Saddle Hills County Councillors and
Administrative staff are attending the Growing the North Conference
in the County of Grande Prairie this week.
The conference, which draws attendees
from all over Northern Alberta each year, features several keynote
speakers including: the Honourable Deron Bilous, Alberta's Minister
of Economic Development, Diane Francis, Editor-at-Large for the
National Post, and Todd Hirsch, Chief Economist for ATB Financial.
Other speakers include specialists in
economic growth, global business trends, the oil and gas industry and
futurists such as Nikolas Badminton who predicted a bright future for
Northern Alberta if the region can adapt to the fast pace of
technological change.
Councillors Lawrence Andruchiw, John
Moen, Willis Fitzsimmons and Ken Titford are attending the Conference
along with CAO Joulia Whittleton.
As a sponsor of the Conference, the
County has a booth promoting Saddle Hills County as a destination
for residential, business and industry growth.
The Honourable Deron Bilous, Minister of Economic Development,addressed the conference saying Northern Alberta
communities have a critical role to play in Alberta's future with our
tremendous assets in oil and gas, forestry, agriculture and tourism.
Bilous spoke of the Provincial Government's commitment to
diversification as a central part of its strategy for economic
growth.
With the successful approval of two
pipeline and with the return of the price of oil to highers levels,
Bilous told delegates he believes Alberta has turned a corner
economically. He said the Provincial Government is committed to
continuing with its Jobs Plan, Tax Cuts for Small Business, Low
Interest Small Business Loans and Petrochemical Diversification
Program with a view towards increasing value-added industry and a
diversified business community.