Juno News - No more masks in Alberta schools

00:00:00.000 Okay guys, up first. Alberta Premier Daniel Smith has made good on her promise to end mask mandates

00:00:05.280 in school. She's also ending fully remote online learning. The Alberta government says during the

00:00:10.820 last two years there were periods of online learning and parents were often given little

00:00:14.880 to no warning before being told they would have to provide at-home care for their children.

00:00:19.620 Daniel Smith says she's heard from parents and students alike and they desire a regular school

00:00:23.920 year. Through new regulations, the Alberta government will not allow schools to move

00:00:27.200 to fully remote online learning. They also won't allow schools to ban students who choose not to

00:00:32.040 wear a mask. Education Minister Adriana LaGrange says parents and students want stability while

00:00:37.460 school boards want clarity. Quote, securing a face-to-face classroom environment means students

00:00:42.220 can continue to learn successfully while allowing their parents to go to work. It will also help to

00:00:47.460 maintain and improve student mental health while minimizing student learning loss. During the 2021

00:00:53.340 to 2022 school year, the government funded a $45 million pilot project to undergo assessments for

00:00:59.120 students. Through literacy assessments, the province learned that about 70,000 students from grade 1 to

00:01:04.700 3 were about 11 months behind their grade level. That period followed 17 months of on and off again

00:01:10.400 at-home learning. But after returning to consistent in-person learning from May to June 2022,

00:01:16.780 the average learning loss dropped by 3.7 months. The Alberta government has provided an additional

00:01:21.340 $10 million to continue funding the learning assessments. The province is also forecasting a

00:01:26.200 $12.3 billion surplus according to its fiscal update released on Thursday. The province will save

00:01:31.760 another $13.3 billion due to debt repayment. The surplus is $1 million shy of the province's last

00:01:38.340 estimate due to softening oil prices and demand. Still, high oil and gas prices contributed to a total

00:01:44.140 revenue of $76.9 billion, or $14.3 billion higher than the budget estimate. Alberta Premier Danielle

00:01:51.520 Smith said she promised to balance the budget so Albertans are on the hook for debt repayment

00:01:55.380 with showing compassion to Albertans in need. Finance Minister Travis Taves said the government's

00:02:00.840 disciplined fiscal approach combined with a focus on investment attraction, economic growth,

00:02:05.780 and improved commodity prices has resulted in material surpluses. Quote,

00:02:09.540 this is good news for Albertans as it allows for a timely response to the affordability crisis

00:02:14.380 many of our families are facing. In the face of a potential global recession,

00:02:19.660 Albertans can rest assured our province is in the best position possible as a result of our focus

00:02:24.880 on responsible fiscal management over the last three years. Take a listen to some of his comments

00:02:29.360 for yourself. I'm just very pleased that we can be at a point where we can be discussing,

00:02:34.280 you know, the tension between additional savings and additional debt reduction.

00:02:39.540 for example, theוא offers an annual survey of $17.00 for the population that picture

00:02:41.880 has gone pretty much works to find a partner. The more useful and attractive.

00:02:43.140 You know, it was a point where it already escapes and it's been in the past

00:02:44.680 the relationship of what it was saying. It was a relatively small bill of $125.iran

00:02:47.420 more than half the percentage extent, which means such a substitute in determining

Juno News - November 28, 2022