Rowswell led a townhall meeting in Lloyd last month to answer questions about the proposed Alberta Pension Plan. Geoff Lee photo
Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright MLA Garth Rowswell is heading into 2024 as a busy man as chair of the Alberta First Capital Policy Committee and taking a seat on various committees in the Alberta Legislature.
“The Conflict of Interest Act and the Private Information Protection Act, we’re reviewing both of those acts and I’m on both those committees.
“I’m on the resource stewardship committee and public accounts, and I’m also on the committee that oversees the Alberta Heritage Saving Trust Fund and we have quarterly meetings and an annual general public meeting with that one.”
Another role Rowswell has taken on is as one of four Alberta representatives for the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region.
The organization includes reps from Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia, as well as the Yukon and Northwest Territories.
“We get together and we talk about joint issues of importance that can impact all of us. We’ve been promoting since the summertime an economic corridor from Alberta to Alaska, and we’re getting quite a bit of buy-in on that,” said Rowswell.
“If we can get a corridor all approved with Indigenous agreements in place and everything and someone wants to build a railroad, a pipeline, fibre—whatever. They can come and say we’re ready to go, it’s all approved, go ahead, and then companies don’t have to take this risk.”
He said they started promoting it last summer and have made a lot of progress since then.
“Hopefully we’ll have a tour of the proposed location (the corridor) in April. We’re having a meeting in Whistler, B.C. in the summertime.”
Rowswell says the new capital policy committee he leads is made up of ministers as well as private members.
“Anything that impacts our relationship with Ottawa comes through that committee,” he explained.
“The input is very widespread and very inclusive. It’s been a tremendous change that Premier Smith has brought to help policies develop, and I think it’s been a really good change in how we go about things.”
Another change that was made in 2023 was an act that was passed to protect taxpayers from tax hikes.
“It means you have to have a referendum if you’re going to have a tax increase—personal or corporate. We can reduce taxes without having a referendum, but we can’t raise them unless we have one,” he said.
Something local that has been brought to the attention of Rowswell and the Alberta government, is funding for the new Cenovus Energy Hub.
“They got money from Saskatchewan and the federal government, and we didn’t have any ICIP (Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program) money left on the Alberta side so they didn’t get any from us on that particular project,” he said.
“Mayor (Aalbers) and council have been pushing hard for that and they’ve made everyone aware … so we’ll see what happens with it.”
Rowswell said funding can be tricky in Lloydminster because of the border.
“It’s kind of a dual-edged sword because Lloyd has more sources of funding. Most towns have the Alberta government, and the federal government that they can access grant money from, but Lloydminster has Alberta, Saskatchewan and the federal government.
“The two high schools—their expansions and renovations got money from both governments. So that’s an advantage. But there are disadvantages—there always is the Lloydminster ‘complication’ … because of the two different provinces—it can create some issues and we have to work through them.”
For those looking to submit funding suggestions online, the Alberta government currently has an online survey available at alberta.ca/budget-2024-consultation. That opportunity expires on Jan. 19.
“People can go online and put their information in … their recommendations or suggestions,” said Rowswell.
“That goes to the treasury board and finance ministry and they take that in, and stuff that’s related to specific ministries would be passed on to those ministries.”
