Pat Rehn,
MLA,
Lesser Slave Lake

Alberta has received welcome news in the economic update delivered Aug. 31 from Finance Minister Travis Toews that our provincial GDP is expected to grow by 6.7 per cent in 2021, which is a fantastic indicator of how far we’ve come from the depths of the pandemic.

Albertans are getting back to work, and our economic growth is a success to behold for the rest of Canada.
It has been a pleasure and privilege to join folks in events all over our constituency in the last few weeks. I’ve immensely appreciated the opportunity to hear from you about your concerns and priorities, and to hear what you need from me to address them.

It was a privilege to have joined folks in Wabasca for their charity golf tournament last month, which raised $60,000 for organizations supporting those struggling with addictions in the area, like the Let’s Talk Society and the Bigstone Cree Nation Community Services. I commend every participant for their generosity as well as their golf skills!

It was also great to stop by fantastic community building events like the Slave Lake Petroleum Association Oilmen’s Golf Tournament as well as the Spectacular Driftpile Cree Nation Powwow, which attracted dancers and participants from First Nations all across Canada! It was an enlightening experience and one I am certain to never forget!
In addition, I was able to join folks from around Big Lakes County and Town of High Prairie for their charity invitational golf tournament which saw some great golf plays as well as a tidy sum fundraised.

The Minister of Seniors and Housing, Josephine Pon, recently visited High Prairie and I was pleased to join her in meeting with constituents at the High Prairie Golden Age Centre to discuss their priorities and to learn how the Alberta government intends to best support them. I was also happy to join Lindsay Pratt and some of the fine folks from Heart River Housing to tour some of the affordable housing units in our area, and to brief myself further on this critical file for residents.

I was honoured to participate in this year’s Icebreaker hockey game alongside fantastic local players from Slave Lake as well as NHL alumni. This long-standing community event showcases the grit and friendliness that define our region, and I was proud to share the ice with so many fantastic players, and cannot wait for next year’s game!
The Icebreaker hockey game was just one part of the All-In events that were a blast across Slave Lake, and it was awesome seeing so many folks out enjoying the weather and the community.

I finished that weekend cheering on our U13 Slave Lake Heat as they ended up placing silver against some of the most talented baseball players their age in the province. I’m immensely proud of our team’s effort and know that many of these boys have great promise ahead of them in baseball.

The legislature resumes sitting the final week of October. Be safe and be well!