The next premier of Alberta will be selected in September, but before that decision is made, the three candidates vying for the leadership role made a stop in Bonnyville last Wednesday to participate in a meet and greet and open forum.
Finally, an opportunity to voice long-standing and growing local and regional concerns to the leader of the province, whomever it ends up being.
This region has been starved of provincial support for programs and projects, like the regional waterline from Cold Lake, which the province championed through letters to municipalities, but has yet to back financially.
The temporary foreign workers program was also brought forward, as this federal program has caused headaches for business owners in this province, but particularly this region.
We're in a Lakeland with an oil and gas sector still booming, bringing billions of dollars into the Canadian economy, yet it's an area often forgotten by the province, when it comes to social services and infrastructure funding, in favour of the big cities, or the more infamous Fort McMurray region.
This visit by the next premier – with the idea the premier can actually carry out change more effectively than a minister or MLA – was welcome relief to the train of thought that this region's needs are being neglected by the provincial government.
Each hopeful promised to better assess and act on the issues in this area, which is certainly somewhere to start, considering the long list of needs in this growing region.
“I hear the hospital here is bursting at the seams due to the oil activity and growth in this region,” said leadership hopeful Jim Prentice, at the forum. “You have my word, should I become premier, that I will sit down and assess the priorities of this province. And rest assured, the Bonnyville hospital will be somewhere on that list.”
The problem with a promise like that though, is not only has it been said before, but if priorities keep getting added to an already too-full list, how much of a priority are they, really?
This region, like many in the province, needs honest, straight-forward and sufficient support from the government, not promises of more assessments and priority lists.
Here's hoping the next premier follows up his promises with tangible actions.
