Local politicians could talk turkey this week
By COLLIN GALLANT on July 27, 2023.
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant Stampede menus traditionally consist of flapjacks and corn dogs, but local and provincial politicians could also talk turkey this week. Premier Danielle Smith, also the area’s MLA, is in the city to take part in Medicine Hat Stampede week. She hosted a BBQ at a city park on Wednesday night and will be in Thursday morning’s parade. The timeline also includes local meetings, though the News was unable to ascertain if official discussions with local municipalities are on the agenda. “We’ll be in the parade together,” joked mayor Linnsie Clark late last week. She hopes to get time aside with Smith and Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright to discuss city issues and areas of common interest with the province. Cypress Country Reeve Dan Hamilton says he hasn’t made an appointment, but hopes to chat with the premier at events and receptions. Both leaders’ council members have increasingly discussed including the area’s high-profile MLA on issues they are grappling with. Most recently city provided a $1 million grant to HALO Air Ambulance and vowed to advocate to the province on the health related issue. County councillors are calling on the province to give them greater say on locating renewable energy fields in rural areas. This Stampede week also marks exactly one year since Smith’s performance at the first UCP leadership candidate debate in Medicine Hat, cementing her as the front-runner in the contest to replace Jason Kenney. She eventually won the early October 2022 vote among party members to become premier and then ran in the local byelection that November. The nine months since have seen two cabinets formed, two separate exercises to set the direction of government, and was broken up by the May 2023 general election. To this point, Smith has continued to highlight continuing irrigation expansion in Brooks and Taber areas, accelerating a plan to evaluate Highway 3 twinning, and the government is also exploring irrigation and rail transport in the Oyen area. But, Medicine Hat like other cities is vying for new industrial development, and is facing an increase in opioid emergency calls and deaths, and uniquely has major interests in the electricity market. “The future of energy is something that is of definite interest to the city, both as energy users – residents – and as an energy producer of electricity and gas,” said Clark. “They need to remain something that’s affordable. “We have several things that we think we could work really well with the provincial government on. Those revolve around housing, mental health and addiction… things that aren’t in our jurisdiction, but they’re things where we can do some advocacy work. “(Smith has) also broken out the potential of regional airports. That’s an opportunity to get an economic driver going a bit better in our city.” Rural officials are most concerned about long-standing issue of oilfield producers and delinquent property taxes. The previous UCP government provided new drilling grants while it studied how oil and gas wells are assessed for tax purposes, but Alberta’s counties have said proposals could have catastrophic effects on their budgets. Smith told the Rural Municipalities Association last fall that the government would halt granting new licences to any company owning back taxes, but whether that’s happening or is even legally possible is in dispute. “Not to beat a dead horse, but we’re still talking about getting linear assessment settled,” said Cypress County Reeve Dan Hamilton. “I’m not sure the government understands it and how important it is to us.” As for Highway No. 41, the province’s road construction plan shows the route south of the Trans-Canada is slated for resurfacing and widening in some sections, but Hamilton said the whole length requires work. “We’re hoping it can get another look and get more attention than what’s on the books right now,” he said Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf met with Clark and city officials on July 21 in Medicine Hat, weeks after receiving a mandate letter to look into lowering power costs to consumers. Other work includes an examination of rising transmission fee cost and the federal government’s support for a “zero emissions” grid. “It’s something we need to figure out in meetings – putting some meat on the bones of the mandates letters,” said Clark prior to the meeting. Medicine Hat’s customers are exempt from transmission fees owing to its self-sufficient franchise area, but the city’s power plant is also examining low carbon generation projects and earns substantial revenue by exporting onto the provincial grid system. Medicine Hat committees also heard this month that preliminary work has begun on a “well-being strategy” to address crime, drug addiction and homelessness. That long talked-about working group will be formally launched this fall. 27-26
