Premier Smith joined MLA Lovely as she visited Camrose to share the work her government is undertaking. She thanked Lovely for her continued advocacy for Camrose and highlighted the role Lovely has played in the growth of education in Camrose.

By Adan Shaikh

Premier Danielle Smith highlighted provincial investments in education, health care and infrastructure during a visit to Camrose on November 6. She joined MLA Jackie Lovely at a gathering with leaders from local organizations, at the Marrow Restaurant. to outline her government’s priorities while speaking with local business owners and community members.

Smith pointed to five consecutive provincial budget surpluses, with a sixth expected, and said Alberta has paid down $15 billion in debt while growing the Heritage Savings Trust Fund to approximately $32 billion. The government’s long-term goal is to build the fund to $250 billion to help stabilize provincial finances during fluctuations in resource revenues.
She also credited Alberta’s tax advantages, including no provincial sales tax and low corporate and personal income tax rates, for helping drive economic growth.

“That’s why we focus so much on ensuring that we’ve got the very best investment climate and job creation,” Smith said. She applauded MLA Jackie Lovely for her advocacy for Camrose constituency, sharing how she is always proactively bringing the voices of her constituents to the legislature and ensuring the community is never shortchanged.
Smith also pointed to local investments, including Vision Credit Union’s $10 million downtown head office project, Enbridge’s planned $2 billion investment in its mainline network expansion and more than $30 million in building permits that have been issued in Camrose and area in 2025.

On education, she highlighted the new Camrose high school, part of Alberta’s $8.6 billion school construction program, and the expansion of programs at the University of Alberta’s Augustana Campus.

The province is supporting new master’s programs in occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology, along with expanded teacher education that will allow students to complete their four-year education degree in Camrose.

“Those are the most high-demand occupations that they need right now,” Smith said of the health-care programs, noting the importance of training professionals who can support rural communities and school divisions. MLA Lovely shared that one of her next goals is to bring the nursing programs back to Camrose. Health care investments also include funding announced in July for upgrades to St. Mary’s Hospital. Improvements to operating rooms, ventilation systems and pharmacy facilities are expected to increase surgical capacity.

Smith said the province is also working to expand continuing-care spaces so more Albertans can access services close to home.

She also highlighted the challenges that have come out of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, sharing how her government would like to focus on creating policies that support business owners hiring based on merit and creating job opportunities for Albertans first.

During the question period, Boston Pizza owner Kevin Gurr raised concerns about ongoing staffing shortages in the restaurant industry, particularly the difficulty of finding experienced hospitality staff.

“My hope is that there’s still some sort of a program in place, that is going to allow us to get good people in to run our restaurants,” said Gurr.

Smith acknowledged the challenges, particularly when recruiting skilled cooks, and said the province is developing an immigration framework that would give businesses a greater role in identifying labour needs.

“We want to see that you gave a good effort to try to hire somebody locally, and then let’s figure out a pathway to get a work permit for somebody who hopefully will put down roots and build a permanent life here,” she said.

She shared that her plans include highlighting the gaps in the job market, and creating more public awareness around them, so the next generations entering the job market, attending universities, as well as workers from outside of Alberta looking to move can focus on those specific areas of needs.
She also wants to make it easier for temporary foreign workers to transition to permanent residency so they can contribute back to their communities by becoming long-term taxpayers.

She shared how consultations with business groups, including the restaurant and tourism industries, could help shape the framework to enhance the Alberta labour force. She also highlighted the importance of reducing the youth unemployment rate, looking at the current situation in France as an example of what happens when the young members of the society are left in despair.

Smith also addressed Alberta’s relationship with Ottawa, saying her government would continue pursuing greater provincial autonomy within Canada following the recent referendum on Alberta’s future in Confederation.

She said the government would respect the referendum results while continuing to advocate for provincial jurisdiction.

She questioned the federal government’s proposed closer relationship with the European Union, saying provinces need clarity about potential implications for areas such as energy, immigration, education and health care. She said Alberta would seek further discussion with fellow premiers at the upcoming Council of the Federation meeting.

Smith concluded by emphasizing the importance of maintaining Alberta’s economic competitiveness while investing in the schools, hospitals and infrastructure needed to support growing communities.