Lesson 24 — Activity 2: The Provincial Government


Warm Up


In the previous activity, you learned where your tax dollars go with regards to the federal government. In this activity, you will learn about the tax dollars that are allocated to the provincial government of Alberta. 




We are very lucky to live in Alberta because the overall tax burden on individual Albertans is one of the lowest in Canada. Alberta is the only province without a provincial sales tax and has some of the lowest gasoline taxes in the country.



The provincial government is in charge of Alberta's tax dollars, so our provincial government spends our tax money on things that occur in Alberta.

For example:

  • hospitals
  • schools
  • roads
  • disability support programs
  • provincial police


Let's take a closer look at each of these areas.



Hospitals: Health care in Canada is delivered through a publicly funded health care system (Alberta Health Services), and it is provincially based. This means that a portion of our tax dollars goes to providing money to run the hospitals and to provide services in Alberta.

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Alberta Children's Hospital

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Schools: Funding for the kindergarten to Grade 12 education system in Alberta comes from two areas: general provincial revenues and education property taxes. All property owners pay the education property tax. These taxes help to pay for instructional costs, including teacher salaries, textbooks, and other classroom resources. Every Albertan benefits from a quality education system. The education property tax supports an education system that is producing the workforce of tomorrow.


Roads: Another portion of our provincial tax dollars goes to pay for roads and road maintenance in Alberta. Roads make a crucial contribution to economic development and growth. Poorly maintained roads can significantly raise vehicle operating costs and increase accident rates. It is very important that our roads across Alberta are maintained and are safe to travel on.

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Disability support programs: Another portion of our tax dollars supports adults and children with disabilities. These include programs such as Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), family support for children with disabilities, and support for persons with developmental disabilities. People with disabilities are valued and respected members of our communities who are welcomed for their strengths and potential. These types of initiatives support individuals with disabilities to participate in and contribute to their communities.


Provincial police: Every area in Alberta also has its own police service. Police officers help to protect citizens and their property, maintain public peace, prevent and detect crime, apprehend those who break the law, process court requirements, handle traffic problems, enforce federal, provincial, and municipal legislation, and act as agents of social change in the community to promote safer neighbourhoods.


There are many other areas where your tax dollars go in Alberta. It is very important that these services are maintained in order to preserve our quality of life. Therefore, it is crucial that a portion of our tax dollars goes to ensuring these services are protected in Alberta. What a different place Alberta would be without safe roads and police services!

Self-check!

Try This!

Try the question below on your own first, and then click on the tab to check your answer! You can look back in the lesson to find the answer.

Name at least three different areas where your provincial tax dollars go in order to preserve our way of life in Alberta.




  • hospitals
  • schools
  • roads
  • disability support programs
  • provincial police





Digging Deeper!

Click on the Play button below to watch a video on where your tax dollars go both federally and provincially.