Alberta Invests $22M in School Safety Upgrades

0:00It's April 9th. Welcome in. This is Canada News Today, where local news meets AI. I'm Corey with the story. Albert is dropping $22 million on school safety upgrades and staff training across its school boards. That's $20 million for beefing up security like locks, cameras, doors, lighting, and intercoms, plus $2 million for training on emergencies and trauma care. The cash hits public boards based on enrollment, with a chunk for independent schools too. This move comes straight out of budget 2025, repurposed from some underused grants at fiscal year end. Education minister Demetrials Nicolades called it a smart pivot after that heartbreaking mass shooting in Tumblr Ridge, British Columbia, on February 10th. Eight lives lost there, including five students and a teacher. Folks are seeing this as a real step up for kids' safety, building on what's already in place without waiting for new laws. Schools get flexibility on how to spend it as long as it fits the safety bucket and

1:00they'll have to report back on results. Now, the province is rolling out uniform safety standards for every Alberta school. They're assessing current setups right now, then dropping guidelines via ministerial order, set the kick-in next school year. Fund should land with boards by month's end, keeping everyone accountable with interim reports by November 20th, and finals the next year. Our play to lock down those campuses for good.