All eyes are on our fascinating provincial election race, especially in this last tense week as the parties and candidates wind up their campaigns towards Monday's vote.
To further our federation's advocacy during the election, ACC generated questions for chambers to use during election forums. We included our guide on hosting a political forum in the election package.
Federal budget
Budget 2012 served up a number of pleasant surprises for Alberta. One of the most significant announcements relates to the government's interest in building a fast, flexible immigration system. ACC has been stressing the importance of creating an immigration system that better reflects our labour needs and allows us to proactively compete for immigrants.
In recent months, we have ratcheted up our advocacy because Alberta's labour shortage has been worsening and will continue to do so over the next decade. It is gratifying, therefore, to see the federal government recognize that an efficient, focused immigration system is vital to Canada's economic growth.
ACC was also pleased with the announcement in Budget 2012 that the federal government would streamline environmental assessments of resource projects, including capping the timeframe for these reviews at two years. The announcement includes the one underway for Enbridge's pipelines project.
"One project, one review, and a timeline of 24 months recognizes the necessity of diversifying our resource markets and the need for a timely turnaround on environmental reviews," said ACC President and CEO Ken Kobly, in a news release. "This is a reasonable policy."
Meeting with Minister Ambrose
The day after Finance Minister James Flaherty unveiled Budget 2012, Minister Rona Ambrose met with members of ACC's Executive Committee in her Edmonton office. The hour-long meeting touched on many items, including aspects of the budget that meet our federation's policy goals and the Wild Horse Border Crossing.
Wild Horse Border Crossing
A few days after meeting with Minister Ambrose, the Canada Border Services Agency announced it would once again match the seasonal hours of the Wild Horse Border Crossing with those of its American counterparts. The hours were increased on April 5 to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. for both traffic and commercial service. The seasonal hours will continue until October 31, 2012. The announcement was significant because we had understood a review of the 2011 pilot project would have to occur before a decision was made about extending the hours again this year.
ACC and the Medicine Hat Chamber are continuing to press for the Wild Horse Border Crossing to become our province's second 24-hour crossing. Unlike almost every other province in Canada, Alberta just has one 24-hour crossing. That busy facility is located at Coutts, south of Lethbridge.
Immigration announcements abound
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney promised to improve Canada's immigration system by streamlining processes and ensuring it better serves the needs of our labour market. So far in March, he has made multiple announcements of proposed changes to the system, including:
- Creating a separate stream for skilled tradespersons.
- Assessing and verifying foreign credentials abroad.
- Allow existing changes to apply retroactively to existing applications.
- Developing a new program to attract entrepreneurs.
Electricity cost review
Shortly before calling the election, the Alberta government struck a four-member committee to review the electricity retail market to help address the volatility and costs associated with Alberta's variable rate. The Alberta Chambers of Commerce was named as one of the organizations to be invited to present to the committee.
Disaster Recovery Program
In quiet move in February, Municipal Affairs released detailed guidelines developed for its Disaster Recovery Program, as recommended in our policy. The department has also hired a consultant to complete a comprehensive review of the program. The Medicine Hat Chamber has been involved in the consultation.
2012 Provincial Conference and Policy Session
Every chamber should have received an electronic copy of the 25 policies developed by chambers for discussion and potential approval at our annual policy session, which takes place Saturday, May 26, as part of our provincial conference in Sherwood Park.
The 2012 Proposed Policy Book is also available HERE
