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Whose decision should it be?

From the Legislature - MLA Report by Rick Strankman

Recently, the Leader of the Official Opposition and Wildrose party, Danielle Smith, put forward an innovative idea that is an alternative to publically funding new arenas in Edmonton and Calgary.

The idea would consist of a lottery style Keno game — similar to the one already used in B.C., which contributes to more than 5,000 charities in that province. The revamped, rebranded Keno lottery game could help fund arenas in both cities, without having to dig into the ever-evaporating tax revenues.

As Smith said, “Alberta taxpayers wouldn’t be on the hook for any of it. If you didn’t want to support the program, you don’t have to buy a lottery ticket. But it would allow the fans to directly support their team. The revenues generated would be completely voluntary.”

Collection of taxes and the redistribution by government of those funds in Alberta has had increasingly less input from you and I, who are the source of those revenues. I’m sure most people would agree that essential-services funding should trump nonessential services. That may seem a bit oversimplified, but ask yourself this, “If your community was in desperate need of a school, a hospital and an arena, what order would they be on your priority list?” The majority would most likely have come to the conclusion that government’s first priority should always be the health and welfare of the citizens it governs.

The Keno lottery idea has its merits. At the top of the list of merits would be you having the ability to direct funding to the organizations and projects that you deem worthwhile. The prioritization of which charities are worthwhile is a very individual decision based on your individual circumstances and your experiences.

For instance, if someone has a prevalence of cancer in their family, they would be more likely to direct their donations toward the Canadian Cancer Society rather than the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Both causes are important, but the level of importance is not the same for each individual.

Having directed lottery funding would allow taxpayers in Stettler the opportunity to direct their revenue toward projects that would benefit their local area, rather than an arena in Edmonton, in which they may never even set foot in.

In rural Alberta, fundraising is very important for the sustainability of a great many amenities that contribute to our quality of life. Suggestions that people will abandon important community projects and charities seem to bring into question the moral values of every Albertan.

I would like to think that it’s more likely that the closer you get to the facility, the greater the support would be, having those that would benefit most contributing the most. The taxpayer in Edmonton is not likely to support a community project like an arena in Hanna voluntarily, so shouldn’t the taxpayer in Stettler have that same choice available with respect to an arena in Edmonton?

With a looming deficit of more than $3 billion for this fiscal year and forecasts predicting similar numbers for next year, shouldn’t any reasonable ideas on cutting government spending be considered?

Email MLA Rick Strankman at: drumheller.stettler@ assembly.ab.ca He can also be reached via Twitter: @Rick Strankman