Will Economic Strategy be Paramount in Shaping Alberta’s Future? (Part 1)

A new report challenges Albertans to consider recommendations that focus on the province’s long-term prosperity by realizing the full potential of Alberta’s energy resources and broadening its economic base. “Shaping Alberta’s Future”, the report from the 12-member Premier’s Council for Economic Strategy, also calls on all Albertans to consider their role to ensure future success. “My goal for this council was to ‘think big’ on how we can best position Alberta, looking 30 years into the future. This type of long-term planning has been done on behalf of all Albertans, and their children and grandchildren,” said former Premier Ed Stelmach. “Now it’s time for all Albertans to contemplate this report and provide comment on their role in creating the future they want to see and how to contribute to positive change.” Our speaker, a member of the Council, will introduce the report and discuss its role in engaging Albertans to contribute to establishing the long term outlook and financing strategy needed to transition to the future. Speaker: Lorne Taylor, Ph.D. Dr. Taylor is a consultant and businessman based in Medicine Hat, Alberta. He is currently Special Advisor to Alberta Water Smart, a not for profit organization committed to developing and improving the management of Alberta’s water resources. As the Member for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Cypress-Medicine Hat from 1993 to 2004, he served as Alberta's Minister of Science, Research and Information Technology, Minister of Innovation and Science and Minister of the Environment. While in government, Dr. Taylor was instrumental in the creation of the Alberta Ingenuity Fund, and Alberta SuperNet, a multi-million dollar high-speed, broadband network to every community in Alberta as well as Alberta’s Electronic Recycling program. He also envisioned and led the creation of Alberta's Water for Life Strategy and Climate Change Action Plan and was the founding Chair of the Alberta Water Research Institute. Dr. Taylor holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Calgary and has held tenured positions at several universities, among them the University of Saskatchewan from where he eventually returned to his family’s grain and cattle business. He currently lives in Medicine Hat with his wife Lois. They have four married daughters.