ECONOMIC GROWTH AND STABILITY

Medicine Hat is full of successful local businesses and hardworking families, and I want to make sure they have the support they need to thrive. Growth is important, but it’s not about numbers. It’s about creating a city where people want to live, work, and raise their families. That means supporting existing businesses, attracting investment, improving infrastructure, and leveraging our energy business. My goal is a vibrant, stable, and resilient Medicine Hat where everyone can succeed.

Medicine Hat has real strengths, but our city can sometimes feel stagnant, with empty storefronts, limited jobs, and uncertainty about what's next.

Our city already has many successful businesses, entrepreneurs, and organizations that are the backbone of our community. Supporting them is just as important as attracting new investment. That means making it easier for local businesses to thrive, expanding opportunities, and ensuring they have the resources, guidance, and environment they need to remain successful.

  • Fostering Economic Growth: Supporting All Businesses

    A strong economic base is essential for Medicine Hat to meet future challenges and ensure stability for families, housing, and community growth. Our economy thrives when we support the businesses we already have, explore emerging industries, and empower small and medium-sized enterprises—the backbone of our community. By reducing red tape, supporting local entrepreneurs, and activating vacant spaces, we can build a vibrant, resilient business community that grows from the ground up while strengthening the city as a whole.

    How We Can Do This:

    Promote a complete package: Combine tax incentives, affordable utilities, and lifestyle in marketing campaigns.

    Scale incentives strategically: Use mechanisms like Bill 7 to offer multi-year tax stability packages, not only for big projects, but also for strategic smaller investment

    Reduce red tape: Provide clear timelines, centralized points of contact, and guiding assistance so businesses can focus on growing, not paperwork. Commit to streamlined approvals and transparent processes so Medicine Hat is seen as approachable and investment-ready.

    Activate empty spaces: Encourage infill and interim uses such as pop-ups, incubators, and low-cost leases to bring vibrancy back to vacant commercial areas.

  • Taxes & Utilities: Guiding Medicine Hat’s Energy Future

    Rising utilities and taxes create stress and instability for families and seniors. Affordability must mean stability and predictability for the future. Fiscal responsibility is not just about numbers, it is about quality of life.

    How We Can Do This:

    Remove the MCAF fee: This fee was introduced as a temporary measure to address a previous budget shortfall. Removing the fee will lower utility bills for families and local businesses, supporting affordability and growth

    Transparent utility rates: Clearly explain rate decisions so residents and businesses understand what they’re paying for.

    Competitive, fair property taxes: Ensure business tax rates remain in line with similar communities.

    Lead our energy transition: Leverage Medicine Hat’s energy generation strengths while planning for the future in a cost-focused way.

    Decide on future energy governance: Make a clear decision about maintaining the current structure or moving to a Municipal Control Company (MCC) to ensure sustainable, affordable, and reliable energy.

  • Review and Refine Off-Site Levies

    When new developments are built, fees help cover essential services like roads, utilities, and infrastructure. These costs should be fair, transparent, and not stand in the way of progress. By reviewing how our fees compare to other cities, offering flexible payment options, and clearly explaining the process, we can support smart growth and earn public trust.

    How We Can Do This:

    Audit and benchmark fairly: Review development levies regularly against similar Alberta municipalities to ensure our rates are competitive and reasonable.

    Introduce flexible payment options:Offer phased or flexible payment plans for developments in downtown, brownfield, and infill areas to support timely progress.

    Keep levies purposeful, not punitive: Ensure levies provide sustainable funding for infrastructure without creating hidden costs or barriers that slow growth.