Calgary commerce chamber shares 5-point plan for winning provincial party

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce launched an action plan on Tuesday for the party that wins in the upcoming provincial election in May.

The plan, titled “Accelerate: Driving Alberta Forward,” is intended to show how the business community believes the province can achieve economic strength and resiliency moving forward.

The president of the chamber, Debra Yedlin, says with the government’s help, the city is ready to accelerate the economy closer to the future.

“We are the economic driver. This is where all the decisions for economic investment take place. If we can continue to be a city that is a magnet for talent and opportunity. So, so many of the decisions here resonate throughout and have an impact throughout the province,” Yedlin said in a news conference.

She says with the provincial surplus expected to be in the billions for the next few years, now is the time to invest in the city and its people while the time is right.

“Calgary is the epicentre of commerce and investment in this province. We are Alberta’s headquarters. These recommendations work together to position Alberta and Calgary to be prosperous for decades to come. And this isn’t a platform for the next four months. It’s for the next four years,” Yedlin said.

“It doesn’t matter what party it is. We need to know that the government is going to be focused on making sure that we have a prosperous, diverse economy that is very, very focused on the economy today. And the economy tomorrow.”

According to the plan, recruiting and training skilled workers was the most important thing Calgary business owners cared about.

Followed by inflation, the cost of doing business, the ability to secure investment and funding, followed by supply chain constraints.

Launching this platform comes as Premier Danielle Smith and Opposition Leader Rachel Notley are in a very tight race.

Read More: Alberta UCP and NDP ‘evenly matched,’ Calgary deciding factor: poll

Research firm ThinkHQ shows Smith’s UCP holding a three per cent lead over the provincial NDP, 48 per cent to 45 per cent province-wide.

And there are signs that things could shift even more in the premier’s direction or in Notley’s, depending on how Smith’s meeting with Trudeau goes in Ottawa.

The premier is joining the rest of Canada’s premiers in calling on the prime minister for a new health care deal, which could soon become a reality.

She has also been adamant that she wants to see an end to the proposed “Just Transition” legislation, saying there are no plans to “Phase out” our current energy industries.

She hopes serious changes to this legislation could be another reality for her ahead of the election.