I am an optimistic, glass-half-full, get-things-done kind of person. Doubly so after Premier Danielle Smith’s State of the Province address at our sold-out Edmonton Chamber of Commerce luncheon Oct. 30.
“We've got no health premiums tax, we've got no capital tax, no payroll tax, no sales tax, all of those things add, I think, to an environment that makes it wonderful to invest,” said the premier during a “fireside chat” with me after her speech. “People come to a community for good jobs, but they stay because there are interesting things to do,” she added, and I couldn’t agree more.
Premier Smith committed to helping businesses get to profitability faster, acknowledged the importance of revitalizing the downtown core, is investigating the long-talked about idea of rail service from Edmonton International Airport to the downtown, and wants more flights out of EIA to the rest of the world. She is enthusiastic about making Edmonton an inland port where, using our connection with Prince Rupert – the third busiest seaport in Canada – we become a conduit to the North.
“I look at Prince Rupert as our port for the reasons that Doug talked about,” said the premier.
“There is an incredible opportunity for Edmonton to be that conduit to get goods out through Prince Rupert but also create an inland port so you’re able to transport things by air as well. So, I just say there’s nothing but a bright future for the Edmonton Capital Region.”
Premier Smith hit all the right talking points to deliver a message that Edmonton is important and assured us the government is going to be there as a supporter to help us achieve our potential. But it wasn’t only what Premier Smith said on stage but what she said privately ahead of her speech during a roundtable discussion with leaders of our business community. For me, the single most important issue for Edmonton is that the government takes seriously our recently released Downtown Investment Plan that we helped create with other economic development groups in the city.
Premier Smith realizes our downtown is underachieving. In fact, the premier actually raised the plan herself, acknowledging she had asked Edmonton’s business community to come up with a single, unified plan for the downtown. She said she will now figure out how the government will respond, not just itself but in partnership with the city that is doing its own review of the investment plan that will need investments from all three levels of government. While our downtown used to generate 10% of the economic prosperity and revenue for the city, it's now down to 6%. With proper planning and investment, it has the potential to reach 20%.
A city’s downtown sets the tone for the city. It is the city's brand. If it's full of crime, vacancies and missed opportunities, that becomes our brand. If it's full of energy and restaurants and events, that becomes our brand.
If the premier was going to pick one priority, my hope would be for the province to work with the city, the federal government and us to put the resources in place to make the Downtown Investment Plan a reality. It would be transformative. In that vein, I want to point out that just a few weeks ago, the travel publication company, Lonely Planet, named Edmonton as a top-30 “must visit” destination – the only Canadian city named in the guide. The organization praised the city’s work to revitalize the downtown core with the Ice District, “the second-largest sports and entertainment complex in North America.”
We should consider the Ice District as the beginning of a journey to energize our downtown, not the end.
As I told the news media after the premier’s address, I am putting all levels of government on notice. Not in a confrontational way but as a challenge to help the Edmonton Region achieve its potential. In my extensive travels across North America, I have never seen a jurisdiction be successful when it believes failure is inevitable. However, when an area like the Edmonton Region believes it's meant to succeed, it can't be stopped by anyone. We can do it faster if we have those partnerships.
I realize the province is facing fiscal pressures. The premier has warned of a looming government budget deficit due to the faltering price of oil. But, as a former provincial cabinet minister, I hope the government doesn’t overreact by looking too much at the short term. Over the long term, you certainly don't want to run deficits forever and build up debt. But over the short term, manageable deficits are part of the nature of our budgeting cycle and our economy. The worst thing we can do is react and react and, then in a panic, overreact.
We need to keep investing in our future. I remain hopeful the premier will stay true to the optimistic vision she delivered during her State of the Province address – and I look forward to working with the Premier and leaders from all orders of government to ensure “there’s nothing but a bright future for the Edmonton Capital Region.”
You can listen to her address here.
Have your say.
The Edmonton Chamber wants to hear from you. What are the top issues and priorities for your business this spring? Start the conversation by writing to policy@edmontonchamber.com