ST. PAUL – Ensuring concerns of St. Paul area constituents are heard, Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul MLA Scott Cyr has opened an office within the Community Futures building on St. Paul's main street.
Cyr said an office in St. Paul should make it easier for constituents to get in touch with him. The idea behind the new office is simply to create a better relationship between the community and their elected official.
While it’s been a few months since he opened the office, a grand opening was held on Feb. 16, giving members of the community an opportunity to stop by for a chat.
“I wanted to make sure they knew that they’ve got somebody that can come out and hear their concerns... right here in the area and not having to drive to me,” he said.
“I want people to know who I am, what I’m doing, and really ensure that the priorities for St. Paul are dealt with,” added Cyr.
Over two dozen people came in during the grand opening. Cyr said he was pleased with the turnout and thanked all those who stopped by.
While he did hear concerns from residents, the grand opening also served as an opportunity for the MLA to get to know the people he serves.
“When we’re looking at St. Paul, we have people that are very community-oriented that love this area. That’s what I’m hearing from the people that are coming in. That’s that passion. I love it,” he said.
He also thanked Community Futures St. Paul for giving him the opportunity to locate his office in the building.
“As people know... our local constituency offices have very, very tight budgets. So, I was able to work through a very reasonable deal with [Community Futures St. Paul] for this office space.”
More community townhalls
Speaking more about community concerns, Cyr said he hopes to plan more town halls in response to the concerns being heard.
“Specifically, we’re hoping to do some town halls across the region about Alberta Pension Plan.” Cyr acknowledges the topic is a big concern for many.
He is also hoping to host town halls about the upcoming provincial budget.
“I’d like to have some input from different people on what they see the priorities are,” to ensure that those inputs are reflected in the budget when he advocates at the legislature and to the different ministries.
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta will be back for its spring session in Edmonton on Feb. 28 and 29, with the 2024-25 budget expected to be tabled on Feb. 29.
The spring session runs Monday to Thursday throughout the months of March, April, and May, except for the first weeks of those months. Sessions then resume in the last week of October 2024.
Cyr says he will be out and about in the Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul constituency when the legislature is not in session.
“It’s my understanding that the Minister of Finance is going to be putting out one of the largest capital spends [and] that should be good for all of us throughout Alberta,” he said, where he hopes to see some of those capital spendings be directed to Bonnyville, Cold Lake, and St. Paul.
“I’ve got my ear to the ground, trying to make sure that we get every penny from the province we can get,” said Cyr.
Constituents can contact the MLA’s office at 780-826-5658 or email at [email protected] to schedule a visit with Cyr.
