Alberta promises new schools will be built

The provincial government says it will keep its promise to build newschoolsin Alberta, despite the slide in resource revenues.

• Manmeet Bhullar says schools on track despite poor economy

Premier Jim Prentice made the announcement in Calgary on Tuesday, along with Education Minister Gordon Dirks and Infrastructure MinisterManmeet Bhullar.

The $2-billion program will fund the construction of 56 new schools or additions to existing buildings.

Another 21 schoolswill be modernized or replaced. All the projects are supposed to be completedby 2018.

Albertans will be able to track the progress of school construction projects through a website at projects.alberta.ca.

On Monday, the government announced $3.4-billion of infrastructurefunding for health care facilities in Alberta, including the first phase of a long-awaited new cancer centre in Calgary.

Funding for the schoolswas maintained in the provincial budget brought down on March 26, despite the steep drop in government revenue due to lower oil prices. The government will borrow some of the money to pay for the new health and education facilities..

The funding announcements are fuellingspeculation that Premier Prentice will call an early election.