Ted Clugston Mayor of Medicine Hat
Good reasons exist for optimism in 2017
W
e are seeing home-grown and external investment in business and industry creating new
construction and new jobs. Increased drilling is occurring in our region, some of which is spawned by the City’s own growth strategy for our Natural Gas and Petroleum Resources department. Opportunity within the city as a hub for renewable energy, including wind and solar, is garnering provincial, national and even international interest.
Much of this is a direct result of innovation and perseverance demonstrated by our community, as individuals and collectively, in challenging economic times. Through hard work, creativity and collaboration, I’m proud to say we will come out the other side stronger, diversified and better positioned to capitalize on all of our strengths.
While we celebrate our successes, we can not overlook the fact that the last couple of years have been hard on businesses and individuals in our community. It has been humbling to see the need in our community and the efforts of non-for-profit organizations, churches and private citizens working for neighbours and strangers alike.
During any economic downturn the ability to attract investment and promote entrepreneurship is vital as small business is the livelihood of any community. The City has adopted strategies and invested resources, including our contract with Invest Medicine Hat, to attract business to our city. Our Downtown Development Incentive Program has generated interest in the downtown, and property owners continue to take advantage of the program. Our Planning and Development and Business Support
departments continue to work to make building, owning and operating a business more achievable by cutting red tape and wait times to make our business license, development permit and economic development processes simple and easy.
During the 2017 State of the City address I told our residents that truly, Medicine Hat wants for nothing. We have thriving entertainment venues in our Esplanade and Canalta Centre. The expansion of the Family Leisure Centre, which saw the facility more than double in size, created a one-stop recreation and leisure facility. We work diligently to maintain and renew infrastructure; we have quality utilities and transportation network. Our emergency services keep our community safe and provide timely response to service calls. This year we will be constructing the seniors' centre and continuing work on flood mitigation.
We have it all, and our focus should now shift to rebuilding our reserves and enjoying the wonderful amenities we have. Council approved principles for the establishment of a Heritage Savings Fund and approved the related bylaw this year.
Medicine Hat is a testament to what can be achieved when a community works as a whole. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our volunteers, we are able to hold top caliber events including the Special Olympics, Roger’s Hometown Hockey and many large tournaments and sporting events. We welcome visitors and new residents to our community. We are a vibrant feel-good city, with the attitude and natural backdrop to match. Our quality of life truly does shine! ❚
Ted Clugston 41
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