Alberta has a five-year plan to drive economic development in rural communities

Provincial officials announced that they have a five-year plan to create economic growth in rural communities.

Officials say the plan targets five key issues: infrastructure, business and entrepreneurship, labour force and skills development, marketing and tourism promotion, and rural economic development capacity building.

The government plans to give $125,000 to each of the eight regional economic development alliances (REDAs) to support long-term economic growth in their regions.

The province says the strategy was developed after a year of consultation with rural Albertans, businesses and Indigenous groups.

“Many of the economic barriers and challenges in rural Alberta are unique and different from the challenges other areas of the province face,” Nate Horner, minister of agriculture and irrigation, told reporters on Wednesday.

“Through the engagement phase, we heard that supporting sustainable rural growth and diversification required a different approach.”

Some initiatives that were previously announced will complement the plan, including the $390-million Alberta Broadband Strategy, which aims to make broadband internet available to all Albertans by 2026; the $59-million investment in expanding capacity at the University of Calgary’s veterinary program to address a critical shortage of large animal veterinarians; and the $70-million investment in the Film and Television Tax Credit that is meant to attract major productions to the province.