded and so we committed to work with them to make application," says Westhead. "There hasn't been a program like this before so we want to give assistance to those who are completing applications."

The one program established in Westhead's riding during the initial launch is proving to benefit young families. It provides flexible and longer hours and days of operation and that's proving to be particularly valuable for shift workers in Banff. Plus, he says, it offers a high quality curriculum being delivered by skilled staff.

Many Cochrane town council candidates talked about the need for a 24/7 urgent care centre but Westhead has heard little from the community about the issue.

"If I hear more from constituents I will certain endeavour to have a conversation with Alberta Health Services to see where they're at in looking into that possibility."

In 2018, Westhead continues to serve as deputy party whip as well as his role of representing the province of the Council of State Governments (CSG) Midwest that, among other trade issues, has been providing input on current North America Free Trade Agreement discussions.

He was part of a conference call last week to be updated and says the organization is cautiously optimistic.

Last August, the organization reaffirmed their belief in the trade agreement and stood committed to modernizing the agreement in its Resolution on Open and Reciprocal Trade in North America.

Westhead may well be remembered for years to come as the MLA who successfully pushed for the long-awaited major interchange upgrade for Hwy. 22 and Hwy. 1A. The government has announced the project has hit their priority list and could begin construction as soon as early 2019.

For the coming year he intends to continue to fulfill roles asked of him by the government and will continue to put equal emphasis on representing his constituents.

"I will continue to do the best job I can within the caucus, but also in representing my constituents. I'm honoured to do that."

It's still early, but later in the year we will start to hear more of a buzz about the next province election which must take place no later than May 31, 2019. He believes Albertans will be asked to choose between two distinctly different directions and says the policies of Jason Kenney's United Conservative Party (UCP) are no more than soundbites.

"We've got our government who has focused on priorities, like jobs and affordability, strengthening public services like health care and education. On the other hand, you have Jason Kenney and the UCP talking about giving tax giveaways to the people up top and making cuts to health care and education. They don't really have a clear stance on any issue."

"People need to be asking tough questions of people are seeking their vote in the next election. It's easy to say things like we're going to bring back the Alberta Advantage but if it's nothing more than just talking points, what do they have to back that up? What does that exactly mean? And where do they stand on issues like Gay Straight Alliances, abortion, day care, schools and hospitals? These are questions that people deserve answers to rather than just soundbites. It's got to be more than that."

Today, though, Kenney took a firm stand against the province's carbon tax. The 50 per cent increase that comes into affect today is estimated to cost the average household about $150 per year. Those with lower incomes are eligible for a rebate to reduce or eliminate the impact of the tax.

Should the UCP form the next government, Kenney says their first bill will be the Carbon Tax Repeal Act.

No matter what happens during that election, it appears Westhead won't be the MLA for the Town of Cochrane. The constituent boundaries have been redrafted and he will be seeking re-election in the Banff-Kananaskis constituent that includes his home of Bragg Creek. He will, though, be seeking support in residents just west of the town boundary.