Alberta unveils tax credit to lure 2,000 skilled tradespeople to the province

The Alberta government has narrowed its plan to attract skilled workers to the province by offering a new tax credit that will only apply to skilled tradespeople.

Jobs, Economy and Trade Minister Matt Jones says the Alberta is Calling program, launching in April, will offer a one-time $5,000 refundable tax credit to tradespeople who move to the province in 2024 and file that year's taxes in Alberta.

Alberta programs are not training skilled tradespeople as quickly as the market needs them, Jones said at a Tuesday news conference.

"Skilled trades workers are key to building Alberta today and tomorrow," Jones said. "From homes to hospitals to schools to large-scale capital infrastructure, they are needed by the thousands."

The $10-million program will be capped at 2,000 workers, according to government officials at a briefing Tuesday. The credits will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis.

The proposed program is a marked departure from what the United Conservative Party promised in May 2023 during the  provincial election campaign.

At that time, party leader Danielle Smith pledged a $1,200 payment to in-demand health-care and child-care workers along with skilled tradespeople, under a $17-million program as part of a broader job and economic growth strategy. 

The UCP projected 14,000 people moving to Alberta would qualify in a year, and promised to offer the incentive to those who moved to the province in 2023 and 2024.

The program announced Tuesday by Smith's government falls short of those promises.

In defending the changes, Jones said the government talked to industry and did other due diligence before deciding the program's parameters.

He said the $5,000 refundable credit would cover a family's moving costs and attract workers in short supply such as crane operators, electricians, heavy-duty mechanics, welders and pipefitters.

Targeting solely skilled tradespeople will make it easier to advertise the program, he said.

"We are doing exactly what we said we would do, which is introducing a bonus to attract workers," Jones told reporters.

Jones said the government has other programs and incentives to attract health and child-care workers, and added that the Alberta is Calling program could be expanded in the future to include other workers.