I was pleased to attend the opening of the Alberta representative office in Ottawa, as the province reopened an office there for the first time in nine years. The three-person team’s mandate is to build relationships and the understanding of Alberta within Canada, as they raise Alberta’s profile and stature. The team’s goal is to play a key role in identifying and organizing contacts, convey provincial key messages to high-level business and government decision-makers, and seek federal partners to advance solutions. Promoting energy and the environment will be top priorities, along with agriculture, childcare, and health.
I joined provincial, territorial, and federal emergency response Ministers during two days of meetings in Ottawa, as we collaborated and coordinated our responses to the upcoming hazard season. Within Alberta, the provincial government works with our province’s ministries to coordinate the education, training, and hiring of related personnel. The Alberta Wildfire Coordination Centre, located in Edmonton, works with the ten forest areas in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta to coordinate wildfire response. As Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, I, along with the Alberta government, continue to focus and invest in the safety of Albertans.
The oil and gas industry is a key contributor to the national economy, having generated $235 billion of nominal (or 9% of total) GDP in 2022. In 2023 (January through November), energy products comprised 26% of Canadian merchandise exports. Alberta, of course, is a major player in that segment, producing the majority of output in Canada (83% of oil and 67% of natural gas). Oil companies are ramping up output in anticipation of the completion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project (TMX). TMX will add 590,000 barrels per day of additional capacity, as it has finally received clearance from the Canadian Energy Regulatory to finish construction.
Please contact my office should you have constituency related concerns that you would like to bring to my attention.
Mike Ellis MLA, Calgary-West
MLA – Calgary West Mike Ellis proudly serves the following Communities: Aspen Estates, Aspen Woods, Christie Park, Discovery Ridge, Signal Hill, Springbank Hill, Strathcona
