Fighting racism, protecting consumers
When you fly above Alberta in an airplane, our province looks remarkably like a patchwork quilt. The farms, ranches, towns, cities, parks and wildlands are stitched together to make something greater than the sum of their parts.
I was thinking about that as I reflected on Heritage Day, Aug. 7 this year. Our province is made of the traditions, achievements, culture, and experiences of everyone who is part of it. Whether your family has been here for 10,000 years, or you moved in last week, you are part of the rich and complex quilt that makes up Alberta heritage.
There are some who would like to divide us, to turn us against each other. As Premier Notley has said, we have a moral obligation to fight racism here in Alberta. David Eggen, Minister of Education, is leading discussions on how we can best do this.
Contact him at education.minister@gov.ab.ca to see how you can participate.
Speaking of the richness of our community, something that makes Lethbridge wonderful is the diversity of events and celebrations happening year-round. Lethbridge Sustainable Living Association held their fifth annual Applefest! this month, and it was great fun. Live music, kids activities, hands-on educational exhibits, and (of course) apples, apples and more apples! I learned how to make apple cider vinegar, and I enjoyed some delicious food from local vendors. This has quickly grown to be one of my favourite Lethbridge events, and I look forward to next year.
Good news from around the province: our economy is bouncing back, and things are looking up. The Conference Board of Canada reported that Alberta is leading the country in economic growth this year. Jobs are returning, manufacturing, housing starts, and employment are up. Business Development Bank of Canada echoes this, saying that our economy is rebounding fast, and investments in Alberta are outpacing those in other provinces. ATB has praised our recovery, too, saying that we are on track to end the recession.
Economic recovery doesn’t just happen by accident. We are diversifying our economy so that we don’t ever have all our eggs in one unstable basket again. We have cut small business taxes, secured a new pipeline, and created good construction jobs while improving the infrastructure we all depend on. We have done this without firing teachers and nurses, because we know that you don’t get out of a recession by putting more people out of work.
Our plan is working, and the economic indicators are bearing this out. Of course, it will still take time to completely recover from the recession, but our government has set a steady course. While the opposition is focused on themselves and their own internal problems, we will keep working to make life better for Albertans.
One way we are doing this is through improving our consumer protection laws, and we need your help! You deserve to be protected when making a purchase, whether it is a car, a furnace, concert tickets or your groceries. Businesses, too, deserve to be protected. Most companies in Alberta are honest, but when stories of scams, false claims, unfair tactics and price gouging make the rounds, everyone’s reputation is undermined. We want a marketplace that is fair to buyers and to sellers.
We want to hear from all Albertans about how we can protect consumers and help businesses compete on a level playing field. Do you know your rights? Are current protections working for you? Maybe you tried to buy a concert ticket just to have them all scooped up in the first minute (I know I have). Or you signed up for a warranty that didn’t end up covering what you thought it did. Maybe your business lost customers after a scam came through town and destroyed consumer confidence. We want to hear from you so that we can make things better. Go to
to complete our online survey before Sept. 15.
You can always reach my office by calling 403-329-4644, emailing Lethbridge.west@assembly.ab.ca, or stopping by at 402 8 St. S. I’ll see you at Galt Gardens on Sept. 16 for Love & Records!