An Edmonton area MLA will lead a new committee on economic recovery for the city’s region “hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.”.UCP MLA for Spruce Grove-Stony Plain Searle Turton will chair the Edmonton Metro Region Economic Recovery Working Group..The announcement comes after Premier Jason Kenney announced a rollback of “damaging restrictions.”.Among those most damaging to area businesses, the vaccine passport was removed Feb. 9..The group is tasked with engaging “local leaders and residents about revitalizing and attracting investment to the Edmonton metropolitan region.”.CEO of Edmonton Global Malcolm Bruce and President and CEO of Building Owners and Managers Association Edmonton Lisa Baroldi, will serve as vice-chairs..“The Edmonton metro region has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the region is full of innovators and has foundational strengths we can build on,” said Turton..“Ensuring the region’s economy continues to rebound and grow will be a team sport, and I look forward to working with members of the working group to determine how Alberta’s government can help.”.Minister of Jobs, Economic and Innovation Doug Schweitzer said “Edmonton is more than just Alberta’s capital city, it is a centre of innovation and entrepreneurship..“We are committed to ensuring Edmonton remains a choice destination for private sector investment and businesses looking to relocate, start up and grow..“I look forward to the recommendations on how we can leverage the new and emerging opportunities that our capital city has to offer,” said Schweitzer..The working group is expected to submit a final report to the government in summer of 2022..Quick Facts:.• In December 2021, there were 51,500 businesses with employees in the Edmonton census metropolitan area (CMA), 30% of Alberta’s total..• In 2018, the Edmonton CMA’s gross domestic product was $90.5 billion, 27% of Alberta’s total..• In 2021, the Edmonton CMA’s population was 1.42 million, an increase of 7.3% from 2016 and 33% of Alberta’s total..• The Edmonton CMA’s unemployment rate averaged 6.6% between November 2021 and January 2022..This is the lowest unemployment rate for the Edmonton CMA since January 2019 and is lower than the rates for the Calgary CMA (8.5%) and Alberta as a whole (7.4%) during that same period..Amber Gosselin is a Western Standard reporter..agosselin@westernstandardonline.com
