February 4, 2002 Albertans discuss strategic directions for future Red Deer... Some 258 Albertans from across the province gathered at Westerner Park in Red Deer today to kick-off the two-day Alberta Future Summit 2002 public consultation. Premier Ralph Klein set the tone for the summit, aimed at charting a course for the province’s future, with the noon-hour keynote address. “It is within the context of challenge and change that the Future Summit was planned,” Klein said. “Although a debt-free Alberta may be postponed a few years, that target is still very much in the range of our collective vision. “Today and tomorrow, people here will try to take all that has been said and written, and bring it together in the outline of a plan - some rough ‘architectural drawings’ for the home that future citizens will call ‘their Alberta.’ “That plan will then be forwarded to the government, and you all have my personal assurance that the government will listen carefully to what you have to say, and it will act.” Through the Fall, 4,300 Albertans provided thought-provoking input that speaks to the kind of people Albertans are, said Greg Melchin, Minister of Alberta Revenue and co-chair of the summit. “Albertans have said their personal values include honesty, integrity, hard work and self reliance. Our societal values relate to family, freedom and social responsibility,” Melchin said. Albertans take pride in the province’s fiscal position and the tax advantages it offers, said Doug Mitchell, chair of the Alberta Economic Development Authority (AEDA) and co-chair of the Summit. “Alberta is in a position to shape much of its own future,” Mitchell said. “This is a luxury many others do not have. But more than a luxury, it is also a necessity.” Delegates left the plenary sessions to break out into smaller group discussions involving seven themes – The Economy, The Environment, Fiscal Responsibility, Communities, Health and Wellness, Learning, and Governance. Before moving into the theme discussions, delegates heard presentations on Alberta trends and issues from Janet Brown, vice president of Environics West, and David Baxter, executive director of the Urban Futures Institute, who spoke on demographic drivers. The Future Summit, launched September 28, 2001, is a wide-ranging effort to find out from Albertans strategic directions to be considered for the future. The Alberta Government, together with AEDA, is committed to this public consultation process to help chart a course for a debt-free Alberta. - 30- For more information, please contact: Leanne Stangeland
or Gordon Vincent
Click here for a backgrounder list of confirmed participants. Note to editors – Copies of the Premier’s keynote address and the co-chairs’ speeches are available on the web site at www.futuresummit.com. More information about the Future Summit is available on the Internet at www.futuresummit.com or by calling Alberta Connects toll-free at 310-4455.
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