Some days it feels like our country cannot survive if the Trudeau Liberals are in control for another four years, and even six more months may be too long.

After an incredibly successful summer festival season, it’s clear that Alberta is on the map as a go-to destination for entertainment experiences. Edmonton hosted the Junos earlier this year, bringing in more than $12 million in economic impact. Calgary hosted another incredibly successful Stampede in July, seeing a record turnaround, only topped by the 100th anniversary Stampede in 2012. K-Days was attended by 557,000 this year. However, it isn’t just festivals and entertainment events bringing people to our province.

Throughout human history, people at various times have said technology has been both a blessing and a curse. It has definitely made life easier; it has obsoleted old systems and led to a higher standard of living for many. But, needless to say, it has also been disruptive at times with more to follow. It also gave people in power new ways for gaining, maintaining and expanding that power.

In March 2023, the Department of Education unveiled the Career Education in Alberta report, a culmination of extensive consultations involving K-12 educators, post-secondary institutions, students in grades 7-12, and prominent industry leaders. Within this collaborative effort, a unanimous consensus emerged – the imperative for transformative change in education. It became evident that “all students need to be made aware of a breadth of career opportunities and pathways that are available to them,” extending beyond the more visibly prominent career choices.

We have witnessed heated election campaigns before, but seldom with the level of vociferous anger witnessed during our recent provincial election. Many voters are feeling betrayed by the country they love and discarded from the information highway. But when does reasonable anger end and irrational hatred begin? We witnessed both during this provincial election. Some have even related it to occurrences that appeared during WWII.

The Alberta Enterprise Group (AEG) congratulates Premier Danielle Smith and the United Conservative Party on their election victory. AEG looks forward to sharing the priorities of our members and cooperating with the Alberta government to help make Alberta a better place to live and do business. We are committed to working with Premier Smith and the UCP government on issues of concern and relevance for our members and fellow Albertans.

Once again, the Senate has bailed on Canadians and proven themselves irrelevant by not stopping Bill C-11 in its tracks. Why are they even a body? What are their roles and who sets their expectations for delivery? I thought the Senate is considered the ‘second non-partisan look’, but at this point they appear fairly irrelevant.

Alberta has had a lot of good news stories lately. We’re expected to lead the country in economic growth in 2023. We’re also the most powerful magnet in the country for Canadians wanting better job prospects and a lower cost of living. In 2022, Alberta’s population grew by nearly 60,000 between July and September alone, which is

With the provincial election on the horizon, I want to write specifically to other Calgary business owners and their workers with the hope of making some critical points in the 500 words available. Not only are we losing the Canada we used to know, but we are also at risk of losing Alberta and the spirit of a prosperous and vibrant province that we have built and re- built over the years. While 2022 wasn’t the greatest worldwide in the aftermath of COVID, Alberta remained one of the most successful economies regardless of the many challenges we faced.

No thanks to the federal Impact Assessment Act or Bill C-69 – even with a global energy crisis and the world pleading for Canada’s responsibly and sustainably produced natural resources, Canada, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), is on track to have the worst performing economy of the G20 over the next 10 years. Our organizations – the Alberta Enterprise Group and ICBA Alberta – are in the Supreme Court of Canada, supporting the Government of Alberta and almost all other provinces and territories in their fight against the federal government’s Impact Assessment Act.