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The Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to making Lethbridge, Alberta, and Canada the best possible place to live, work, and do business. The high calibre of our policy efforts have a direct effect on the economic well-being of our city, region, province, and country. We work with our members to identify areas of challenge and opportunity so that we can make an impact through legislation.
Saturday, May 27, 2023Creating an Effective Workforce for the Changing Economy (2023)
Alberta is a prosperous province, with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, and a skilled and energetic workforce. At the same time, Albertans - like many Canadians - are struggling with transitions between learning and work, which is resulting in social and economic implications. If Alberta is to remain competitive with the rest of Canada, it must adapt to and address the coming labour market disruptions.
Kevin Farrell
Saturday, May 27, 2023Addressing Rising Electricity Costs for Alberta SMEs and Citizens (2023)
An increasing number of Alberta SMEs and citizens have been struggling to pay rising electricity costs. Utility bills have increased significantly in 2022 and 2023 and saw unprecedented prices peaks, the highest ever charged, in December of 2022. Higher prices are having dramatic impacts on SME and residential customers throughout the province.
Kevin Farrell
Saturday, May 27, 2023Investing in Market Access for Southern Alberta Business (2023)
Global commerce is increasingly reliant upon the ability for goods to reach local, regional, and international markets. As such, it is imperative to consider the crucial role that transportation networks play in economic development. Current infrastructure in and around Southern Alberta requires serious upgrades and advancements to maintain and leverage a competitive edge in advancing business success in Southern Alberta.
Kevin Farrell
Saturday, October 15, 2022Ensuring the Future of Canadian Oil and Gas (2022) (Federal)
Canada has an abundance of natural resources that generate direct wealth for Canadians through production and export. Increasingly, these commodities represent a large contribution to Canada’s economic growth; however, Canada still spends $20 billion or more on oil imports annually. Access to markets for commodities, specifically oil and gas, represents a significant obstacle in Canada’s ability to secure a competitive position in the global economy. Further, failure to develop these projects leads to
Kevin Farrell
Saturday, October 15, 2022The Economics of Addiction (2022)
Substance use in Canada costs almost 46 billion dollars each year, with alcohol and tobacco use together causing the most harm accounting for 63% of the total amount. Divided 46 billion becomes almost $1,258 for every person in Canada. Alcohol and tobacco cost the Canadian economy and public health more than all other substances combined. Use of these substances caused over 66,000 preventable deaths in 2017, with that number increasing annually. As of 2017, substance use in Alberta resulted in costs more
Kevin Farrell
Saturday, January 1, 2022Ensuring the Future of Canadian Oil and Gas (2022) (Provincial)
Canada has an abundance of natural resources that generate direct wealth for Canadians through production and export. Increasingly, these commodities represent a large contribution to Canada’s economic growth; however, Canada still spends $20 billion or more on oil imports annually. Access to markets for commodities, specifically oil and gas, represents a significant obstacle in Canada’s ability to secure a competitive position in the global economy. Further, failure to develop these projects leads to
Kevin Farrell
Saturday, January 1, 2022Creating a New Pharmaceutical Industry in Canada (2022) (Provincial)
A thriving pharmaceutical industry is growing poppies for medicinal use in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia, but not in Canada. This not only presents a large diversification option for the Southern Alberta agricultural sector but offers long term employment and growth opportunities for this and numerous other industries.
Kevin Farrell
Saturday, January 1, 2022The Importance of Building Local to Keep the Economic Footprint of Post Secondary Education Strong (2022)
The economic impact that post secondary institutions have on the effect of our provincial economy is a topic that needs to be brought forward during the time of the pandemic, particularly as we adjust to new economic and social realities. Unfortunately, this is a topic that seems to be put on the back burner of the recovery process.
Kevin Farrell
Friday, January 1, 2021The Business Cost of Cybercrime (2021)
In an increasingly interconnected and digitized world, data breaches have become ever more common. The wealth of personal information that corporations have in their possession means that such breaches can occur in even the most benign circumstances.
Kevin Farrell
Friday, January 1, 2021Small Scale Renewable Energy (2021)
Despite the importance and potential of renewable energy as part of a low carbon future, Alberta generated 11% of its electricity in 2017 from renewable sources, which is significantly less than the national rate of 66% renewable generation. Alberta’s largest source of renewable energy is wind power, generated from turbines often built together at wind farms on rural land, producing roughly 5% of total electricity in the province.
Kevin Farrell
