Economic recovery must be priority as Alberta Legislature resumes

Calgary, February 22, 2022 – As the Alberta Legislature resumes sitting this afternoon, the business community is eagerly looking to the provincial government to outline a path towards a strong, sustainable, and inclusive economic recovery.

“After enduring two full years of economic headwinds and severe uncertainty, businesses are relying on government to re-establish certainty and introduce policies that help them accelerate their recovery,” says Deborah Yedlin, President and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. “From inflation and labour shortages, to shaken consumer confidence and restrictions, this is a critical moment for government to invest in our economic strength – both in the immediate and longer-term.”

On behalf of the Calgary business community, we urge the Government of Alberta to focus on the following priorities during the coming session:

• Mitigate the labour shortage through the re-introduction of programs like Alberta Jobs Now, introducing an Accelerated Hospitality Pathway as part of the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program, and investment in micro-credentialling and work integrated learning; 
  
  
• Invest in downtown revitalization to support talent attraction and inner-city liveability, and alleviate taxation pressures on businesses outside the core;  
  
  
• Advance of initiatives like carbon capture, utilization and storage that drive down emissions and support industry competitiveness;  
  
  
• Continue implementing the recent childcare agreement, supporting an inclusive economic recovery and stimulating labour force growth in Alberta; 
  
  
• Support hard-hit sectors including tourism and hospitality, the non-profit sector, and small business; 
  
  
• Address supply chain challenges, including by working with other provinces to reduce interprovincial trade barriers;  
  
  
• Advance economic diversification within Alberta’s traditional strength sectors such as energy and agriculture, as well as in emerging sectors like tech, aerospace, and logistics; 
  
  
• Introduce legislation that increases municipalities’ ability to raise revenue at the local level, including through municipal bond markets; 
  
  
• Restore funding to post-secondary institutions to support talent development and research initiatives that will meet the needs of the economy of today and the future; and 
  
  
• Collaborate with federal and municipal governments to leverage funding on areas of shared priority such as downtown revitalization, climate change mitigation, and red tape reduction.  

“We look forward to working collaboratively with the Government of Alberta to ensure the perspectives of the Calgary business community are well-represented in policy decisions that impact our economic recovery,” says Yedlin. “With business, government, and community rowing in the same direction, Calgary is positioned to lead economic growth and job creation, creating opportunities for everyone to get ahead.”

ABOUT THE CALGARY CHAMBER 

The Calgary Chamber is an independent non-profit, non-partisan business organization. For 131 years the Chamber has worked to be the convenor and catalyst for a vibrant, inclusive, and prosperous business community, for the benefit of all Calgarians.

For media inquiries, please contact Ruhee Ismail-Teja, Director of Policy and Communications at media@calgarychamber.com.