The Voice of Canada News

Alberta will co-lead a federal pilot project to help military families settle into their new communities when they are posted to Alber

The Military Families and Veterans Pilot Project will improve  access to important services such as doctors, schools and spousal employment.

“This pilot is an exciting project that will help military families settle in as smoothly as possible, so their lives can get back to normal more quickly. It’s another way to help them feel welcome and appreciated.”

“Being a soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces is tough work, but loving one can be tougher. Our families often sacrifice so much to enable uniformed service, and posting requires loved ones to find new schools, jobs and support services. We are grateful to the Government of Alberta for its efforts to make these transitions easier on our incredible military families.”

“Having to move to other provinces can be a stressful process. Knowing what services are available and where to find them will help make it easier to start life in Alberta.”

The government-wide pilot project will help:

• Pre-plan school attendance for students coming from other provinces.
• Work with doctors accepting new patients to reserve openings for transferring families.
• Provide easier access to online information on provincial services through a dedicated web page.

Alberta and New Brunswick are both developing pilot projects as part of a federal initiative called Seamless Canada to help military families relocate.

Alberta will share its best practices to help other provinces set up similar initiatives.

Quick facts

• The pilot is set to launch this fall.
• Alberta agreed to pilot the project in October 2017.
• About 1,200 military families are posted to Alberta each year.