Alberta Municipalities eager to increase student capacity with school construction [Video]

Tyler Gandam, Alberta Municipalities president, joins Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins to discuss Premier Danielle Smith’s recent announcement of province-wide school construction funding.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length

Michael Higgins: The premier is asking high-growth communities to make new construction a priority. How is this plan, how is the message that comes with it, going over with your member municipalities?

Tyler Gandam: I think it’s fantastic. Our members are growing at unprecedented rates right now… Even just the two big centres right now, we’re seeing close to 30,000 new students over the last two years. So hearing that we’re going to increase that capacity is amazing. I know that municipalities are on board, ready to build, ready to be a part of the growth that Alberta is seeing right now, and just looking forward to it.

MH: Headlines are filled with municipal councils wrestling with budget realities and looking for ways to rein in spending. To what degree do …