Following the Alberta government’s recent announcement of capital funding to build charter and independent schools, the Investigative Journalism Foundation has found that several consultants with ties to the United Conservative Party (UCP) have been lobbying on behalf of charter schools and associated organizations over the past year.
Last month, Premier Danielle Smith announced an $8.6 billion commitment to the School Construction Accelerator Program to create space for more than 200,000 students to accommodate the province’s boom in enrolment.
Several of the lobbyists hired to communicate with the UCP government on behalf of charter schools and the Alberta Association of Public Charter Schools (TAAPCS) have either held office or worked for the UCP government or the predecessor Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties in the past.
Some of the lobbyists have also made individual contributions to the UCP over the last four years.