The former location of Invest Medicine Hat is shown is this News file photo. Mayor Linnsie Clark announced this week that the city, in conjunction with the Town of RedCliff and Cypress County, is seeking grant funding to develop a "regional approach" to economic development.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
In again, out again economic development in the Medicine Hat region could soon have a broader view as the city, Town of Redcliff and Cypress County have jointly applied for grants to examine a regional business attraction strategy.
After several months of speculation, Mayor Linnsie Clark gave first official mention of the move during the State of the City address Tuesday.
“This community is facing a critical turning point,” she told the audience at the Medicine Hat Lodge in a speech that outlined aims of growing local population, targeting industrial investment and increasing the city’s profile through lobbying.
An “economic evolution” is one of city council’s main strategic priorities, including enticing local hydrogen production and advancing a carbon capture project.
“We need all options going forward and we’re open for business,” she said.
That also includes steps toward and study of greater co-operation with “regional partners,” Clark said, who also announced the city was a successful applicant to the Alberta Rural Renewal Stream program that seeks to settle skilled international immigrants in smaller centres.
The speech comes one week after a motion by Clark to signal the city’s focus on economic development failed at council. Members such as Coun. Darren Hirsch said the portfolio is too important to rush and relationships among competing interests can be difficult to manage.
County Deputy Reeve Richard Oster attended the lunch and said three local governments can work together on a number of fronts, and positive economic news benefits all to a large degree.
“There will be people on this council or that one who have a different view, but I think it’s great,” he told the News.
Redcliff Mayor Dwight Kilpatrick also backed the strategy in principle.
Incoming city manager Ann Mitchell told the News following the speech that economic development is clearly a top priority when she officially starts Feb. 6.
Last fall, the provincial government provided one-time additional grants to eight regional economic development groups, including the Palliser Economic Partnership, a group that includes the city and other municipalities in the southeast.
Another went to “SouthGrow” a grouping of municipalities around Lethbridge, which has grown recently to include Vauxhall, Bow Island and Foremost.
The new grant would be used to hire a consultant to help define the relationship among the partners and stake out areas of common interest.
The economic area is defined as the three local municipalities along with the County of Forty Mile, Town of Bow Island and Village of Foremost, said Clark.
Those entities formed their own partnership to handle development after the city pulled out of the Economic Development Alliance of Southeast Alberta in the mid-2010s.
Instead, the Invest Medicine Hat concept was created to operate with contracted and then city staff. Senior staff in the office left over the past year however, and administrators say local needs are being handled, but senior direction is needed on more substantial files, such as industry attraction.
