Alberta
Myrna Pearman and Morris Flewwelling honoured by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society
Myrna Pearman and Morris Flewwelling at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que. for the induction ceremony
Every year the Royal Canadian Geographical Society adds a few more worthy Canadians to it’s prestigious College of Fellows. Honourees are chosen because they represent the core values of the Society, including the determination to build, the courage to explore and a steadfast love of country.
It’s a select group of individuals featuring such notable Canadians as Nobel Prize winner Frederick Banting, former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed, television celebrity and philanthropist Alex Trebek, and astronaut Steve MacLean. The Society of Fellows also includes geographers, scientists, artists, soldiers, business leaders and educators.
In 2019 two beloved Central Albertans have joined the ranks. Among the 133 Fellows added to the Society in 2019 are former Red Deer Mayor Morris Flewwelling and biologist Myrna Pearman of the Ellis Bird Farm.
From Myrna Pearman
I am humbled and honoured to have been recently accepted as a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. The ceremony was held in Ottawa earlier this week. How inspiring it was to be in the company of so many exemplary Canadians who also received fellowships, received medals, and who spoke at the evening gala (Dr. Roberta Bondar, Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, Rt. Hon. David Johnson to name a few). A big thank you to Carol Patterson for the nomination. Carol has been a wonderful personal mentor and Ellis Bird Farm supporter over the years.The experience was extra special because it was shared with a great personal friend and another Ellis Bird Farm champion (and founding board chairman), Morris Flewwelling. What a treat it was to also be in the company of Dr. Dee (who was also received a fellowship) and Brian Keating.
We live in troubled times, but there are so many talented and dedicated people across this great land who are working tirelessly on behalf of our beautiful country (and planet). My thanks to them all!
The Fellows class of 2019 pose for a photo at the Canadian Museum of History during The Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s College of Fellows Annual Dinner and 90th anniversary celebration Nov. 21. (Photo: Ben Powless/Can Geo)
From the Royal Canadian Geographical Society
Inside the RCGS’ star-studded 90th anniversary celebration
Honouring exceptional achievements in exploration, science, and nation-building
Each year, through its awards program, the RCGS recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to Canada, the Society or the field of geography. In 2019, the Society awarded medals to 36 exceptional honourees, among them astronauts, educators, artists, former heads of state, explorers and scientists.
Most of the medals were presented at a special ceremony in the Alex Trebek Theatre at 50 Sussex, headquarters of the RCGS, on the morning of Nov. 21, while others were given at Society events throughout the year. A few honourees were recognized during the Dinner itself, including the Right Hon. Joe Clark, former Prime Minister of Canada; the Right Hon. David Johnston, former Governor General of Canada; astronaut Harrison Schmitt, the most recent person still living to have walked on the moon; astronaut Andrew Feustel, who commanded a recent mission on the International Space Station, and Michael Ulica, president and chief operating officer of the National Geographic Society.
The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, provided remarks of welcome and congratulations, saluting the honourees and the RCGS for their ongoing efforts to better our country and world.
See the full list of 2019 honourees
Welcoming new Fellows
The Society proudly welcomed 133 new Fellows to its ranks, bringing the total number of active Fellows to 1,176. Fellows inducted this year hail from four countries, seven provinces and one territory. Among this year’s diverse Fellows class are country singer Paul Brandt, journalist and Canadian Geographic contributing editor Julian Brave NoiseCat, giraffologist Anne Innis Dagg, nature advocate Simon Jackson, historian Margaret MacMillan, mountaineering duo Lonnie Dupre and Pascale Marceau, TVO anchor Steve Paikin, artist and author Leanne Shapton, and Tlingit artist and carver Keith Wolfe Smarch.
Celebrating legends and milestones in space exploration
Space exploration was an overarching theme of the evening, with 2019 marking the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon mission as well as the 90th anniversary of the RCGS. Dr. Roberta Bondar, Canada’s first female astronaut and an Honourary Vice-President of the Society, introduced fellow astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Andrew Feustel as they accepted their Gold Medals, as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques, who returned the RCGS expedition flag he had taken with him to the International Space Station on Expedition 58/59.
Schmitt delighted the crowd by tossing out foam “moon balls,” while Saint-Jacques amazed with a presentation about his mission and the new perspective it has given him on our planet. “This is our home in the vacuum of space,” he said, “and we have to take care of it.”
Finally, Marie Lemay, Master of the Royal Canadian Mint, took the stage to present all the astronauts and Sylvain Laporte, President of the Canadian Space Agency, with a special coin honouring Marc Garneau, the first Canadian to go to space.
Alberta
Working to avoid future US tariffs, Alberta signs onto U.S. energy pact
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu of the Governors’ Coalition for Energy Security
Premier Danielle Smith has joined the Governors’ Coalition for Energy Security to further support advocacy of Alberta’s energy and environmental interests with key U.S. states.
The coalition was established in September 2024 by U.S. State governors Jeff Landry (Louisiana) and Chris Sununu (New Hampshire) with the aim of ensuring energy security, lower energy costs, increased reliability, sustainable economic development and sensible management of energy resources and the environment. With 12 U.S. states already signatories to the coalition, Alberta is the first non-U.S. state to enter into this agreement.
By expanding energy ties with the U.S. and promoting cross-border energy trade and participation, Alberta is helping to build upon its North American Energy strategy. Alberta already accounts for 56 per cent of all oil imports to the U.S. – twice as much as Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Iraq combined – which is helping to drive job creation and prosperity on both sides of the border. Natural gas also plays an important role in North America’s energy mix. Alberta is the largest producer of natural gas in Canada and remains positioned to support the U.S. in filling their domestic supply gaps.
“I am honoured to join the Governors’ Coalition for Energy Security and would like to extend my sincere thanks to governors Landry and Sununu for the invitation. Alberta plays a vital role in North American energy security, serving as the largest supplier of crude oil and natural gas to the United States. With 200 billion barrels of recoverable oil, 200 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas, significant natural gas liquids and ample pore space for carbon capture, Alberta’s contribution is set to grow even further as we look to work with the Trump Administration and other U.S. partners to increase our pipeline capacity to our greatest friend and ally, the United States. We are proud to collaborate with this coalition of allied states in advancing energy security, reliability and affordability for Americans and Canadians.”
“Our mission as an organization has not changed but Alberta’s welcome arrival to our group sparked a conversation about what our core mission is, and that is ensuring energy security in all its forms. Our members all share the common goal of enhancing and protecting energy options for our people and businesses, which leads to lower energy costs, increased reliability, sustainable economic development and wise management of energy resources and the environment. I welcome Premier Smith and the insights she will bring as the leader from a fellow energy-producing province, that like my state, is under a federal system of government where national imperatives are not always aligned with state or provincial interests.”
Alberta is a global leader in emissions reduction technology and clean energy solutions. The province has captured about 14 million tonnes of carbon dioxide through carbon capture, utilization and storage technology, and has the ability to support the U.S. in developing new infrastructure and supply chains for future energy markets in the areas of hydrogen, renewables, small modular reactors and others.
Alberta is also unlocking its untapped geological potential to help meet the increasing demand for minerals – many of which are used worldwide to manufacture batteries, cell phones, energy storage cells and other products. This includes the province’s lithium sector where Alberta’s government is supporting several innovative projects to develop new ways to extract and concentrate lithium faster and with higher recovery rates that are less capital and energy intensive and have a smaller land-use footprint.
As part of this coalition, Alberta looks forward to sharing best practices with states that already have expertise in these areas.
Quick facts
- The U.S. is Alberta’s largest trading partner, with C$188 billion in bilateral trade in 2023.
- In 2023, energy products accounted for approximately C$133.6 billion, or more than 80 per cent of Alberta’s exports to the U.S.
- The Governors’ Coalition for Energy Security’s 12 signatory states include Louisiana, New Hampshire, Indiana (Governor Eric Holcomb), Alabama (Governor Kay Ivey), Georgia (Governor Brian Kemp), Tennessee (Governor Bill Lee), South Dakota (Governor Kristi Noem), Mississippi (Governor Tate Reeves), Arkansas (Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders), Oklahoma (Governor Kevin Stitt), Wyoming (Governor Mark Gordon) and Virginia (Governor Glenn Youngkin).
Alberta
New red tape reporting website will help ramp up housing construction in Alberta
Helping builders by putting an end to housing delays
Alberta’s new Stop Housing Delays online portal will allow developers, municipalities and other housing partners to report red tape and unnecessary home-building delays.
Alberta’s government is focused on ensuring Albertans have access to the housing they need, and that means working to streamline processes, cut red tape and reduce delays that are slowing housing construction down. As part of this work, government has launched a new online portal to help in these efforts.
The Stop Housing Delays online portal is now available for developers and municipal authorities to help identify areas that are preventing fast and efficient residential construction. This portal will help government identify and address barriers to building homes across the province.
“The Stop Housing Delays portal will allow Alberta’s government to hear directly from developers, municipalities and other partners on where delays are happening in the construction process. This will help identify and remove barriers, ultimately getting homes built faster and continuing Alberta’s record home-building pace.”
“Alberta’s government will continue to work with municipalities and find solutions to speed up the home-building process. The Stop Housing Delays portal will give us another tool to inform those discussions and identify areas where we can improve the pace of home building.”
Once developers, municipalities or industry partners have submitted their issue using the online form, government will collect and assess the information provided. Alberta’s government will be taking a collaborative, cross-ministry approach to ensure the appropriate departments are working together to find solutions where possible. Solutions may range from minor changes to policy reform.
Alberta’s government continues to support builders and encourage new residential housing construction by reducing red tape, incentivizing housing construction and supporting innovative strategies to build homes faster than ever.
“This webpage is an excellent opportunity to gather knowledge and further eliminate red tape. Government has been persistent in our approach of cutting red tape and removing roadblocks, and this will help to speed up residential construction. I look forward to hearing from developers and our other partners on how we can help get projects moving and Albertans in homes.”
Alberta continues to see strong housing starts and increases while other provinces across Canada are seeing a reduction in housing starts. The first half of 2024 saw 9,903 apartment unit starts in the province. This marks the highest amount in any half year in Alberta’s history, breaking the previous record of 9,750 set in 1977. Albertans will benefit from 33,577 new housing starts from January through September 2024, up 35 per cent from the same period last year. Alberta’s government remains focused on working with industry and non-profit partners to ensure that the province’s growing population has access to the housing it needs.
“This portal is a valuable tool for industry to highlight gaps, barriers and delays that may need to be prioritized and addressed by either local or provincial governments. Real solutions can only emerge through transparency, open communication and collaboration. This is an important step toward identifying the unique challenges each region and municipality faces in delivering attainable housing.”
Quick Facts
- Housing starts for January – September 2024 compared with January – September 2023
- Provincewide: 33,577 compared with 24,904 (up 35 per cent)
- Edmonton: 13,359 compared with 9,099 (up 47 per cent)
- Calgary: 17,414 compared with 14,141 (up 23 per cent)
- Lethbridge: 599 compared with 148 (up 305 per cent)
- Red Deer: 314 compared with 146 (up 115 per cent)
- Data shows Alberta had 10,699 purpose-built rentals, making up 32 per cent of all housing starts.
- Since 2019, Alberta’s government has invested almost $850 million to build more than 5,100 units and close to 900 shelter spaces. This includes projects we have committed to, that are in progress and that are complete.
- Together with its partners, Alberta’s government is supporting $9 billion in investments into affordable housing to support 25,000 additional low-income households by 2031.
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