MLA Report: Shop local this Christmas

By Medicine Hat News Opinion on December 18, 2020.

Christmas is just around the corner, and it will be very different this year for many of us.

In the run up to Christmas, shopping is often on the “to do” list.

This year, more than ever, I would ask Cypress Medicine Hatters to Shop Local. Support Medicine Hat and support Albertans.

We should always shop local when we can, but it’s especially important to do so this Christmas season. Remember that every purchase you make from a local business makes a direct impact in your community and the livelihoods of your fellow Cypress Medicine Hatters and Albertans.

Medicine Hat is a community that is full of so many talented entrepreneurs that create, produce, and offer a wide variety of products and services. There is sure to be something from a local entity for even the hardest to buy for on your list!

Check to see if they have a website to order from, what their delivery or pick up looks like, or what time would be best to visit the store.

Thank you to everyone in the Cypress County and Medicine Hat areas for everything they have done over the past year to help their community at large. Every day, I see the positive impact so many people continue to make on our community. I have noticed the many different types of support groups that have formed this past year to meet many different needs of the community. It is awe inspiring.

Community support groups that have been long time community helpers, stepped up even more than they knew possible, and I thank them! These many and various groups have been the backbone of civil society in Medicine Hat for years, and certainly found renewed strength.

Medicine Hat’s faith community also rose to the challenges presented with remarkable speed at adapting to online services, and reducing numbers within the physical buildings, while still offering continued support to their communities.

I will take this moment to wish everyone in Cypress County and Medicine Hat a peaceful, restful and enjoyable Christmas season. There can be no denying that it will look very different, but I hope that we can make the most of the time we spend with those closest to us.

Merry Christmas and all the very best in 2021.

Drew Barnes is the UCP MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat.

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