Courtesy: City of Medicine Hat

By Darren Rathwell

Diversification, ag-tech keys to stagnant Medicine Hat growth says city

Feb 14, 2022 | 5:40 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — City officials say diversification is the key to stagnant growth shown in the latest federal census, and are hoping new tax breaks will help attract new business.

Federal statistics show Medicine Hat only saw 11 new residents move to the city between 2016 and 2021, which is a minuscule amount compared to Lethbridge and Calgary.

Both centres saw growth near or above six per cent.

Eric Van Enk with Invest Medicine Hat says the city has yet to recover from the downfall of oil and gas in Alberta.

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And he agrees Medicine Hat’s recovery has been slow in coming, but he says there has been a shift at city hall in the last year or two from residential development to attracting industry.

“We’re in the advanced stages of an ag or ag-tech company that would end up being the anchor tenant for the northwest industrial park… and building an economic cluster development around agriculture and ag-tech is what we consider low hanging fruit for the city of Medicine Hat.

Van Enk says city officials are also looking at offering new tax incentives for industries that provide jobs. The proposal may go before city council next month.

He also says the city wants to focus on developing the industry surrounding unmanned military vehicles, considering the proximity of CFB Suffield.