By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on March 31, 2022.
https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews Increased funding for local air rescue service HALO could be on the menu today when Premier Jason Kenney and two top cabinet ministers are in Medicine Hat today to address a business luncheon. Registration for that event at the Cypress Centre auditorium was set to cut off at noon on Wednesday with only a few tickets remaining in the morning. The Chamber of Commerce event is billed as a presentation on Budget 2022 and Alberta’s Recovery Plan, and will include lunch and addresses by Kenney, beginning at noon, then Alberta’s Agriculture and Rural Economic Development Minister Nate Horner and Health Minister Jason Copping. Brooks-Medicine Hat MLA Michaela Frey will outline the budget’s impact on the southeast Alberta region. On Friday, Kenney and Copping were on hand in Calgary to announce an $8-million increase toward STARS air ambulance which serves most of the province providing helicopter transport to and between hospitals. At the same event, Copping and Kenney both stated that announcements related to southeast Alberta helicopter service HALO, as well as Fort McMurray-based HERO, could be expected soon. Attending the $60 luncheon requires registration, but was open to non-chamber members as well. It is believed Kenney last made a large public appearance in the city at the 2019 Medicine Hat Stampede parade and president’s luncheon. Finance ministers have typically held local budget roadshow presentations in conjunction with chambers of commerce in the past. Finance Minister Travis Toews appeared in Medicine Hat to discuss the 2020-21 budget just prior to the onset of the pandemic. 11