Elect Socialism
Constructivist poster for Fewer Schools, More Solidarity

Policy No. 8 · Ministry of Education

Fewer Schools, More Solidarity

Alberta is building schools like it expects children.

Alberta's three-year school building budget roughly doubled in four budgets, from $2.01 billion to $3.98 billion.1

That's about $780 per Albertan on school buildings, against about $691 per person in BC.2

Alberta approved 58 school projects in 2023, 43 in 2024, 41 in 2025 and 40 in 2026.3 The UCP calls its plan Schools Now: $8.6 billion toward about 200,000 new and renovated student spaces by 2031-32.4

A child with a classroom is a child without a grievance.

The policyElect socialism, and give every child the character-building gift of a portable.

BC: SENSIBLE SCHOOL RESTRAINT School capital plan per person, 2026-29 ($). $680$710$740$770$800$780EXCESSIVEAlberta$691HUMBLEBC AXIS STARTS AT $680, FOR BALANCE Alberta Budget 2026 capital plan; BC Budget 2026 K-12 capital plan. Axis starts at $680.
Every number on this chart is real. The chart itself is not our fault.

Every previous attempt was a dress rehearsal.

The numbers (that don't matter)

We cite our sources. We just don't read them.

  1. Alberta's three-year Education capital plan has roughly doubled in four budgets, from $2.01 billion in Budget 2022 to $3.98 billion in Budget 2026. Government of Alberta, Treasury Board and Finance · C1
  2. Alberta budgets about $780 per person on Education capital over 2026-29, versus about $691 per person for BC's K-12 capital plan over 2026/27 to 2028/29, even though the two plans total almost the same dollars ($3.98B vs $3.94B). Government of Alberta; Government of British Columbia, Ministry of Finance · C3
  3. Alberta's budgets have approved 40 to 58 school projects a year recently (58 in 2023, 43 in 2024, 41 in 2025, 40 in 2026), versus 20 new school projects in the NDP's final 2018 budget; but most recent approvals are for planning or design, not construction. Government of Alberta, Education (and Childcare) · C5
  4. Alberta's School Construction Accelerator Program ('Schools Now'), announced Sept 17 2024, was pitched as $8.6 billion of school capital (about $2.1B already in the budget plus $6.5B new, originally described as spanning three years). Combined with previously approved projects, Alberta says it will deliver about 200,000 new and renovated student spaces by 2031-32, and reports almost 12,000 spaces created or renovated in the first two years (about 6% of the target). Government of Alberta, Education and Childcare · C7

Every source on the site →