It was my great pleasure to be part of the Athabasca Centennial on July 29^th and to greet residents and visitors at the Fort McMurray Heritage Festival on August 1^st. Both events were reminders how people from many different cultures came together to create successful, vibrant communities, despite the many challenges living in Northern Alberta brought.

While each season in Northern Alberta brings opportunity for enjoyable activities, life for the people who first settled here without the conveniences we enjoy would have required a tremendous strength of will. Of course, that same strength of will continues in Northern Albertans today as we deal with the challenges of living in the 21^st century. “Pioneers of Today” describes our population perfectly.

News from Ottawa

Recently, Minister Oliver announced investments in 17 clean energy projects across the country through Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC).

• Canadians gave our Government a strong mandate to complete our economic recovery and focus on continued job growth.

• Support for clean energy technology is an effective way to both reduce emissions and create high-quality jobs for Canadians.

• With investments in projects like the ones announced today, the Harper Government is playing a leadership role in driving innovation in Canada’s clean energy industries.

• Our Government is proud to work in partnership with industry to develop and commercialize Canadian clean energy technology, further establishing Canada as a clean energy superpower on the world stage.