Local podcaster Shaun Newman hosts a Q&A session with Premier Danielle Smith and Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright MLA Garth Rowswell on Saturday at Rolling Greens Fairways. Photo submitted
Premier Danielle Smith made a stop in Lloydminster Saturday as part of the United Conservative Party’s fundraising tour.
The Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright Constituency Association hosted Smith and local MLA, Garth Rowswell, at Rolling Greens Fairways. The luncheon was followed by a Q & A session with constituents moderated by local podcaster, Shaun Newman.
Media was not permitted to attend the event, but an employee at Rowswell’s constituency office provided some highlights from the fundraiser. One of the hottest topics was energy.
“On January 12, in some parts of this province it was -61 degrees Celsius with the wind chill; I don’t think there are many places on the planet that cold,” said Smith.
“How much solar do you think was being produced at night? Zero. How much wind? After a certain number of hours of it being -30 degrees Celsius (or colder) they have to power down wind turbines, otherwise they will have mechanical failure.”
Smith went on to say that less than five minutes after the emergency alert went out that night, 200 megawatts came off the grid.
“I can tell you my minister was pretty emotional thinking about that–that’s 500,000 households that leapt into action in five minutes to make sure that our power didn’t go out. That to me that speaks to the character of Albertans.”
During the question period they both discussed many subjects including green energy, fertilizer, parenting rights, pensions, and the justice system.
“Regarding rural crime – it’s a real problem; a number of farmers have been hit over and over again, and in the oil industry they are ripping the copper off of transformers,” said Rowswell.
“When I first got elected, people wanted to blame the police, but after seeing that they are doing their job and the legal system was letting them down. My concern is that people are losing trust in the institutions and may start taking things into their own hands.”
The Alberta Pension Plan was another important topic discussed during the Q&A portion of the afternoon.
“I’ve done three town halls and some people say, ‘It’s not that big of deal,’ but in this job I wind up dealing with a lot of people that are really close on their budgets, and an extra $100 a month would be a big deal to them,” said Rowswell.
“And for small business employers, if we could save them approximately $1,400 per employee, that’s a big deal.”
Smith added, last year Albertans paid $9 billion into CPP and Alberta seniors claimed $5 billion.
“So that is $4 billion leaving the province to subsidize elsewhere,” she said.
“Until we have a government in Ottawa that understands the concept of nation-building, the Constitution, and the power of provinces to achieve their goals and aspirations, we are not going to give – not one inch,” said Smith.
“We will never compromise on the future of Albertans. We are going to hold firm to the knowledge that the world needs more Alberta energy and technology, not less of it, and we intend to empower Albertans to deliver it.”
As part of the fundraising tour, Smith also visited Grande Prairie, Bonnyville, and Camrose.
