Medicine Hat Mayor Linnsie Clark, Brooks Mayor John Petrie, Redcliff Mayor Dwight Kilpatrick, Cypress County Reeve Dan Hamilton, Newell County Reeve Arno Doerksen and CFB Suffield Base Commander Lt.-Col. Joe Andrechek spoke to the annual Leadership Breakfast on Tuesday. Ross Lavigne/CHAT News

By Eli J. Ridder

THINGS TO KNOW

Three topics covered at Medicine Hat leadership breakfast

Oct 22, 2024 | 2:46 PM

Mayors, reeves and a base commander gave introductory speeches and answered questions from an audience of Medicine Hat and area business leaders early on Tuesday morning.

They were speaking at the 2024 Leadership Breakfast put on by the Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce at Chinook Village.

Premier Danielle Smith, Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright, Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner MP Glen Motz and Bow River MP Martin Shields all spoke in prepared video messages.

Medicine Hat Mayor Linnsie Clark, Brooks Mayor John Petrie, Redcliff Mayor Dwight Kilpatrick, Cypress County Reeve Dan Hamilton, Newell County Reeve Arno Doerksen and CFB Suffield Base Commander Lt.-Col. Joe Andrechek were in person.

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Here are three topics that were covered:

Regional strategy

In her opening statement to those gathered in a Chinook Village ballroom, Mayor Linnsie Clark revealed the City of Medicine Hat is working on a regional strategy with nearby municipalities.

“We will focus on workforce, advocacy, and the sectors of defense and aerospace, agriculture and tourism,” Clark said.

“The group of regional collaborators is expected to share this strategy in the next few months.”

The city’s had an increased focus on stimulating the economy as its reborn Economic Development division aims to attract fresh business to Medicine Hat.

The Village of Foremost, towns of Bow Island and Redcliff, County of 40 Miles and Cypress County were listed by Clark as Medicine Hat’s partners in the regional plan.

She said it will be revealed in the next few months.

Redcliff school

Redcliff Mayor Dwight Kilpatrick said town council requested the Alberta government fund the building of a new school rather than providing a grant to renovate an existing one.

“Parkside was built in 1959. It’s older than I am and I’m old,” Kilpatrick said.

“I would not want to be renovated and I don’t need lipstick.”

Parkside Junior High School’s modernization project was among those that received cash through the province’s new School Construction Accelerator Program in September.

The school board went ahead with the project against the council’s wishes.

“None of them eat, live or play in Redcliff. Nobody on that administration team is in Redcliff,” Kilpatrick claimed.

“We as councillors — it’s by law — we have to live in our community.”

Diversity in Brooks

Mayor John Petrie touted the diversity of Brooks as something its leaders take pride in.

“We have a visible minority of close to 50 per cent, which puts us in-line with Toronto and Vancouver,” Petrie said.

“We’re very proud of our diversity, as we know it’s the future of rural communities.”

About 35 per cent of the city’s population are new Canadians, according to Petrie.

The mayor said he hopes Brooks can grow to 25,000 over the next 10 years by attracting the estimated one million new Albertans over the next decade to the province’s more rural areas instead of its larger cities.

“We can develop those people and put them out here in a beautiful part of the province in southeast Alberta,” he said.

“We have a lot of potential here.”